2025 Review of the Best CDN Providers for Hong Kong and US Nodes

May 23, 202531 mins read

Discover the top CDN providers of 2025 optimized for Hong Kong and US nodes. Compare speed, security, reliability, and pricing to find the best CDN for your global business needs.

 What Is a CDN?
A CDN (Content Delivery Network) places cache-enabled edge servers around the world so users can fetch content from the nearest location. This reduces latency, speeds up page loads, and lightens the load on your origin server.


How Does a CDN Work?
Imagine your origin server sits in the U.S. and your user is in Thailand. Without a CDN, that Thai user’s requests must travel all the way to the U.S., leading to noticeable lag. With a CDN, your content is pre-cached on edge nodes in or near Thailand, so the user fetches it from the closest node—resulting in much faster load times and a smoother experience.


Key Benefits of Using a CDN

  1. Faster Access & Lower Latency
    By caching both static and dynamic content at edge nodes near end users, load times drop dramatically, boosting user satisfaction.
  2. Reduced Origin-Server Load
    Users hit the CDN node instead of your origin, slashing memory, bandwidth, and CPU usage on the primary server—and cutting the risk of downtime under heavy traffic.
  3. Enhanced Security
    Each global node includes WAF and DDoS/CC protection. Attack traffic is absorbed at the edge, and if a node is compromised, traffic is automatically rerouted to healthy nodes, keeping service stable.

What Is an ICP-Exempt CDN?
Mainland China requires an ICP license to host services there. An “ICP-exempt” CDN uses data centers in Hong Kong, Japan, or other regions outside mainland China’s regulatory scope—so you skip the ICP registration altogether. That speeds up deployment and avoids local compliance risks.


Top 10 Global ICP-Exempt CDNs for 2025

RankProviderLatency / ReliabilityGlobal NodesCore StrengthsPricing (USD/GB or Monthly)Rating
1CDN5Hong Kong 8.2 ms, Cross-border 30 ms2,370+CN2+BGP routing, T-level defense, seamless CC protection— / see plans★★★★★
2CloudflareUS/EU 30 ms, APAC 50–80 ms280+ PoPAnycast, built-in WAF & DDoSEnterprise $2,000+★★★★☆
3StoneCDNAsia 23 ms, US/EU < 70 msDual-line architecture, gaming-optimizedFrom $499★★★★
4FastlyNA/EU 12 ms, Asia 19 ms100+Edge compute support$0.12–0.28/GB or monthly★★★★
5CDN07Asia 33 ms1,088+Cost-effective for SMEsFrom $299★★★☆
6Azure CDNUS/EU 14 ms, Asia 58 ms180+Microsoft ecosystem integration$0.04–0.14/GB★★★★
7CDN77Europe 10 ms, US 15 ms500+Europe-optimized, live streaming$0.03–0.10/GB★★★☆
8Google CloudGlobal 50–120 ms130+YouTube-grade, HTTP/3$0.04–0.15/GB★★★★
9G-CoreEastern Europe 8 ms, APAC 35 ms140+CIS focus, flexible billing$0.02–0.12/GB★★★★
10AkamaiGlobal 5–50 ms4,000+Legacy leader, top performanceFrom $5,000/month★★★★☆

1. CDN5

Overview: Based in California, with data centers in Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, UAE, and more. ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified.
Features:

  • AI-driven Threat Prediction: Forecasts traffic spikes and threats 1–3 hours ahead, auto-adjusting alerts.
  • T-Level Defense Nodes: High-performance hardware for instant DDoS mitigation.
  • Millisecond Routing: Auto-switches traffic to the shortest path by location.
  • 24/7 Multilingual Chat Support: No tickets or emails required.

Pricing Plans

PlanMonthly FeeDDoS DefenseCC ProtectionDomainsPortsSSL CertsWebSocketNetworkAuto-Switch
Free$050 Gbps20 k QPS22
Standard$499150 Gbps30 k QPS510CN2/BGP
Business$1,999400 Gbps50 k QPS1020CN2/BGP
CustomContactT-levelSeamless200500CN2/BGP

2. Cloudflare

Overview: The world’s largest Anycast network. Free tier available; launched domain registration in 2025.
Features:

  • Proprietary DNS: Protects against hijacking.
  • Intuitive UI: Beginner-friendly dashboard.
  • Enhanced Request Validation: Real-time metrics via CloudWatch.

Support: Ranges from community forums to 24/7 phone & chat on Enterprise plans.

Pricing Plans

PlanMonthly FeeBest ForDDoS ProtectionCDNWAFSLASupport
Free$0Hobbyists & small sitesUnlimited100%Community forums
Pro$20 (annual)Professional sitesUnlimited100%Tickets + forums
Business$200 (annual)Small businessesUnlimited100%Tickets + chat
EnterpriseCustom pricingLarge enterprisesUnlimited100%24/7 phone + chat

3. StoneCDN

Overview: A YewSafe brand offering high-defense SDKs for mobile apps (“Stone Game Shield”).
Features:

  • Distributed DDoS Cleansing: SDK isolates and cleans malicious traffic.
  • Dynamic Routing: IP-based, zero-lag paths for gaming.
  • Real-Time Encryption Updates: MITM-resistant, auto-refreshing cryptography.

Support: 24/7 in Chinese, English, Japanese, Thai via WhatsApp, LINE, Telegram.

Pricing Plans

PlanPriceMSRPTarget UsersTargets ProtectedPeak BandwidthDDoS DefenseCC ProtectionNetwork Type
Lite Plan$999$1,500Early-stage projects320 MbpsUnlimited100%BGP
Basic Plan$1,999$2,500Indie developers1050 MbpsUnlimited100%CN2/BGP
Premium Plan$4,999$6,000SMBs1580 MbpsUnlimited100%CN2/BGP
Pro Plan$8,999$15,000High-risk enterprises20100 MbpsUnlimited100%CN2/BGP

4. Fastly

Overview: U.S.-based, trusted by GitHub, Reddit, Spotify.
Features:

  • Instant video transcode & cache reuse
  • Next-gen WAF, DDoS, TLS services
  • Real-time logs & dashboards

Support: Knowledge base, community forums, direct assistance.

Pricing Plans

PlanBasic*Starter*Growth*Enterprise*
TargetSmall bizCost-sensitiveScaling firmsLarge distributed systems
Monthly$1,500$6,000ContactContact
Requests100 M500 M2 B5 B
Instant Purge
TLS Domains204080150
Image Ops (per mo)30 M150 M800 M2.5 B
mTLS Sessions2UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
WebSocket Time1 M min1 M min50 M min100 M min
SupportStandardGoldGoldEnterprise
Note: Web/API only; streaming excluded. Some regions capped at 10%.    

5. CDN07

Overview: Strong presence in HK, US, JP, SG. Focus on high availability & DDoS defense.
Features:

  • Tier 1/2/3 carrier peering
  • TLS v1.x everywhere
  • T-level DDoS & invisible CC defense

Support: 24/7 Chinese-language chat & ticketing.

Pricing Plans

PlanTrial (Free)Standard (Large teams)Business (Advanced)Enterprise (Big corp)
Monthly Fee$0$800$2,000$5,000
DDoS Defense30 Gbps200 Gbps400 Gbps500 Gbps
CC Protection30 k QPS40 k QPS50 k QPS200 k QPS
Domains2650100+
SSL
Anti-block
WebSocket
Acceleration

6. Azure CDN

Overview: Hybrid of Microsoft, Akamai & Verizon. Excellent for video streaming.
Features:

  • Instant cache purge
  • Free SSL/TLS, WAF & DDoS
  • Dynamic content acceleration

Support: Tiered support plans & community forums.

Pricing (per GB)

TierZone 1Zone 2Zone 3Zone 4Zone 5
First 10 TB/month$0.081$0.129$0.233$0.130$0.158
Next 40 TB (10–50 TB)$0.075$0.121$0.186$0.126$0.121
Next 100 TB (50–150 TB)$0.056$0.112$0.168$0.112$0.102
Next 350 TB (150–500 TB)$0.037$0.093$0.149$0.093$0.093
Next 500 TB (500–1,000 TB)$0.028$0.075$0.130$0.088$0.093

7. CDN77

Overview: 13+ years in CDN, excels at VOD & live streaming. S3-compatible API, zero egress fees.
Features:

  • Multi-layer caching
  • Full HTTPS encryption
  • Real-time analytics

Support: 24/7 dedicated tech team.

Pricing Plans

PlanUse CasePricingKey Features
Pay-as-you-goVariable trafficUsage-basedGlobal nodes / instant purge / DDoS / SSL / image optimization / analytics
Monthly PlansStable monthly usageFrom $199/moAll above + fixed monthly bandwidth
Enterprise PlanHigh traffic & demandsCustom quoteAll above + dedicated support & extra security
Video Streaming PlanLive & VODUsage-basedHLS/DASH/RTMP support, auto-scale, viewer stats
Image Optimization PlanImage delivery & optimizationFrom $29/moWebP support, auto resize/compress/convert

8. Google Cloud CDN

Overview: Deeply integrated with GCP; supports HTTP/2 & QUIC.
Features:

  • Dynamic compression (60–85% bandwidth savings)
  • Auto-scaling to meet demand
  • Free SSL/TLS certs

Support: Phone, Slack community, ticketing.

Pricing

ItemRateNotes
Egress Traffic$0.08–0.12/GBUS, EU, Asia major regions
Cache Requests (HTTP/S)$0.0075–0.01 per millionHigher hit rates reduce costs
DDoS & SecurityCloud Armor fees applyIntegrated WAF & DDoS
SSL/TLS CertificatesFreeHTTPS encryption & cert issuance
Multi-region Load BalancingUsage-basedTied to load balancers & storage usage

9. G-Core

Overview: Strong in Eastern Europe, > 200 Tbps network capacity.
Features:

  • Origin shielding
  • Auto-conversion to WebP/AVIF
  • GeoDNS & anycast routing

Support: 24/7 multilingual chat, phone, tickets.

Pricing

PlanPricingNotes
Dynamic PlanSee website200 Tbps+ capacity, optimized for CIS markets

For full pricing details, please see G-Core’s official “Pricing” page.


10. Akamai

Overview: One of the world’s pioneers, handles ~30% of global traffic but comes at a premium.
Features:

  • Authoritative global DNS
  • High-concurrency API & database acceleration
  • Industry-leading encryption & security

Support: 24/7 phone, email, tickets, technical account managers.

Pricing

PlanStarting Monthly FeeNotes
Custom$5,000+Contact sales for detailed quote

FAQs

  • Q1: Is an ICP-exempt CDN as fast and stable?
    Slightly higher latency versus mainland China carriers, but Hong Kong CN2/BGP nodes deliver around 30 ms—practically indistinguishable.
  • Q2: Will it hurt SEO?
    CDNs aren’t direct ranking factors. With proper headers and caching, faster pages can actually boost user engagement and SEO.
  • Q3: Is it more expensive?
    Avoid usage-based plans and opt for flat-rate packages to keep costs predictable and transparent.
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