Linode (Akamai) Review: How Do They Compare Post-Acquisition?
Linode (Akamai) Review: How Do They Compare Post-Acquisition?
For years, Linode carved out a respected niche in the cloud computing world. It was the go-to provider for developers, startups, and small businesses who craved the power of the cloud without the bewildering complexity and unpredictable billing of giants like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure. With its straightforward pricing, stellar performance, and developer-first mentality, Linode built a fiercely loyal community. Then, in early 2022, a major shift occurred: Linode was acquired by Akamai Technologies, a global titan in content delivery networks (CDN) and cybersecurity. This move prompted a crucial question among its user base and the wider tech community: Would Linode retain its soul, or would it be absorbed and fundamentally changed by its new corporate parent? This review dives into the current state of Linode, now operating under the Akamai Connected Cloud banner, to see how it stacks up post-acquisition.
A Quick Look Back: The Pre-Acquisition Linode
To understand the present, we must remember the past. The original Linode proposition was built on three core pillars: simplicity, performance, and predictability. Unlike the hyperscalers, which present a labyrinth of services and acronyms, Linode offered a clean, focused set of products: virtual machines (the "Linodes"), block storage, object storage, managed Kubernetes, and databases. The user interface was clean and intuitive, allowing developers to deploy a server in under a minute. Performance was consistently excellent, often out-benchmarking competitors at similar price points thanks to high-quality hardware like AMD EPYC CPUs and NVMe SSDs. Perhaps most importantly, its pricing was transparent and predictable. You paid a flat monthly fee for a bundle of resources, with a generous bandwidth allowance included, effectively eliminating the dreaded "surprise bill" that plagues many AWS users.
The Akamai Acquisition: A Strategic Fusion
Akamai's acquisition of Linode for approximately $900 million was a strategic play to create what they call "the world's most distributed compute platform." Akamai already had an immense, globally distributed edge network with thousands of points of presence (PoPs). Linode provided the core cloud computing infrastructure. The vision was to merge these two, allowing developers to build, run, and secure applications from the core to the edge seamlessly. For the Linode community, however, the news was met with a mix of excitement and apprehension. Would this corporate acquisition lead to price hikes? Would the beloved customer support become a bureaucratic nightmare? Would the simple, developer-focused culture be lost? These were the key concerns we set out to investigate.
Performance and Reliability: Enhanced by a Global Network
One of the most significant areas of potential change was performance, and the news here is overwhelmingly positive. Linode's core compute performance remains top-tier. They continue to use powerful AMD EPYC processors and fast NVMe storage across their fleet, ensuring that raw processing power and I/O speeds are as good as ever. Where the Akamai integration truly begins to shine is in networking. By leveraging Akamai's vast global backbone, Akamai Connected Cloud offers enhanced connectivity and potentially lower latency for global applications. DDoS protection, which was a paid add-on, is now a standard, free feature for all customers, inheriting Akamai's world-class mitigation capabilities. This is a massive value-add. The platform's reliability, already strong, is now backed by Akamai's robust infrastructure, giving users greater peace of mind.
Pricing and Plans: Still the King of Predictability?
A major fear following the acquisition was that Linode's simple, affordable pricing would be replaced by a more complex, enterprise-style model. Thankfully, this fear has not materialized. The pricing structure remains one of Linode's greatest strengths. Plans are still bundled with predictable monthly costs that include CPU, RAM, storage, and a very generous amount of network transfer. For example, a basic shared CPU plan includes 1 TB of outbound traffic, a figure that would incur significant extra charges on other platforms. This predictability remains a core differentiator. Linode, now as Akamai, has not implemented any major price increases on its core compute plans since the acquisition, keeping it highly competitive with rivals like DigitalOcean and Vultr. It continues to be an exceptionally cost-effective solution for applications with moderate to high bandwidth needs.
Features and Ecosystem: The Akamai Effect
While the core Linode experience remains intact, the "Akamai effect" is slowly but surely enhancing the platform's capabilities. The classic Linode features—Managed Kubernetes (LKE), Managed Databases, and S3-compatible Object Storage—are all still present and continue to be improved. The Cloud Manager dashboard has retained its clean, user-friendly design, albeit with new Akamai branding. The most significant evolution is the integration with Akamai's edge services. The vision of a unified core-to-edge platform is taking shape. This means developers can now build on Linode's core compute infrastructure and easily extend their applications to Akamai's edge network for superior global performance and security. The company has also been aggressively expanding its global footprint, launching new core compute data centers in regions like Paris, Stockholm, and Jakarta, leveraging Akamai's existing presence.
Customer Support: The Human Touch Remains
Linode was legendary for its customer support. You could reach a knowledgeable human 24/7/365 via phone or ticket, and they would provide genuinely helpful assistance. This is often the first thing to suffer in a corporate acquisition. We are happy to report that the high standard of support has been maintained. The support teams are still responsive, technically proficient, and accessible without navigating endless automated menus. The extensive library of documentation and active community forums, which were always a treasure trove of information, also remain valuable resources for all users.
The Verdict: Is Linode (Akamai) Still a Top Choice?
After a thorough review of its current state, the answer is a resounding yes. The acquisition by Akamai has not diluted what made Linode great; it has amplified it. The core strengths of simplicity, excellent performance-per-dollar, and predictable pricing are all firmly in place. What has been added is the power of a world-class global network, free enterprise-grade DDoS protection, and a clear roadmap toward a more integrated cloud-to-edge platform. Linode has successfully transitioned from a beloved niche player to a more formidable and feature-rich cloud provider without sacrificing its developer-centric soul. For developers, startups, and businesses looking for a powerful, affordable, and straightforward alternative to the hyperscalers, Akamai Connected Cloud (Linode) is not just a viable option—it's a better one than ever before.