Free CDN Services in 2025: A Comprehensive Comparison

In the fast-paced digital world of 2025, website speed and performance are critical for user satisfaction and search engine optimization. A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a powerful tool to achieve this, distributing static content like images, CSS, and JavaScript files across a global network of servers to reduce latency and improve load times. CDNs also enhance security through features like DDoS protection and SSL certificates. Fortunately, several providers offer free CDN plans, making these benefits accessible to bloggers, small businesses, and developers on a budget. This article compares the best free CDN services available in 2025, focusing on their offerings and reliability.

General-Purpose Free CDN Services

These CDNs are designed to accelerate websites by caching custom static content, making them suitable for 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 approximately 19.3% of websites as of January 2025 (Cloudflare Wikipedia). Its free plan offers unlimited bandwidth, making it ideal for high-traffic sites. With over 200 PoPs, Cloudflare ensures fast content delivery worldwide. The free plan includes essential security features and seamless WordPress integration, requiring no code changes for setup. However, advanced features like image optimization require paid plans.
• Reliability Notes: Cloudflare’s extensive network and reputation ensure high uptime and performance, trusted by major companies like L’Oréal and Shopify.

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 provides $50 worth of monthly traffic, sufficient for moderate-traffic sites. Its high-density PoPs are strategically placed for optimal performance, serving clients like Epic Games and Spotify (TechRadar). The instant purge feature allows rapid content updates, and the free plan includes robust 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 renowned for its speed and reliability, with a focus on 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 offers a free plan with 1 TB of monthly traffic, suitable for medium to high-traffic sites (Gcore Free Plan). With over 180 PoPs and 14,000+ peering partners, Gcore ensures fast content delivery, particularly for WordPress users. The free plan includes all core CDN features, though technical support is limited to a knowledge base. Gcore’s infrastructure is optimized for both free and paid users, with separate systems to maintain performance (Gcore Blog).
• Reliability Notes: Gcore is less established than Cloudflare or Fastly but has a growing reputation, with some users reporting no significant speed gains compared to 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 offers 1 TB of monthly traffic, though some sources suggest up to 5 TB, indicating possible variations (CacheFly Pricing). Limited to 19 PoPs in North America and Europe, it’s best for regional audiences. The free plan includes basic security and API access, suitable for personal projects with minimal support needs. Overage costs $0.05/GB.
• Reliability Notes: CacheFly is an established provider but less prominent than Cloudflare or Fastly, with reliability suitable 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 provides a modest free plan with 10 GB/month for EU/USA and 5 GB/month for global traffic (Webfx). It’s designed for low-traffic sites or testing, with features to monitor daily traffic. The lack of PoP information suggests a smaller network, limiting its global reach.
• Reliability Notes: As a less-known provider, Hostry’s reliability is uncertain, with limited user feedback available.

CDNs for Hosting Libraries

These CDNs specialize in hosting popular front-end libraries, reducing the need to host them on your 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 for hosting popular libraries like Bootstrap and Font Awesome, used by over 7.9 million websites (BootstrapCDN). It’s ideal for developers needing reliable access to front-end assets without hosting them locally. There are no traffic limits for supported libraries, making it cost-effective for high-traffic sites.
• Reliability Notes: Its widespread use ensures high reliability and performance.

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 for supported content. It’s best for developers working on open-source projects or needing to serve JavaScript and CSS libraries.
• Reliability Notes: JSDelivr’s extensive network and popularity ensure consistent performance.

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 primarily a hosting platform for static sites but includes a global CDN in its free plan, offering 100 GB of monthly bandwidth (Netlify). It’s popular among developers for its ease of use and features like DDoS protection and custom domains. It’s ideal for static websites, such as portfolios or documentation sites.
• Reliability Notes: Netlify is highly reliable, hosting over 90,000 websites with 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 is ideal for high-traffic sites. Fastly, Gcore, and CacheFly suit moderate traffic, while Hostry is best for low-traffic sites.
• Global Reach: Cloudflare and Gcore have extensive networks, ensuring fast delivery worldwide. Fastly’s strategic PoPs offer excellent performance, while CacheFly is limited to North America and Europe.
• Features: Cloudflare provides comprehensive features, including security and ease of use. Fastly excels in advanced caching, and Gcore offers low-latency performance. BootstrapCDN and JSDelivr are specialized for libraries, while Netlify is tailored for static sites.
• Reliability: Cloudflare and Fastly are industry leaders with proven reliability. Netlify, BootstrapCDN, and JSDelivr are also highly reliable for their use cases. Gcore and CacheFly have good but less established reputations, and Hostry’s reliability is uncertain.

Recommendations

• General Websites: Cloudflare is the top choice for its unlimited bandwidth, extensive network, and robust features. It’s suitable for most websites, from blogs to e-commerce platforms.
• Moderate Traffic Sites: Fastly and Gcore are excellent for sites with moderate traffic, offering advanced features and substantial free tiers.
• Open-Source Projects: BootstrapCDN and JSDelivr are perfect for serving front-end libraries, especially for open-source developers.
• Static Sites: Netlify is the go-to option for static site hosting, with a reliable CDN included.
• Low-Traffic Sites: Hostry can be considered for very small sites or testing purposes, though its limited bandwidth and unknown reliability may be constraints.

Conclusion

Free CDN services in 2025 provide a range of options to enhance website performance without cost. By understanding your site’s traffic, content type, and geographic audience, you can choose the CDN that best meets your needs. Cloudflare stands out for its versatility, while Fastly, Gcore, and others offer compelling alternatives for specific use cases.

Sources

Cloudflare Free Plan Details
Fastly Pricing and Free Tier
Gcore Free CDN Plan
CacheFly Developer Plan Pricing
Hostry CDN Services
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