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CDN providers · 11 alternatives

Cloudflare alternatives: 11 compared

Sebastiaan Smits Editor Sebastiaan Smits · Published October 19, 2026 · Updated October 19, 2026

Site owners look past Cloudflare when the Free plan stops fitting, when proxying their DNS through one vendor feels like too much dependence, or when they only need a cache and want a metered bill. They go to Bunny CDN or Fastly for focused delivery, to Amazon CloudFront for AWS origins, and to CDN77 or CacheFly for heavy file traffic.

Short answer: The closest replacements for Cloudflare in our CDN providers ranking are Bunny CDN, Fastly and Amazon CloudFront. Choose Bunny CDN if you want a delivery bill you can predict from traffic alone. All 11 alternatives below are ranked products from Best CDN Providers in 2026, and each says where it differs from Cloudflare and when Cloudflare is still the better choice.

Visibility in our rankings can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within the shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review or of this page. The first three alternatives go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the established names follow in their ranked order. How it works: placement disclosure · editorial process.

Cloudflare at a glance

  • Headquarters: United States
  • Pricing model: Flat monthly
  • Pricing: Free $0; Pro $20 per month billed annually ($25 monthly); Business $200 per month billed annually ($250 monthly); Contract on custom annual pricing.
  • Free option: Free plan
  • Built for: Websites wanting CDN and security together
  • Wrong for: Teams that need a contractual SLA on a small budget, or want a pure pull CDN without moving DNS under one vendor. Bunny CDN or CDN77 gives a simpler delivery-only contract.
  • Place in our ranking: #4 of 12
  • Website: cloudflare.com

Facts from our CDN providers ranking, last checked October 19, 2026.

Why buyers look past Cloudflare

  1. The plan ladder gates the useful parts

    The plans page shows the uptime SLA only from Business, PCI DSS 4.0 compliance from Business, and service credits of 1x on Business against 10x or 25x on Contract. A growing site that needs a written availability promise moves from $0 to a $200 per month tier.

  2. The CDN comes with the whole proxy

    Cloudflare sells the CDN as one part of DNS, DDoS protection, SSL and a firewall. A partial CNAME setup, which keeps your own nameservers, is documented as Business or Enterprise only. Buyers who want only caching therefore pay for, or accept, the rest of the stack.

  3. Billing terms favor the vendor

    The terms say paid subscriptions renew automatically at then-current rates unless you cancel before the next billing date. Fees are nonrefundable, and prices can change on 30 days of notice. The terms also let Cloudflare suspend or terminate use at any time, with or without notice.

11 alternatives at a glance

Closest replacement first. The last column is our place in the full 12-product ranking.

#AlternativeHeadquartersPricingKey differenceSwitch ifOur rank
1Bunny CDNSloveniaUsage-based; free trialLow-cost pay-as-you-go CDN from Sloveniayou want a delivery bill you can predict from traffic alone#1
2FastlyUnited StatesUsage-based; free planProgrammable edge delivery with usage pricingyour team wants to write cache and routing logic and accepts metered billing#3
3Amazon CloudFrontUnited StatesFlat monthly; free planAWS content delivery with flat-rate plansyour origin runs on AWS and you want one monthly price per distribution#7
4KeyCDNSwitzerlandUsage-based; noneSwiss pay-as-you-go CDN with all features includedyou only need caching and want no request charges and few moving parts#5
5CDN77United KingdomFlat monthly; free trialDelivery network for video, software and large filesyou ship video, installers or large downloads and the traffic is measured in terabytes#2
6Gcore CDNLuxembourgUsage-based; free planGlobal CDN with DDoS and WAF includedyou want a Europe-registered vendor with security bundled and a free start#6
7CacheFlyUnited StatesFlat monthly; free planPrivate CDN focused on throughput and supportyou serve large files and want a fixed monthly volume plus close support#8
8Azure Front DoorUnited StatesUsage-based; free trialMicrosoft CDN, routing and WAF for Azure appsyour application runs on Azure and you need private origin access#9
9Google Cloud CDNUnited StatesUsage-based; noneGoogle Cloud's cache layer for load-balanced backendsyour backends already run behind a Google Cloud load balancer#10
10AkamaiUnited StatesQuote only; free trialEnterprise content delivery sold by quoteyou have enterprise traffic, a sales relationship and rules a self-serve plan cannot express#12
11Imperva CDNUnited StatesQuote only; free trialSecure CDN inside a WAAP platformyou want delivery and application security under one contract and one console#11

What each alternative does differently

1. Bunny CDN

Low-cost pay-as-you-go CDN from Slovenia · Slovenia

Pure delivery sold by the gigabyte. The price list is regional, with no per-request fee and a small monthly minimum, and a second Volume Network trades PoP count for a lower rate. Storage, an image optimizer, DNS and edge scripting are separate products. There are no flat plans to outgrow.

Switch from Cloudflare if you want a delivery bill you can predict from traffic alone.

Pricing: Standard Network from $0.01 per GB in Europe and North America (119 PoPs), Volume Network from $0.005 per GB (10 PoPs), $1 monthly minimum, no request fees, 14-day free trial. (free trial)

Full review: #1 of 12 in our ranking · Visit Bunny CDN →

2. Fastly

Programmable edge delivery with usage pricing · United States

A programmable cache for engineers. A free tier exists, then usage billing per gigabyte and per 10,000 requests, with image optimization, TLS and compute priced as separate lines. Delivery logic is written by you. It offers less of the all-in-one comfort of a flat Cloudflare plan.

Switch from Cloudflare if your team wants to write cache and routing logic and accepts metered billing.

Pricing: Free tier with 100 GB of bandwidth and 1 million requests; Growth is usage-based at $0.12 per GB in Europe and North America for the first 10 TB; Enterprise on custom pricing. (free plan)

Full review: #3 of 12 in our ranking · Visit Fastly →

3. Amazon CloudFront

AWS content delivery with flat-rate plans · United States

The AWS answer. Flat-rate plans bundle the CDN with WAF, DDoS protection, Route 53 DNS, log ingestion and S3 credits at one monthly price per distribution, with no overage. Each plan has traffic and rule ceilings, and the value is highest when your origin already sits in AWS.

Switch from Cloudflare if your origin runs on AWS and you want one monthly price per distribution.

Pricing: Flat-rate plans: Free $0 (1M requests, 100 GB), Pro $15, Business $200, Premium $1,000 per month per distribution with no overage charges; pay-as-you-go pricing also offered. (free plan)

Full review: #7 of 12 in our ranking · Visit Amazon CloudFront →

4. KeyCDN

Swiss pay-as-you-go CDN with all features included · Switzerland

A small Swiss service with a short price list. Rates fall by volume tier and region, requests are not charged, and the first three zones are free. The dashboard is plain. It does not bundle DNS hosting or a managed firewall the way a Cloudflare plan does.

Switch from Cloudflare if you only need caching and want no request charges and few moving parts.

Pricing: From $0.04 per GB in North America and Europe (first 10 TB), down to $0.01 over 100 TB; $4 monthly minimum usage and $49 minimum payment; three zones free, $1 per extra zone. (none)

Full review: #5 of 12 in our ranking · Visit KeyCDN →

5. CDN77

Delivery network for video, software and large files · United Kingdom

Built for heavy files and video rather than small sites. One published Growth plan covers a large monthly volume across all PoPs, with S3-compatible object storage next to it. The entry ticket is far above a Cloudflare Pro plan, so it suits media and software publishers.

Switch from Cloudflare if you ship video, installers or large downloads and the traffic is measured in terabytes.

Pricing: Growth plan $990 per month for 250 TB with $3.96 per TB overage, all PoPs and 24/7 support included; Enterprise plan on custom pricing; trial of up to 30 days under the terms. (free trial)

Full review: #2 of 12 in our ranking · Visit CDN77 →

6. Gcore CDN

Global CDN with DDoS and WAF included · Luxembourg

A CDN from a company that also sells cloud and security. The page says DDoS protection and a WAF are included on every plan and that you can start without a card. Per-gigabyte rates were not on the page we read, so cost needs a quote or a test.

Switch from Cloudflare if you want a Europe-registered vendor with security bundled and a free start.

Pricing: Free to start with no credit card; paid plans add throughput, security features and support, rates not listed in the page we fetched. (free plan)

Full review: #6 of 12 in our ranking · Visit Gcore CDN →

7. CacheFly

Private CDN focused on throughput and support · United States

An older specialist with a short ladder: a free developer account, then monthly plans sized by included terabytes. The top plan adds a larger PoP set and a dedicated Slack channel for support. It has no free DNS hosting or site-wide proxy of the kind Cloudflare offers.

Switch from Cloudflare if you serve large files and want a fixed monthly volume plus close support.

Pricing: Developer plan $0 with 100 GB free and $0.05 per GB overage; Business from $300 per month for 10 TB; Business Enterprise from $2,000 per month for 100 TB. (free plan)

Full review: #8 of 12 in our ranking · Visit CacheFly →

8. Azure Front Door

Microsoft CDN, routing and WAF for Azure apps · United States

Microsoft's entry, billed as a base fee per tier plus data transfer and requests. The Premium tier adds a WAF and Private Link to origins. It makes sense when the application lives in Azure, and it is a poor fit for a static site hosted elsewhere.

Switch from Cloudflare if your application runs on Azure and you need private origin access.

Pricing: Standard base fee $35 per month and Premium $330 per month, plus outbound data transfer (from $0.083 per GB in North America for the first 10 TB) and request charges. (free trial)

Full review: #9 of 12 in our ranking · Visit Azure Front Door →

9. Google Cloud CDN

Google Cloud's cache layer for load-balanced backends · United States

A cache attached to Google's load balancers rather than a stand-alone service. Billing has three parts: data out, cache fill and cache lookups. There is no free tier of its own. Teams on another cloud gain little from it, and the bill takes effort to forecast.

Switch from Cloudflare if your backends already run behind a Google Cloud load balancer.

Pricing: Cache data transfer out $0.02 to $0.20 per GiB, cache fill $0.01 to $0.04 per GiB, and $0.0075 per 10,000 HTTP/HTTPS cache lookup requests. (none)

Full review: #10 of 12 in our ranking · Visit Google Cloud CDN →

10. Akamai

Enterprise content delivery sold by quote · United States

The enterprise incumbent, with products such as Ion and Adaptive Media Delivery. Prices come only through sales, and setup is done through property configurations rather than a signup form. It fits large traffic and complex rules, and it is heavy for a small team.

Switch from Cloudflare if you have enterprise traffic, a sales relationship and rules a self-serve plan cannot express.

Pricing: Security and delivery pricing is quote-based through sales; published pricing on the page we read applies to Akamai Cloud, not the CDN. (free trial)

Full review: #12 of 12 in our ranking · Visit Akamai →

11. Imperva CDN

Secure CDN inside a WAAP platform · United States

A delivery layer inside a web application security platform. Imperva describes it as caching and load balancing integrated with its WAAP. A trial and a demo are offered, with no published rates. It is bought for the security product, not as a cheap cache.

Switch from Cloudflare if you want delivery and application security under one contract and one console.

Pricing: Quote only; the page we fetched offers a free trial and a demo, with no published rates. (free trial)

Full review: #11 of 12 in our ranking · Visit Imperva CDN →

When Cloudflare is still the right choice

Cloudflare remains the right choice for a small or mid-sized site that wants DNS, a CDN, DDoS protection, Universal SSL and a managed firewall ruleset in one dashboard, starting at $0. The plans page lists all of these on the Free plan. If you have no heavy file traffic, no AWS or Azure lock-in and no need for a written SLA, leaving gains little.

What to expect when you switch from Cloudflare

  1. Export your DNS records first

    Cloudflare documents DNS import and export as zone files, and adds cf- tags such as cf-proxied to each record on export. Proxied records are the catch. Your new provider will not know which hostnames were proxied, so list them before you export and recreate the origin behavior yourself.

  2. Rebuild what the proxy was doing

    Cloudflare's CDN does not cache HTML or JSON by default and caches by file extension, so your cache rules may differ from what a new CDN does. Redirects, firewall rules and Universal SSL do not move with a zone file. Recreate and test each one on the new service.

  3. Switch nameservers last and keep the old plan

    DNS changes propagate slowly. Lower record TTLs ahead of the move, point a test hostname at the new CDN first and cut over only when it serves correctly. Cancel before the billing date, since the terms bill the full subscription term and give no refund for the unused part.

Questions and answers

Can I export my DNS records from Cloudflare?

Yes. The DNS documentation describes exporting records as a zone file in BIND format, with cf- tags added to show proxy status and CNAME flattening. Importing such a file elsewhere keeps the records but not the proxy setting.

Does Cloudflare refund the unused part of a subscription?

No. The terms say fees are nonrefundable and that you are billed in full for the subscription term in which you cancel. Access to the paid service continues until the end of that term.

How much notice does Cloudflare give of price changes?

At least 30 days. The terms say changes take effect in the billing period after the notice, and a paid subscription renews at then-current rates unless you cancel before the next scheduled billing date.

Can I use Cloudflare's CDN without moving my nameservers?

Only on higher plans. The DNS documentation says a CNAME (partial) setup is available to Business and Enterprise customers. On Free and Pro, the full setup with Cloudflare nameservers is the route.

Is there a free Cloudflare plan?

Yes. The plans page lists a Free plan at $0 that includes DNS, the CDN, unmetered DDoS protection, Universal SSL and a free managed ruleset. Among the alternatives, Fastly, Gcore, Amazon CloudFront and CacheFly also list a free start.

Can another provider act as secondary DNS to Cloudflare?

Only on Enterprise. The zone transfer documentation says zone transfers, in which Cloudflare acts as primary or secondary, are available to Enterprise customers. On other plans you move the zone by export and import.

Sources

Prices, plan limits and product facts about Cloudflare on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on October 19, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.

Who wrote this

Sebastiaan Smits Sebastiaan Smits, Founder, wrote, edited and fact-checked this page. Founder of The Interregnum and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page here; research and drafting are AI-assisted. Last reviewed October 19, 2026. How we review.