Alibaba Cloud vs Linode (Akamai): Complete 2026 Comparison
In-depth comparison of these two hosting providers across pricing, performance, features, and support.
Overall Winner
Linode (Akamai)
- Wins in 2 of 7 categories
- Top in: Best Performance, Best for Beginners
- 4.0/5 overall rating
Category Winners
Best Price
Alibaba Cloud
$4.46/mo vs $5.00/mo
Best Value
Tie
Similar renewal pricing
Best Performance
Linode (Akamai)
99.99% uptime, 4.0/5 rating
Best Support
Tie
Similar support options
Best for WordPress
Tie
Similar WordPress features
Best for Developers
Tie
Similar developer features
Best for Beginners
Linode (Akamai)
Higher ease of use score (6.0/10)
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Essential Info | ||
| Hosting Type | Cloud Infrastructure | Cloud Infrastructure |
| Monthly Price | $4.46/mo | $5.00/mo |
| Renewal Price | $4.46 | $5.00 |
| Renewal Markup | 0% | 0% |
| Overall Rating | 3.5/5 | 4.0/5 |
| Uptime Guarantee | 99.99% | 99.99% |
| Trustpilot Rating | 2.0/5 | 2.0/5 |
| Trustpilot Reviews | 81 | 202 |
| Free SSL | ||
| Free Domain | ||
| Free Migration | ||
| Pricing Details | ||
| First Year Cost | $53.52 | $60.00 |
| Second Year Cost | $53.52 | $60.00 |
| Money Back Guarantee | — | 7 days |
| Setup Fee | Free | Free |
| Monthly Billing | ||
| Minimum Contract | 0 months | 0 months |
| Technical Specs | ||
| Storage | — | 25 GB |
| Storage Type | SSD/ESSD/ULTRA DISK | SSD/NVME |
| Bandwidth | — | 1000 GB |
| Max Websites | — | — |
| Max Databases | — | — |
| PHP Versions | — | — |
| SSH Access | ||
| Git Deployment | ||
| Staging Environment | — | — |
| Cron Jobs | ||
| Redis Available | ||
| Programming Languages | ||
| Node.js Support | ||
| Python Support | ||
| Ruby Support | ||
| WordPress Features | ||
| WordPress Optimized | ||
| WordPress Auto-Install | ||
| WordPress Auto-Updates | ||
| WordPress Staging | ||
| WooCommerce Optimized | ||
| LiteSpeed Cache | ||
| Object Caching | ||
| WP Multisite | ||
| WP-CLI Access | ||
| Security | ||
| DDoS Protection | ||
| DDoS Protection Level | Anti-DDoS Basic (free); Anti-DDoS Pro from $85/mo | Akamai-powered DDoS protection included on all plans |
| Malware Scanning | ||
| Malware Removal | ||
| Firewall Included | ||
| Backup Frequency | Manual/Snapshot-based | Daily automatic (paid add-on) |
| Backup Retention | — | 7 days |
| Backup Restore Fee | Free | Free |
| On-Demand Backup | ||
| Two-Factor Auth | ||
| Wildcard SSL | ||
| Dedicated IP | ||
| Support | ||
| Support Channels | Ticket, Phone, Chat, Knowledge Base | Phone, Ticket, Live Chat, Email, Knowledge Base, Community Forum, IRC |
| Live Chat | ||
| Live Chat Hours | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| Phone Support | ||
| Phone Support Hours | 24/7 with paid support | 24/7 (US: 855-454-6633, Global: +1-609-380-7100) |
| Ticket Support | ||
| Priority Support | ||
| Support Languages | English, Chinese, Japanese | English |
| Knowledge Base Quality | 3.0/10 | 5.0/10 |
| Avg Support Wait | — | — |
| Email Accounts | ||
| Email Account Limit | 0 | 0 |
| Mailbox Size | — | — |
| Webmail Access | ||
| Spam Filter | ||
| Email Forwarding | ||
| Performance | ||
| CDN Included | ||
| CDN Provider | Alibaba Cloud CDN (additional cost) | Akamai CDN (integration available, paid) |
| Server Locations | Hangzhou (China), Shanghai (China), Beijing (China), Shenzhen (China), Zhangjiakou (China), Hohhot (China), Ulanqab (China), Chengdu (China), Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney (Australia), Melbourne (Australia), Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (South Korea), Mumbai (India), Jakarta (Indonesia), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Manila (Philippines), Bangkok (Thailand), Dubai (UAE), Frankfurt (Germany), London (UK), Virginia (US), Silicon Valley (US), São Paulo (Brazil) | Newark (US), Atlanta (US), Dallas (US), Fremont (US), Los Angeles (US), Chicago (US), Seattle (US), Miami (US), Washington DC (US), Toronto (Canada), Sao Paulo (Brazil), London (UK), Frankfurt (Germany), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Paris (France), Milan (Italy), Stockholm (Sweden), Tokyo (Japan), Osaka (Japan), Singapore, Mumbai (India), Chennai (India), Sydney (Australia), Jakarta (Indonesia) |
| Server Location Count | 29 | 25 |
| Choose Server Location | ||
| HTTP/2 Support | ||
| Brotli Compression | — | |
| Uptime SLA Credit | ||
| Platform Support | ||
| Drupal Support | ||
| Joomla Support | ||
| Magento Support | ||
| Laravel Support | ||
| Django Support | ||
| Next.js Support | ||
| Rails Support | ||
| Static Site Support | ||
| Control Panel | ||
| cPanel Included | ||
| Control Panel | Alibaba Cloud Console | Linode Cloud Manager |
| Softaculous | ||
| Website Builder | ||
| Builder Name | — | — |
| Migration | ||
| Migration Websites Limit | 0 | 0 |
| Migration Turnaround | — | — |
| Paid Migration Cost | — | — |
| Migration Quality | — | — |
| Compliance | ||
| GDPR Compliant | ||
| PCI Compliant | ||
| HIPAA Compliant | ||
| Data Center Certs | SOC 1, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, PCI DSS, CSA STAR, GxP, TISAX | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS |
| Ratings | ||
| Value for Money | 4.0/10 | 3.5/10 |
| Performance Rating | 4.0/10 | 4.5/10 |
| Support Quality | 2.5/10 | 3.5/10 |
| Security Rating | 3.5/10 | 4.5/10 |
| Features Rating | 4.5/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Ease of Use | 3.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Transparency Rating | 2.5/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Suitability Scores | ||
| For Bloggers | 2.0/10 | 2.0/10 |
| For E-commerce | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| For Agencies | 3.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| For Developers | 4.0/10 | 5.0/10 |
| For Beginners | 1.0/10 | 2.0/10 |
| For Enterprise | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Policies | ||
| Bandwidth Overage | Pay per GB; rates vary by region | Transfer pooled across all Linodes (1TB-20TB depending on plan); $0.005/GB additional egress |
| Storage Overage | Pay for storage used | Pay for additional Block Storage volumes |
| Adult Content Allowed | ||
| Gambling Sites Allowed | ||
| Crypto Sites Allowed | ||
| Reseller Hosting | ||
| White Label | ||
| API Access | ||
| Company Info | ||
| Year Founded | 2009 | 2003 |
| Headquarters | China | United States |
| Parent Company | Alibaba Group | Akamai Technologies (acquired for $900M in March 2022; Akamai trades as NASDAQ: AKAM) |
| Green Hosting | — | |
| Instant Activation | ||
| Managed WordPress | ||
| Managed WP Available | ||
| Pricing Model | — | — |
| Monthly Visit Limit | — | — |
| Visit Overage Cost | — | — |
| PHP Workers | — | — |
| Plugin Restrictions | — | — |
| Dev Environment | — | — |
| Dev Env Name | — | — |
| Regional Info | ||
| Best Countries | China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India | United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, India, Australia, Brazil |
| Local Currencies | USD, CNY, SGD, JPY, AUD | USD |
| Support Languages | English, Chinese, Japanese | English |
| Data Sovereignty | GDPR, PCI-DSS, ISO 27001, CSA STAR | GDPR, SOC 2, PCI-DSS |
| External Ratings | ||
| G2 Rating | 4.0/5 | 4.6/5 |
| BBB Rating | NR | NR (Not Rated) |
| Advanced Technical | ||
| Inode Limit | — | — |
| Max DB Size | — | — |
| Max Upload Size | — | — |
| Database Type | ApsaraDB (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, Redis) | MySQL/PostgreSQL (managed available) |
| Elasticsearch | ||
| Image Optimization | — | — |
| PHP Switching | — | — |
| Subdomains | — | — |
| FTP Accounts | — | — |
| Additional Pricing | ||
| Free Domain Duration | — | — |
| Money Back Exclusions | Pay-as-you-go; Free trial credits available | 7-day unconditional refund guarantee for compute services; Hourly billing allows pay-as-you-go; Can cancel anytime |
| Payment Methods | Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, Wire Transfer | Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, Google Pay |
| Auto Renewal Default | ||
| Domain Privacy Included | — | — |
| Domain Privacy Cost | — | — |
| SSL Provider | Alibaba Cloud SSL Certificates | Self-managed (Let's Encrypt recommended) or NodeBalancer SSL termination |
| Dedicated IP Cost | — | — |
| Additional Support | ||
| Phone Support Countries | Global | United States |
| Priority Support Cost | — | — |
| Community Forum | ||
| Support Outsourced | ||
| Object Cache Type | — | — |
| Business & Affiliate | ||
| Affiliate Program | ||
| Commission Type | Per sale | Fixed per acquisition |
| Commission Amount | Varies by product | $100 per new customer who stays active 90+ days; 90-day cookie; Referral program: $25 credit when referee spends $25 |
| Additional Policies | ||
| File Hosting Allowed | ||
| Proxy/VPN Allowed | ||
| Bandwidth Overage Cost | — | $0.01 |
| Account Suspension Policy | Violation of ToS; non-payment; abuse | Violation of ToS; fraud detection; non-payment; abuse reports |
| Malware Removal Cost | — | — |
| Downloadable Backups | ||
| Additional Platforms | ||
| PrestaShop | ||
| Ghost | ||
| Shopify Migration | ||
| Wix Migration | ||
| Squarespace Migration | ||
| Webflow Export | ||
| Editorial Info | ||
| Best For | Businesses targeting Asia-Pacific market; E-commerce in China; Organizations already in Alibaba ecosystem; Cost-effective cloud in APAC region; Companies needing China presence | Developers wanting reliable infrastructure with phone support; Teams needing Akamai edge network integration; Users valuing predictable flat-rate pricing; Kubernetes users (LKE); Users needing 24/7 phone support (rare for cloud providers); Long-term Linux users comfortable with unmanaged hosting |
| Avoid If | Primary audience in Americas/Europe; Need HIPAA compliance; Prefer English-first support; Concerned about China data regulations | Need managed WordPress hosting; Want included cPanel; Beginner requiring hand-holding; Need included email hosting; Budget-sensitive (prices increased post-acquisition); Concerned about recent support quality decline; Need extensive global coverage (fewer locations than competitors) |
| Known Issues | Poor Trustpilot rating (2.0) due to support issues and security concerns; Documentation quality issues; Language barrier in support; Complex for Western users; Security/abuse report handling criticized; Performance issues during peak hours reported | Low Trustpilot rating (2.0/5) with many complaints about account verification/cancellation; Price increases post-Akamai acquisition; Some report worse support quality after acquisition; Aggressive fraud detection leads to false positives; No managed WordPress; Limited compared to hyperscalers for enterprise features; Some legacy features deprecated |
| Unique Selling Point | Dominant cloud provider in Asia-Pacific with 37% regional market share and deep Alibaba ecosystem integration | Only major cloud provider with 24/7 phone support, backed by Akamai's global edge network and DDoS protection |
| Ideal Customer | Business targeting Asia-Pacific markets, especially China, needing cost-effective cloud with Alibaba ecosystem integration | Developer or business wanting reliable cloud infrastructure with phone support and enterprise-grade DDoS protection |
| Best Alternative To | AWS in Asia-Pacific | DigitalOcean |
| Primary Competitors | Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Huawei Cloud | DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS Lightsail |
We strive for accuracy, but pricing and features change frequently. Some data may be outdated. Report an error and we'll update it promptly.
Our Verdict
Choose Alibaba Cloud if you...
- Want to save money ($4.46/mo vs $5.00/mo)
- Want more server locations (29 available)
Choose Linode (Akamai) if you...
- Want higher-rated hosting (4.0/5)
- Are new to web hosting