Linode (Akamai Cloud)
7/10Developer-focused cloud platform, now run by Akamai, offering VPS compute, managed Kubernetes, managed databases and object storage at flat, predictable prices.
Data last updated November 2026 · Our methodology
Overview
Linode is an infrastructure-as-a-service provider founded in 2003 by Christopher Aker. Akamai bought it for 900 million dollars in 2022 and now sells it as Akamai Cloud, formerly Akamai Connected Cloud. It rents virtual machines in shared CPU, dedicated CPU and GPU plans. Around these it offers Linode Kubernetes Engine (LKE), managed MySQL, PostgreSQL and Valkey databases, S3-compatible object storage, block storage, NodeBalancers and a backup service. Pricing is flat and published. Shared plans start at 5 dollars a month for the Nanode 1 GB (1 vCPU, 25 GB SSD, 1 TB transfer) and are billed by the hour up to a monthly cap. Egress beyond the included transfer costs 0.005 dollars per GB. Newer G8 plans include no bundled transfer. LKE has no fee for the standard control plane. A high-availability control plane starts at 60 dollars per cluster per month, and LKE Enterprise costs 300 dollars per cluster per month. The service suits developers, startups and small SaaS teams who manage their own servers and want lower, simpler bills than the hyperscalers. Automation runs through an API, a CLI and Terraform or Pulumi, and a one-click app marketplace offers more than 200 apps. The main limitation is the narrower range of managed services compared with AWS, Azure or Google Cloud. Users also report that new accounts are sometimes blocked by fraud checks, and that support tickets can take a while to resolve.
Our Rating
Who Linode (Akamai Cloud) is best for
Good fit
The platform is built around self-managed VMs, an API, a CLI and Terraform, and its documentation is widely praised.
Plans start at 5 dollars, billing is hourly, and new accounts get a 100 dollar credit.
LKE, managed databases and object storage cover typical SaaS backends at predictable cost.
Less suited
Akamai backing and LKE Enterprise help, but reviewers say advanced enterprise services are limited.
It is affordable, but customers need technical skills because servers are unmanaged by default.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Flat published prices, starting at 5 dollars a month for a 1 GB Nanode, with hourly billing
- The standard Kubernetes control plane in LKE is free
- Egress overage costs only 0.005 dollars per GB, and most shared plans include 1 to 5 TB of transfer
- Its documentation, API, CLI and Terraform support are strong, which suits developers who automate their infrastructure
- DDoS protection is included, and inbound bandwidth is 40 Gbps on all plans
Cons
- Some 2025 reviews report new accounts flagged as fraud or suspended, with tickets taking 24 to 48 hours
- No live chat support is offered, and standard support has no published response-time SLA
- Reviewers say managed services and advanced enterprise features are fewer than on the hyperscalers
- Managed databases cost more than on budget providers, with HA starting around 246 dollars a month according to one third-party guide
- The Akamai rebrand has confused some customers and, by their account, hurt trust
Key Features
Linode (Akamai Cloud) Pricing
Nanode 1 GB (Shared CPU)
- 1 vCPU
- 1 GB RAM
- 25 GB SSD
- 1 TB transfer
- 0.0075 dollars per hour
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no free tier, but new accounts receive 100 dollars in promotional credit, which one third-party guide says is valid for 60 days.
Instances are billed hourly up to a monthly cap. For example, the Nanode 1 GB costs 0.0075 dollars an hour or 5 dollars a month.
The standard LKE control plane is free, and you pay only for worker nodes, NodeBalancers and volumes. An HA control plane starts at 60 dollars per cluster per month, and LKE Enterprise costs 300 dollars per cluster per month.
Outbound SMTP is blocked by default on newer instances. Support can unblock it once DNS and compliance requirements are met.
No. Akamai acquired Linode in 2022 and now sells the service as Akamai Cloud, and linode.com redirects to akamai.com.
Phone and ticket support run 24/7 and there is a community forum, but no live chat. A managed monitoring service costs 100 dollars per instance per month.
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