Amazon CloudFront
AWS content delivery network for caching and accelerating websites, APIs and video.
Updated · AppBreakup editorial · Web
Is Amazon CloudFront free?
Free plan, plus paid plans
- Starting price:
- $15 a month per distribution (flat-rate plan)
- Free plan:
- Yes, $0 a month flat-rate plan
Checked on Amazon CloudFront's site Nov 8, 2026
Full Amazon CloudFront pricing and plansSwitch from Amazon CloudFront to
All 8
Cloudflare CDNCompareStarting price: $20 a month, billed annually (Pro)
NetlifyStarting price: $9/month (Personal, 1 member)
AkamaiComparePaid
- Verified facts
- 7 of 7
- Alternatives ranked
- 8
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About Amazon CloudFront
Amazon CloudFront is the content delivery network run by Amazon Web Services. It caches static files such as images, scripts and video at edge locations around the world and also speeds up dynamic traffic like APIs by keeping persistent connections back to the origin. It works with any HTTP origin but fits most naturally in front of AWS services such as S3 buckets, load balancers and EC2. Beyond caching, it handles TLS certificates, access controls, origin failover and DDoS protection, and lets you run small pieces of code at the edge through CloudFront Functions or Lambda@Edge. There are two ways to pay: the classic pay-as-you-go model, billed by data transfer and requests, and newer flat-rate monthly plans that bundle the CDN with WAF, DNS and other services and have no overage charges, including a free plan for small sites. Configuration happens in the AWS console, CLI or infrastructure-as-code tools, which is flexible but has a learning curve for people new to AWS.
Best for: Teams hosting on AWS who want a CDN tightly wired into S3, load balancers and AWS security tools.
Amazon CloudFront pricing (checked Nov 8, 2026)
Each line is quoted from Amazon CloudFront's own site, with the page it came from.
| Plan or term | What it says | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, $0 a month flat-rate plan | Nov 8, 2026 | aws.amazon.com |
| Paid flat-rate plans | From $15/month per distribution | Nov 8, 2026 | aws.amazon.com |
| Pricing options | Flat-rate plans or pay-as-you-go | Nov 8, 2026 | aws.amazon.com |
| Starting price | $15 a month per distribution (flat-rate plan) | Nov 8, 2026 | aws.amazon.com |
| Higher flat-rate plans | $200 and $1,000 a month per distribution | Nov 8, 2026 | aws.amazon.com |
Pros and cons
What works
- Large global network of points of presence
- Close integration with S3, EC2, load balancers and AWS WAF
- Edge code through CloudFront Functions and Lambda@Edge
- Flat-rate plans, including a free one, avoid surprise overage bills
Why people leave
- AWS console and IAM setup is complex for newcomers
- Pay-as-you-go bills are hard to predict across multiple meters
- Fits best inside AWS; less convenient as a standalone CDN
Amazon CloudFront vs Cloudflare CDN, Netlify and Akamai
From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.
| Attribute | Amazon CloudFront | Cloudflare CDN | Netlify | Akamai |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan + paid | Free plan + paid | Free plan + paid | Paid |
| Verified price | $15 a month per distribution (flat-rate plan) | $20 a month, billed annually (Pro) | $9/month (Personal, 1 member) | — |
| Free plan | Yes, $0 a month flat-rate plan | Yes, $0 a month | Yes, $0 forever | No |
| Open source | No | No | No | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No | No | No |
| Platforms | Web | Web | Web | Web |
Full Amazon CloudFront vs Cloudflare CDN comparisonFull Amazon CloudFront vs Akamai comparison
Top Amazon CloudFront alternatives
See all 8- 1Cloudflare CDN68.8
Simpler setup with a free plan, DNS and security bundled, and no per-GB bandwidth fees.
- 2Netlify65.0
Static and Jamstack sites get a CDN built in, with no separate distribution to configure.
- 3Akamai62.6
One of the largest enterprise CDNs, with deep media delivery and security offerings.
- 4
Sucuri61.8Website firewall and CDN aimed at small sites that mainly want security and malware cleanup.
- 5
Cloudflare Workers51.2Run edge code without AWS, with a more generous free tier than Lambda@Edge.
Why people left Amazon CloudFront
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
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Amazon CloudFront: common questions
What is Amazon CloudFront?
Amazon CloudFront: AWS content delivery network for caching and accelerating websites, APIs and video. Best for teams hosting on AWS who want a CDN tightly wired into S3, load balancers and AWS security tools. Available for Web.
Is Amazon CloudFront free?
Amazon CloudFront has a free plan and paid plans. Free plan: Yes, $0 a month flat-rate plan (checked on Amazon CloudFront's own site).
How much does Amazon CloudFront cost?
Amazon CloudFront is free with paid plans. Free plan: Yes, $0 a month flat-rate plan; Paid flat-rate plans: From $15/month per distribution; Pricing options: Flat-rate plans or pay-as-you-go; Starting price: $15 a month per distribution (flat-rate plan). Checked on Amazon CloudFront's own site, November 2026.
Is Amazon CloudFront open source?
No, Amazon CloudFront is not open source.
What platforms does Amazon CloudFront run on?
Amazon CloudFront is available for Web.
What are the best alternatives to Amazon CloudFront?
The highest-ranked Amazon CloudFront alternatives right now are Cloudflare CDN, Netlify and Akamai. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.
Amazon CloudFront vs Cloudflare CDN: what's the difference?
Both Amazon CloudFront and Cloudflare CDN are free with paid plans. Verified prices: Amazon CloudFront $15 a month per distribution (flat-rate plan), Cloudflare CDN $20 a month, billed annually (Pro). Both run on Web.