Akamai CDN vs Alibaba Cloud CDN

Akamai CDN9.3Visit Alibaba Cloud CDN9.0Visit

Higher score Akamai CDN #2 in CDN Software 9.3/10 Pricing on request ✓ 2 of 4 features Visit Akamai

vs

Alibaba Cloud CDN #4 in CDN Software 9.0/10 Paid ✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Alibaba Cloud

• Akamai CDN fits best

  Enterprise CDN buyers prioritizing maturity

• Alibaba Cloud CDN fits best

  Large-scale global delivery

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Side by side

Feature	Akamai CDN 9.3/10 Visit ↗	Alibaba Cloud CDN 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	9.0
Ranking	#2 in CDN Software	#4 in CDN Software
Best for	Enterprise CDN buyers prioritizing maturity	Large-scale global delivery
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Pricing on request	—
Free plan	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Docs	Live chat, Tickets, Docs
Integrations	11 integrations	5 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Akamai CDN 2/4 · Alibaba Cloud CDN 1/4
Web application firewall	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
DDoS protection	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Image optimization	✓	✓
Origin shield	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Edge locations	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Edge compute	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Delivers websites, applications, APIs, video, downloads, and digital content Combines optimization, origin shielding, edge computing, and performance logging Supports monitoring, reporting, testing, and API acceleration	More than 3,200 worldwide nodes for caching and delivery Supports video, image processing, HTTP/3, QUIC, and EdgeScript Integrates with OSS, Function Compute, Simple Log Service, and Terraform
Cons	CDN delivery pricing requires contact with sales No free plan is offered Its broad enterprise scope may exceed simpler CDN requirements	No free plan for evaluating the service Pay-as-you-go traffic is charged hourly Rates vary by acceleration region
Our verdict	Akamai CDN delivers websites, applications, APIs, video, downloads, and other digital content through a globally distributed edge network. It is designed for enterprise teams that need performance, scalability, reliability, security, and… Read the review →	Alibaba Cloud CDN is a paid cloud content delivery network for organizations serving websites, downloads, large files, on-demand video, or live video across distributed audiences. It caches origin resources at points of presence and routes… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Akamai CDN — where it wins

  • Delivers websites, applications, APIs, video, downloads, and digital content
  • Combines optimization, origin shielding, edge computing, and performance logging
  • Supports monitoring, reporting, testing, and API acceleration

  Where it doesn't

  • CDN delivery pricing requires contact with sales
  • No free plan is offered
  • Its broad enterprise scope may exceed simpler CDN requirements

• Alibaba Cloud CDN — where it wins

  • More than 3,200 worldwide nodes for caching and delivery
  • Supports video, image processing, HTTP/3, QUIC, and EdgeScript
  • Integrates with OSS, Function Compute, Simple Log Service, and Terraform

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan for evaluating the service
  • Pay-as-you-go traffic is charged hourly
  • Rates vary by acceleration region

• Akamai CDN9.3/10 · Pricing on request

  A mature enterprise CDN with broad delivery, optimization, logging, and edge-computing capabilities.

  Visit AkamaiFull verdict →
• Alibaba Cloud CDN9.0/10 · Paid

  A broad CDN for global delivery, media workflows, image processing, and edge logic.

  Visit Alibaba CloudFull verdict →