Overview
| Parameter | Cloudflare | BunnyCDN |
|---|---|---|
| Network Model | Anycast | Anycast + Tiered Cache |
| PoPs | 300+ cities | 114+ cities |
| Primary Focus | Security and WAF | Content Delivery and Storage |
| Pricing Model | Fixed (Subscription) | Pay-as-you-go (per GB) |
| Edge Compute | Cloudflare Workers | Bunny Scripting (Beta) |
Cloudflare acts as a reverse proxy, routing all website traffic through its infrastructure. It is a comprehensive security platform. BunnyCDN is a traditional CDN focused on minimizing latency for heavy files and static assets.
Performance
Cloudflare leads in global TTFB (Time to First Byte) due to its Anycast network and extensive peering. However, for large file transfers (video, software binaries), BunnyCDN often demonstrates higher throughput. Bunny utilizes NVMe SSDs across all nodes and Perma-Cache, which replicates content to global storage, eliminating origin requests.
Configuration & complexity
Cloudflare typically requires DNS delegation to their nameservers. Caching rules are managed via Page Rules or Cache Rules. BunnyCDN operates via Pull Zones: you specify the origin address and receive a CNAME like site.b-cdn.net. Setup takes less than 1 minute. Purging cache via BunnyCDN API: curl -X POST "https://api.bunny.net/purge?url=https://mysite.com/css/style.css" -H "AccessKey: YOUR_KEY".
When to choose what
- Cloudflare: DDoS protection, WAF requirements, running Serverless functions at the edge, masking origin IP addresses.
- BunnyCDN: Video delivery (Bunny Stream), large-scale data storage (Edge Storage), high-traffic sites with strict budget constraints.
Cost / licensing
Cloudflare offers a free tier with unlimited bandwidth but no SLA guarantees. Paid tiers ($20 and $200/mo) are fixed. BunnyCDN uses a Pay-as-you-go model. Prices start at $0.005/GB in EU and NA. Minimum monthly recharge is $1. For projects with 10 TB of traffic, BunnyCDN can be more cost-effective than Cloudflare Business.
Ecosystem & integrations
Cloudflare's ecosystem is broader: R2 (S3-compatible storage), Zero Trust, and Pages. BunnyCDN focuses on media services: Bunny Optimizer for on-the-fly image compression and Bunny Stream for secure video hosting with an integrated player.
Verdict
Cloudflare is the industry standard for web application security and optimization. BunnyCDN is the superior choice for high-performance static and video delivery with transparent usage-based billing.