Content Delivery Networks cache your website assets globally so users load pages from nearby servers. The right CDN improves performance and can significantly impact costs.
Provider Comparison
| Factor | Cloudflare | Fastly | AWS CloudFront | Bunny CDN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PoPs (edge locations) | 310+ | 90+ | 450+ | 120+ |
| Free tier | Yes (generous) | No | 1 TB/month (12 months) | No |
| Pricing model | Flat (include bandwidth) | Per-GB + per-request | Per-GB by region | Per-GB (flat rate) |
| Cost per TB | $0 (Pro plan) | $80-200 | $85-200 | $10 |
| DDoS protection | Included (all plans) | Included | AWS Shield ($) | Basic |
| WAF | Included (Pro+) | Included | AWS WAF ($) | Basic |
| Edge compute | Workers | Compute@Edge | Lambda@Edge | Edge scripting |
| Image optimization | Polish, Images | Fastly IO | None (use Lambda) | Optimizer |
| Video delivery | Stream ($) | No | Via MediaConvert | Stream |
| DNS | Included (fast) | No | Route 53 ($) | DNS |
| SSL/TLS | Included (free) | Included | ACM (free) | Included (free) |
| Purge speed | ~5 seconds | ~150ms | 5-15 minutes | ~5 seconds |
| Real-time analytics | Yes | Yes (best-in-class) | CloudWatch (delayed) | Yes |
| API quality | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Good |
| Setup complexity | Low | Medium | High | Low |
Pricing at Scale
| Monthly Traffic | Cloudflare Pro | Fastly | CloudFront | Bunny CDN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 GB | $20 | $15 | $8.50 | $1 |
| 1 TB | $20 | $120 | $85 | $10 |
| 10 TB | $200 (Business) | $800 | $600 | $100 |
| 100 TB | Enterprise | Enterprise | $4,000 | $500 |
When Cloudflare Wins
- Best value: Unlimited bandwidth on Pro plan ($20/month)
- Security-first: DDoS protection and WAF included
- All-in-one: DNS, CDN, security, edge compute
- Workers: Powerful serverless edge computing
- Small-to-medium sites: Generous free tier
When Fastly Wins
- Instant purge: 150ms cache invalidation
- Real-time analytics: Best observability in the space
- Edge compute: Compute@Edge (WASM) for complex logic
- Dynamic content: VCL for advanced caching rules
- Media companies: Streaming and large media delivery
When CloudFront Wins
- AWS ecosystem: Deep integration with S3, EC2, Lambda
- Enterprise compliance: SOC, PCI, HIPAA certifications
- Global coverage: Most edge locations (450+)
- Lambda@Edge: Run code at edge with full AWS access
- Existing AWS infrastructure: Consolidate billing
When Bunny CDN Wins
- Budget optimization: Cheapest per-GB pricing by far
- Simple setup: Dashboard-based, no configuration complexity
- High-bandwidth sites: Video, downloads, large assets
- Storage included: Bunny Storage for origin
- Startup-friendly: Predictable, low costs
Our Recommendation
We use Cloudflare (Pro plan) for most projects. The combination of unlimited bandwidth, DDoS protection, WAF, and Workers makes it the best value. For high-bandwidth applications needing the cheapest per-GB rate, Bunny CDN is excellent.
Optimize your site speed with the right CDN strategy.