Akamai Linode vs Vultr (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Akamai Linode grades higher than Vultr: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Akamai Linode grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Akamai Linode if
- Fits if you want plain Linux servers at a fixed monthly price
- Works for people who need a lot of included transfer
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to patch a server yourself
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial
- Watch out: prices differ by region, and backups, storage and some services cost extra
- Watch out: Akamai's own pricing pages weren't readable, so prices come from the public API
Pick Vultr if
- Fits if you want inexpensive servers across many locations
- Works for projects that need bare metal or GPUs from the same provider
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to set up and patch a server
- Not for you if you need IPv4 on the $2.50 plan, since it's IPv6 only
- Watch out: backups, block storage, load balancers and extra bandwidth cost more
- Watch out: Vultr's own pricing pages weren't readable, so prices are from its public plans API
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAAkamai LinodeFair | 1.8GPAVultrWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BNanode 1GB is $5 a month, inside the cheaper quarter ($5.28), with 1TB transfer. Jakarta is $6 and Sao Paulo $7, and backups cost $2 to $5 more. | B$2.50 a month for the IPv6-only 512MB plan, $3.50 with IPv4, $5 for 1GB. Inside the cheaper quarter ($5.28). The IPv6-only plan has no IPv4 at all. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial on record; every plan is paid from the first day. | FNo free plan and no trial on record; every plan is paid from the first day. |
| Features | BShared, dedicated, high-memory and GPU Linodes, block and object storage, Kubernetes, managed databases, firewall and backups. The listing names no core gap. | CCloud Compute, high-frequency and optimized plans, bare metal, GPUs and Kubernetes docs. The listing shows servers, not databases or an app platform, and extras cost more. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. Servers are unmanaged, so OS updates and security are yours. | DNo store rating on record. Unmanaged servers: you set up and patch the OS. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with a public v4 API, a CLI and Cloud Manager. | BWeb only, with a v2 API, a CLI, a Terraform provider and SDKs. |
| Best for | plain Linux servers at a fixed price | inexpensive cloud servers in many locations |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Akamai Linode and Vultr. How we grade
Price against what you get
Akamai Linode starts at $5 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Vultr starts at $2.50 a month and scores 2.0.
Akamai Linode scores higher, and starts $2.50 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other web hosts on the chart, 1 scores higher than Akamai Linode for less, and 6 score higher than Vultr for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Akamai Linode also covers databases.
At a glance
| Akamai Linode | Vultr | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $5 per month (Nanode 1GB), billed hourly | $2.50 per month (IPv6-only 512MB Cloud Compute) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Akamai Technologies | Vultr |
| Price read from | api.linode.com | api.vultr.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Akamai Linode
- Linodes are unmanaged servers: the buyer handles operating system updates and security.
- Prices differ by region; Jakarta and Sao Paulo cost $1 and $2 more than the base price on a Nanode.
- Backups, extra storage and some services cost extra on top of the instance price.
- Akamai's own pricing pages refused automated access, so these prices come from Linode's public API.
Vultr
- Vultr's pricing and product pages sit behind a bot check, so these prices are read from its public plans API.
- The cheapest $2.50 plan has an IPv6 address only and no IPv4.
- Servers are unmanaged: the buyer sets up and patches the operating system.
- Backups, block storage, load balancers and bandwidth beyond a plan's allowance cost extra.
Key features
Akamai Linode
- Linux virtual machines
- Linodes come in shared, dedicated, high-memory and GPU classes, and are billed hourly up to a fixed monthly price.
- Block and object storage
- Block Storage volumes attach to a Linode, and Object Storage is $5 a month for 250GB including its bundled transfer.
- Kubernetes and managed databases
- The regions list shows Kubernetes and Managed Databases as capabilities in supported data centers.
- Backups
- The optional backup add-on costs $2 a month on a Nanode 1GB and $5 on a Linode 4GB.
- Networking controls
- Cloud Firewall, VPCs, VLANs and NodeBalancers are listed as capabilities in the regions data.
- API and CLI
- A public v4 API, a CLI and Cloud Manager manage resources, and Akamai's docs cover automating deployments.
Vultr
- Cloud Compute
- Virtual machines in standard and high-frequency classes, with plan sizes starting at 512MB RAM.
- High-performance and optimized compute
- The plans API also lists high-performance and optimized compute types, for example a 1 vCPU, 2GB optimized plan at $28 a month.
- Bare metal and GPUs
- Bare metal servers and GPU instances are sold, with an NVIDIA L40S server listed at $1,122.91 a month.
- Kubernetes and AI workloads
- Vultr's docs cover Kubernetes setup, GPU workloads, AI model docs and a beta documentation agent.
- Public API and CLI
- A v2 API, a CLI, a Terraform provider and SDKs are referenced in the reference documentation.
Plans
Akamai Linode
Nanode 1GB$5
per month, billed hourly ($0.0075 per hour)
1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage and 1TB of monthly transfer. Jakarta is $6 and Sao Paulo $7.
Linode 2GB$12
per month, billed hourly ($0.018 per hour)
1 vCPU, 2GB RAM, 50GB storage and 2TB of monthly transfer.
Linode 4GB$24
per month, billed hourly ($0.036 per hour)
2 vCPUs, 4GB RAM and 4TB of monthly transfer; backups are an extra $5 a month at this size.
Object Storage$5
per month, prorated
Flat rate including 250GB of storage; storage beyond that is $0.02 per GB in most data centers.
Vultr
Cloud Compute 512MB$3.50
per month, with IPv4
1 vCPU, 512MB RAM, 10GB storage and 512GB of bandwidth. An IPv6-only version is $2.50 a month.
Cloud Compute 1GB$5
per month ($0.007 per hour)
1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage and 1TB of bandwidth.
Cloud Compute 2GB$10
per month
1 vCPU, 2GB RAM, 55GB storage and 2TB of bandwidth. The 2 vCPU, 2GB size is $15 a month.
High Frequency 1GB$6
per month
1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage and 1TB of bandwidth. The 2GB size is $12 and the 2 vCPU, 2GB size is $18.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Akamai Linode or Vultr?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Vultr is cheaper to start with: $2.50 a month, against $5 a month for Akamai Linode. Akamai Linode starts at $5 per month (Nanode 1GB), billed hourly, and Vultr starts at $2.50 per month (IPv6-only 512MB Cloud Compute).
Which has a free plan, Akamai Linode or Vultr?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Akamai Linode nor Vultr has a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.