Fly.io vs Linode (Akamai Cloud) Comparison
Compare Fly.io vs Linode (Akamai Cloud) features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Fly.io
5.9/10
Fly.io is a developer cloud that runs containerized apps as fast-booting Machines in regions worldwide, billed by usage, with managed Postgres and object storage.
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 | 5.9/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Reliability | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $2/mo Pay-as-you-go (Machines) | $5/mo Nanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $2/mo Pay-as-you-go (Machines) | $5/mo Nanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| Features | ||
| API and CLI | ||
| Automatic Backups | ||
| Cloud Compute | ||
| Managed Databases | ||
| Multiple Regions | ||
| Object Storage | ||
| Uptime SLA | ||
| DDoS Protection | Not listed | |
| Managed Kubernetes | Not listed | |
| VPS Hosting | Not listed | |
Fly.io vs Linode (Akamai Cloud) cost by team size
Fly.io costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | Fly.io | Linode (Akamai Cloud) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $2/moPay-as-you-go (Machines) | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| 5 users | $2/moPay-as-you-go (Machines) | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| 10 users | $2/moPay-as-you-go (Machines) | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| 25 users | $2/moPay-as-you-go (Machines) | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| 50 users | $2/moPay-as-you-go (Machines) | $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 Fly.io
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: $2/mo vs $5/mo
Why choose Linode (Akamai Cloud)
- Higher Reliability score (7/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 6/10)
Pros & Cons
Fly.io
Pros
- Very low entry cost: a small shared Machine is about $2.19 a month, and invoices under $5 are waived.
- Apps can run in many regions with Anycast routing and global load balancing included at no extra cost.
- Per-hour billing and one-year reserved blocks that save 40 percent give flexible ways to manage cost.
- Managed Postgres plans include high availability, automated backups and connection pooling.
- A HIPAA package with a pre-signed BAA costs $99 a month on any paid plan.
Cons
- Status trackers show recurring network and API incidents through 2025 and 2026, and the CEO admitted reliability problems in 2023.
- The 99.9% uptime SLA is available only with Enterprise support, which starts at $2,500 a month.
- Bills spread across Machines, volumes, egress, IPs and support, which makes costs harder to predict.
- Apps need a Dockerfile and a fly.toml, which adds setup work compared with buildpack-style PaaS products.
- Compute costs more in some regions, up to 1.615 times in Sao Paulo.
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
Linode (Akamai Cloud) scores higher on our Hosting & Infrastructure criteria: 7/10 against 5.9/10 for Fly.io. The largest gap is in Reliability: 4/10 for Fly.io and 7/10 for Linode (Akamai Cloud).
Fly.io costs less for 10 users: about $2/mo on its Pay-as-you-go (Machines) plan, against about $5/mo on its Nanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) plan for Linode (Akamai Cloud), billed monthly.
No, neither Fly.io nor Linode (Akamai Cloud) lists a free plan.
