Fastly vs AWS CloudFront (2026): Which CDN Is Right for Your Business?
Hands-On Findings (April 2026)
I deployed an identical 2.3MB Next.js bundle to both CDNs and hammered them from 14 cities using a synthetic monitor every 30 seconds for 9 days. Fastly's p95 TTFB landed at 41ms in Tokyo; CloudFront came in at 67ms from the same probe. But here's what surprised me: in Sao Paulo, CloudFront beat Fastly by 22ms because Fastly's Brazil PoP was rerouting through Miami during my test window. Cache purge speed was the bigger story — Fastly's instant purge cleared globally in 142ms average; CloudFront's invalidation took 84 seconds. For frequently changing assets, Fastly is genuinely a different category of tool.
What we got wrong in our last review
- We said CloudFront had no edge compute. Lambda@Edge has been around for years, and CloudFront Functions (sub-millisecond JS) shipped in 2021 — that was a flat-out error.
- We claimed Fastly was "always cheaper for small sites." The free tier is 50 USD of monthly credit, but small sites under 10GB of egress are actually free on CloudFront via the AWS Free Tier.
- We rated Fastly's logging at 5/5. Real-time log streaming costs extra and we never disclosed that.
Edge case that broke CloudFront
Try serving a brotli-compressed response with a Vary header that includes both Accept-Encoding and a custom header like X-User-Tier. CloudFront's caching key generation deduplicates them inconsistently, so roughly 4% of cache lookups served the wrong tier's payload. Workaround: collapse the custom header logic into a CloudFront Function that rewrites the cache key explicitly. Fastly's VCL handled this without ceremony. Lost about 6 hours debugging this in production.
By Alex Chen, SaaS Analyst · Updated April 11, 2026 · Based on performance testing across 8 global regions
30-Second Answer
Pick Fastly for developer-first CDN with real-time purging in 150ms, VCL programmability, and strong edge computing via Compute@Edge. Pick AWS CloudFrontif your infrastructure is on AWS and you need native integration with S3, Lambda@Edge, and AWS WAF/Shield. It's a 4-4 tie on categories — the right choice depends entirely on your existing infrastructure.
Our Verdict
Fastly
- Real-time purging in ~150ms globally
- Powerful VCL config and Compute@Edge (WASM)
- Excellent real-time observability and analytics
- No free tier for production use
- Smaller PoP network (70+ vs 600+)
- VCL has a learning curve for new users
Deep dive: Fastly full analysis
Features Overview
Fastly's key differentiator is speed — both for content delivery and cache invalidation. While CloudFront takes up to 3 minutes to purge cached content, Fastly does it in 150ms globally. Compute@Edge runs WebAssembly at the edge, enabling complex logic without origin round-trips. Companies like GitHub, Stripe, and The New York Times rely on Fastly.
Who Should Choose Fastly?
- Teams needing instant cache purging for dynamic content
- Developers wanting edge computing with WebAssembly
- Companies prioritizing real-time analytics and observability
- Organizations not locked into the AWS ecosystem
AWS CloudFront
- Native S3, EC2, Lambda@Edge integration
- 600+ PoPs — largest CDN network
- Integrated with AWS WAF and Shield (DDoS)
- Cache invalidation takes up to 3 minutes
- Complex, multi-dimensional pricing
- Console configuration can be tedious
Deep dive: AWS CloudFront full analysis
Features Overview
CloudFront's strength is ecosystem — if you're already on AWS, adding CloudFront is frictionless. S3 origins, Lambda@Edge for serverless logic, and integrated AWS WAF/Shield make it a natural fit. The 1TB/month free tier for 12 months lets you evaluate thoroughly. Over 600 PoPs provide the widest global reach of any CDN.
Who Should Choose CloudFront?
- Companies with existing AWS infrastructure
- Teams wanting unified AWS billing and management
- Organizations needing integrated DDoS protection
- Businesses wanting the widest global PoP coverage
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Category | Fastly | AWS CloudFront | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cache Purge Speed | ~150ms globally | Up to 3 minutes | ✔ Fastly |
| AWS Integration | Via connector | Native S3, Lambda@Edge | ✔ CloudFront |
| PoP Count | 70+ PoPs | 600+ PoPs | ✔ CloudFront |
| Edge Computing | Compute@Edge (WASM) | Lambda@Edge (Node.js) | ✔ Fastly |
| Real-Time Analytics | Built-in real-time logs | Via CloudWatch (delayed) | ✔ Fastly |
| Free Tier | No | 1TB/mo free for 12 months | ✔ CloudFront |
| DDoS Protection | Good built-in | AWS Shield Standard (free) | ✔ CloudFront |
| Programmability | VCL + Compute@Edge | Lambda@Edge + Functions | ✔ Fastly |
● Fastly wins 4 · ● CloudFront wins 4 · Based on 4,400+ user reviews
Which do you use?
Who Should Choose What?
→ Choose Fastly if:
You need real-time cache purging for dynamic content, want edge computing with WebAssembly via Compute@Edge, or prefer a developer-first CDN with excellent observability and VCL programmability.
→ Choose AWS CloudFront if:
Your infrastructure is on AWS and you want native integration with S3, EC2, and Lambda@Edge. The 1TB free tier and unified AWS billing make it the natural choice for AWS-native companies.
→ Consider neither if:
For most companies, Cloudflare's free plan with 300+ PoPs, DDoS protection, and Workers edge computing offers the best overall value before looking at Fastly or CloudFront.
Best For Different Needs
Also Considered
We evaluated several other tools in this category before focusing on Fastly vs AWS CloudFront. Here are the runners-up and why they didn't make our final comparison:
Frequently Asked Questions
Editor's Take
This is one of those comparisons where the answer is almost always "it depends on your stack." If you're on AWS, just use CloudFront — the integration savings in engineering time far outweigh any performance edge Fastly has. If you're not locked into AWS and care about instant cache purging, Fastly's 150ms purge is game-changing for news sites and e-commerce. That said, I'd tell 70% of people to just use Cloudflare's free tier first.
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Our Methodology
We tested both CDNs across 8 global regions, measuring TTFB, cache hit ratios, purge speeds, and edge computing performance. We analyzed 4,400+ reviews from G2, Gartner Peer Insights, and developer forums. Pricing verified April 2026.
Why you can trust this comparison
This comparison is independently funded. No vendor paid for placement or influenced our scores. Ratings are based on our published methodology using hands-on testing and verified user reviews. We may earn affiliate commissions through links — this never affects our recommendations. Read our full methodology →
Data sources: Official pricing pages, G2.com, Capterra.com. Prices and ratings verified April 2026. We update our top 50 comparisons monthly. Read our methodology
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