Software · head to head
Tencent Cloud vs Fastly
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Tencent Cloud standard SA5 2-core instance in Beijing is priced at 1567 CNY per year while an 8-core Standard S6 in Shanghai runs 5719 CNY per year; Fastly bandwidth is priced per region, and delivery to India, Africa and South Korea is $0.28 per GB against $0.12 in North America and Europe
- They diverge on capability: Tencent Cloud covers CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines, Fastly covers Edge Compute.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Tencent Cloud and Fastly actually diverge.
| Attribute | Tencent Cloud | Fastly |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Linux, Windows, Api, Cli | Web, Api |
| Founded | 2010 | 2011 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Tencent Cloud
- CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines
- COS - Cloud Object Storage
- TencentDB
- SCF - Serverless Computing
- Load Balancer
- VPC
- API Gateway
- Docker
Only in Fastly
- Edge Compute
- DDoS Protection
- Real-time Analytics
- Image Optimization
- Video Streaming
- API
- Instant Purge
- GitHub
Both cover
- CDN
- Terraform
- DDoS protection
- Cloud deployment
- Api support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Tencent Cloud
- Gaming platformsnot Fastly
- Social medianot Fastly
- Video streamingnot Fastly
- Asia-Pacific deploymentnot Fastly
- Mobile applicationsnot Fastly
Fastly
- Serving static and dynamic content through a global CDNnot Tencent Cloud
- Running edge logic and caching in front of an origin applicationnot Tencent Cloud
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Tencent Cloud
- Standard SA5 2-core instance in Beijing is priced at 1567 CNY per year while an 8-core Standard S6 in Shanghai runs 5719 CNY per year
Fastly
- Bandwidth is priced per region, and delivery to India, Africa and South Korea is $0.28 per GB against $0.12 in North America and Europe
- The same traffic therefore costs more than twice as much depending on where the audience is, which is invisible until the bill arrives
- The free allowance is 100 GB of bandwidth and 1M requests a month
- Requests are billed separately from bandwidth, at $0.01 per 10,000 above the first million
- High volume rates past 50 TB are not published and require contacting sales
Pricing, plan by plan
Tencent Cloud
Free- Free TrialFree
- Free trial credits
- CVM instances
- Cloud storage
- Pay-as-You-GoFree
- Flexible pricing
- No long-term contracts
- Global infrastructure
Fastly
Free- Free TrialFree
- CDN
- DDoS protection
- Real-time analytics
- Pay-As-You-GoFree
- Usage-based pricing
- Advanced features
- Priority support
Which should you pick?
Choose Tencent Cloud if
- You need cvm - cloud virtual machines.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
- You also want cos - cloud object storage.
Choose Fastly if
- You need edge compute.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want ddos protection.
Questions people ask
- Is Tencent Cloud or Fastly better?
- Neither clearly leads. Tencent Cloud starts at Free and Fastly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Tencent Cloud or Fastly?
- Tencent Cloud starts at Free and Fastly at Free.
- Does Tencent Cloud or Fastly run on more platforms?
- Tencent Cloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli. Fastly runs on Web, Api.
- Can I use Tencent Cloud for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Tencent Cloud best used for?
- Tencent Cloud is most often used for gaming platforms, social media, video streaming, asia-pacific deployment. Of those, gaming platforms and social media are not what Fastly is typically brought in for.
- What can Tencent Cloud do that Fastly cannot?
- Tencent Cloud covers CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines, COS - Cloud Object Storage, TencentDB, SCF - Serverless Computing. Fastly covers Edge Compute, DDoS Protection, Real-time Analytics, Image Optimization. Both handle CDN, Terraform, DDoS protection, Cloud deployment.