Gcore vs Fastly
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
Gcore provides a worldwide content delivery network with over 210 points of presence and a 200+ Tbps backbone, ensuring rapid content delivery and low latency for users across the globe. The platform offers easy integration, real‑time analytics, and a free starter tier for developers and small sites. Beyond static assets, Gcore supports video streaming, edge computing, and DDoS protection, making it suitable for media companies, SaaS providers, and enterprises that need reliable, high‑performance edge services.
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.
- Extensive global PoP network
- Low average latency
- Integrated DDoS protection
- Generous free tier for testing
- 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
- Advanced edge compute requires additional configuration
- Pricing for high traffic can become complex
- Support response times may vary on the free tier
- 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
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The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataFastly offers powerful edge compute and instant cache invalidation for high‑traffic, enterprise apps, but at unknown and potentially higher cost; Gcore provides a generous free tier, broader regional coverage and low latency, making it a safer default for most developers.
Key differences
- •Pricing model: Fastly has unknown pricing and can be expensive; Gcore offers a freemium tier.
- •Edge compute: Fastly’s Compute@Edge runs WebAssembly/JS with deep VCL customization; Gcore’s edge functions need extra configuration.
- •Global footprint: Fastly covers major continents but lacks Middle East/Africa; Gcore includes those regions.
- •Cache purge speed: Fastly can invalidate globally in milliseconds; Gcore’s purge speed not specified.
- •Free tier limits: Fastly has none; Gcore provides 10 GB bandwidth and 5 TB transfer monthly.
Pricing & value
Gcore offers a freemium tier (10 GB bandwidth, 5 TB transfer); Fastly pricing unknown and may be costly for high volume.
Uptime & reliability
Both guarantee 99.99% SLA.
Performance
Gcore reports average 30 ms latency; Fastly’s latency not disclosed, though it has fast purge.
Developer experience
Fastly provides Compute@Edge with WebAssembly/JS and advanced VCL; Gcore’s edge compute needs extra setup.
Regions & compliance
Gcore covers North America, Europe, Asia, South America, Middle East, Africa; Fastly lacks Middle East/Africa.
Support
No specific support details provided for either product.
Lock‑in risk
No information on proprietary APIs or migration costs for either.
Choose Gcore if…
Developers or media platforms seeking low latency, broad regional reach, and a free testing tier.
Choose Fastly if…
Enterprises needing advanced edge compute, instant global cache purge, and deep routing control.
Common questions
Which service is cheaper for a small‑to‑medium site?
Gcore provides a free tier (10 GB bandwidth, 5 TB transfer); Fastly has no free tier and pricing is unspecified.
Do both platforms support modern protocols like HTTP/2 and HTTP/3?
Gcore explicitly supports HTTP/2, HTTP/3, and Brotli; Fastly’s support is not mentioned in the provided facts.
Can I run custom code at the edge with both services?
Yes. Fastly offers Compute@Edge with WebAssembly/JS; Gcore also offers edge compute functions, though it requires additional configuration.