Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Managed DNS Services

Gcore Managed DNS vs Akamai Edge DNS

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Gcore Managed DNS #1 in Managed DNS Services 9.3/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Gcore
Akamai Edge DNS #4 in Managed DNS Services 9.0/10 Pricing on request ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Akamai

Gcore Managed DNS leads on 1 check, Akamai Edge DNS on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreGcore Managed DNS · 9.3/10
  • Free planonly Gcore Managed DNS
  • Free trialonly Gcore Managed DNS

Gcore Managed DNS scores higher on our rubric for managed dns services: 9.3 against 9.0 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #4.

Gcore Managed DNS offers free plan; Akamai Edge DNS doesn't.

Gcore Managed DNS is the better fit for teams seeking low-cost DNS with advanced routing. Akamai Edge DNS is the better fit for large enterprises needing global DNS infrastructure.

  • Gcore Managed DNS fits best

    Teams seeking low-cost DNS with advanced routing

  • Akamai Edge DNS fits best

    Large enterprises needing global DNS infrastructure

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 Gcore Managed DNS 9.3/10 Visit ↗ Akamai Edge DNS 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.3 9.0
Ranking #1 in Managed DNS Services #4 in Managed DNS Services
Best for Teams seeking low-cost DNS with advanced routing Large enterprises needing global DNS infrastructure
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price €2.49/mo Pricing on request
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial 14 days —
Deployment Cloud Cloud
Platforms Web Web
Integrations 4 integrations 4 integrations
Features Gcore Managed DNS 4/4 · Akamai Edge DNS 4/4
DNSSEC support ✓ ✓
DNS health checks ✓ ✓
API access ✓ ✓
Secondary DNS ✓ ✓
Specs
Included zones Not checked yet Not checked yet
Traffic steering Advanced Advanced
Our review
Pros
  • Pro is priced at €2.49 per month, with a separate free plan.
  • Includes DNSSEC, DDoS-protected Anycast DNS, and advanced traffic routing.
  • Offers API access and integrations with Terraform, OctoDNS, and Kubernetes ExternalDNS.
  • Supports primary, secondary and alias zones with AXFR and IXFR transfers
  • Combines Anycast, DNSSEC, health-based failover and traffic routing
  • Offers API and Terraform automation with DNS traffic and security analytics
Cons
  • Enterprise plan pricing is available by quotation.
  • The advertised Pro price excludes VAT.
  • The 14-day free trial is for Pro; the Free plan is not a trial.
  • Pricing is handled through sales rather than a public price list
  • No free plan is offered
  • Its enterprise DNS scope may exceed the needs of smaller deployments
Our verdict

Gcore Managed DNS provides authoritative DNS hosting for businesses and infrastructure teams that need traffic steering and health checks alongside DNS hosting. It combines Anycast DNS with DDoS protection, DNSSEC signing, IPv4/IPv6…

Read the review →

Akamai Edge DNS provides authoritative DNS for organizations managing internet-facing applications and APIs. Its global IP Anycast infrastructure and support for primary, secondary and alias zones make it a fit for large enterprises that…

Read the review →
  1. Gcore Managed DNSManaged DNS Services 9.3Free plan · 14-day trial
  2. Akamai Edge DNSManaged DNS Services 9.0Pricing on request

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Gcore Managed DNS — where it wins

    • Pro is priced at €2.49 per month, with a separate free plan.
    • Includes DNSSEC, DDoS-protected Anycast DNS, and advanced traffic routing.
    • Offers API access and integrations with Terraform, OctoDNS, and Kubernetes ExternalDNS.

    Where it doesn't

    • Enterprise plan pricing is available by quotation.
    • The advertised Pro price excludes VAT.
    • The 14-day free trial is for Pro; the Free plan is not a trial.

  • Akamai Edge DNS — where it wins

    • Supports primary, secondary and alias zones with AXFR and IXFR transfers
    • Combines Anycast, DNSSEC, health-based failover and traffic routing
    • Offers API and Terraform automation with DNS traffic and security analytics

    Where it doesn't

    • Pricing is handled through sales rather than a public price list
    • No free plan is offered
    • Its enterprise DNS scope may exceed the needs of smaller deployments
  • Gcore Managed DNS9.3/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

    A low-cost managed DNS service with advanced routing, DNSSEC, health checks, and API access.

    Visit GcoreFull verdict →
  • Akamai Edge DNS9.0/10 · Pricing on request

    Enterprise DNS with traffic steering, failover and automation; pricing is sales-led.

    Visit AkamaiFull verdict →

More comparisons

All managed DNS services comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update