--- title: "CloudFront vs. Akamai: Price Comparison" description: Compare CloudFront and Akamai in 2026 to find the most cost-effective CDN for your needs and choose the better option. image: https://blog.blazingcdn.com/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/CloudFront%20CloudFormation-1.jpeg --- [![BlazingCDN](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/hubfs/Logo/blog-logo-w.png)](https://blog.blazingcdn.com?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ“˜Learn โ–พ](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cdn-learn?hsLang=en-us) [CDN Fundamentals](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cdn-fundamentals?hsLang=en-us) [By Content Type](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/by-content-type?hsLang=en-us) [Advanced Concepts](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/advanced-concepts?hsLang=en-us) [Glossary](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/glossary?hsLang=en-us) [โšก Web Performance](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/web-performance?hsLang=en-us) [๐ŸŽฌVideo & Streaming โ–พ](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/video-streaming-cdn?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ”ด Live Streaming](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/live-streaming?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ“บ VOD & OTT](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/vod-ott?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ’ฐ Bandwidth & Costs](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/bandwidth-costs?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿญ Other Industries โ–พ](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cdn-industry-insights?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ“บ Media & Broadcasting](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/media-broadcasting?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ’พ Software & SaaS](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/software-saas?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ—๏ธ DevOps & Cloud Infra](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/devops-cloud-infra?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ“š AdTech & Advertising](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/adtech-advertising?hsLang=en-us) [๐ŸŽฎ Gaming & Esports](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/gaming-esports?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ“ฑ Mobile Apps & Developers](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/mobile-apps-developers?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿค– AI & Machine Learning](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/ai-machine-learning?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ›๏ธ Enterprise & Corporate](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/enterprise-corporate?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ“š E-Learning & EdTech](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/e-learning-edtech?hsLang=en-us) [๐ŸŸ๏ธ Sports & Live Events](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/sports-live-events?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ’ฐ Pricing & Costs โ–พ](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cdn-pricing-and-cdn-costs?hsLang=en-us) [Provider Pricing](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/provider-pricing?hsLang=en-us) [Cost Optimization](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cost-optimization?hsLang=en-us) [Decision Support](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/decision-support?hsLang=en-us) [โšกCompare โ–พ](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cdn-comparison?hsLang=en-us) [Provider Comparisons](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/provider-comparisons?hsLang=en-us) [Strategy Comparisons](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/strategy-comparisons?hsLang=en-us) [Ratings & Benchmarks](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cdn-ratings-and-benchmarks?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ“Š Benchmarks](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cdn-ratings-and-benchmarks?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ”’ Security โ–พ](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cdn-security?hsLang=en-us) [Attack Protection](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/attack-protection?hsLang=en-us) [Encryption & Access](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/encryption-access?hsLang=en-us) [Video & DRM Security](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/video-drm-security?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ“ Case Studies](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/case-studies?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ”Œ Integrations](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/integrations?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Tools](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cdn-tools?hsLang=en-us) [Get Started](https://blazingcdn.com/sign-up-contact-form/) [Learn](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/tag/learn) [Compare](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/tag/compare) [Learn - CDN Fundamentals](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/tag/learn-cdn-fundamentals) [Learn - Advanced Concepts](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/tag/learn-advanced-concepts) # CloudFront vs. Akamai Pricing in 2026: Which CDN Saves You More? Vadym Borovskyi Dec 12, 2024, 12:23:53โ€ฏPM ![](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/CloudFront%20CloudFormation-1.jpeg) # CloudFront vs. Akamai Pricing in 2026: A Cost Comparison A 500 TB/month video workload priced on CloudFront's published rate card costs roughly $20,000/month in data transfer alone. The same volume on Akamai, after typical enterprise negotiation, lands somewhere between $15,000 and $22,000 โ€” but the final number depends on contract length, commit, and which sales engineer picks up the phone. That variance matters. For teams running the cloudfront vs akamai pricing comparison in 2026, the sticker price is the least interesting part of the equation. This article gives you the full picture: current per-GB rates as of Q2 2026, the hidden line items that inflate invoices, a workload-profile decision matrix you can drop into a procurement doc, and the third-party pricing alternative that changes the math entirely. ![CloudFront vs Akamai pricing comparison chart for 2026](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Gemini%20INBlog%20Pictures/image-May-04-2026-12-58-05-2575-PM.png?width=1280&height=720&name=image-May-04-2026-12-58-05-2575-PM.png) ## **CloudFront vs. Akamai Pricing: 2026 Rate Cards** CloudFront's pricing page, last updated in early 2026, still follows a transparent tiered model based on region and volume. Akamai does not publish rates. The figures below for Akamai reflect commonly reported ranges from enterprise contracts and reseller disclosures as of Q1 2026. Your mileage will vary based on commit and use case. ### Amazon CloudFront โ€” Published Per-GB Rates (US/Europe) | Monthly Volume | Per-GB Price | | --- | --- | | First 10 TB | $0.085 | | Next 40 TB | $0.080 | | Next 100 TB | $0.060 | | Next 350 TB | $0.040 | | 500 TB โ€“ 4 PB | $0.030 (requires CloudFront Security Savings Bundle or private pricing) | | 4 PB+ | Contact AWS sales | CloudFront's Security Savings Bundle, introduced in 2023 and still active in 2026, lets you commit to a monthly spend floor in exchange for up to 30% lower effective rates. It bundles CloudFront, AWS WAF, and Shield Standard. If you are already paying for WAF, the bundle can drop your blended transfer cost below $0.025/GB at scale. ### Akamai โ€” Estimated Per-GB Rates (Enterprise Contracts, 2026) | Monthly Volume | Estimated Per-GB Price | | --- | --- | | 0 โ€“ 10 TB | $0.049 โ€“ $0.060 | | 10 โ€“ 50 TB | $0.035 โ€“ $0.045 | | 50 โ€“ 200 TB | $0.020 โ€“ $0.035 | | 200 TB+ | $0.010 โ€“ $0.025 (highly negotiable, multi-year commit) | Akamai's 2026 pricing remains fully custom. The ranges above are directional. Expect your first quote to come in 20โ€“40% above what you will actually sign, especially for delivery-only contracts without security add-ons. ## **The Line Items That Inflate Your Invoice** Per-GB transfer is the headline. It is rarely the total. Here is where each provider adds cost that the rate card does not make obvious. - **HTTP/HTTPS request charges (CloudFront):** $0.0075โ€“$0.0100 per 10,000 HTTPS requests depending on region. For API-heavy workloads with small response bodies, request costs can exceed transfer costs. - **Origin fetch / origin shield (CloudFront):** Origin Shield adds a regional cache layer and costs $0.0090/10,000 requests. Useful for reducing origin load, but a cost line that surprises teams after they enable it. - **Real-time log delivery (CloudFront):** $0.01 per million log lines via Kinesis. At high request volumes, logging costs compound. - **Akamai platform surcharges:** Akamai contracts often include a "platform fee" or "base fee" that ranges from $2,000 to $10,000+/month depending on the product mix (Ion, DSA, AMD). This fee exists even during months where your traffic is low. - **Akamai security add-ons:** Kona Site Defender, Bot Manager, and API Security are priced separately. A typical enterprise security stack on Akamai can run $5,000โ€“$15,000/month on top of delivery fees. - **Regional surcharges (both):** India, South America, and Africa regions carry 2โ€“5x premiums on both platforms. If your traffic is globally distributed, blended cost per GB rises significantly above the US/Europe rate. ## **Workload-Profile Decision Matrix** The question is not "which CDN is cheaper" in the abstract. It is which CDN costs less for your specific traffic shape. Use this matrix to shortcut the comparison. | Workload Profile | Likely Cheaper Option (2026) | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | Under 50 TB/mo, AWS-native stack | CloudFront | No platform fee, free tier for first 1 TB, zero cost for origin fetches from S3 in same region | | 100โ€“500 TB/mo, video/streaming | Akamai (negotiated) or third-party CDN | Akamai's volume discounts become aggressive here; third-party CDNs undercut both | | High request count, small objects (APIs, IoT telemetry) | Akamai | CloudFront's per-request charges dominate when object sizes are small; Akamai bundles requests into the delivery contract | | 500 TB+/mo, multi-CDN architecture | Multi-CDN with a cost-optimized secondary | Neither CloudFront nor Akamai alone provides the best unit economics at this scale; splitting by region or content type reduces blended cost | | Global audience, latency-sensitive (gaming, real-time) | Akamai | Largest edge network footprint; more consistent last-mile performance in emerging markets | | Cost-constrained, 50โ€“2,000 TB/mo, cacheable content | Third-party CDN (e.g., BlazingCDN) | Unit economics 60โ€“90% lower than either at comparable reliability; see section below | ## **Where a Third-Party CDN Changes the Math** For teams running 100+ TB/month of cacheable delivery โ€” software downloads, video VOD, game patches, media assets โ€” the cloudfront vs akamai pricing debate misses the most significant cost reduction available. BlazingCDN prices below either provider on published rates. At 100 TB/month, the cost is $415/month (effectively $0.00415/GB). At 500 TB it is $1,815/month (about $0.0036/GB), and the rate falls toward $0.0025/GB at the top tier (as of October 2026). For enterprises evaluating their CDN spend in 2026, those numbers make it worth running a parallel test before renewing an existing contract. [**See current BlazingCDN pricing tiers here**](https://blazingcdn.com/pricing/). ## **FAQ** ### Is Akamai more expensive than CloudFront in 2026? At low volumes (under 10 TB/month) with no negotiated contract, Akamai's effective cost can be higher due to platform fees and minimum commits. At high volumes with a multi-year agreement, Akamai's per-GB rate can drop below CloudFront's published rates. The crossover point depends on your contract terms and traffic shape. ### How much does Akamai cost compared to CloudFront for video streaming? For a 200 TB/month video streaming workload in 2026, CloudFront's blended rate (US/Europe, with Savings Bundle) is approximately $0.030โ€“$0.035/GB. Akamai's negotiated rate for a similar workload typically lands between $0.018 and $0.028/GB. However, Akamai's platform and security fees can add $5,000โ€“$15,000/month, narrowing or eliminating the per-GB advantage. ### Does CloudFront's pay-as-you-go model beat Akamai's custom pricing? For teams without a committed monthly volume or those with spiky traffic patterns, CloudFront's pay-as-you-go model avoids the risk of overcommitting. Akamai's custom pricing rewards predictable, high-volume traffic with deeper discounts but penalizes underutilization through minimum commit clauses. ### Which is cheaper for high-traffic websites: Akamai or CloudFront? At 500 TB/month and above, both require private/negotiated pricing, and the gap between them narrows. The real savings at that scale come from multi-CDN strategies that route traffic to the lowest-cost provider per region, or from third-party CDNs with structurally lower overhead. ### Can I use CloudFront and Akamai together in a multi-CDN setup? Yes. Many large-scale operators run CloudFront as their primary for AWS-origin traffic and Akamai (or a cost-optimized CDN) for non-AWS origins or specific geographic regions. DNS-level or client-side steering gives you per-request control over which CDN serves each user. ## **Run Your Own Comparison This Week** Pull your last 90 days of CDN invoices. Break out transfer cost, request cost, security line items, and any platform or base fees. Calculate your true blended cost per GB by region. Then request quotes from at least one alternative provider at your actual volume โ€” not a hypothetical. The spread between what you are paying and what the market offers in Q2 2026 is wider than most teams assume. If your blended rate is above $0.01/GB on cacheable content, you are leaving budget on the table. 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The CDN for video and large traffic Their monthly bill vs ours - 20 TBFastly $2,087**$92.50** - 50 TBCDN77 $990**$215** - 200 TBCloudFront $11,965**$765** Published list prices, Aug 2026 [Calculate your cost](https://blazingcdn.com/cdn-cost-calculator/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_campaign=blog_sidebar&utm_content=compare_calc) ## Related posts [![](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/hubfs/Gemini-Blog/image-Oct-09-2026-07-30-19-6786-AM.jpeg)](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/what-is-h-264-avc-the-codec-behind-most-online-video?hsLang=en-us) Learn ### [What Is H.264 (AVC)? The Codec Behind Most Online Video](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/what-is-h-264-avc-the-codec-behind-most-online-video?hsLang=en-us) H.264, also called Advanced Video Coding (AVC) or MPEG-4 Part 10, is a block-based video compression standard published ... Oct 9, 2026, 9:32:23โ€ฏAM [Read more](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/what-is-h-264-avc-the-codec-behind-most-online-video?hsLang=en-us) [![](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/hubfs/Gemini-Blog/image-Oct-09-2026-07-00-57-1652-AM.jpeg)](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/best-cdn-static-websites-static-file-delivery?hsLang=en-us) Compare ### [Best CDN for Static Sites and File Delivery: 2026 Comparison](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/best-cdn-static-websites-static-file-delivery?hsLang=en-us) At 100 TB a month, the published price gap between options for a CDN for static content is more than 16 times: ... Oct 9, 2026, 9:03:11โ€ฏAM [Read more](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/best-cdn-static-websites-static-file-delivery?hsLang=en-us) [![](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/hubfs/Gemini-Blog/image-Oct-08-2026-07-30-34-5819-AM.jpeg)](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/h-264-vs-h-265-hevc-quality-bitrate-and-device-support?hsLang=en-us) Learn ### [H.264 vs H.265 (HEVC): Quality, Bitrate and Device Support](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/h-264-vs-h-265-hevc-quality-bitrate-and-device-support?hsLang=en-us) Evaluated October 2026: in the h264 vs h265 decision, HEVC (H.265) matches H.264 (AVC) quality at roughly 30 to 50 ... Oct 8, 2026, 9:33:36โ€ฏAM [Read more](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/h-264-vs-h-265-hevc-quality-bitrate-and-device-support?hsLang=en-us) [![BlazingCDN](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/hubfs/Logo/blog-logo-w.png)](https://blog.blazingcdn.com?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ“˜ Learn](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cdn-learn?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ“Š Benchmarks](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cdn-ratings-and-benchmarks?hsLang=en-us) [๐ŸŽฌ Video & Streaming](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/video-streaming-cdn?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿญ Industries](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cdn-industry-insights?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ’ฐ Pricing & Costs](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cdn-pricing-and-cdn-costs?hsLang=en-us) [โšก Compare](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cdn-comparison?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ”’ Security](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cdn-security?hsLang=en-us) [๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Tools](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/cdn-tools?hsLang=en-us) [โœ๏ธ Publish with us](https://blog.blazingcdn.com/publish-with-us?hsLang=en-us) in f ๐• โœ‰ Copyright ยฉ BlazingCDN |. All rights reserved. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://blazingcdn.com/#organization", "@type" : "Organization", "description" : "High-volume CDN for video, live streaming, OTT/IPTV, software, games, SaaS and large-file delivery.", "logo" : { "@id" : "https://blazingcdn.com/#logo", "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 560, "url" : "https://blazingcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/logo-560-560.png", "width" : 560 }, "name" : "BlazingCDN", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/blazingcdn", "https://x.com/BlazingCdn", "https://www.reddit.com/r/BlazingCDN/" ], "url" : "https://blazingcdn.com/" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://blog.blazingcdn.com/#website", "@type" : "WebSite", "inLanguage" : "en-US", "name" : "BlazingCDN Blog", "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://blazingcdn.com/#organization" }, "url" : "https://blog.blazingcdn.com/" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/cloudfront-vs-akamai-price-comparison#article", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Vadym Borovskyi" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-07T15:34:54Z", "datePublished" : "2024-12-12T11:23:53Z", "description" : "Compare CloudFront and Akamai in 2026 to find the most cost-effective CDN for your needs and choose the better option.", "headline" : "CloudFront vs. Akamai: Price Comparison", "image" : "https://143144902.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/143144902/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/CloudFront%20CloudFormation-1.jpeg", "inLanguage" : "en-us", "isPartOf" : { "@id" : "https://blog.blazingcdn.com/#website" }, "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/cloudfront-vs-akamai-price-comparison", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://blazingcdn.com/#organization" }, "wordCount" : 1338 } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/cloudfront-vs-akamai-price-comparison#breadcrumb", "@type" : "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement" : [ { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us", "name" : "Blog", "position" : 1 }, { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/cloudfront-vs-akamai-price-comparison", "name" : "CloudFront vs. Akamai: Price Comparison", "position" : 2 } ] } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://blog.blazingcdn.com/en-us/cloudfront-vs-akamai-price-comparison#faq", "@type" : "FAQPage", "mainEntity" : [ { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "At low volumes (under 10 TB/month) with no negotiated contract, Akamai's effective cost can be higher due to platform fees and minimum commits. At high volumes with a multi-year agreement, Akamai's per-GB rate can drop below CloudFront's published rates. The crossover point depends on your contract terms and traffic shape." }, "name" : "Is Akamai more expensive than CloudFront in 2026?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "For a 200 TB/month video streaming workload in 2026, CloudFront's blended rate (US/Europe, with Savings Bundle) is approximately $0.030โ€“$0.035/GB. Akamai's negotiated rate for a similar workload typically lands between $0.018 and $0.028/GB. However, Akamai's platform and security fees can add $5,000โ€“$15,000/month, narrowing or eliminating the per-GB advantage." }, "name" : "How much does Akamai cost compared to CloudFront for video streaming?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "For teams without a committed monthly volume or those with spiky traffic patterns, CloudFront's pay-as-you-go model avoids the risk of overcommitting. Akamai's custom pricing rewards predictable, high-volume traffic with deeper discounts but penalizes underutilization through minimum commit clauses." }, "name" : "Does CloudFront's pay-as-you-go model beat Akamai's custom pricing?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "At 500 TB/month and above, both require private/negotiated pricing, and the gap between them narrows. The real savings at that scale come from multi-CDN strategies that route traffic to the lowest-cost provider per region, or from third-party CDNs with structurally lower overhead." }, "name" : "Which is cheaper for high-traffic websites: Akamai or CloudFront?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Yes. Many large-scale operators run CloudFront as their primary for AWS-origin traffic and Akamai (or a cost-optimized CDN) for non-AWS origins or specific geographic regions. DNS-level or client-side steering gives you per-request control over which CDN serves each user." }, "name" : "Can I use CloudFront and Akamai together in a multi-CDN setup?" } ] } ```