Linode Review (2026): Akamai Cloud Plans, Pricing and Who It Suits

Linode at a Glance: The Short Verdict

Linode is now sold as Akamai Cloud. Linode's pricing address redirects to Akamai's cloud pricing page, the product is marketed as Akamai Cloud, and the plans still carry Linode names, from the Nanode 1 GB at $5 a month to the Linode 2 GB, 4 GB and larger. Akamai describes the platform as "a globally distributed public cloud platform built into Akamai's intelligent edge network."

The short version: Akamai Cloud offers clear, flat pricing on shared and dedicated CPU instances, generous transfer allowances and a low egress overage rate. Like other infrastructure clouds, it gives you servers to run yourself. If you want that infrastructure without the server work, a managed platform that runs on Linode is the simpler route.

What Is Linode (Akamai Cloud)?

Linode is a developer-focused cloud that now operates under the Akamai Cloud name. You still manage instances in Cloud Manager, and the login addresses use the Linode domain. Akamai's cloud page lists these products:

• Compute: shared CPU, dedicated CPU and high-memory instances, plus GPU and accelerated compute.
• Storage: block storage, object storage and backups.
• Containers and data: LKE (managed Kubernetes) and managed databases for MySQL and PostgreSQL.
• Networking: Cloud Firewall, NodeBalancers, private networking and DNS Manager.
• Newer services: App Platform, Akamai Functions and Akamai Inference.

Who it is for, in brief: developers and technical teams who want straightforward virtual machines with predictable pricing, and who are happy to run the operating system and software stack themselves.

Akamai Cloud (Linode) Pricing

Shared CPU Plans

As listed on Akamai's cloud CPU pricing page, October 2026. The Nanode is listed at $0.0075 an hour, and inbound network speed is listed at 40 Gbps.

Dedicated CPU and High Memory

As listed on Akamai's cloud CPU pricing page, October 2026. Newer G8 dedicated plans are listed with hourly prices from $0.07 an hour.

How Billing Works

Akamai charges the hourly rate for each service, rounded up to the nearest hour, and invoices on the first day of the following month. A powered-off instance is still billed, so remove instances you no longer need. Transfer allowances are pooled across your instances, and egress beyond the pool costs $0.005 per GB. New customers are offered US$100 in credits, subject to Akamai's promotion rules. Backups are priced per VM.

Key Features

Generous Transfer and Low Egress

Every plan includes a transfer allowance, from 1 TB on the Nanode up to 8 TB on the 16 GB shared plan, pooled across your account.

Shared or Dedicated CPU

Shared CPU plans suit websites and light apps. Dedicated CPU plans reserve cores for sustained workloads, at about 1.5 times the shared price for the same RAM in the G6 range.

Managed Kubernetes and Databases

LKE and managed MySQL and PostgreSQL take two of the harder pieces of infrastructure off your hands, even if your web servers remain self-managed.

Akamai's Edge Network

Akamai says its cloud is built into its intelligent edge network. The pages checked do not list a count of compute regions.

Support, Backups and Security

Support: Akamai's cloud pricing pages do not state support hours, channels or an uptime SLA, so check these before hosting a business-critical site.

Backups: Automated backups are an add-on priced per VM.

Security: Cloud Firewall and private networking are available. Patching and hardening the server itself are your responsibility.

Linode Pros and Cons

Who Should Use Linode?

Akamai Cloud suits developers who want predictable infrastructure pricing, generous transfer and a single console for compute, storage and Kubernetes. It is a less natural fit for site owners who want a host to manage WordPress, security and backups. For them, a managed platform or managed VPS is the better match.

Better Options to Consider

If you want Linode-class infrastructure without managing the server, these partners may fit better. Each pick is tied to a specific reason.

Linode vs Our Top Picks

As listed by each provider in October 2026. Cloudways prices are shown by default on its pricing page and vary by provider and server type.

Kinsta: No Servers at All for WordPress

For WordPress, Kinsta runs each site in an isolated container on Google Cloud with a Cloudflare-powered CDN, daily backups, free malware removal and 24/7 support from WordPress engineers, from $35 a month or $30 billed annually. See the Kinsta review.

Our #1 Hosting Pick

ScalaHosting and AccuWebHosting: Managed VPS and Cloud

ScalaHosting's managed cloud VPS Build #1 is $29.95 a month intro, renewing at $54.95, with 2 CPU cores, 4 GB RAM, 50 GB NVMe, free SPanel, SShield security and daily offsite backups. AccuWeb.Cloud is fully managed cloud with hourly or monthly billing, dedicated vCPU and RAM, 40+ one-click apps and a 14-day free trial. See the ScalaHosting review and AccuWebHosting review.

View Scala Cloud VPS

Cloudways: A Managed Server on Linode

Linode is one of the clouds you can choose on Cloudways, alongside DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS and Google Cloud. Cloudways installs and runs the stack, with its NGINX and PHP-FPM Lightning Stack, free Redis, an Imunify360 firewall, automated backups, free staging, monitoring and 24/7/365 support, and migrates your first site free. Flexible plans start from $14 a month as shown by default on Cloudways' pricing page; prices vary by provider and server type. Read the Cloudways review.

Try Cloudways Free

Related Reviews and Guides

Compare Linode with DigitalOcean and Vultr, or see Cloudways vs DigitalOcean for what a managed layer adds. For more options, read our best cloud hosting and best VPS hosting guides. Browse every host we cover in the hosting directory or on the reviews hub.

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