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Content Delivery Network (programmable CDN) · Head to head

Akamai vs fastly

Both products compete in Content Delivery Network (programmable CDN). A programmable CDN (Content Delivery Network) is a globally distributed network of edge servers that caches and delivers web content from locations close to end users — reducing latency, absorbing traffic spikes, and enabling edge logic execution like A/B testing, authentication, and request transformation without round-tripping to your origin. Here are the facts the B4 Index maintains on each, side by side.

The two files, side by side

What it is
Oldest enterprise CDN; broad global reach with EdgeWorkers for custom logic
Fastly's edge cloud platform delivers faster, safer, and more scalable sites and apps to customers. Elevate your edge CDN, video delivery, security, and more.
Pricing
Enterprise contracts based on traffic and geography
Categories served
Data Integration / ETL, Content Delivery Network (programmable CDN)
Content Delivery Network (programmable CDN)
Status
Active · verified June 2026
Active

The decision underneath the comparison

Choosing between Akamai and fastly assumes you're buying Content Delivery Network (programmable CDN) at all. That's the prior question, and the B4 Index scores it on two axes: how much Content Delivery Network (programmable CDN) differentiates you, and how far AI has come at building it. Read the build-versus-buy considerations for Content Delivery Network (programmable CDN) before you shortlist either product.

Vendor facts are maintained independently of any B4 verdict and re-verified on a monthly liveness check. See the full methodology.