Free CDN services in 2025: a comparison

Website speed and performance matter more than ever in 2025, for both user satisfaction and search engine optimization. A Content Delivery Network (CDN) spreads static content like images, CSS, and JavaScript files across a global network of servers, which reduces latency and improves load times. CDNs also bring security features like DDoS protection and SSL certificates. Several providers offer free CDN plans, which opens these benefits to bloggers, small businesses, and developers on a budget. This article compares the best free CDN services available in 2025, with a focus on what each one offers and how reliable it is.

General-purpose free CDN services

These CDNs speed up websites by caching custom static content, so they fit a wide range of applications.

1. Cloudflare

• Bandwidth Limit: Unlimited
• Points of Presence (PoPs): Over 200 globally
• Key Features:
  • Basic DDoS protection
  • Shared SSL certificate
  • Easy integration with WordPress and other platforms
  • User-friendly interface
• Reliability: High
• Details: Cloudflare is one of the most popular CDN providers, used by roughly 19.3% of websites as of January 2025 (Cloudflare Wikipedia). Its free plan has unlimited bandwidth, which suits high-traffic sites. With over 200 PoPs, Cloudflare delivers content quickly worldwide. The free plan covers basic security features and works with WordPress without code changes. Advanced features like image optimization cost extra on paid plans.
• Reliability Notes: Cloudflare’s large network and strong reputation keep uptime and performance high. Major companies like L’Oréal and Shopify run on it.

2. Fastly

• Bandwidth Limit: $50 worth of CDN traffic per month
• PoPs: Approximately 100 globally (estimated based on growth from 60 PoPs in 2019)
• Key Features:
  • Instant purge (150ms global cache clear)
  • No request throttling
  • Advanced caching options
  • Free TLS certificates
• Reliability: High
• Details: Fastly’s free tier includes $50 worth of monthly traffic, enough for moderate-traffic sites. Its high-density PoPs sit in strategic locations and serve clients like Epic Games and Spotify (TechRadar). The instant purge feature lets you push content updates quickly, and the free plan includes solid caching without restrictive limits. The exact amount of traffic covered by $50 depends on Fastly’s pricing, but it’s generous for small to medium sites.
• Reliability Notes: Fastly is known for speed and reliable, high-performance caching.

3. Gcore

• Bandwidth Limit: 1 TB per month
• PoPs: Over 180 globally
• Key Features:
  • All CDN features included (except paid add-ons)
  • Knowledge base support
  • Low-latency performance (average 30ms)
• Reliability: Medium to High
• Details: Gcore’s free plan includes 1 TB of monthly traffic, enough for medium to high-traffic sites (Gcore CDN). With over 180 PoPs and 14,000+ peering partners, Gcore delivers content quickly, particularly for WordPress users. The free plan includes all core CDN features, though support is limited to a knowledge base. Free and paid users run on separate systems, which keeps performance stable (Gcore Blog).
• Reliability Notes: Gcore is less established than Cloudflare or Fastly and still building its reputation. Some users report no significant speed gains over traditional caching (LowEndTalk).

4. CacheFly

• Bandwidth Limit: 1 TB per month (Developer plan)
• PoPs: 19 in North America and Europe
• Key Features:
  • Basic DDoS protection
  • API access
  • Universal and custom SSL
  • Geo-blocking and custom scripts
• Reliability: Medium
• Details: CacheFly’s Developer plan includes 1 TB of monthly traffic, though some sources quote up to 5 TB, so the headroom may vary (CacheFly Pricing). Limited to 19 PoPs in North America and Europe, it fits regional audiences best. The free plan includes basic security and API access, which suits personal projects with minimal support needs. Overage costs $0.05/GB.
• Reliability Notes: CacheFly is an established provider, just less prominent than Cloudflare or Fastly, and reliable enough for non-critical applications.

5. Hostry

• Bandwidth Limit: 10 GB/month (EU/USA), 5 GB/month (world traffic)
• PoPs: Not specified
• Key Features:
  • Traffic analysis and control
• Reliability: Unknown
• Details: Hostry’s free plan is modest: 10 GB/month for EU/USA traffic and 5 GB/month for the rest of the world (Webfx). It works for low-traffic sites or testing, and you get daily traffic monitoring. The lack of PoP information hints at a smaller network, which limits its global reach.
• Reliability Notes: Hostry is a lesser-known provider. There is little user feedback, so reliability is hard to judge.

CDNs for hosting libraries

These CDNs host popular front-end libraries, so you don’t have to serve them from your own server.

1. BootstrapCDN

• Bandwidth Limit: Unlimited for hosted libraries
• PoPs: Not specified, but widely distributed
• Key Features:
  • Hosts Bootstrap, Font Awesome, Bootswatch, and Bootstrap Icons
  • Supports HTML, Pug, and Haml integration
• Reliability: High
• Details: BootstrapCDN is a free service that hosts popular libraries like Bootstrap and Font Awesome, used by over 7.9 million websites (BootstrapCDN). Developers use it for reliable access to front-end assets without hosting them locally. There are no traffic limits for supported libraries, so it stays cost-effective even at high traffic.
• Reliability Notes: Widespread use keeps reliability and performance high.

2. JSDelivr

• Bandwidth Limit: Unlimited for open-source projects
• PoPs: Over 750 globally
• Key Features:
  • Hosts files from npm, GitHub, and WordPress
  • Optimized for front-end assets
• Reliability: High
• Details: JSDelivr is a free CDN for open-source projects, serving files from npm and GitHub (JSDelivr). It’s the third most popular public CDN, with no traffic limits on supported content. It suits developers working on open-source projects or serving JavaScript and CSS libraries.
• Reliability Notes: JSDelivr’s large network and popularity keep performance consistent.

CDN for static site hosting

1. Netlify

• Bandwidth Limit: 100 GB per month
• PoPs: Global network (not specified)
• Key Features:
  • Static site hosting with integrated CDN
  • DDoS protection
  • Custom domain support
• Reliability: High
• Details: Netlify is mainly a hosting platform for static sites, and its free plan includes a global CDN with 100 GB of monthly bandwidth (Netlify). Developers like the ease of use and extras such as DDoS protection and custom domains. It suits static websites such as portfolios or documentation sites.
• Reliability Notes: Netlify is highly reliable. It hosts over 90,000 websites and has a strong developer community.

Comparison table

Choosing the right free CDN

When selecting a free CDN, consider the following factors:

• Bandwidth Needs: Cloudflare’s unlimited bandwidth handles high-traffic sites. Fastly, Gcore, and CacheFly suit moderate traffic, while Hostry fits low-traffic sites.
• Global Reach: Cloudflare and Gcore have the largest networks, with fast delivery worldwide. Fastly’s PoPs are well placed, while CacheFly only covers North America and Europe.
• Features: Cloudflare bundles security and ease of use. Fastly excels at advanced caching, and Gcore offers low-latency delivery. BootstrapCDN and JSDelivr focus on libraries, while Netlify targets static sites.
• Reliability: Cloudflare and Fastly are established providers with proven reliability. Netlify, BootstrapCDN, and JSDelivr are also highly reliable in their use cases. Gcore and CacheFly are decent but less established, and Hostry’s reliability is uncertain.

Recommendations

• General Websites: Cloudflare is the top choice for unlimited bandwidth, a large network, and solid features. It works for most sites, from blogs to e-commerce.
• Moderate Traffic Sites: Fastly and Gcore handle moderate traffic well, with advanced features and generous free tiers.
• Open-Source Projects: BootstrapCDN and JSDelivr serve front-end libraries well, which matters most to open-source developers.
• Static Sites: Netlify is the go-to option for static site hosting, and a reliable CDN is included.
• Low-Traffic Sites: Hostry works for very small sites or testing, though limited bandwidth and unknown reliability are trade-offs.

Conclusion

Cloudflare remains the default pick for most sites: unlimited bandwidth, 200+ PoPs, and setup that needs no code changes. Fastly and Gcore cover moderate traffic well, and the library CDNs handle their smaller niches. Match your traffic and audience to the free tier limits, and one of these will do the job for free.

Sources

Cloudflare Free Plan Details
Fastly Pricing and Free Tier
Gcore CDN
CacheFly Developer Plan Pricing
Hostry Free CDN Overview
BootstrapCDN Library Hosting
JSDelivr Open-Source CDN
Netlify Static Site Hosting
GrayGrids: Best Free and Affordable CDN Providers of 2025
TechRadar: Best CDN Provider of 2025
BlazingCDN: Top 41 CDN Providers in 2025
WPForms: The 12 Best CDN Providers That Speed Up Your Website
Webfx: 6 Free CDN Services to Speed Up Your Website in 2025
Cloudflare Wikipedia: Company Overview
Gcore Blog: CDN Updates March 2025
LowEndTalk: Gcore Free CDN Experience