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Akamai App and API Protector vs Uplynk comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 15, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Akamai App and API Protector
Ranking in Web Application Firewall (WAF)
23rd
Ranking in Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection
7th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
29
Ranking in other categories
Cloud and Data Center Security (14th)
Uplynk
Ranking in Web Application Firewall (WAF)
27th
Ranking in Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection
16th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
Data Replication (8th), CDN (8th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Web Application Firewall (WAF) category, the mindshare of Akamai App and API Protector is 3.0%, down from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Uplynk is 1.5%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Web Application Firewall (WAF) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Akamai App and API Protector3.0%
Uplynk1.5%
Other95.5%
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
 

Featured Reviews

Gavin Pinho - PeerSpot reviewer
Privacy & Risk Management Vice President, Information Security at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Has provided strong protection against evolving threats but still needs support for configuration fine-tuning
The standout features of Akamai App and API Protector are rooted in it being the Web Application Firewall, where all traffic gets scanned, including the implementation of web firewall rules, and after this phase, traffic proceeds through the BMP, which is Bot Management. Akamai App and API Protector exceeds expectations in terms of AI capabilities, and it genuinely combines a plethora of advanced features. The area in which Akamai excels compared to other competitors with a WAF is in threat intelligence, as threats continually evolve, requiring ongoing updates to backend algorithms to effectively capture smart bots, and Akamai's commitment in that regard is backed by an excellent team, while other providers are still catching up.
reviewer2597169 - PeerSpot reviewer
manager at a non-profit with 501-1,000 employees
Reliable live streaming has increased our continuous viewership and maintained audience trust
Uplynk is deployed in my organization on-premises and is fully on-site. Uplynk supports our business continuity or disaster recovery plans because it's really well protected and it doesn't lag or crash when there's a spike in all areas. Uplynk helps us comply with regulatory requirements in our industry by keeping us live. Uplynk integrates really well with other systems or tools we use. You need a whole team to really run Uplynk because there are so many moving pieces, the code, the app, and other components. My experience with Uplynk's analytics or reporting capabilities is that they are especially helpful to update the teams and our stakeholders. I would describe Uplynk's flexibility or customization options as really easy, really customizable, and it integrates in many areas. Uplynk helps me deliver content to different devices or platforms by allowing us to upload on and stay live on tablets, computers, and televisions. It allows us to stay live to get those viewerships. Uplynk is a software that saves time, but you need a solid team to run Uplynk to ensure viewership and everything is moving because there are many pieces to keep. I advise others looking into using Uplynk that it takes many different areas: coding, integration, APIs, and all that. It takes a team to run it, and you need to be a big company. If you're streaming and doing all that at a big scale, use it. If you're on a smaller scale, Uplynk is going to be really hard for you to manage. It's not something that's simple; just use the ones that are basic out there if you're an influencer and things like that. I would rate this product a nine overall.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Features like scalability and uptime are most effective."
"The most valuable feature is the DDoS protection, which is the main reason we got it."
"Everything will be handled by Akamai's system before it reaches our infrastructure."
"They have a fantastic tool for analyzing and viewing your traffic."
"We are getting security for each and every API."
"Akamai is a very reliable provider and a very safe bet that will suit most environments' needs."
"The CDN and the WAF features are the best in this solution."
"The features are powerful and better than F5."
"Uplynk has positively impacted our organization by bringing us more viewership, as it does not glitch and stays stable during spikes in viewership, leading to approximately a 15 to 20 percent increase in viewership because there's no lag and nothing fails."
"The customer support and service responsiveness were excellent."
"The tool's most valuable feature is the Uplynk platform for streaming purposes."
"The Rules Engine V4 is the most valuable feature."
"It's super easy to use and integrate with."
"The product is easy to use and easy to implement."
"I recommend this solution because, for me, it's one of the most efficient and performant CDN operators."
"Without EdgeCast, our website was taking 10 to 15 seconds to load; with EdgeCast, it loads under five seconds and it's a good product."
 

Cons

"In terms of precedence of Akamai rules, the last one is implemented. That is the one that is operational. If two rules contradict, the last one is implemented. We had a clash, but it was really tough to find that out. I would like to have a rulebook because, in their architecture documentation, it is not mentioned anywhere that if two rules clash, the last one works, and if it does not work, then what to do. This is something we were debating today with their tech support. With AWS, we get documents for the issues so that they do not occur in the future. Akamai's support and knowledge base needs to be improved."
"The WAF features definitely have a lot of room for improvement."
"Customer support has room for improvement."
"The custom rules were difficult to use."
"A lot of piracy happens in India and other countries. If there is a product for protection from piracy, it would be great. For example, there are multiple hackers that hack your event, and there are some channels that pirate and publish the event on some other website. We protect our streaming through DRM and different technologies. We are also protecting the website, but hacking is still happening. If they can work on protecting from piracy, it would be great."
"Akamai App and API Protector is very new to me, so I do not have any insights on improvement areas for the product. However, when we ask for some help, it can take some time. We understand that the job is done by professionals, but if that time can be reduced, it would be great."
"The effectiveness of Akamai's bot management in reducing unauthorized access is quite good, although it does require a lot of fine-tuning and tweaking, which involves spending ample time with their support teams to tailor the configuration to our applications."
"If we talk about application layer attacks, including WAF, CloudFlare is leading. Akamai can focus a bit more on the application layer attacks and how to protect them."
"The tool needs to resolve its lack of innovation."
"We could not create more than 15 custom rules."
"The web interface of the Verizon Edgecast portal is very old. It's not user-friendly, slow, and it is missing some valuable features like the ability to make bulk changes."
"To improve Uplynk, it should be made more user-friendly, as it takes a lot of moving pieces to make it work."
"In the next release, I would like to see more global endpoints for their CDN and a lower price."
"The comparable features that we are looking at fits into Cloudflare's free version, as opposed to Verizon EdgeCast, which we are paying for."
"The pricing was initially very expensive."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is expensive, but it is worth the money."
"If you want quality, you have to pay the price. Its price is fair. Their account managers are also very helpful. They help you a lot with pricing even though they are working with Akamai."
"Based on the billing discussions in the DevOps team, Akamai's cost does not seem to be a major thing. However, LOE is an issue. When it comes to support, we know that even all the competitors do this. For a 30-minute issue, they give us a LOE of one or two hours. That is a basic practice, but that is something we worry about."
"Cost depends on the volume of traffic."
"Price-wise, I would say Akamai's pricing is competitive."
"The solution is not expensive."
"It's more expensive than others, but the ROI is good for large-scale infrastructure."
"The solution is expensive."
"The product is cheaper compared to other solutions."
"When I modeled it out, we are spending somewhere between $600 to $800 a month with Verizon EdgeCast."
"Be careful about the options because to have all the features can be very expensive."
report
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Outsourcing Company
7%
Performing Arts
7%
Comms Service Provider
14%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Construction Company
12%
Outsourcing Company
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise18
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Akamai Web Application Protector?
There are no significant areas for improvement on the WAF side or for Akamai App and API Protector solution; they are comprehensive in their current state.
What is your primary use case for Akamai Web Application Protector?
The main use case for Akamai App and API Protector is serving as the WAF, Web Application Firewall.
What advice do you have for others considering Akamai Web Application Protector?
The primary way Akamai App and API Protector helps manage evolving cyber threats is by considering the impact on revenue, with businesses evaluating if Akamai is worth the cost based on potential l...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Edgio Global CDN?
I wasn't a part of the pricing, setup cost, and licensing discussions, but from what I heard from my colleagues, they said it was really good and it was fair, so they went with that.
What needs improvement with Edgio Global CDN?
To improve Uplynk, it should be made more user-friendly, as it takes a lot of moving pieces to make it work. Uplynk is very complex software with many moving pieces. If you're a big company, Uplynk...
What is your primary use case for Edgio Global CDN?
My main use case for Uplynk is live channels around the clock. Since we're in the television business, we're constantly showcasing shows, and it's a continuous operation.
 

Also Known As

Akamai Web Application Protector, Akamai Kona Site Defender, Akamai Kona DDoS Defender
Edgio, Limelight Content Delivery, Limelight Orchestrate Delivery, Limelight Origin Storage, Global CDN, Verizon EdgeCast
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Douglas Omaha Technology Commission, ZALORA, PrintPlanet
TD Ameritrade, Plus500, Solvay Bank, Yahoo, Deckers Brands, and Coach
Find out what your peers are saying about Akamai App and API Protector vs. Uplynk and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
920,929 professionals have used our research since 2012.