Quick Answer
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Akamai pricing varies by team size and features, ranging from $0 to $992 per month in 2026. Your actual cost depends on the tier you choose, contract length, and negotiated discounts.

Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.

  • Free tier: No free tier available
  • Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
  • Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training

Akamai offers 4 pricing tiers: Standard CDN, Web Application & API Protection, Media Delivery, Cloud Computing (Connected Cloud). Standard paid plans include Cloud Computing (Connected Cloud) at $5/month. The Web Application & API Protection plan is financial services, healthcare, and enterprises requiring advanced security, compliance, and bot management.

Compared to other cdn & edge software, Akamai is positioned at the budget-friendly price point.

Last verified: February 2026 | Sources: 1 pricing pages and reviews

Akamai Technologies is the world's largest and oldest CDN provider, operating over 4,200 edge servers across 130+ countries. Founded in 1998, Akamai delivers 15-30% of all global web traffic daily. It serves the most demanding enterprises including major banks, Fortune 100 companies, government agencies, and the world's largest media platforms. In 2022, Akamai acquired Linode to add cloud computing (now called Akamai Connected Cloud) to its edge delivery platform, offering compute instances starting at $5/month alongside its enterprise CDN services.

Akamai CDN pricing is entirely custom with no public rate card. All contracts require a sales engagement and typically involve 12-month minimum commitments. Industry estimates put per-GB rates at $0.035-$0.049 depending on volume, with total monthly costs ranging from $500 for small deployments to $50,000+ for large enterprises. Additional products like WAF, Bot Manager, Prolexic DDoS protection, and media delivery are priced separately. Akamai's Cloud Computing platform (formerly Linode) is the exception, with transparent pricing starting at $5/month for shared compute instances.

All Akamai Plans & Pricing

Plan Monthly Annual Best For
Standard CDN Estimated per-GB rate: $0.035-$0.049/GB depending on volumeMinimum commitment: 12-month contract typical Contact Contact Enterprises with high-volume, globally distributed traffic needing the most extensive edge network
Web Application & API Protection WAF: Enterprise-grade, adaptiveDDoS: Prolexic (dedicated scrubbing centers) Contact Contact Financial services, healthcare, and enterprises requiring advanced security, compliance, and bot management
Media Delivery Streaming protocols: HLS, DASH, CMAFStorage: NetStorage (custom capacity) Contact Contact Broadcasters, OTT platforms, and media companies delivering video at massive scale
Cloud Computing (Connected Cloud) Nanode: 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 25 GB storageEgress included: 1-20 TB/month depending on plan $5 /month Custom Developers and businesses wanting affordable cloud compute with generous egress, as an alternative to AWS/GCP/Azure
View all features by plan

Standard CDN

  • Global CDN delivery across 4,200+ edge locations
  • Intelligent traffic routing and load balancing
  • SSL/TLS encryption with managed certificates
  • Real-time monitoring and analytics dashboard
  • API acceleration and optimization
  • Basic DDoS mitigation included
  • Origin offload and caching optimization
  • 24/7 NOC monitoring

Web Application & API Protection

  • Everything in Standard CDN
  • Enterprise WAF with adaptive security
  • Bot Manager for credential abuse and scraping
  • API security and rate limiting
  • Advanced DDoS protection (Prolexic)
  • Client reputation scoring
  • Managed security services option
  • Compliance support (PCI, SOC 2, HIPAA)
  • Custom security rules and policies

Media Delivery

  • Adaptive bitrate streaming (HLS, DASH)
  • Video on demand and live streaming optimization
  • Download delivery for large file distribution
  • NetStorage (origin storage platform)
  • Media analytics and QoS monitoring
  • Audience analytics and engagement metrics
  • Multi-CDN orchestration support
  • Low-latency streaming capabilities

Cloud Computing (Connected Cloud)

  • Shared compute plans starting at $5/month (Nanode)
  • Dedicated compute, GPU, and high-memory instances
  • Object storage at $0.02/GB/month
  • Block storage volumes
  • Managed Kubernetes (LKE)
  • Managed databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB)
  • Generous egress included (1-20 TB/month per instance)
  • 12 global data center regions
  • Egress overage at $0.005/GB
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Hidden Costs to Budget For

Watch for 8 hidden costs
  • All CDN pricing requires custom contracts with minimum 12-month commitments; early termination penalties may apply
  • Professional services for initial implementation can cost $5,000-$50,000+ depending on complexity, with ongoing managed services adding $2,000-$10,000/month
  • Emergency support outside of standard SLA costs hundreds of dollars per hour for critical incident response
  • Premium support packages (Enhanced/Premium SLA) add $1,000-$5,000+ per month on top of base CDN costs
  • WAF and bot management are sold as separate products from CDN, each with their own per-request pricing that can double the total bill
  • Geographic surcharges apply: delivering to Asia-Pacific, South America, and Africa costs 10-40% more than North America/Europe rates
  • DNS (Edge DNS) is billed separately at approximately $0.10 per million queries for enterprise-scale usage
  • Minimum commit levels mean you pay the contracted amount even if actual usage is lower, with true-up clauses for exceeding commitments
Tip

Ask your Akamai sales rep about these costs upfront. Getting them in writing before signing can save you from surprise charges later.

Full hidden costs breakdown →

Frequently Asked Questions

01 How much does Akamai CDN cost?

Akamai CDN uses custom enterprise pricing with no public rate card. Based on industry estimates, per-GB rates range from $0.035/GB for high-volume contracts (50+ TB/month) to $0.049/GB for lower volumes (0-10 TB). Total monthly costs typically range from $500-$50,000+ depending on bandwidth, security features, and support level. All pricing requires a sales conversation and minimum 12-month contract.

02 Does Akamai have a free tier?

Akamai does not offer a free CDN tier. Their Cloud Computing platform (formerly Linode) starts at $5/month for the Nanode plan. For CDN and edge delivery services, Akamai is strictly enterprise-focused with custom contracts. Smaller organizations should consider Cloudflare (free CDN), Bunny CDN ($1/month minimum), or CloudFront (1 TB free tier) instead.

03 How does Akamai pricing compare to Cloudflare?

Akamai is significantly more expensive than Cloudflare. Cloudflare's Free plan includes unlimited CDN bandwidth; Akamai has no free option and typically costs $500-$50,000+/month. Akamai charges per GB ($0.035-$0.049) while Cloudflare has flat monthly pricing. However, Akamai offers the world's largest edge network (4,200+ locations vs Cloudflare's 330+), more granular enterprise controls, and dedicated account management. Akamai is justified for enterprises needing maximum global coverage and compliance.

04 What is Akamai's per-GB rate?

Akamai's estimated per-GB rates are: $0.049/GB for 0-10 TB/month, $0.045/GB for 10-50 TB/month, and $0.035/GB or less for 50+ TB/month with negotiated contracts. Rates vary by geography - North America/Europe get base rates while Asia-Pacific and South America are 10-20% higher. These are estimates; actual rates depend on contract negotiations, committed volume, and bundled services.

05 Is Akamai worth the enterprise premium?

Akamai is worth the premium for organizations that need the world's largest CDN network (4,200+ edge locations in 130+ countries), enterprise security (Prolexic DDoS, Bot Manager), compliance requirements (PCI, HIPAA, SOC 2), or media delivery at massive scale. For standard website CDN needs, Cloudflare, Fastly, or Bunny CDN offer 90% of the performance at a fraction of the cost. Akamai's value is in its unmatched network reach and enterprise security stack.