Gcore CDN
Global CDN with 210+ PoPs, DDoS protection, and Web Application Firewall. Free plan includes 1TB traffic with no trial period or credit card required.
Best for developers who want a free CDN with enterprise DDoS protection and a generous 1TB traffic cap.
Use Cases
Free Tier
1TB traffic/month, DDoS protection, WAF, no credit card required, no time limit
How to Maximize the Free Tier
Gcore's free CDN plan gives you 1TB of traffic per month with no trial expiry. Use it as your primary CDN for low-traffic sites or as a secondary CDN for backup/fallback. The built-in L3/L4/L7 DDoS protection and WAF are included on the free tier. Monitor your traffic in the Gcore dashboard and set up alerts before hitting the 1TB limit. For heavier workloads, the Start plan kicks in at 1.5TB with a 14-day/300GB trial. Combine Gcore CDN with their free Managed DNS for a complete edge stack.
Getting Started
Sign up at portal.gcore.com (no credit card) -> navigate to CDN service -> activate the Free plan -> create a CDN resource -> point your CNAME to the Gcore edge URL -> configure caching rules in the dashboard -> enable WAF and DDoS protection via the Security tab.
Pros
- Generous free tier: 1TB traffic/month with no trial period or credit card - one of the most generous always-free CDN offerings
- Built-in security: L3/L4/L7 DDoS protection and WAF included on the free plan - no separate security subscription needed
- Global reach: 210+ PoPs across six continents with 200+ Tbps capacity and 30ms average latency
Cons
- Hard traffic cap: 1TB/month is a hard limit - exceeding it requires upgrading to a paid Start or Pro plan
- Limited CDN features: Advanced features like custom SSL, image optimization, and advanced WAF rules require paid plans
- Support limitations: Free plan includes only community support and docs - no SLA or priority ticket support