Cloudflare CDN vs Google Cloud CDN

Cloudflare CDN9.4Visit Google Cloud CDN8.8Visit

Higher score Cloudflare CDN #1 in CDN Software 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Cloudflare

vs

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

• Cloudflare CDN fits best

  Broad CDN needs with a generous free plan

• Google Cloud CDN fits best

  Google Cloud workloads and media optimization

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Side by side

Feature	Cloudflare CDN 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Google Cloud CDN 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.8
Ranking	#1 in CDN Software	#6 in CDN Software
Best for	Broad CDN needs with a generous free plan	Google Cloud workloads and media optimization
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$20/mo	Not checked yet
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Cloudflare CDN 1/4 · 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	Not checked yet	—
Specs
Edge locations	348 locations	Not checked yet
Edge compute	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Free plan includes CDN and unmetered DDoS protection Supports caching, image optimization, video delivery, and edge compute Includes origin protection, cache controls, and instant traffic logs	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	Video delivery depends on the separate Cloudflare Stream service Smart Shield and Instant Logs have plan-dependent availability Advanced capabilities can require higher-tier or custom plans	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	Cloudflare CDN is a reverse-proxy content delivery service for websites, applications, and APIs. It caches static and dynamic content at globally distributed edge locations, serves assets closer to visitors, and supports anonymous API GET… 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

• Cloudflare CDN — where it wins

  • Free plan includes CDN and unmetered DDoS protection
  • Supports caching, image optimization, video delivery, and edge compute
  • Includes origin protection, cache controls, and instant traffic logs

  Where it doesn't

  • Video delivery depends on the separate Cloudflare Stream service
  • Smart Shield and Instant Logs have plan-dependent availability
  • Advanced capabilities can require higher-tier or custom plans

• 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

• Cloudflare CDN9.4/10 · Free plan

  A broad CDN with a generous free plan and edge delivery features.

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

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

  Visit Google CloudFull verdict →