Cloudflare vs Linode (Akamai Cloud) Comparison
Compare Cloudflare vs Linode (Akamai Cloud) features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Cloudflare
7.6/10
Cloudflare is a global edge network. It offers CDN, DNS, DDoS protection and a WAF, plus serverless compute and storage (Workers, R2, D1) for developers and businesses.
Linode (Akamai Cloud)
7/10
Developer-focused cloud platform, now run by Akamai, offering VPS compute, managed Kubernetes, managed databases and object storage at flat, predictable prices.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.6/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 4/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Security | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Reliability | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Analytics | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Scalability | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $5/mo Workers Paid | $5/mo Nanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Free | $5/mo Nanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| Features | ||
| DDoS Protection | ||
| Managed Databases | ||
| Object Storage | ||
| Uptime SLA | ||
| API and CLI | Not listed | |
| Automatic Backups | Not listed | |
| Cloud Compute | Not listed | |
| Content Delivery Network | Not listed | |
| Dedicated Servers | Not listed | |
| Free SSL Certificates | Not listed | |
| Managed Kubernetes | Not listed | |
| Multiple Regions | Not listed | |
| Serverless Functions | Not listed | |
| Shared Hosting | Not listed | |
| VPS Hosting | Not listed | |
Cloudflare vs Linode (Akamai Cloud) cost by team size
Cloudflare costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | Cloudflare | Linode (Akamai Cloud) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| 5 users | FreeFree | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| 10 users | FreeFree | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| 25 users | FreeFree | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| 50 users | FreeFree | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Cloudflare
- Has a free plan (Linode (Akamai Cloud) does not)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: Free vs $5/mo
- Higher Security score (9/10 vs 7/10)
- Higher Analytics score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (8/10 vs 5/10)
Why choose Linode (Akamai Cloud)
- Higher Support score (6/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 7/10)
Pros & Cons
Cloudflare
Pros
- The free plan includes unmetered DDoS protection, a CDN, a WAF and universal SSL.
- R2 object storage charges no egress fees.
- Workers has very low entry pricing: a $5 monthly minimum and $0.30 per additional million requests.
- The Business plan adds a 100 percent uptime SLA and PCI DSS compliance for $200 a month billed annually.
Cons
- Reviewers report slow support on Free and Pro, which have no chat or phone support.
- Global outages in November and December 2025 disrupted many sites at the same time.
- Reviewers report billing problems, such as charges after cancelling add-ons.
- It offers no traditional shared hosting, VPS or dedicated servers, so you still need an origin host for conventional workloads.
Linode (Akamai Cloud)
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
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Cloudflare scores higher on our Hosting & Infrastructure criteria: 7.6/10 against 7/10 for Linode (Akamai Cloud). The largest gap is in Analytics: 7/10 for Cloudflare and 5/10 for Linode (Akamai Cloud).
Cloudflare costs less for 10 users: free on its Free plan, against about $5/mo on its Nanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) plan for Linode (Akamai Cloud), billed monthly.
Cloudflare has a free plan; Linode (Akamai Cloud) does not list one.
Cloudflare is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 5/10 for Linode (Akamai Cloud).
