Cloud Provider Review
Linode (Akamai Cloud) Review 2026: Pricing, VPS Plans & Kubernetes
If you've heard of Linode, you may have noticed the brand is now Akamai Cloud Computing — after Akamai Technologies acquired Linode in 2022. But the developer-friendly VPS infrastructure that made Linode famous is very much alive, now backed by Akamai's worldwide edge network and a significantly expanded product portfolio.
In this review, the CloudPicked team verifies all pricing and specifications directly from Akamai's official website as of August 2026, so you can make an accurate comparison before committing.
What Is Akamai Cloud (formerly Linode)?
Linode was founded in 2003 as one of the earliest VPS providers, predating AWS's EC2 by three years. It built a reputation for straightforward Linux VPS hosting, honest pricing, and a developer-first API. In 2022, Akamai Technologies — the world's largest CDN and cybersecurity provider — acquired Linode to create a distributed cloud platform that combines Linode's compute infrastructure with Akamai's thousands of edge locations worldwide.
The result is Akamai Cloud: a platform positioning itself as up to 50% cheaper than legacy hyperscalers (AWS, Azure, GCP) while offering enterprise-grade infrastructure. Their key differentiator is transparent egress pricing and a genuinely distributed architecture.
Global Data Centers
Akamai Cloud operates 25+ data centers across four regions:
- North America (10): Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Fremont, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, Seattle, Toronto, Washington D.C.
- Europe (7): Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Stockholm
- Asia-Pacific (7): Chennai, Mumbai, Osaka, Singapore, Tokyo, Melbourne, Sydney
- South America: São Paulo
- Southeast Asia: Jakarta (Local Pricing)
For Thailand-based users, Singapore is the closest data center with approximately 20–40ms latency. There is no Bangkok DC at this time. If you require Thailand-based infrastructure, consider local VPS providers alongside Akamai for your stack.
Shared CPU Pricing (Legacy Hardware)
Shared CPU plans are ideal for development environments, staging servers, personal websites, and low-traffic applications. All plans include pooled monthly transfer allowances:
Prices as of August 2026 — verify current rates at akamai.com/cloud/pricing
| Plan | RAM | vCPUs | Storage | Transfer | $/Month | $/Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nanode 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 | 25 GB SSD | 1 TB | $5.00 | $0.0075 |
| Linode 2 GB | 2 GB | 1 | 50 GB SSD | 2 TB | $12.00 | $0.0180 |
| Linode 4 GB | 4 GB | 2 | 80 GB SSD | 4 TB | $24.00 | $0.0360 |
| Linode 8 GB | 8 GB | 4 | 160 GB SSD | 5 TB | $48.00 | $0.0720 |
| Linode 16 GB | 16 GB | 6 | 320 GB SSD | 8 TB | $96.00 | $0.1440 |
| Linode 32 GB | 32 GB | 8 | 640 GB SSD | 16 TB | $192.00 | $0.2880 |
| Linode 64 GB | 64 GB | 16 | 1280 GB SSD | 20 TB | $384.00 | $0.5760 |
Dedicated CPU Pricing — G8 Generation (5th Gen AMD EPYC)
G8 Dedicated plans allocate CPU cores exclusively to your instance — no noisy neighbor contention. Powered by 5th Gen AMD EPYC processors with a 1:2 RAM-to-vCPU ratio:
| Plan | RAM | vCPUs | Storage | $/Hour | Est. $/Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G8 Dedicated 4x2 | 4 GB | 2 | 40 GB SSD | $0.07 | ~$50 |
| G8 Dedicated 32x16 | 32 GB | 16 | 320 GB SSD | $0.54 | ~$389 |
| G8 Dedicated 128x64 | 128 GB | 64 | 1280 GB SSD | $2.16 | ~$1,555 |
Premium CPU Pricing — G7 Generation (3rd Gen AMD EPYC)
Premium CPU G7 plans use 3rd Gen AMD EPYC processors, optimized for high-frequency single-thread performance. Ideal for latency-sensitive or compute-intensive production workloads:
| Plan | RAM | vCPUs | Storage | $/Month | $/Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G7 Dedicated 4 GB | 4 GB | 2 | 80 GB SSD | $43.00 | $0.06 |
| G7 Dedicated 32 GB | 32 GB | 16 | 640 GB SSD | $346.00 | $0.52 |
| G7 Dedicated 128 GB | 128 GB | 50 | 2500 GB SSD | $1,382.00 | $2.07 |
Prices may vary by region — check akamai.com for current regional rates.
Bandwidth & Egress Pricing
One of Akamai Cloud's strongest selling points is its straightforward egress pricing:
- Bundled monthly transfer pools across all instances on your account
- Egress overage: $0.005/GB — vs AWS at $0.09/GB or GCP at $0.08/GB
- Traffic between instances on private network: free
- All inbound traffic: free
For bandwidth-heavy workloads — video streaming, large file transfers, CDN origin — this translates to substantial savings over the major hyperscalers.
Full Product Portfolio
Compute
- Shared CPU — affordable, best for dev/test/staging
- Dedicated CPU G8 — 5th Gen AMD EPYC, dedicated cores, zero noisy neighbor
- Premium CPU G7 — 3rd Gen AMD EPYC, maximum single-thread performance
- High Memory — large RAM for databases, caching, in-memory workloads
- GPU Instances — NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell for AI inference and ML training
Storage
- Block Storage — attach additional volumes to any Linode instance
- Object Storage — S3-compatible storage for files, backups, and static assets
- Backups — automated daily backups for instances
Kubernetes & Containers
- Linode Kubernetes Engine (LKE) — fully managed Kubernetes with auto-scaling, multiple node pools, block storage PVCs, and NodeBalancer integration
- App Platform — simplified container deployment without server management
Managed Databases
- MySQL Clusters — automated configuration, backups, and failover
- PostgreSQL Clusters — fully managed with disaster recovery built in
Networking
- NodeBalancers — load balancing for distributing traffic across instances
- Cloud Firewall — network-level firewall with configurable rules
- DNS Manager — free DNS management included
- Private Networking — free inter-instance traffic within the same DC
- VLANs — layer 2 network isolation
Serverless & Edge
- Akamai Functions — serverless function execution
- EdgeWorkers — run JavaScript at Akamai's edge nodes, closer to users
- Akamai Inference Cloud — GPU-accelerated AI inference at the edge
New Customers: $100 Free Credit
Akamai Cloud offers $100 in free credit to new accounts. The credit applies to any service — compute, Kubernetes, object storage, databases — and is consumed before any billing begins. A credit card and identity verification are required to activate the account.
Try Akamai Cloud — $100 Free Credit
Apply to any service. No contracts. Cancel anytime.
Visit Akamai CloudAkamai Cloud vs DigitalOcean: Head-to-Head
Both are developer-focused mid-market cloud providers. Data as of August 2026:
| Feature | Akamai Cloud (Linode) | DigitalOcean |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Plan | $5/mo (1 GB RAM) | $6/mo (1 GB RAM) |
| Data Centers | 25+ | 15 |
| Managed Kubernetes | LKE | DOKS |
| Managed Databases | MySQL, PostgreSQL | MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB |
| Egress Overage | $0.005/GB | $0.01/GB |
| Object Storage | S3-compatible | Spaces (S3-compatible) |
| GPU | NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 | GPU Droplets (H100) |
| Serverless | Functions + EdgeWorkers | Functions (limited) |
| Free Credit | $100 | $200 (60-day trial) |
Comparison as of August 2026 — verify current pricing directly with each provider.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- $5/mo entry price — competitive with DigitalOcean
- Egress up to 18× cheaper than AWS
- 25+ data centers globally
- G8 Dedicated: latest 5th Gen AMD EPYC
- Full Kubernetes, Object Storage, Managed DB
- GPU instances (NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000)
- Serverless + edge computing via Akamai network
- $100 free credit for new customers
- Strong API and Terraform support
Cons
- No Thailand data center
- SLA percentage not clearly stated on pricing pages
- Fewer managed services than AWS/GCP
- Shared CPU plans labeled "Legacy hardware"
- GPU availability limited to select regions
- No affiliate program for publishers
- UI/UX steeper learning curve for beginners
Who Should Use Akamai Cloud?
Best for
- Developers and DevOps teams wanting affordable, honest-priced cloud with a great API
- Startups scaling globally — 25+ DCs and managed Kubernetes keep infrastructure lean
- AI/ML workloads — NVIDIA GPU instances at competitive pricing
- High-bandwidth applications — egress at $0.005/GB vs $0.09/GB on AWS
- Multi-cloud architectures — open platform, no lock-in, integrates with other clouds
Consider alternatives if
- You need Thailand-based servers — look at Thai hosting providers or providers with Bangkok DCs
- You need a fully managed stack — AWS or GCP offer broader managed service coverage
- You're a non-technical user — start with managed WordPress or shared hosting instead
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Linode the same as Akamai Cloud?
Yes. Akamai Technologies acquired Linode in 2022 and rebranded its infrastructure services as Akamai Cloud Computing. The underlying platform, API, and data centers are the same, now enhanced by Akamai's global edge network.
Does Akamai Cloud have a Southeast Asia data center?
As of August 2026, Akamai Cloud has Asia-Pacific DCs in Singapore, Tokyo, Osaka, Chennai, Mumbai, Melbourne, Sydney, and Jakarta. There is no Thailand DC; Singapore is the nearest option at approximately 20–40ms from Bangkok.
What is the starting price for Akamai Cloud?
The entry-level Nanode 1 GB Shared CPU plan costs $5/month ($0.0075/hour) with 25 GB SSD and 1 TB bandwidth. Verify current prices at akamai.com — pricing can change.
Does Akamai Cloud offer managed Kubernetes?
Yes. Linode Kubernetes Engine (LKE) is a fully managed Kubernetes service with auto-scaling, node pools, persistent volume support via block storage, and NodeBalancer load balancing.
How does Akamai Cloud compare to DigitalOcean on pricing?
Akamai Cloud's $5/mo entry plan is slightly cheaper than DigitalOcean's $6/mo. More importantly, Akamai's egress overage is $0.005/GB versus DigitalOcean's $0.01/GB — making Akamai Cloud notably cheaper for bandwidth-intensive workloads at scale.
Verdict: Is Akamai Cloud Worth It in 2026?
Akamai Cloud (Linode) remains one of the most price-competitive cloud platforms on the market, particularly for egress costs. The addition of Akamai's edge network gives it genuine advantages in distributed computing that competitors without a CDN backbone cannot easily replicate.
The tradeoff: fewer managed services than the major hyperscalers and no Southeast Asian data centers outside of Singapore, Jakarta, and India. For technical teams who know their way around Linux and want transparent pricing at global scale, Akamai Cloud is an excellent choice. For teams that want hand-holding or need Thailand-local infrastructure, it's a partial fit that may need to be supplemented.
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