Akamai vs Amazon CloudFront

Updated November 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

Akamai

One of the largest CDN and edge platforms, with security services and the Akamai Cloud (Linode) compute offering.

Paid

Visit Akamai Akamai profile

Amazon CloudFront

AWS content delivery network for caching and accelerating websites, APIs and video.

Free plan + paid

Visit Amazon CloudFront Amazon CloudFront profile

The short answer

Akamai is a contract-based CDN and security platform for large enterprises with huge traffic peaks. Amazon CloudFront is the AWS CDN, tightly wired into S3, load balancers and AWS WAF, with flat-rate plans including a free one plus pay-as-you-go. Teams already on AWS will usually find CloudFront simpler to adopt; enterprises wanting a dedicated edge and security vendor with enterprise support often choose Akamai.

Akamai or Amazon CloudFront: our take

Both are large CDNs with edge compute, but they're bought and run differently. Akamai configures delivery in Property Manager and runs JavaScript at the edge with EdgeWorkers, with cold starts under 5 ms. It sells WAF, bot management and DDoS protection around the CDN, and Akamai Cloud compute from Linode. Most products, including EdgeWorkers, are bought on contracts through sales, and its terminology and control panel take time to learn.

CloudFront runs on 750+ points of presence and works with any HTTP origin, though it fits most naturally in front of S3 buckets, load balancers and EC2. It handles TLS, access controls, origin failover and DDoS protection, and runs edge code through CloudFront Functions and Lambda@Edge. Configuration happens in the AWS console, CLI or infrastructure-as-code tools, which is flexible but complex for people new to AWS and IAM.

Pricing is where they diverge most. CloudFront is self-serve, with a free flat-rate plan at $0 a month, paid flat-rate plans from $15 a month per distribution and higher plans at $200 and $1,000 a month per distribution, bundling WAF, DNS and other services without overage charges. The alternative pay-as-you-go model bills data transfer and requests, which is harder to predict. Akamai has no self-serve CDN plan and is expensive for small and mid-sized sites.

For teams hosting on AWS, or any team that wants to start small and pay a published price, CloudFront is the practical choice. Large media companies, banks and retailers that need proven delivery during very large traffic events, enterprise support and a broad security suite from one vendor, and that are comfortable with contracts, are Akamai's core customers.

Choose Akamai if…

Large enterprises and media companies that need a proven CDN and security at very high scale
Very large, mature edge network suited to huge traffic peaks
Security products (WAF, bot management, DDoS) alongside delivery

Choose Amazon CloudFront if…

Teams hosting on AWS who want a CDN tightly wired into S3, load balancers and AWS security tools
You want a free option (Akamai is paid only)
Large global network of points of presence
Close integration with S3, EC2, load balancers and AWS WAF

What is Akamai?

Akamai runs one of the oldest and largest content delivery networks, serving websites, software downloads, video and APIs from servers spread across thousands of networks worldwide. Customers configure delivery through Property Manager, where they set edge hostnames, caching behaviour, origins and rules, and can run JavaScript at the edge with EdgeWorkers. Around the CDN it sells web application firewall, bot management and DDoS protection, which is where much of its business now sits, plus Akamai Cloud, the compute platform that grew out of its Linode acquisition. Large media companies, banks and retailers choose Akamai for its reach and enterprise support during huge traffic peaks. Most products are bought on annual contracts through sales rather than self-serve sign-up, and its control panel and terminology take time to learn. Linode-based cloud compute is the exception, with published pay-as-you-go pricing. Smaller sites usually find Cloudflare, Fastly or Bunny.net easier and cheaper to start with.

What is 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.

Side by side

Attribute	Akamai	Amazon CloudFront
Pricing	Paid	Free plan + paid
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	Web	Web
Best for	Large enterprises and media companies that need a proven CDN and security at very high scale	Teams hosting on AWS who want a CDN tightly wired into S3, load balancers and AWS security tools
Status	Active	Active

Verified facts, compared

Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.

Fact	Akamai	Amazon CloudFront
Edge compute	EdgeWorkers (JavaScript)	CloudFront Functions and Lambda@Edge