8 of 52 providers reward us when you sign up through our links. It never changes a ranking. Which ones
Akamai Cloud (Linode) vs Cloudways
This is not a like-for-like contest.
Akamai Cloud (Linode)
$5/mo entry
Akamai Cloud (Linode) pricingTeams that value platform maturity and stability over the lowest possible invoice.
Cloudways
$14/mo entry
Cloudways pricingFreelancers and small agencies hosting several client sites on one managed server.
Akamai Cloud (Linode) sells raw compute and hands you the operating system; Cloudways sells a managed service and charges for the work you no longer do. Compare them only if you genuinely have not decided whether to run the server yourself.
Specification differences
Entry plans compared line by line. Rows marked with a dash are preferences rather than measurable wins, so we do not pick a side on them.
| Attribute | Akamai Cloud (Linode) | Cloudways | Better |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry plan price / month | $5 | $14 | Akamai Cloud (Linode) |
| Entry plan vCPU | 1 | 1 | |
| Entry plan RAM | 1 GB | 1 GB | |
| Entry plan storage | 25 GB | 25 GB | |
| Included transfer | 1 TB | 1 TB | |
| Listed regions | 20 | 25 | Cloudways |
| Management model | Unmanaged (you run the OS) | Managed | |
| Support | Ticket and phone support; paid premium tiers available. | 24/7 live chat and tickets; premium support tiers cost extra. | |
| Billing | Hourly metering, capped at the listed monthly price. | Hourly metering billed monthly, pay-as-you-go. | |
| Free tier | No free tier. Trial credit is offered to new accounts from time to time. | Free trial available for new accounts; no permanent free tier. |
Same size, side by side
The cheapest plan from each provider that meets each size, so the comparison is between equal servers rather than two entry plans. Prices include a separately-billed IPv4 address where the provider charges for one.
| Size | Akamai Cloud (Linode) | Cloudways | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 vCPU / 1 GB | $5Nanode 1GB · 1 vCPU · 1 GB · 25 GBEntry shared instance. | no plan this size | — |
| 2 vCPU / 4 GB | $24Linode 4GB · 2 vCPU · 4 GB · 80 GBMid-tier shared instance. | no plan this size | — |
| 4 vCPU / 8 GB | $48Linode 8GB · 4 vCPU · 8 GB · 160 GBFour cores with the largest included transfer in the shared range. | no plan this size | — |
| 8 vCPU / 16 GB | $192Linode 32GB · 8 vCPU · 32 GB · 640 GBEight shared cores and 32GB, with 16TB of transfer included. | no plan this size | — |
Every provider at these sizes, ranked: 1 GB RAM · 4 GB RAM · 8 GB RAM · 16 GB RAM
Where each one wins and loses
Akamai Cloud (Linode)
Linode predates most of the budget cloud market and was acquired by Akamai, which folded it into a much larger edge network. The instance shapes and flat pricing remain close to DigitalOcean, and the platform is mature and stable. It is the safe, unexciting choice in this list.
Strengths
- Mature platform with a long operational track record
- Flat pricing and instance shapes broadly comparable to DigitalOcean
- Backed by Akamai edge infrastructure
Weaknesses
- Unmanaged, same operational burden as its peers
- Product direction now set by a much larger parent company
- Smaller developer community than DigitalOcean
Support: Ticket and phone support; paid premium tiers available.
Billing: Hourly metering, capped at the listed monthly price.
Free tier: No free tier. Trial credit is offered to new accounts from time to time.
Cloudways
Cloudways does not own data centers. It provisions servers on underlying clouds such as DigitalOcean and Vultr and adds the managed layer on top: stack configuration, caching, staging, automated backups and one-click server maintenance. You pay a premium over the raw instance for not having to be a sysadmin, while keeping the ability to move up in size.
Strengths
- Managed stack, caching and staging without full agency pricing
- Choice of underlying cloud provider and region
- Unlimited sites per server within the resources you buy
- Vertical scaling without rebuilding the server
Weaknesses
- Clear markup over provisioning the same instance yourself
- You are dependent on two vendors rather than one
- Email hosting is a paid add-on, not included
Support: 24/7 live chat and tickets; premium support tiers cost extra.
Billing: Hourly metering billed monthly, pay-as-you-go.
Free tier: Free trial available for new accounts; no permanent free tier.
The full cost stack
What a server costs beyond its sticker price. Only figures read from each provider's own documentation appear; a gap says “not captured yet”.
| Item | Akamai Cloud (Linode) | Cloudways |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | n/a | n/a |
| Automatic backups | not captured yet | not captured yet |
| Outbound traffic beyond the allowance | not captured yet | not captured yet |
| Smallest managed load balancer | not captured yet | not captured yet |
Sources: none captured yet for this pair.
Price changes we have logged
No tracked price change for either provider yet.
Full record at the change log.
Every plan
The complete plan ladders, with the date and source of every price, are on each provider's page: Akamai Cloud (Linode) and Cloudways.
These are the providers' own list prices, shown in US dollars and last updated 23 Oct 2026. Where a provider bills a public IPv4 address on top, it is added to the monthly price, the ranking and every cost per vCPU or per GB, and the row shows the parts: the server, any disk priced apart, and the IPv4 charge. Each row says when we read its price, and whether it excludes VAT or needs a term. Check the provider's page before you buy.
Related comparisons
Akamai Cloud (Linode) vs Cloudways — frequently asked
Every answer is computed from this pair's own prices and costs.
- How many data center locations do Akamai Cloud (Linode) and Cloudways have?
- Akamai Cloud (Linode) lists 20 and Cloudways lists 25.