Self-serve in an afternoon
Create a distribution, pull origin, validate on an Aptranet hostname, cut over DNS. Akamai onboarding is a project. Ours is a change window.
Aptranet vs Akamai
What Akamai is — and what Aptranet is instead.
Akamai is the incumbent: the largest published location count, ISP-embedded delivery, Super Bowl-scale video, and a sales process to match. It is the right network for some Fortune 500 traffic. It is the wrong network if you need to be in production this month.
Where Aptranet wins
Why teams leave Akamai for Cloud CDN and Cloud DNS.
1-second TTL and health-aware DNS
Cloud DNS is built for failovers you actually rehearse. Enterprise DNS attached to a 20-year contract is a different clock.
A modern control plane
The network was not grown by acquiring four companies and leaving four consoles. Cloud CDN and Cloud DNS share one footprint and one Management Console.
EUR plans from €35
Starter is a production CDN, not a demo. Akamai quotes are custom. If you are not already an Akamai customer, you will feel that.
Be precise
Where Akamai still wins.
Switching because of a slogan is how you buy the wrong edge. These are the honest concessions.
They have the largest map
Akamai publishes thousands of locations, including ISP-embedded servers. We do not claim to out-map them. We claim you can buy and operate 210+ PoPs and 200+ Tbps without an enterprise circus.
They have the deepest live-sports pedigree
If you are delivering a World Cup, talk to Akamai — and to us, if you want a second path. Multi-CDN is a real architecture. See the multi-CDN article.
Side by side
Aptranet and Akamai, on the facts we will stand behind.
| Topic | Aptranet | Akamai |
|---|---|---|
| Go-live | Self-serve + sales when you want it | Enterprise sales and onboarding |
| Locations | 210+ PoPs | Thousands, including ISP-embedded |
| Capacity | 200+ Tbps | Largest commercial CDN capacity class |
| DNS | Cloud DNS, 1 s min TTL | Enterprise DNS, separate motion |
| Origin Shield | Yes | Yes, in the enterprise toolkit |
| Pricing | EUR monthly plans | Custom, contract-led |
| Console | One Management Console | Often multiple inherited tools |
| Best known for | Modern CDN + DNS | Scale and embedded last mile |
Choose Aptranet if
- You need to be on a global CDN this quarter, not next fiscal year
- The team wants one console for CDN and DNS
- You are not buying a 36-month enterprise envelope as the first step
- A second CDN beside Akamai would actually get used
Stay with Akamai if
- You already run Akamai in production with a TAM
- ISP-embedded PoPs are a contractual requirement
- The procurement team has already signed
Other comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Multi-CDN is a DNS decision. Cloud DNS weights and failover can steer between vendors. Origin firewalls must allow every puller.
No. They have the largest published footprint. We have a modern 210+ PoP, 200+ Tbps network you can actually turn on.
No. Self-serve is how you start. Higher-volume and specialised architectures are planned with Aptranet.