Akamai vs Fastly:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Akamai had more branded searches than Fastly among content delivery networks worldwide. Akamai had about 135,000 branded searches, while Fastly had 59,500. Akamai made up 3% of all content delivery network searches we track, and Fastly accounted for 1.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about content delivery networks, both Akamai and Fastly appeared in all five answers. Fastly was mentioned before Akamai in three out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Akamai, about 2 searches for every 1 for Fastly
Who does AI mention more?
Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.
Who does AI recommend more?
Fastly, named ahead of Akamai in 3 of 5 answers
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Top content delivery networks in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Akamai and Fastly showed up in all five answers. Fastly was listed before Akamai in three of them.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Cloudflare1st
Amazon CloudFront2nd- Akamai3rd
- Fastly4th
Bunny.net5th
CDN77–
KeyCDN–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Cloudflare5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Akamai5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Fastly5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Amazon CloudFront5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Bunny.net4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- CDN770 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- KeyCDN0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about content delivery networks
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which content delivery network should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best content delivery networks?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best content delivery network for faster website delivery?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“content delivery network”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cdn provider”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.
Is Akamai or Fastly more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Akamai and Fastly by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven content delivery networks we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Akamai, Fastly. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Cloudflare | Akamai | Fastly | Bunny.net | Amazon CloudFront | CDN77 | KeyCDN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 88.5% | 5.3% | 2.9% | 1% | 1.9% | 0.22% | 0.17% |
| Nov 2025 | 97% | 1.4% | 0.78% | 0.3% | 0.35% | 0.06% | 0.05% |
| Dec 2025 | 94.6% | 2.5% | 1.4% | 0.6% | 0.62% | 0.1% | 0.08% |
| Jan 2026 | 91.7% | 3.7% | 2.5% | 0.93% | 0.9% | 0.18% | 0.12% |
| Feb 2026 | 91.4% | 3.6% | 2.9% | 0.92% | 0.9% | 0.15% | 0.1% |
| Mar 2026 | 92.8% | 3% | 2.1% | 0.94% | 0.91% | 0.12% | 0.08% |
| Apr 2026 | 92.2% | 3.7% | 2.1% | 0.98% | 0.9% | 0.12% | 0.08% |
| May 2026 | 92.5% | 3.7% | 2.1% | 1% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.07% |
| Jun 2026 | 93.6% | 3% | 1.8% | 0.82% | 0.61% | 0.1% | 0.05% |
| Jul 2026 | 94.3% | 2.5% | 1.7% | 0.73% | 0.61% | 0.1% | 0.05% |
| Aug 2026 | 95.1% | 2.1% | 1.5% | 0.65% | 0.51% | 0.08% | 0.04% |
| Sep 2026 | 94.4% | 3% | 1.3% | 0.63% | 0.49% | 0.12% | 0.05% |
How has the Akamai and Fastly comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Akamai was ahead of Fastly in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Akamai’s share of searches among content delivery networks worldwide moved from 5.3% to 3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 135K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Fastly’s share of searches among content delivery networks worldwide moved from 2.9% to 1.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 73.3K to 59.5K.
How did search popularity change for content delivery networks worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Akamai gained share of searches among content delivery networks worldwide, from 2.1% to 3%.
Fastly’s share of searches among content delivery networks worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 1.8% to 1.3% in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
5 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Akamai’s and Fastly’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Other head-to-heads among content delivery networks
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