CLOUDFLARE vs BUNNY
Choose Cloudflare if you want a genuinely free CDN with unmetered bandwidth, industry-leading security (WAF, DDoS protection, bot management) and a full edge platform including Workers and DNS. Choose Bunny if you want simple, transparent pay-as-you-go pricing (often a fraction of a cent per gigabyte), excellent delivery performance, and low-cost video streaming and storage. Cloudflare is a security and platform company that also runs a CDN; Bunny is a focused content delivery and media specialist. Cloudflare wins on free tier, security and breadth; Bunny wins on pricing transparency, cost at volume and media features. Both are fast and reliable. This comparison is independent and editorial; HostList takes no payment from either provider.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | Cloudflare | Bunny | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes, with unmetered bandwidth | No, pay-as-you-go (around $1/month minimum) | Cloudflare |
| Pricing model | Plan-based (Free, Pro, Business, Enterprise), bandwidth not metered | Pure usage, roughly $0.01 to $0.06 per GB by region | Bunny for pay-per-use; Cloudflare for free |
| Network size | 300+ cities worldwide | 100+ points of presence | Cloudflare (scale) |
| Raw delivery performance | Very fast at massive scale | Very fast, benchmarks strongly on latency | Close (Bunny edges some tests) |
| Security, WAF and DDoS | Industry-leading WAF, bot management, Zero Trust | Solid DDoS protection, delivery-focused | Cloudflare |
| Edge compute | Workers, mature and widely used | Edge Scripting, newer | Cloudflare |
| DNS | Free, fast (1.1.1.1) | Bunny DNS included | Cloudflare (marginal) |
| Video streaming | Cloudflare Stream (paid add-on) | Bunny Stream, low cost with built-in player | Bunny (cost) |
| Object storage | R2, S3-compatible, no egress fees | Bunny Edge Storage, geo-replicated | Tie (different strengths) |
| Image optimisation | Images and Polish | Bunny Optimizer | Tie |
| Pricing transparency | Free, with advanced features behind plans or Enterprise | Simple, predictable per-GB billing | Bunny |
| Developer experience | Powerful but a large product surface | Focused, simple, developer-friendly | Bunny for simplicity; Cloudflare for breadth |
When to pick each
- You want a CDN that is genuinely free, with unmetered bandwidth on the free plan.
- Security matters: WAF, DDoS protection, bot management and Zero Trust are first-party.
- You want edge compute (Workers) and a full platform (DNS, Pages, R2).
- You prefer one vendor for delivery, security and DNS together.
- You want simple, transparent pay-as-you-go pricing with no plan tiers to reason about.
- Cost at volume matters, and you would rather pay a few cents per GB than for a platform.
- You serve video or large media and want cheap streaming and geo storage.
- You value a focused, fast, developer-friendly tool over a broad product suite.
New to this? Start with what a CDN is and how it works, then come back to choose. Many web hosts also bundle a CDN, so check the directory before adding one separately.
How Is the Cloudflare vs Bunny comparison Selected?
The Cloudflare vs Bunny comparison is selected entirely by HRI, an independent algorithmic 0 to 100 rating that combines four equally-weighted components: customer trust signals from real reviews (25%), public profile completeness (25%), data freshness (25%), and infrastructure performance signals (25%). Brand awareness, marketing spend, and affiliate relationships are not inputs.
Hosting companies cannot pay to appear or improve their position. Sponsorships and advertising are not scoring inputs. The same rules apply to every company in the directory of over 28,000 providers, from the largest hyperscalers to single-region indie hosts.
For the full breakdown of each scoring component and how it is calculated, see the HRI methodology page.
Are These Cloudflare vs Bunny Rankings Paid Placements?
No. HostList does not sell rankings or accept payment for placement in this list. Hosting companies cannot pay to appear here or improve their position. Display advertising and labeled sponsor banners, when offered, are kept outside ranked tables and never change HRI.
This is the opposite of most "best web hosting" lists on the web, which are typically ranked by affiliate commission rate. Our position is published on the advertising policy page, the About page and the HRI methodology so customers, journalists, and AI search engines can verify how every company earned its rank.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cloudflare or Bunny, which CDN should I pick in 2026?
For a free tier, serious security (WAF, DDoS, bot management) and a full edge platform, pick Cloudflare. For simple pay-as-you-go pricing, cost efficiency at volume, and built-in video and storage at low cost, pick Bunny. Cloudflare is a security-and-platform company that also does CDN; Bunny is a focused, fast, affordable content delivery and media platform. Both are excellent; the decision usually comes down to whether you want free plus security (Cloudflare) or transparent low-cost delivery (Bunny).
Is Bunny cheaper than Cloudflare?
It depends on usage. Cloudflare is free for standard CDN delivery with unmetered bandwidth, so for many sites it is effectively cheaper (zero). Bunny charges per gigabyte, often a fraction of a cent, which is extremely cheap but not free. Where Bunny wins on cost is predictability and media: its transparent per-GB pricing and low-cost video streaming and storage are often cheaper than Cloudflare paid plans and add-ons for those specific workloads.
Is Bunny faster than Cloudflare?
In independent CDN benchmarks Bunny frequently posts excellent latency and throughput, sometimes ahead of Cloudflare on raw delivery, helped by a network tuned specifically for content delivery. Cloudflare counters with a far larger network and enormous scale. For most sites the real-world difference is small; both deliver content quickly worldwide. If raw delivery speed is the single priority, Bunny is worth benchmarking against your own traffic.
Does Cloudflare have a free CDN?
Yes. Cloudflare's free plan includes CDN caching with unmetered bandwidth, plus free DNS, SSL and basic security. This is the main reason it is so widely used: most small and medium sites can run on the free tier indefinitely. Paid plans (Pro, Business, Enterprise) add advanced security, image and performance features, and support. Bunny has no permanent free tier, only low pay-as-you-go pricing.
What is Bunny best for?
Bunny is best for teams that want cheap, predictable, high-performance content delivery without a sprawling platform: cost-sensitive sites at volume, media-heavy sites needing affordable video streaming (Bunny Stream) or geo-replicated storage, and developers who value simplicity and transparent per-GB pricing. It is a delivery and media specialist rather than a security platform.
Can I use both Cloudflare and Bunny together?
Yes, and some teams do. A common pattern is Cloudflare in front for DNS, SSL and security (WAF, DDoS), with Bunny serving heavy media (video, large downloads) where its pricing and performance shine. The two are not mutually exclusive; Cloudflare can sit at the edge for protection while Bunny handles specific high-bandwidth assets. For most sites, though, one CDN is enough.
Are these comparisons based on paid placements?
No. HostList does not accept paid placements, sponsored rankings or affiliate commissions on any comparison. This page is editorial, based on published pricing and feature documentation as of 2026. Always confirm current pricing on cloudflare.com and bunny.net, since both update their plans. The full methodology is at hostlist.io/hri.