Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head
Render vs Akamai
Render
Cloud & Infrastructure
A modern cloud platform for the next generation
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Akamai
Cloud & Infrastructure
Leading content delivery and security platform
- From
- $1000/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Render has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Render the free Hobby workspace is limited to 25 services and 5 GB of bandwidth; Akamai only the cloud computing services carry published rates; security and content delivery products require contacting sales for a price
- They diverge on capability: Render covers Web services, Akamai covers CDN.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Render and Akamai actually diverge.
Identical on both: platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cloud & Infrastructure).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Render
- Web services
- Static sites
- Background workers
- Postgres database
- Redis database
- Scheduled jobs
- Environment variables
- Custom domains
Only in Akamai
- CDN
- DDoS Protection
- Web Application Firewall
- Bot Management
- Image Optimization
- Video Platform
- API Gateway
- Analytics
Both cover
- DDoS protection
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Render
- Deploying web services, static sites and cron jobs from a Git repository without managing serversnot Akamai
- Running managed Postgres and Redis alongside application servicesnot Akamai
- Preview environments per pull request for small teamsnot Akamai
Akamai
- Content delivery and web performance through Ion and adaptive media deliverynot Render
- DDoS protection, bot management and API securitynot Render
- Running compute, Kubernetes and managed databases on Akamai's cloudnot Render
- Edge compute with EdgeWorkersnot Render
- Zero trust access for enterprise applicationsnot Render
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Render
- The free Hobby workspace is limited to 25 services and 5 GB of bandwidth
- Every paid plan charges the workspace fee plus compute on top, so $25 per month for Pro is a floor rather than a total
- SAML SSO and SCIM require the Scale plan at $499 per month
- HIPAA-compliant workspaces, inbound IP rules and advanced RBAC roles are Scale plan features
- Organization-level audit logs require Scale; Pro provides only workspace audit logs
- Contractual uptime SLAs, support response SLAs and a technical account manager are Enterprise only, and Enterprise is custom priced with no published rate
- Included bandwidth is 25 GB on Pro and 1 TB on Scale, with usage beyond that billed separately
Akamai
- Only the cloud computing services carry published rates; security and content delivery products require contacting sales for a price
- Cloud pricing varies by region across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific rather than being a single rate
Pricing, plan by plan
Render
Free- FreeFree
- 1 web service
- 1 static site
- Shared CPU
- Starter$7/month
- Unlimited services
- Dedicated CPU
- 2GB RAM
Akamai
$1000/month- CDN$1000/month
- Content delivery
- Global edge network
- Real-time analytics
- Security Suite$2000/month
- DDoS protection
- WAF
- Bot management
Which should you pick?
Choose Render if
- You need web services.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want static sites.
Questions people ask
- Is Render or Akamai better?
- Neither clearly leads. Render starts at Free and Akamai at $1000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Render or Akamai?
- Render has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Render and $1000/month for Akamai.
- Does Render or Akamai run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Render for free?
- Yes. Render has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Akamai starts at $1000/month.
- What is Render best used for?
- Render is most often used for deploying web services, static sites and cron jobs from a git repository without managing servers, running managed postgres and redis alongside application services, preview environments per pull request for small teams. Of those, deploying web services, static sites and cron jobs from a git repository without managing servers and running managed postgres and redis alongside application services are not what Akamai is typically brought in for.
- What can Render do that Akamai cannot?
- Render covers Web services, Static sites, Background workers, Postgres database. Akamai covers CDN, DDoS Protection, Web Application Firewall, Bot Management. Both handle DDoS protection, Cloud deployment, Web support.