210+ PoPs versus a small, dense map
Fastly is often cited around 90-100 PoPs. Aptranet publishes 210+ locations and 200+ Tbps. Geography still matters when the audience is not in the same two metros as the VCL.
Aptranet vs Fastly
What Fastly is — and what Aptranet is instead.
Fastly is a programmable edge: VCL, Compute, instant purge, excellent for teams that want to write the cache. It is not a 210+ location footprint, and it is not a DNS product.
Where Aptranet wins
Why teams leave Fastly for Cloud CDN and Cloud DNS.
No VCL tax
Cache policy, purge, image transforms and origin groups are console and API. You should not need a Fastly consultant to cache WordPress HTML.
Authoritative DNS on the same footprint
GeoDNS, health checks, flattening, 1-second TTL. Fastly is not that product.
Images, live and large files included
WebP/AVIF, 4K, 0.5-4 s live, installers. Programmable edges often still need a second pipeline for media.
Be precise
Where Fastly still wins.
Switching because of a slogan is how you buy the wrong edge. These are the honest concessions.
They win at instant purge and edge logic
Fastly purge and VCL/Compute are the reason enterprises pay. If you are rewriting requests at the edge in custom code, that is their house.
North America and Europe TTFB can be excellent
A small, well-placed network can beat a larger map in a few regions. Measure from your markets. Do not assume either vendor is fastest everywhere.
Side by side
Aptranet and Fastly, on the facts we will stand behind.
| Topic | Aptranet | Fastly |
|---|---|---|
| PoPs | 210+ | ~90-100 (widely cited) |
| Capacity | 200+ Tbps | Not a single public Tbps figure |
| Edge programming | Config, API, image transforms | VCL / Compute@Edge |
| Purge | URL, file, directory | Real-time, a Fastly headline feature |
| DNS | Cloud DNS with 1 s TTL | Not an authoritative DNS platform |
| Origin Shield | Yes | Shielding concepts exist; different product |
| Who operates it | Console and API | Often a VCL-literate team |
| Entry price | EUR plans from €35 | Usage plus platform; typically higher |
Choose Aptranet if
- You want more geography without writing VCL
- WordPress, Next.js or media should be a distribution, not a research project
- DNS failover belongs in the same vendor
- The team is operations, not edge-language specialists
Stay with Fastly if
- You already have Fastly VCL in production
- Millisecond purge is a contractual requirement
- Compute@Edge is the product you are buying
Other comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Fastly wins at programmable edge. Aptranet wins at footprint, DNS, media and operational simplicity.
Yes. Those workloads need cache policy, purge and origin protection — not VCL. See the WordPress and Next.js guides.
Purge by URL, file or directory is an operational control. Validate timing on a test path. Fastly still markets the fastest invalidation in the category.