Free CDN Services
Which CDNs a startup can serve its site, images and static files from for free today, how much bandwidth or how many requests the free plan or trial includes, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . CDN services change their free plans from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you rely on it.
CDNs a startup can use for free today include Cloudflare (Free plan with CDN, $0 a month), jsDelivr (Free CDN for open-source files), Gcore (1TB of CDN usage free every month), cdnjs (Free CDN for popular web libraries), and KeyCDN (Free 14-day trial). Each of the 9 free plans below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, its bandwidth or request allowance, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
A CDN serves your site and files from servers near each visitor, so pages load faster and your own server carries less traffic. Several CDNs have a free plan or free monthly allowance, and free public CDNs serve open-source libraries at no cost.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Free plans cap bandwidth or requests, some are for personal or hobby projects only, and public CDNs serve open-source files only. Each CDN below shows what is free, its main limit, its bandwidth and request allowance, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which CDNs we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which CDNs are listed or where.
CDN services with a free plan or trial
Put your site and files behind a CDN, free to start.
- 1
Cloudflare
Personal and hobby sites on a $0 CDN plan
Cloudflare's Free plan is $0 a month, for personal or hobby projects that aren't business-critical. The first paid plan, Pro, is $20 a month billed annually.
- First paid plan
- Pro: $20 a month billed annually (source: cloudflare.com)
Start free at CloudflareTerms read on cloudflare.com on Cloudflare: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Gcore
1 TB of CDN a month with no card to start
Gcore's CDN gives 1TB of Free Global CDN usage every month with no credit card needed. Payment details are only needed to go beyond the free monthly allowance.
- Bandwidth and requests
- 1TB of CDN usage a month (source: gcore.com)
- Payment card
- No credit card needed (source: gcore.com)
Start free at GcoreTerms read on gcore.com on Gcore: the free allowance and how to start Gcore for Startups: what startups get - 3
KeyCDN
A 14-day trial of a pay-as-you-go CDN
KeyCDN offers a free 14 day trial with no credit card. After the trial, usage is paid from prepaid credits, and the minimum credit purchase is $49.
- What's free
- Free 14-day trial (source: keycdn.com)
- Main limit
- Trial lasts 14 days (source: keycdn.com)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: keycdn.com)
- First paid plan
- Credits from $49, pay as you go (source: keycdn.com)
- 4
Fastly
Edge delivery with a monthly free bandwidth tier
Fastly's pricing page lists 100 GB free bandwidth and 100,000 free requests a month. Beyond the free tier, usage is billed per GB and per 10,000 requests.
- Bandwidth and requests
- 100 GB a month (source: fastly.com)
- First paid plan
- Growth: pay for what you use (source: fastly.com)
Start free at FastlyTerms read on fastly.com on Fastly: the free allowance and how to start Fast Forward: what startups get - 5
Amazon CloudFront
Hobby sites and learners on a $0 CDN plan
CloudFront's Free plan costs $0 a month. Paid plans start at $15 a month with no overage charges, and larger usage allowances come with the paid plans.
Start free at Amazon Web ServicesTerms read on aws.amazon.com on Amazon CloudFront: the free allowance and how to start
Free public CDNs for open-source files
Load open-source libraries and files from a free public CDN.
- 1
jsDelivr
Open-source JavaScript and CSS files
jsDelivr is a free CDN for open source projects, so a startup can serve its open-source JavaScript and CSS files at no cost.
- 2
cdnjs
Popular open-source web libraries
cdnjs is a free, open-source CDN for the web's most popular JavaScript, CSS, and font resources, and it is built for popular web libraries.
- 3
unpkg
Any file from an npm package by URL
unpkg is a free CDN for npm packages. It is open source and free to use, and any file from any package can be loaded by URL.
- 4
Statically
Git repositories and npm files for open source
Statically is a free, fast global CDN for open-source projects. It is limited to open-source use.
Start free at StaticallyTerms read on statically.io on Statically: the free allowance and how to start
Cloud startup programs
Programs from cloud companies that give startups credits on paid usage.
Also useful for cloud and hosting
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
Compare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers CDN services a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each CDN's terms. Every term comes from the CDN's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on bandwidth or requests, a short free trial instead of a free plan, open-source packages only on public CDNs can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these CDNs pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a CDN appears, and no CDN pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free CDN?
By the terms each provider states, Gcore includes 1TB of CDN usage free every month with no credit card, Fastly 100 GB of bandwidth and 100,000 requests a month, Cloudflare's $0 plan includes its CDN, and Amazon CloudFront has a free plan at $0 a month.
Is Cloudflare's CDN free?
Cloudflare's Free plan includes its CDN at $0 a month and is for personal or hobby projects; Pro is $20 a month billed annually.
How much bandwidth do free CDNs include?
Gcore includes 1TB of CDN usage a month and Fastly 100 GB a month with 100,000 requests, while KeyCDN offers a free 14-day trial with no card needed.
Is there a free CDN for JavaScript libraries?
Yes. jsDelivr is a free CDN for open-source files, cdnjs a free CDN for popular web libraries, and unpkg a free CDN for any file published to npm.
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