Linode (Akamai Cloud) vs Liquid Web: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Linode (Akamai Cloud) and Liquid Web to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
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.
Liquid Web
6.2/10
Liquid Web is a US managed hosting provider. It sells VPS, cloud VPS, dedicated servers and managed WordPress hosting to businesses that need hands-on server management.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7/10 | 6.2/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Cost | 8/10 | 4/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Reliability | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $5/mo Nanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) | $11/mo Cloud VPS Compute 2 GB |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $5/mo Nanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) | $11/mo Cloud VPS Compute 2 GB |
| Features | ||
| API and CLI | ||
| Automatic Backups | ||
| Cloud Compute | ||
| DDoS Protection | ||
| Multiple Regions | ||
| Uptime SLA | ||
| VPS Hosting | ||
| Dedicated Servers | Not listed | |
| Free SSL Certificates | Not listed | |
| Managed Databases | Not listed | |
| Managed Kubernetes | Not listed | |
| Managed WordPress | Not listed | |
| Object Storage | Not listed | |
Linode (Akamai Cloud) vs Liquid Web cost by team size
Linode (Akamai Cloud) costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | Linode (Akamai Cloud) | Liquid Web |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) | $11/moCloud VPS Compute 2 GB |
| 5 users | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) | $11/moCloud VPS Compute 2 GB |
| 10 users | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) | $11/moCloud VPS Compute 2 GB |
| 25 users | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) | $11/moCloud VPS Compute 2 GB |
| 50 users | $5/moNanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) | $11/moCloud VPS Compute 2 GB |
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 Linode (Akamai Cloud)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: $5/mo vs $11/mo
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for developers (9/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Liquid Web
- Higher Support score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Reliability score (8/10 vs 7/10)
- Better fit for small business (7/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
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
Liquid Web
Pros
- Fully managed VPS and dedicated plans cover monitoring, updates and ServerSecure hardening.
- The SLA promises 99.99 percent uptime, and the dedicated page adds a 30-minute hardware replacement guarantee.
- Cloud VPS comes in compute, memory and CPU-optimized sizes, with hourly billing.
- Managed dedicated plans include 500 GB of Acronis backups and DDoS protection.
- Data centers are in the US, Europe and Australia and are assessed for HIPAA and PCI-DSS.
Cons
- Reviewers repeatedly call it more expensive than budget hosts such as Hostinger and InterServer.
- There is no built-in CDN, and it offers no managed Kubernetes or serverless products.
- The InterWorx and SiteWorx control panels can confuse beginners.
- Some recent user reviews say support has slowed since the ownership change.
- Windows servers and cPanel or Plesk licences cost extra.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Linode (Akamai Cloud) scores higher on our Hosting & Infrastructure criteria: 7/10 against 6.2/10 for Liquid Web. The largest gap is in Cost: 8/10 for Linode (Akamai Cloud) and 4/10 for Liquid Web.
Linode (Akamai Cloud) costs less for 10 users: about $5/mo on its Nanode 1 GB (Shared CPU) plan, against about $11/mo on its Cloud VPS Compute 2 GB plan for Liquid Web, billed monthly.
No, neither Linode (Akamai Cloud) nor Liquid Web lists a free plan.
Linode (Akamai Cloud) is the better fit for developers: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 6/10 for Liquid Web.
