Akamai CDN vs Google Cloud CDN

Akamai CDN9.3Visit Google Cloud CDN8.8Visit

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

vs

Google Cloud CDN #6 in CDN Software 8.8/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Google Cloud

• Akamai CDN fits best

  Enterprise CDN buyers prioritizing maturity

• Google Cloud CDN fits best

  Google Cloud workloads and media optimization

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Side by side

Feature	Akamai CDN 9.3/10 Visit ↗	Google Cloud CDN 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.8
Ranking	#2 in CDN Software	#6 in CDN Software
Best for	Enterprise CDN buyers prioritizing maturity	Google Cloud workloads and media optimization
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Pricing on request	Not checked yet
Free plan	Not checked yet	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Docs	Docs, Community
Integrations	11 integrations	7 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Akamai CDN 2/4 · Google Cloud CDN 0/4
Web application firewall	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
DDoS protection	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Image optimization	✓ (best)	—
Origin shield	✓ (best)	—
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	Supports Google Cloud, serverless, and external HTTP-capable origins Optimizes images through resizing, cropping, compression, and format conversion Adds signed access, edge processing, and near-real-time monitoring
Cons	CDN delivery pricing requires contact with sales No free plan is offered Its broad enterprise scope may exceed simpler CDN requirements	Usage costs vary by destination, volume, cache fill, and requests Configuration runs through Google Cloud load-balancing infrastructure Origin shielding is associated with Media CDN rather than Cloud CDN
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 →	Google Cloud CDN caches HTTP(S) content at Google’s global edge network, helping reduce latency, origin load, and delivery costs. It is suited to teams serving web content, APIs, images, and video-related workloads from Cloud Storage,… 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

• Google Cloud CDN — where it wins

  • Supports Google Cloud, serverless, and external HTTP-capable origins
  • Optimizes images through resizing, cropping, compression, and format conversion
  • Adds signed access, edge processing, and near-real-time monitoring

  Where it doesn't

  • Usage costs vary by destination, volume, cache fill, and requests
  • Configuration runs through Google Cloud load-balancing infrastructure
  • Origin shielding is associated with Media CDN rather than Cloud CDN

• Akamai CDN9.3/10 · Pricing on request

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

  Visit AkamaiFull verdict →
• Google Cloud CDN8.8/10 · Paid

  A usage-priced CDN with strong Google Cloud integration and edge image optimization.

  Visit Google CloudFull verdict →