Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs Linode (Akamai Cloud) Comparison
Compare Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs Linode (Akamai Cloud) features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
7.9/10
Amazon's public cloud platform, with over 200 pay-as-you-go services for compute, storage, databases, networking and AI, used by startups through large enterprises and governments.
Linode (Akamai Cloud)
7/10
Developer-focused cloud platform, now run by Akamai, offering VPS compute, managed Kubernetes, managed databases and object storage at flat, predictable prices.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.9/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 10/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 10/10 | 7/10 |
| Reliability | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 10/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | $5/mo Nanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Free plan | $5/mo Nanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| Features | ||
| API and CLI | ||
| Cloud Compute | ||
| Managed Databases | ||
| Managed Kubernetes | ||
| Multiple Regions | ||
| Object Storage | ||
| Uptime SLA | ||
| VPS Hosting | ||
| Automatic Backups | Not listed | |
| Content Delivery Network | Not listed | |
| DDoS Protection | Not listed | |
| Serverless Functions | Not listed | |
Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs Linode (Akamai Cloud) cost by team size
Amazon Web Services (AWS) costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Linode (Akamai Cloud) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree plan | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| 5 users | FreeFree plan | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| 10 users | FreeFree plan | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| 25 users | FreeFree plan | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| 50 users | FreeFree plan | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- Has a free plan (Linode (Akamai Cloud) does not)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: Free vs $5/mo
- Higher Analytics score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Integration score (10/10 vs 7/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (10/10 vs 5/10)
Why choose Linode (Akamai Cloud)
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Pros
- The service catalogue is unusually broad, with over 200 services across 38 regions, so most infrastructure needs can be met on one platform.
- EC2 has a 99.99% region-level SLA with credits of up to 100%, and instances unavailable for more than six minutes in an hour are not billed for that hour.
- The free plan gives up to $200 in credits, and more than 30 always-free services let new teams experiment at low cost.
- Support scales from a $29 minimum up to dedicated Enterprise and Unified Operations tiers for mission-critical workloads.
- G2 rates it 4.4 across more than 17,000 reviews, and reviewers praise its scalability and global reach.
Cons
- Reviewers widely cite a steep learning curve across the console and services.
- Usage pricing is complex and can produce unexpected bills unless spend is monitored closely.
- Paid support is billed as a percentage of total AWS spend, so support costs rise with usage.
- A July 2025 billing console bug showed customers estimated charges in the billions, which hurt trust in its cost tooling.
Linode (Akamai Cloud)
Pros
- Flat published prices, starting at 5 dollars a month for a 1 GB Nanode, with hourly billing
- The standard Kubernetes control plane in LKE is free
- Egress overage costs only 0.005 dollars per GB, and most shared plans include 1 to 5 TB of transfer
- Its documentation, API, CLI and Terraform support are strong, which suits developers who automate their infrastructure
- DDoS protection is included, and inbound bandwidth is 40 Gbps on all plans
Cons
- Some 2025 reviews report new accounts flagged as fraud or suspended, with tickets taking 24 to 48 hours
- No live chat support is offered, and standard support has no published response-time SLA
- Reviewers say managed services and advanced enterprise features are fewer than on the hyperscalers
- Managed databases cost more than on budget providers, with HA starting around 246 dollars a month according to one third-party guide
- The Akamai rebrand has confused some customers and, by their account, hurt trust
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Amazon Web Services (AWS) scores higher on our Hosting & Infrastructure criteria: 7.9/10 against 7/10 for Linode (Akamai Cloud). The largest gap is in Ease of Use: 4/10 for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and 8/10 for Linode (Akamai Cloud).
Amazon Web Services (AWS) costs less for 10 users: free on its Free plan, against about $5/mo on its Nanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) plan for Linode (Akamai Cloud), billed monthly.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has a free plan; Linode (Akamai Cloud) does not list one.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 10/10 for them, against 5/10 for Linode (Akamai Cloud).
