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For most buyers, bunny.net is the strongest starting point: its listed entry price is $1 and it covers CDN plus edge services, though usage-based billing and reported network compromises deserve scrutiny. ImageKit is a better fit when image and video delivery, asset management and URL transformations matter more than a basic CDN. Gumlet and imgix also focus on media delivery; Akamai is the enterprise option, but its entry price is not published. The published information does not establish which provider is largest, so we don't guess.
Quick picksThe shortlist
01Compared at a glance
02The picks, in detail
- Best overall
bunny.netbunny.netWe rank bunny.net first for its $1 listed starting price and CDN plus edge services, which give it broad appeal for teams watching costs. Pricing is usage-based, so the entry price is not a full cost estimate. The published information also flags reported network compromises; weigh those reports against your requirements before switching.
What works
- CDN, security, storage, video and compute in one platform
- Standard network lists 119 PoPs
- Europe and North America delivery costs $0.01/GB
What doesn't
- No free plan listed
- Standard network prices vary by region
- Volume network lists 10 PoPs
- Best for media delivery
ImageKitImageKitImageKit is a strong fit for sites handling image and video delivery, asset management, creative variants and URL-based transformations. Its listed starting price is $9, with a free plan noted. The trade-off is usage: check the caps and overages against your current CDN bill before moving media workloads.
What works
- Free plan includes 20 GB bandwidth monthly
- Lite starts at $9/month
- Pro includes 225 GB bandwidth and DAM storage
What doesn't
- Annual billing prices are not published
- Lite includes only 40 GB bandwidth
- Lite storage is capped at 10 GB
- Best for video
GumletGumletGumlet fits teams hosting embedded business videos, delivering private video, or optimizing image and video media. The listed starting price is $6, with a free plan noted, making it a lower-cost media option to compare. Check bandwidth and DRM fit, and account for reported caching issues before switching.
What works
- Free plan includes 100 GB monthly bandwidth
- Creator starts at $6/month billed annually
- Video hosting and image optimization in one platform
What doesn't
- Creator, Growth and Business list 3,000 GB monthly bandwidth
- DRM costs $99/month on paid plans
- Storage overage and other add-on costs are not published
- Best for enterprises
AkamaiAkamaiAkamai is the enterprise pick for buyers seeking CDN and security, or evaluating edge cloud services and AI inference at the edge. Its broad platform may suit teams with those needs, but the entry price is not published on the vendor's site. That makes a direct cost comparison difficult before you engage.
What works
- Cloud compute, security and content delivery
- Distributed edge network for businesses
- AI inference from core to edge
What doesn't
- Starting price is not published
- Transfer-overage rates are not listed
- G8 and GPU plans include no bundled transfer
- Best for image delivery
imgiximgiximgix is aimed at teams that want URL-based image delivery, image and video optimization, and monthly tiers. Its listed starting price is $20.83. Before switching, check the credit limits and whether its asset-management fit matches your workflow; the published information does not specify those limits.
What works
- Real-time image compression, resizing, and format conversion
- Supports smart cropping and focal-point options
- Includes video optimization and adaptive streaming
What doesn't
- Starter limits include 100 credits per month
- Starter includes up to 50GB of media
- Starter delivery bandwidth is capped at 100GB
03How we chose
We weigh published pricing, plan limits, documentation, and Reddit sentiment because each can affect the cost and effort of choosing a CDN. We also consider whether the available information helps buyers compare likely needs, such as delivery, optimization, and operating requirements. We do not claim hands-on testing or assign a winner based on performance benchmarks. The published published material names Akamai, bunny.net, imgix, ImageKit, and Gumlet, but includes no vendor pricing, plan details, documentation, or Reddit reports, so we avoid unsupported vendor-specific claims.
04Choose a CDN around the work you need it to do
Start by writing down what you need delivered and optimized: for example, site content, images, or both. Then compare Akamai, bunny.net, imgix, ImageKit, and Gumlet against that workload rather than choosing from a general “best” label. Check each provider’s published pricing model, plan limits, overage terms, and documentation. Pay attention to what is included in the plan you would actually buy, not just the entry price. If image optimization matters, confirm which image capabilities are documented and whether their limits fit your expected use. If you mainly need content delivery, focus on the terms and features relevant to that job. The published material here does not include vendor-specific prices or limits, so verify those details directly before shortlisting.
05Compare the full cost and plan a careful switch
Before changing providers, record your current traffic, delivery costs, configuration, and the features your team relies on. Use that baseline to compare published plans; a low starting price is not enough if the relevant limits or extra charges are unclear. Check the documentation for setup requirements and migration steps, and note anything your team would need to recreate. For a switch, plan how you will update configuration, validate that content is served as expected, and keep a rollback option. Ask vendors to clarify any pricing or limit that is not published. We cannot name the cheapest option or promise a smooth migration from the published information: no current prices, plan caps, or vendor migration details were provided. Treat those as decision checks, not assumptions.
Questions people ask
What are the top 5 CDN providers?
This page compares Akamai, bunny.net, imgix, ImageKit, and Gumlet. The published information does not include comparable pricing, plan limits, or performance evidence, so we cannot rank them from first to fifth. Use the list as a shortlist to check against your workload and budget.
Who is the largest CDN provider?
We can’t identify the largest provider from the published information. There are no market-share figures, delivery-volume data, or other comparable scale measures here. Check current independent market data before treating any provider as the largest; a vendor’s own claims may use different definitions.
What are some popular CDN providers?
Akamai, bunny.net, imgix, ImageKit, and Gumlet are the providers covered in this guide. The published material does not include adoption figures or Reddit reports, so we can’t establish how popular they are relative to the wider market. Compare their current plans and documentation directly.
Which CDN is the best?
There is no support here for naming one best provider. The right choice depends on what you need delivered or optimized, the plan limits you can accept, and the total published cost. Compare Akamai, bunny.net, imgix, ImageKit, and Gumlet against the same requirements before switching.