Fastly has established itself as a major player in the content delivery network (CDN) space, offering developers extensive control through its programmable edge platform. With features like instant cache purging, real-time analytics, and the ability to write custom logic using Varnish Configuration Language (VCL), it’s become a popular choice for companies that need fine-grained control over their content delivery.
But as businesses evaluate their CDN needs, they often discover that Fastly’s developer-centric approach and enterprise pricing may not align with their specific requirements. Some organizations need deeper integration with their cloud provider. Others require a simpler, more affordable solution without sacrificing global reach. And many find that they don’t need the complexity of edge computing when basic content delivery would suffice.
That’s where this guide comes in. Whether you’re looking to:
- Reduce CDN costs without sacrificing performance
- Integrate more deeply with AWS, Azure, or other cloud platforms
- Access enterprise-grade infrastructure with decades of proven reliability
- Combine CDN with comprehensive security in a unified platform
- Focus on specialized use cases like streaming or gaming
- Simplify your CDN setup with straightforward, transparent pricing
- Scale from startup to enterprise with flexible options
We’ll explore dedicated alternatives that excel in these specific areas, helping you find the right CDN solution for your unique needs.
This isn’t about finding a “better” CDN than Fastly; it’s about finding the right fit for your specific requirements, budget, and technical capabilities. Some businesses might use these alternatives alongside Fastly in a multi-CDN strategy, while others might find a complete replacement that better serves their needs.
Let’s dive into the best Fastly alternatives and discover which one aligns with your content delivery requirements.
The Best Fastly Alternatives
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What is Fastly?
Fastly is an edge cloud platform that goes beyond traditional CDN services by offering developers extensive control over how content is cached and delivered. Built on a modern network architecture with powerful, strategically placed Points of Presence (POPs), Fastly serves as a programmable layer between your origin servers and end users. Its key features include:
- Instant Purge: Globally invalidate cached content in approximately 150 milliseconds
- Edge Computing with Compute@Edge: Run custom code at the edge using WebAssembly
- Programmable Platform: Full control through Varnish Configuration Language (VCL)
- Real-Time Analytics: Stream logs and metrics with one-second granularity
- Next-Gen WAF: Advanced web application firewall powered by Signal Sciences
- DDoS Protection: Automatic detection and mitigation of attacks
- API-First Design: Comprehensive APIs for automation and integration
Fastly’s architecture allows developers to write custom logic that executes at the edge, enabling sophisticated caching strategies, A/B testing, personalization, and request routing. The platform’s instant purge capability means you can cache dynamic content aggressively while still maintaining the ability to update it globally within milliseconds.
However, this power and flexibility come with complexity and cost. Fastly’s learning curve can be steep for teams without dedicated DevOps resources, and its enterprise-focused pricing may not align with smaller businesses’ budgets. That’s why exploring alternatives that match your specific needs, technical capabilities, and budget constraints can be valuable.
How We Curated Our List of Fastly Alternatives
After testing Fastly ourselves and researching the CDN market extensively, we identified that organizations typically seek alternatives when they need:
- More affordable, transparent pricing without enterprise contracts
- Deeper integration with specific cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
- Simpler setup and management without sacrificing global performance
- Specialized capabilities for streaming, gaming, or security
- Enterprise-grade reliability with decades of proven track record
- Unified platforms that combine CDN with security and compute
Each platform on this list excels in one or more of these areas, providing distinct advantages for specific use cases and business models.
| ❗DISCLAIMER: We aren’t covering every CDN provider in the market! Our focus is on highlighting the best alternatives that address specific Fastly limitations for various business needs and use cases. |
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1. CDNsun — Best Alternative for Affordable, Pay-As-You-Go CDN Without Commitments
CDNsun is a global content delivery network provider that specializes in delivering enterprise-grade CDN performance at small and medium business prices, backed by 12 years of proven reliability. Founded in 2012 and based in Prague, Czech Republic, CDNsun serves over 2,000 customers worldwide with a refreshingly straightforward approach to content delivery. Its key features include:
- Pay-as-you-go pricing: No monthly fees, setup costs, or contracts – works like cell phone credit where you only pay for what you use
- Global network: Servers in every major city worldwide, enabling fast content delivery from Australia to America
- Three specialized CDN services: Streaming CDN for live events and video, software/game delivery CDN for large files, and website CDN for image-heavy sites
- Granular geographic control: Choose which specific cities to enable or disable for content delivery
- 12 years of reliability: Proven track record demonstrating the company knows what it’s doing
- 100% SLA: Service level agreement guaranteeing uptime and reliability
- Personalized support: As a smaller, focused company, CDNsun provides tailored solutions and dedicated support that giant providers can’t match
- User-friendly interface: Dashboard designed to be easy to understand, requiring minimal technical expertise
For businesses frustrated with monthly subscription models and complex enterprise CDN interfaces, CDNsun provides a smart alternative that delivers enterprise-level performance without the enterprise complexity or pricing.
Why Choose CDNsun Over Fastly for Affordable CDN Services
While Fastly excels at providing programmable edge computing and instant configuration changes for developers, CDNsun takes a different approach: making enterprise CDN capabilities accessible and affordable for businesses of all sizes, with the personalized support and ease of use that larger providers can’t match.
12 Years of Proven Reliability with Personalized Support
CDNsun brings 12 years of experience in the CDN business, demonstrating stable, reliable service without outages – which is the most important aspect for enterprise clients. Unlike giants like Amazon with 10,000 clients who can’t offer much customization, CDNsun’s strategy is to have fewer, bigger clients and provide everything tailored to their specific needs.
This personalized approach means you’re not just another account number. CDNsun can provide focused, customized support and tailored solutions that address your specific content delivery challenges. Whether you’re streaming a TEDx event, distributing software updates to millions of users globally, or running an image-heavy dating site, CDNsun’s team works directly with you to optimize your setup.
The platform is designed to be user-friendly, requiring minimal technical expertise to navigate and configure. Unlike Akamai’s dashboard that’s described as needing “a college degree” to navigate effectively, CDNsun offers an intuitive control panel that gets you running quickly. And from a user perspective, there’s no noticeable performance difference – the speed appears the same to end users.
CDNsun in Action: A streaming company handling educational webinars for thousands of viewers gets dedicated support to optimize their setup, personalized assistance during events, and tailored configurations – something they’d never receive from larger providers where they’re just one of thousands of accounts.
Transparent Pay-As-You-Go Pricing: Like Cell Phone Credit
CDNsun’s most compelling advantage is its straightforward pay-as-you-go pricing model that works like cell phone credit – you buy credit and use it as needed. While Fastly requires a minimum of $50/month plus usage charges and often pushes customers toward custom enterprise contracts, CDNsun charges only $0.030 per GB for North America and Europe traffic with no monthly minimums (for the Business tier), setup fees, or termination costs.
This model is particularly valuable for companies with irregular usage patterns, like event streaming companies that don’t stream every month. Why pay monthly fees for services you use intermittently? With CDNsun, you only pay for what you use, helping clients who are frustrated with the monthly subscription model that dominates SaaS.
The pricing transparency extends to all features. Fastly charges separately for many capabilities: their Next-Gen WAF is priced as an add-on starting in the thousands per month, DDoS Protection incurs additional per-request charges, and features like Bot Management and Image Optimizer add to your bill. CDNsun includes SSL certificates, API access, unlimited requests, basic DDoS protection, and all three CDN service types (streaming, software delivery, website acceleration) in its standard per-GB pricing.
CDNsun in Action: An event streaming company that broadcasts quarterly conferences would pay approximately $300 for 10TB during their event month with CDNsun, then nothing during quiet months. With Fastly, they’d pay $50 monthly minimum year-round plus $1,200 in bandwidth charges during event months (at $0.12/GB for the first 10TB), not counting any additional security or feature add-ons.
Superior Control Without DNS Migration Hassles
CDNsun offers significantly more control and advanced features compared to basic CDN services, with the unique ability to enable or disable individual Points of Presence based on your audience distribution. You can choose which specific cities to enable for content delivery, allowing fine-tuned optimization of your CDN deployment.
Unlike Cloudflare’s free CDN that requires users to change DNS servers on their domain – a process that can be complex and gives Cloudflare control over your domain – CDNsun doesn’t require DNS server changes. You simply create one DNS record (a CNAME) and keep your domain as is. This simplifies setup significantly and means you retain full control of your domain, which can be important for businesses that value independence.
Fastly operates fewer, more powerful POPs without the option to selectively disable locations. While this architecture has its benefits for cache hit ratios, CDNsun’s granular control lets you optimize costs while maintaining coverage where it matters most.
CDNsun in Action: A software company distributing updates primarily to North American and European users can disable expensive POPs in regions with minimal downloads, significantly reducing costs while maintaining fast delivery to their core user base. And they set this up without ever touching their DNS configuration beyond a simple CNAME record.
Streaming Specialization with Enterprise Features
CDNsun specializes in CDN for streaming and video delivery, which generates the most bandwidth and revenue. The platform targets streaming events (sports, educational webinars, conferences), companies that can’t use YouTube due to policy restrictions, and businesses needing CDN for auctions or specialized content.
Despite focusing on affordability and ease of use, CDNsun doesn’t compromise on features. All edge servers use SSD storage, support HTTP/2, and connect through redundant network links. The platform maintains a 100% SLA commitment and provides real-time statistics and logs for monitoring performance.
CDNsun provides comprehensive documentation and integration tutorials for platforms like WordPress, Magento, and Joomla. You don’t need to learn a proprietary configuration language like Fastly’s VCL – the platform includes essential features like cache purging, prefetching, and URL signing through simple dashboard controls or REST API calls.
CDNsun in Action: A company streaming auction events to global audiences gets enterprise-grade streaming CDN with SSD-powered servers, HTTP/2 support, and real-time analytics – matching what they’d get from Akamai or CloudFront, but at a fraction of the cost and with much easier setup. They won’t notice any performance difference, they’ll just pay less money and work with an easier product.
CDNsun Pricing
CDNsun’s pricing model is refreshingly simple and transparent:
Pay-As-You-Go Bandwidth Pricing:
- North America & Europe: $0.030 per GB
- Asia-Pacific, South America & Africa: $0.060 per GB
- No monthly minimums or commitments (Business tier)
- No setup or cancellation fees
- Works like cell phone credit – buy credit, use as needed
Included Features (No Extra Cost):
- All three CDN types: Streaming, Software/Game Delivery, Website CDN
- SSL certificates (shared and custom)
- Unlimited HTTP/HTTPS requests
- CDN Storage (5GB free, additional storage available)
- API access
- Basic DDoS protection
- 24/7 technical support with personalized assistance
- CDN Raw Logs
- Individual PoP control
Custom Plan Option:
- Available for customers with $200+ monthly spend
- Still maintains pay-as-you-go flexibility
- Minimum $200 monthly commitment
CDNsun offers a 15-day free trial, allowing you to test the service with your actual traffic patterns before committing any budget.
Who Should Use CDNsun?
Choose CDNsun if:
- You want CDN that works like cell phone credit with pay-as-you-go pricing, no monthly fees, and no surprise charges – perfect for businesses with irregular usage patterns like event streaming companies.
- You value personalized, tailored support from a company with 12 years of proven reliability that treats you as an important client rather than just another account number among thousands.
- You need streaming CDN capabilities for events, webinars, or specialized content delivery to global audiences, with the same performance as enterprise providers but at SMB-friendly prices.
- You want granular control without complexity, including the ability to choose specific cities for content delivery and maintain full control of your domain without DNS server changes.
- You’re frustrated with complex enterprise CDN interfaces like Akamai’s that need “a college degree” to navigate, preferring an intuitive dashboard that requires minimal technical expertise.
- You want transparent, all-inclusive pricing where streaming, software delivery, website CDN, SSL, and API access are all included in the per-GB rate rather than being charged separately.
Ready to experience enterprise-grade CDN with personalized support and transparent pricing? Start your free 15-day trial with CDNsun and discover how 12 years of reliability can transform your content delivery without the complexity or cost of enterprise providers.
2. Akamai — Best Alternative for Enterprise-Grade Global Delivery with Mission-Critical Reliability
Akamai Technologies is widely recognized as the original commercial CDN provider and operates one of the world’s most extensive distributed computing platforms. With over two decades of experience serving Fortune 500 companies, Akamai has built an infrastructure specifically architected for businesses that cannot afford downtime or security compromises. Its key capabilities include:
- Massive global infrastructure: Over 365,000 servers across 135+ countries
- Integrated enterprise security: Web Application Firewall, DDoS mitigation, bot management
- 100% uptime SLA: Guaranteed availability for critical services like Edge DNS
- Extensive compliance: FedRAMP Moderate, PCI DSS Level 1, HIPAA, GDPR compliant
- Professional services: Dedicated support, implementation, and optimization teams
Why Choose Akamai Over Fastly for Enterprise Reliability
- Unprecedented Network Scale
While Fastly operates powerful POPs in strategic locations, Akamai’s 365,000+ servers provide extensive global reach and capacity. This scale is critical for enterprises serving hundreds of millions of users or expanding into emerging markets where Fastly’s coverage may be limited. - Mature Security Portfolio
Akamai’s security solutions have protected the world’s largest digital properties for over a decade. Their App & API Protector combines WAF, bot mitigation, and DDoS protection with machine learning that leverages threat intelligence across their entire customer base. - Enterprise Operational Model
Akamai provides comprehensive professional services, dedicated account teams, and contractual SLAs that enterprise procurement teams require. Their support for multi-year contracts provides the budget predictability large organizations need.
Akamai Pricing
Akamai uses custom, contract-based pricing tailored to enterprise requirements:
- CDN services typically start around $0.049/GB for 10TB monthly
- Minimum 12-month commitments standard
- Security solutions quoted based on specific requirements
- Professional services and managed options available
Who Should Use Akamai?
Choose Akamai if:
- Your organization operates at enterprise scale with global audiences requiring proven infrastructure
- Security and compliance are non-negotiable with stringent regulatory requirements
- You need contractual guarantees with 100% uptime SLAs and financial penalties for failures
- Complex enterprise integration and professional services are priorities
3. Amazon CloudFront — Best Alternative for AWS-Native Teams
Amazon CloudFront is AWS’s globally distributed CDN that serves as a natural extension for teams already operating within the AWS ecosystem. It delivers content through 600+ Points of Presence while providing deep integration with S3, EC2, Lambda, and other AWS services. Key features include:
- Zero egress fees: Free data transfer from AWS origins to CloudFront
- Lambda@Edge: Execute custom code at edge locations
- Always-free tier: 1TB monthly data transfer at no cost
- Native AWS integration: Unified billing, IAM, CloudWatch monitoring
Why Choose CloudFront Over Fastly for AWS Teams
- Seamless AWS Integration
CloudFront eliminates AWS egress charges when serving content from S3 or EC2 to CloudFront edge locations, potentially saving hundreds to thousands monthly. Configuration happens through familiar AWS tools, and SSL certificates are managed automatically via AWS Certificate Manager. - Lower Barrier to Entry
The permanent free tier (1TB/month) and pay-as-you-go pricing make CloudFront accessible for startups. Price Classes let you restrict content delivery to less expensive regions, providing cost control through a built-in mechanism. - Standard Development Tools
Lambda@Edge uses standard Node.js and Python rather than Fastly’s proprietary VCL. Your edge functions can be tested locally and deployed using the same tools as your other Lambda functions.
CloudFront Pricing
- Free tier: 1TB data transfer, 10M requests monthly (permanent)
- After free tier: Starting at $0.085/GB (North America)
- Lambda@Edge: $0.60 per million requests
- No minimum commitments for standard pricing (optional commitment programs available for discounts)
Who Should Use CloudFront?
Choose CloudFront if:
- Your infrastructure is primarily on AWS and you want to minimize data transfer costs
- You need edge computing using familiar languages and AWS tools
- You’re a startup wanting to validate CDN value with the generous free tier
- Security requirements benefit from tight AWS Shield and WAF integration
4. Cloudflare — Best Alternative for Unified CDN, Security, and Edge Computing
Cloudflare operates an integrated edge cloud platform that combines content delivery, security, and serverless computing across 330+ cities worldwide. Unlike traditional CDN providers, Cloudflare positions itself as a complete infrastructure layer. Key capabilities include:
- Unified platform: CDN, DDoS protection, WAF, and Workers in one service
- Massive network: 330+ POPs bringing content within 50ms of 95% of internet users
- Generous free tier: Unmetered bandwidth with basic features (subject to fair use)
- Workers edge computing: JavaScript and WebAssembly at the edge
Why Choose Cloudflare Over Fastly for Platform Consolidation
- Unified Security and Performance
While Fastly charges separately for WAF and DDoS protection, Cloudflare includes unmetered DDoS mitigation and basic WAF in all plans. Security and CDN share the same infrastructure. - Global Network Density
Cloudflare’s 330+ locations provide broader geographic coverage than Fastly’s powerful but fewer POPs. This density can particularly benefit users in Africa, South America, and Asia. - Developer Accessibility
Cloudflare Workers uses standard JavaScript compared to Fastly’s traditional VCL (though Fastly now also offers Compute@Edge with multiple language support). The free tier includes Workers execution, allowing experimentation without financial commitment.
Cloudflare Pricing
- Free plan: Unmetered bandwidth (for standard web traffic), basic features
- Pro: $25/month per domain (monthly) or $20/month (annual)
- Business: $250/month per domain (monthly) or $200/month (annual)
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
- Workers: $5/month base, then $0.30 per million requests
Who Should Use Cloudflare?
Choose Cloudflare if:
- You want to consolidate CDN, security, and edge computing vendors
- Enterprise-grade security with simplified management is needed
- Your application requires truly global reach with consistent low latency
- Zero Trust architecture implementation is a priority
5. Microsoft Azure Front Door — Best Alternative for Azure-Native Application Delivery
Microsoft Azure Front Door is a modern cloud CDN and application delivery service tightly integrated within the Azure ecosystem. It combines content acceleration, Layer 7 load balancing, and comprehensive security. Key capabilities include:
- Azure Private Link: Connect to backends without public internet exposure
- Integrated WAF: Included with Premium tier at no extra cost
- Global load balancing: Automatic failover across Azure regions
- Native Azure integration: RBAC, Key Vault, Monitor, unified billing
Why Choose Azure Front Door Over Fastly for Azure Workloads
- Private Backend Connectivity
Azure Front Door connects to backends via Private Link, keeping traffic on Microsoft’s network. While Fastly also offers private connectivity options like Origin Connect and PNI, Azure Front Door’s integration is native to the Azure ecosystem. - Unified Security Platform
The Premium tier includes comprehensive WAF with Microsoft Threat Intelligence at no additional cost, while Fastly’s Next-Gen WAF requires separate licensing. - Multi-Region Simplification
Front Door automatically handles health probing and instant failover across Azure regions. While Fastly also provides automatic health checks and failover through its UI/API, Front Door’s integration with Azure makes multi-region deployments particularly seamless.
Azure Front Door Pricing
- Standard tier: $35/month base fee
- Premium tier: $330/month (includes WAF)
- Data transfer: Starting at $0.083/GB (varies by region and volume)
- Free transfer from Azure origins
Who Should Use Azure Front Door?
Choose Azure Front Door if:
- Your applications are hosted on Microsoft Azure
- Private connectivity via Private Link is required
- You operate multi-region Azure deployments needing automatic failover
- Your organization uses Azure-native tooling and processes
6. Gcore — Best Alternative for Integrated Security and High-Performance Streaming
Gcore is a global edge platform provider that combines CDN, security, and AI infrastructure, originally built for the demanding online gaming industry. With 180+ POPs and 200+ Tbps capacity, it delivers enterprise features with modern innovation. Key capabilities include:
- Integrated WAAP: Web Application and API Protection with AI-driven detection
- Streaming platform: Free transcoding, AI content moderation, ultra-low latency
- Edge AI infrastructure: GPU cloud and inference at the edge
- Gaming heritage: Built for high-concurrency applications
Why Choose Gcore Over Fastly for Security and Streaming
- Built-In Security Suite
Gcore includes DDoS protection free with all servers and offers WAAP starting at €25/month. Fastly’s equivalent security features typically cost thousands monthly. - Specialized Streaming Infrastructure
Gcore provides free transcoding up to 1080p and supports LL-HLS/LL-DASH for 2-4 second latency. The platform handles the entire video lifecycle, going beyond Fastly’s CDN-focused approach. - Edge AI Capabilities
Gcore offers GPU infrastructure and “Everywhere Inference” for running ML models globally, going beyond Fastly’s Compute@Edge WebAssembly approach.
Gcore Pricing
- CDN: Plan-based pricing with traffic allowances (Free tier available up to 1TB)
- WAAP: Starting at €25/month (5GB traffic, 4 domains)
- DDoS: Basic protection included free
- Free trials available (duration varies by service)
Who Should Use Gcore?
Choose Gcore if:
- You need integrated security without multiple vendors
- Your business involves media, entertainment, or gaming
- AI-powered applications requiring global inference are planned
- European data sovereignty and GDPR compliance matter
- Enterprise features at competitive prices are required
The Final Verdict
While Fastly excels as a programmable edge platform for developers, different organizations have varying requirements that call for specialized solutions. Based on our research, here are the best Fastly alternatives:
- CDNsun for affordable pay-as-you-go CDN with 12 years of reliability, personalized support, and no contracts
- Akamai for enterprise-grade reliability with the industry’s most extensive infrastructure
- Amazon CloudFront for seamless AWS integration and free data transfer from AWS services
- Cloudflare for unified CDN, security, and edge computing in one platform
- Azure Front Door for deep Azure integration with private connectivity
- Gcore for integrated security and specialized streaming capabilities
Remember, you don’t have to view these as mutually exclusive options. Many organizations successfully implement multi-CDN strategies, using different providers for different workloads or regions. Consider your specific needs, budget, and technical capabilities when selecting the CDN solution that best serves your content delivery requirements.
Ready to experience enterprise-grade CDN performance without the complexity or cost? Try CDNsun’s transparent pay-as-you-go pricing with a free 15-day trial. With 12 years of proven reliability, personalized support, and the flexibility to pay only for what you use – just like cell phone credit – CDNsun delivers the smart alternative for businesses that want enterprise-level performance without enterprise pricing.