Understanding CDN Costs: What Most Providers Won’t Tell You
Published in Business by EA Target ICT
If your business website serves customers globally, a Content Delivery Network (CDN) can dramatically improve speed and performance. But while many providers advertise low starting prices, the true cost of using a CDN often comes with hidden fees, confusing billing models, and unexpected overage charges.
Understanding CDN costs is crucial because what looks cheap at first glance can quickly become expensive if you don’t know what to watch for. Some providers won’t clearly explain bandwidth limits, regional pricing differences, or extra features that inflate your bill.
In this guide, we’ll break down:
How CDN pricing really works (beyond the advertised rates)
The 5 hidden costs most providers don’t mention
How to estimate your actual CDN expenses before signing up
Affordable alternatives for small and medium businesses
By the end, you’ll know exactly what questions to ask before choosing a CDN—so you don’t get hit with surprise charges.
How CDN Pricing Really Works (Beyond the “From £X/month” Ads)
Most CDNs advertise prices like “From £10/month”, but that rarely reflects what you’ll actually pay. Here’s what really determines your costs:
A. Bandwidth Usage (The Biggest Factor)
CDNs charge based on how much data they deliver (usually per GB). If your website has 100GB/month in traffic, and the CDN costs £0.05/GB, your base cost is £5/month. Some providers offer “unlimited” bandwidth but throttle speeds after a certain limit.
B. Regional Pricing (Why Some Locations Cost More)
Delivering data to North America or Europe is usually cheaper.Traffic to Asia, Africa, or South America can cost 2–3x more due to infrastructure costs.
C. Extra Features That Inflate Your Bill
- DDoS Protction (£20–£100+/month extra)
- Image Opimisation (often £5–£30/month)
- Advanced Analytics (can double your plan cost)
Check Real Pricing through the BunnyCDN Calculator which shows regional costs, and Cloudflare Pricing to compare free vs. pro plans
How to Estimate Your Actual CDN Costs (Before Signing Up)
Step 1: Check Your Current Bandwidth
- In Google Analytics: Behaviour > Site Speed > Page Timings shows traffic volume.
- Or use your hosting dashboard (cPanel, Cloudflare, etc.).
Step 2: Identify High-Cost Content
- Videos and large images consume 10x more bandwidth than text.
- Dynamic pages (checkout, user accounts) may not cache well.
Step 3: Use a CDN Pricing Calculator
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Affordable CDN Options for Small Businesses
A. Cloudflare (Free Plan Available)
Pros: Free SSL, global network, no regional surcharges.
Cons: Limited features on free tier, caching isn’t always aggressive.
B. BunnyCDN (Low-Cost & Transparent)
Pros: Clear pricing, no HTTPS fees, includes image optimisation.
Cons: Smaller network than Cloudflare/Akamai.
C. StackPath (Good for High Traffic)
Pros: Strong security, good for media-heavy sites.
Cons: No free plan, support costs extra.
Key Questions to Ask Before Choosing a CDN
“Do you charge extra for HTTPS traffic?”
“What’s the overage fee if I exceed my bandwidth?”
“Are API calls and dynamic content billed separately?”
“Is DDoS protection included, or is it an add-on?”
“What’s your cache hit ratio for sites like mine?”
Understanding CDN costs means looking beyond the advertised rate. To avoid surprises,
Audit your bandwidth needs first, Test free/low-cost options (like Cloudflare) before upgrading and
Monitor usage monthly to catch unexpected spikes.
For more, visit TargetICT.co.uk
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