Hivelocity vs Linode (Akamai Cloud): Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Hivelocity and Linode (Akamai Cloud) to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Hivelocity
6.6/10
Tampa-based provider of bare metal dedicated servers, VPS, colocation and private cloud for businesses that need global, API-driven infrastructure.
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 | 6.6/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Reliability | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $10/mo VPS pro.sm.amd | $5/mo Nanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $10/mo VPS pro.sm.amd | $5/mo Nanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| Features | ||
| API and CLI | ||
| Automatic Backups | ||
| DDoS Protection | ||
| Multiple Regions | ||
| Object Storage | ||
| Uptime SLA | ||
| VPS Hosting | ||
| Cloud Compute | Not listed | |
| Dedicated Servers | Not listed | |
| Managed Databases | Not listed | |
| Managed Kubernetes | Not listed | |
Hivelocity vs Linode (Akamai Cloud) cost by team size
Linode (Akamai Cloud) costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | Hivelocity | Linode (Akamai Cloud) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $10/moVPS pro.sm.amd | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| 5 users | $10/moVPS pro.sm.amd | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| 10 users | $10/moVPS pro.sm.amd | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| 25 users | $10/moVPS pro.sm.amd | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) |
| 50 users | $10/moVPS pro.sm.amd | $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 Hivelocity
- Higher Customization score (9/10 vs 8/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (7/10 vs 5/10)
Why choose Linode (Akamai Cloud)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: $5/mo vs $10/mo
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Analytics score (5/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for developers (9/10 vs 7/10)
Pros & Cons
Hivelocity
Pros
- DDoS mitigation for Layer 3 and 4 attacks is built into every bandwidth-enabled service at no extra cost.
- Every VPS and dedicated server includes at least 10TB of outbound transfer, and inbound and private traffic are free.
- Custom builds scale to four processors, 1TB of RAM and 100 drives, and GPU options are available.
- Provisioning can be automated through a REST API and a Terraform provider, and VLANs are self-service.
- Support is in-house, US-based and available 24/7, and phone reboots are free.
Cons
- VPS plans are billed monthly, with no hourly billing, and port 25 is blocked on VPS.
- No managed Kubernetes, serverless or managed database offering appeared on the pages reviewed.
- Some reviewers on G2 and Trustpilot complain of aggressive abuse handling, including instant terminations.
- Dedicated server fees are non-refundable and there is no standard money-back guarantee.
- According to VPSBenchmarks, reverse DNS changes require a support ticket and there is no built-in VPS firewall.
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 6.6/10 for Hivelocity. The largest gap is in Ease of Use: 5/10 for Hivelocity and 8/10 for Linode (Akamai Cloud).
Linode (Akamai Cloud) costs less for 10 users: about $5/mo on its Nanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) plan, against about $10/mo on its VPS pro.sm.amd plan for Hivelocity, billed monthly.
No, neither Hivelocity nor Linode (Akamai Cloud) lists a free plan.
Linode (Akamai Cloud) is the better fit for developers: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 7/10 for Hivelocity.
