Fastly vs StackPath
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
Fastly is a programmable edge cloud platform designed to help developers build, secure, and deliver digital experiences closer to users. By leveraging a modern, Varnish-powered content delivery network (CDN), it accelerates dynamic content delivery, API routing, and image optimization while reducing origin server load. The platform integrates advanced security services, including enterprise-grade Web Application Firewall (WAF), DDoS mitigation, and bot management, all managed at the edge. With real-time observability and instant cache purging, engineering teams gain unprecedented control and visibility over their web traffic and application performance.
StackPath was a prominent edge computing and cloud services provider that offered content delivery network (CDN), edge compute, and web application firewall solutions. Its platform enabled developers to run workloads closer to end users to reduce latency and improve application responsiveness. Although StackPath wound down its primary edge and CDN services, it remains recognized for its developer-centric approach to distributed infrastructure and serverless edge scripting. The service empowered businesses to manage security, routing, and computing from a centralized control plane across global points of presence.
- Extremely fast global cache purging speeds
- Robust edge computing capabilities with Compute@Edge
- Highly customizable VCL configuration for advanced routing
- Comprehensive real-time observability and logging
- Low latency edge computing architecture
- Robust built-in security and WAF capabilities
- Developer-friendly API control plane
- Comprehensive real-time analytics
- Steeper learning curve for advanced configurations compared to traditional CDNs
- Pricing can become expensive for high-volume enterprise workloads
- Documentation can be technical and complex for beginners
- Service availability and business pivots changed over time
- Steeper learning curve for edge logic deployment
- Pricing could be high for lower-traffic applications
The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataFastly is the safer default for high-traffic web apps, but may be pricey. The main trade-off is between Fastly's advanced features and StackPath's simpler pricing.
Key differences
- •Edge computing capabilities
- •Cache purging speeds
- •DDoS mitigation features
Pricing & scaling model
StackPath has paid subscription, Fastly's pricing unknown
Uptime & reliability
Fastly has 99.99% uptime SLA, StackPath has 99.9%
Performance
Fastly has ultra-low latency execution with Compute@Edge
Developer experience
StackPath has developer-friendly APIs and infrastructure-as-code integration
Regions & compliance
Fastly has global datacenter regions, StackPath has North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific
Support
Not specified for either product
Lock-in
Not specified for either product
Choose Fastly if…
High-traffic web apps needing advanced edge computing
Choose StackPath if…
Developers needing low-latency edge computing with simpler pricing
Common questions
What is the pricing model for Fastly?
Not specified
Does StackPath have a free tier?
No
How do the uptime SLAs compare between Fastly and StackPath?
Fastly has 99.99%, StackPath has 99.9%