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Head-to-head · DDoS Protection Software

Akamai Prolexic vs Fastly DDoS Protection

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Akamai Prolexic #2 in DDoS Protection Software 9.2/10 Pricing on request ✓ 1 of 2 features Try Akamai Prolexic
Fastly DDoS Protection #3 in DDoS Protection Software 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Fastly

Akamai Prolexic leads on 0 checks, Fastly DDoS Protection on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreAkamai Prolexic · 9.2/10
  • Free planonly Fastly DDoS Protection
  • Most featuresAkamai Prolexic · 1 of 2

Akamai Prolexic scores higher on our rubric for ddos protection software: 9.2 against 9.1 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #3.

On attack layers, Fastly DDoS Protection gives you Both where Akamai Prolexic offers Network. On mitigation mode, Akamai Prolexic gives you Hybrid where Fastly DDoS Protection offers Always-on. On deployment model, Akamai Prolexic gives you Hybrid where Fastly DDoS Protection offers Cloud.

Akamai Prolexic is the better fit for large enterprises needing global managed mitigation. Fastly DDoS Protection is the better fit for usage-based web and API protection.

  • Akamai Prolexic fits best

    Large enterprises needing global managed mitigation

  • Fastly DDoS Protection fits best

    Usage-based web and API protection

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Akamai Prolexic 9.2/10 Visit ↗ Fastly DDoS Protection 9.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 9.1
Ranking #2 in DDoS Protection Software #3 in DDoS Protection Software
Best for Large enterprises needing global managed mitigation Usage-based web and API protection
Pricing model Paid Free plan + paid
Starting price Pricing on request $0.01/unit/mo
Free plan Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud
Platforms Web Web
Built for Enterprise, Mid-market Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Akamai Prolexic 1/2 · Fastly DDoS Protection 0/2
Managed mitigation ✓ (best) Not checked yet
WAF included — —
Specs
Attack layers Network Both
Mitigation mode Hybrid Always-on
Deployment model Hybrid Cloud
Protection capacity Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Covers DDoS detection and mitigation across all ports and protocols
  • Supports cloud, on-premises, hybrid, always-on, and on-demand deployments
  • Offers 20+ Tbps capacity with zero-second mitigation and 100% availability SLAs
  • Covers both network-layer and application-layer attacks
  • Near-real-time mitigation with continuous anomaly detection
  • Zero-attack-fee billing for mitigated attack spikes
Cons
  • Pricing uses a contact-sales model rather than published plan tiers
  • WAF and application-layer protection are separate from Prolexic
  • Its extensive connectivity options may exceed smaller organizations' needs
  • WAF protection is not included
  • The free tier does not specify a request allowance
  • Pricing is based on monthly request volume
Our verdict

Akamai Prolexic is a managed DDoS protection service for enterprises, service providers, and SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS platforms. It inspects and filters traffic through Akamai scrubbing infrastructure, with coverage across all ports and…

Read the review →

Fastly DDoS Protection is a cloud-based service for detecting and mitigating distributed denial-of-service attacks against applications, APIs, and infrastructure. It is designed for teams protecting web and API traffic across cloud,…

Read the review →
  1. Akamai ProlexicDDoS Protection Software 9.2Pricing on request
  2. Fastly DDoS ProtectionDDoS Protection Software 9.1Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Akamai Prolexic — where it wins

    • Covers DDoS detection and mitigation across all ports and protocols
    • Supports cloud, on-premises, hybrid, always-on, and on-demand deployments
    • Offers 20+ Tbps capacity with zero-second mitigation and 100% availability SLAs

    Where it doesn't

    • Pricing uses a contact-sales model rather than published plan tiers
    • WAF and application-layer protection are separate from Prolexic
    • Its extensive connectivity options may exceed smaller organizations' needs

  • Fastly DDoS Protection — where it wins

    • Covers both network-layer and application-layer attacks
    • Near-real-time mitigation with continuous anomaly detection
    • Zero-attack-fee billing for mitigated attack spikes

    Where it doesn't

    • WAF protection is not included
    • The free tier does not specify a request allowance
    • Pricing is based on monthly request volume

More comparisons

All DDoS protection software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update