Fastly vs Cloudinary Pricing (2026)

Price is one row. To weigh the features too, use our feature comparison template →

Which one is cheaper?

One or both use custom pricing, so it depends on your specific needs.

Can I use either one for free?

Both offer free plans, so you can try each without paying. Start with whichever fits your workflow better and upgrade when you hit the limits.

How do they charge?

Different approach here. Fastly uses usage-based pricing, while Cloudinary goes with hybrid. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.

Which one is a better deal?

Depends on what you need. Fastly: Fastly skips the cheap-and-cheerful positioning entirely and goes straight for performance-conscious engineering teams who care more about edge speed and reliability than shaving pennies off a bill. They're not competing on sticker price against bargain CDNs — they're betting that usage-based transparency plus built-in volume discounts wins over teams tired of opaque enterprise CDN contracts. Cloudinary: Sitting mid-to-premium in the media management space, Cloudinary isn't chasing bargain-hunters — the jump from free straight to $99/mo (with no trial) signals they want committed customers, not tire-kickers. They're competing for teams serious enough about media infrastructure to skip the negotiation and self-serve at a real price point.

Still deciding? See the best Fastly alternatives or the best Cloudinary alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.