The Bottom Line
- Price
- From $5/mo, free trial. Compare plans
Key facts
- Akamai is a global CDN and cloud security provider powering many of the world's largest websites
- It delivers content from edge servers worldwide while protecting against DDoS and web attacks
- Custom enterprise pricing based on traffic and security requirements
Pros
- Enterprise CDN leader
- Global network
- Security features
- Good performance
- DDoS protection
Cons
- Very expensive
- Complex pricing
- Enterprise sales
- Overkill for small sites
- Dated UI
What is Akamai?
Ratings Across the Web
Akamai holds an aggregate rating of 4.5 out of 5 from 679 reviews across G2, last checked September 1, 2026.
Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more
Key Features
- CDN
- Cloud security
- Edge computing
- Bot management
- DDoS
- Enterprise
Pricing Plans
Free TrialPricing checked Oct 8, 2026
| Plan | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Nanode | $5/month | Shared CPU
|
| Linode 2GB | $12/month | Shared CPU
|
| Dedicated 4GB Popular | $36/month | Dedicated CPU
+1 more Show less
|
| Enterprise CDN | Custom | Global CDN
+1 more Show less
|
Is Akamai worth the price?
Most smaller companies interact only with Akamai Cloud; the CDN/Security products target enterprises with significant traffic.
Hidden Costs & Gotchas
CDN bandwidth pricing ($0.035-0.049/GB) varies by geography. Asia-Pacific and South America traffic costs 2-3x more than North America/Europe. A global audience significantly increases effective per-GB costs
Security products are sold separately from CDN.
12-month minimum contracts for CDN/Security with committed usage levels. Under-utilization means paying for unused capacity. Over-utilization triggers overage charges at potentially higher rates
Cloud compute transfer overage beyond included allowance is metered. A Nanode ($5/month) includes 1 TB transfer, exceeding it costs extra. High-bandwidth applications can blow through transfer limits
Enterprise CDN contracts are heavily negotiated. List pricing ($0.049/GB) is a starting point, large customers negotiate 30-50% discounts, but small/mid companies get less favorable rates
How Akamai's pricing compares
At $5/mo, billing unit not specified, Akamai is the most affordable of its 3 comparable direct competitors.
Entry paid plan, monthly. Pricing checked Oct 8, 2026.
Reviews
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Akamai FAQ
How does Akamai enhance website performance for enterprise organizations?
Which teams within an enterprise would benefit most from using Akamai?
How is Akamai priced?
What kind of security features does Akamai offer?
Can Akamai be overkill for smaller websites or startups?
How does Akamai compare to Cloudflare in terms of its target users?
Source: akamai.com