KeyCDN Review: Price, POPs, Speed, Free Tools, and More
Madushan Bandara
- Read Time17 mins
KeyCDN is a high-performing content delivery network. And a privately funded Swiss company that is the leading European CDN provider. But KeyCDN is more expensive and has fewer data centers compared to others(40+ POP). Most KeyCDN data centers are placed in Europe and the USA. That is a notable drawback to other regions.
KeyCDN is a costly solution, so there are better alternatives if you have a low-traffic website. Choose between Cloudflare free, BunnyCDN, or QUIC.cloud for LiteSpeed users.
If most of your traffic is from Asia, North America, or Africa, KeyCDN is not a wise choice because they have few POPs in those regions. However, if you have a lot of traffic from the US/UK/EU, they are a better choice with ease of use and other optimization features.
If you don’t fully understand what you’re doing, go with free Cloudflare, which will work nicely. Before using a CDN, use a good hosting service. Because your web host decides how your website progresses, you cannot fully optimize using only CDN/caching layers.
Let’s start my KeyCDN review with more about CDN and how they differ in pricing, functions, tools, usage, data centers, performance, and many other things with CDN.
How Is CDN Important?
CDN offers several advantages. With other optimization features, you can decide which files need to be delivered from the CDN. CDNs provide better security, stop bad requests, and even bot protection to prevent spammers. Every CDN has its feature collection, from DNS to security and performance improvements. And plenty of others.
Lower Latency
Assume your website is hosted in an Indian data center. Each viewer needs to send requests to the IND and wait for responses. That sounds familiar, a small or local business in India. For example, due to slow response, the latency for Aus, Europ, and USA users will likely be a significant problem enough to turn people away from your website.
However, it must be decided if you’re addressing the global crowd. Using a CDN can copy your website in several locations worldwide. CDN uses its port to identify its exact location and serves data from the closest server, ensuring global access to your website.
CDN is handy for decreasing the loading times of pics, stylesheets, JS, fonts, etc. As a result, serving users close to their server provides a much better overall experience. When using a CDN, requests are always routed to the nearest location.
This creates fully automated replication, which helps to guarantee that content is always accessible. With CDN, most traffic is delivered by CDN servers rather than hosts. Visitors may become more active and have a higher chance of returning.
Moving visitors to a CDN helps to manage heavy loads and scale up or down quickly. This reduces the load on the server and helps to reduce outages.
Lower Connect time, TLS and TTFB
- Connect Time: Time is taken to set a TCP connection
- TLS: Transport Layer Security
- TTFB: Time to first byte
Significant advantages of using a CDN to reduce TTFB, TLS, and connect times. These also speed metrix and have a direct impact on CWV.
Look at these pictures to see the difference between with and without CDN.
CDNs can help to reduce bounce rates
Many factors contribute to a high bounce rate. The total time for content to load is the most significant factor. Using a CDN can increase engagement by reducing turndowns. It improves your conversions and the user’s overall experience.
Cloudflare vs. Traditional CDN
The difference is that Cloudflare works at the DNS end has more control over your website, and offers multiple edges. Traditional CDN involves your website mirroring to CDN servers. Data are served from the CDN hostname, commonly “cdn.domain.com.
Users use Cloudflare by changing the DNS records to point to Cloudflare NS.
Cloudflare replicates your static assets (images, Javascript, Stylesheet, fonts, etc.) from proximity servers. Cloudflare keeps all of your asset URLs the same. I like it.
Cloudflare is more than just a CDN.
It is framed to provide wide website security solutions. Cloudflare can protect your website from attacks because it works at the DNS. In addition, to other security, and performance, Cloudflare has unlimited free service, while none of the other offers.
KeyCDN Review
KeyCDN is a well-known and quality European CDN service with lots of features. But still, they have perks and drawbacks, and you should analyze them before deciding.
Here is my complete KeyCDN review with answers to all questions.
Pricing
KeyCDN is not a cheap option due to the minimum monthly fee of $4, even though you haven’t used network capacity in 30 days. You have to PAY that minimal amount. DAMN!
No, there’s another big blow: the minimum top-up amount. You can’t pay just $5, $10, or $20. You have to fill at $49 all at once. That’s not at all comfortable.
It is almost the bare CHARGE for one year. It may be a manageable charge for large websites. However, charging $49 may be a big deal for lean/low-traffic websites. That’s the biggest reason I recommended Bunny, Cloudflare, or Quic.Cloud.
KeyCDN charges are used on credits for one credit matched to one U.s. dollar.
They charge differently in different regions:
- North America and Europe, $0.04/GB
- $0.08/GB in Asia and $0.10/GB in Latin America and Africa.
Compared to BunnyCDN, KeyCDN is more expensive because Bunny charges only $0.01 per GB in Europe/United States. And Quic.Cloud is also the same as Bunny’s price.
14 Days Free Trial
Like BunnyCDN, KeyCDN offers a free 14-day trial with no credit/debit card required. That is a nice punch, so you can test how they perform in your own eyes for free.
When you register an account, you get a trial with up to 25GB of bandwidth. If you use the free limit before the 2 weeks, the trial will end immediately. BOOM!
But you can test all of their CDN features.
Points of Presence
KeyCDN only owns 40 data centers globally, compared to Bunny’s 110+, Cloudflare’s 250+, and Quic.cloud’s 70. KeyCDN Active POPs are minimal compared to others.
The entire African region has only one data center in Johannesburg. HAHA! Moreover, Latin America has only 5, Asia 7, Oceania 5, Europe 14, and North America 10.
As you can see, their target markets are Europe/US and Oceania. If most of your visitors come from those locations, use KeyCDN. Otherwise, there are better alternatives.
User Interface
KeyCDN User Interface is straightforward and easy to use.
But I feel I need to be updated. I like BUNNY UI and Cloudflare’s advanced UI, but KeyCDN UI/dashboard is OK. Everyone can understand how to go around it.
With that simple dashboard, you can easily navigate billing, zones, docs, reports, and other features. It’s beginner-friendly, with no clutters, but it needs more improvement.
Integration with KeyCDN
KeyCDN setup is straightforward. They also created the CDN Enabler plugin for WordPress users, which rewrites CSS, JS, pics, etc. However, the plugin has average responses. KeyCDN has a very detailed outline for integrations and everything.
As previously stated, this plugin rewrites static files like CSS, JavaScript, and media files. It allows you to include URLs in rewrite-by-file format and exclude URLs.
When a KeyCDN login is connected, the CDN cache can purge in WordPress. However, if you already use cache plugins, you can ignore this plugin and go with FlyingPress.
Setup AND Configuration
Configuration is also simple; after integration, there are a few settings and some advanced features. Enter your Zone Name, select a pull zone, and enter your Origin URL; those are the basic settings; let us look at the advanced settings.
General settings
There are many general settings similar to other CDN services. Cloudflare has a Plethora setup, but KeyCDN has some crucial but not too advanced.
- Forces download – force download the content.
- Gzip/Brotli – Gzip or Brotli data compression
- Expire – response headers for expires and cache-control
- Max Expire – the maximum time to cached files will be kept without verifying the origin server.
- Bots – keep harmful bots out.
- Secure Token – limit access to content on Zone.
- Force SSL – HTTP requests forward to HTTPS.
- Ignore Query String – a good option to improve the cache hit rate.
- Cache Cookies – cookies are not cacheable, but this option will force the edge servers to cache cookies
- Canonical Header – good for SEO
- Custom Robots.txt – you can add custom Robots.txt
- Cache Key WebP – based on the image’s header, cache WebP images.
- Block Referrer – like blocklist mode, block requests based on the specified Zone.
Image Processing
Including uncomplicated development settings, KeyCDN’s real-time Image Processing transitions improve your pics by converting and optimizing. The image optimization processes define the UX. Drive other variations of images by delivering them via CDN. Here are more features on this optimization with this KeyCDN review.
Advanced Features
Here are a few if you’re looking for actual image optimization options that go beyond plugins and have a ton of features that we couldn’t find from a plugin.
- Trims – cuts pixels from all edges
- Crops – clips the image by width and length with the algorithm.
- Resize – adjusts the image width in pixels on display.
- Position – sets where the image will show on the screen.
- Background – set the image’s background color.
- Extend – add padding pixels to make the image fit.
- Rotate – positive or negative rotation of the output image.
- Flips and Flops – flip the image both horizontally and vertically.
- Blur – image blurring
- Normalize – improves dynamic range & output contrast.
- Quality – sets the image’s quality level to ON (0–100).
- Adaptive – allows pictures to use a flexible row filter.
- Lossless – the WebP image is encoded without losses.
KeyCDN is the finest option for edge image optimization. However, it is not free. Starts at $0.40 per 1,000 processes. A process is estimated when an image is processed.
CDN storage
CDN storage is ideal for distributing effective static content or offloading data from a source server. Called Push Zones. This storage allows data distribution at peak data transfer rates. This is ideal for static websites, apps, games, images, and high-resolution videos. Your host is sufficient and free to serve critical operations on your site.
CDN storage may be a cost-effective method for sharing big files. Just pay for outgoing bandwidth from edge servers/storage. Pay-as-you-go payment at $0.01/GB.
Video CDN
If you want to deliver videos on demand or streams, KeyCDN Video CDN is a cheap option. It helps to control entry to your videos strictly. Accessibility to the video is restricted by hotlinking protection. FLV, MP4, MOV, WMV, MP3, WAV, etc., are supported formats.
Video CDNs can improve with KeyCDN media player with features like streaming and downloads. Live streaming is a platform for video streaming in real time. Its edges include security, proxy servers to handle traffic, and the no-need flash player for playback. KeyCDN offers pay-as-you-go, with the price of $0.01/GB, with more features.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Blazing CDN for users in the USA and Europe (Europe 14).
- Decent performance.
- Simple, user-friendly interface.
- Better customer support.
- Super helpful documentation and valuable articles.
- Tools for evaluating the performance of ten global locations.
- KeyCDN offers a free 14-day test (no need credit/debit card).
- Extra security layers, like blocklist, avoid requests on the specified locations.
- Most useful image optimization tool.
Cons
- KeyCDN has only 40 data centers worldwide.
- Fixed monthly fees of $4.
- $49 minimum recharge amount
- Expensive, with different charges in various locations.
- Extra charge for image optimization.
- No listed on Cdnperf.
KeyCDN Alternatives
- Cloudflare: they have over 250 POPs and, indeed, the most reliable free CDN. Also, they operate at the DNS level rather than the CNAME, which enhances security.
- BunnyCDN: they are always at the top of every list, cheap, fast, and reliable, with 100+ Pops. It’s also effortless to get started, and there are other improvements you can put to your CDN setups to enhance security and performance.
- Fastly: this is a premium CDN service with 37+ DC locations and a one-month free trial. However, they are expensive for small websites.
- QUIC.cloud: if you use a LiteSpeed server, QUIC.cloud is a better option because it has 70 DCs with enhanced acceleration and shield features.
- G-Core: an IT solutions provider that provides CDN services with 140+ points of presence. They have a free plan for personal websites with up to 1 TB of traffic.
- Sucuri: This is better at WordPress security than CDN, but it has fewer data centers and is more expensive. However, they may be a good choice for medium and large websites if you are serious about security.
- StackPath: I don’t like StackPath because they’re just another average CDN service. Nothing is unique and also more expensive than others.
- Automattic CDN: Also known as JetPack CDN, although it’s free with the JetPack plugin. I do not urge using JetPack. A sluggish plugin, perhaps the worst plugin ever created. But you can try.
There are multiple other CDNs, and it isn’t easy to list them all. Premium CDNs such as Google, CloudFront, CacheFly, CDN77, Akamai, etc., are not included because they are too expensive but fast and unsuitable for small and medium businesses.
KeyCDN Tools
In addition to CDN, I think including details on free tools with this KeyCDN review may be useful. You can outline website/network/CDN failures with straightforward solutions.
These KeyCDN testing tools are widely used for various matters. Despite their CDN, I like KeyCDN’s free tools, and they have a lot of testing tools.
You can test various things on your website, and they give valid information with waterfall and breakdowns. These tools can help a lot with situation/data analysis.
Website Speed Test
This site Speed Test tool is a comprehensive speed test from ten countries worldwide. (Frankfurt, London, New York, Amsterdam, Dallas, Singapore, Tokyo, Bangalore, Sydney, and San Francisco.) It allows the process of any Webpage.
And results include breakdowns of the queries, content length, loading time, etc. The wide waterfall outlines the timeframe of each static resource. You can analyze the website’s performance and recognize ways to improve it. Compared to Page Speed, I like this.
Nevertheless, you should optimize your website for humans rather than focus on speed testing. If the site appears to load quickly, you’re good. It’s pointless to be concerned with full loading speed because feature loading in the origins has little or no impact on UX.
Performance Test
This performance test is the best tool for anyone who needs to know the DNS speed, time to connect to the server, transport layer security, and TTFB (first byte of data from the server) from ten locations worldwide. It allows you to put any URL. The result will include a breakdown of the loading times, location, and HTTP status.
A perfect tool if you want to know your TTFB from hosting and CDN.
HTTP Header Checker
HTTP Header tester helps analyze any URL’s HTTP header details. It shows custom referer, X-Pull requests, HTTP/2/HTTP/3, and content codec options like Brotli and Gzip.
It can verify that server settings, such as hotlink protection, data compression, server level cache, CDN cache, and plugin cache, are enabled/disabled. This will let you figure out whether your website is experiencing cache or CDN issues.
Brotli Test
Brotli is an open-source encoding tool made by Google to replace Gzip. Brotli has shown lower compression than others. Get to benefit from smaller file sizes, the host and web browser should be Brotli compatible with a secure connection (HTTPS).
Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and other alternatives currently support Brotli.
Ping Test
Ping Test is useful for determining your latency. Ping, also known as website lag, can be scaled back by reducing HTTP requests. Use a CDN to reduce website delay by caching resources on servers with Cache-Control and Gzip/Brotli.
KeyCDN Blog
Honestly, KeyCDN’s blog is worthwhile and has excellent content in brief, such as free tools. I even like the KeyCDN blog, which has deft guidance and a lot of information about web development, WordPress, hosting, CDN, and many other valuable tutorials.
KeyCDN Vs. BunnyCDN
This table shows the differences between KeyCDN and Bunny better than words.
| Features | KeyCDN | BunnyCDN |
|---|---|---|
| Points of Presence | 40 | 112 |
| DNS | No | Yes |
| Image optimization | Yes | Yes |
| Price | $0.04 to 0.11\GB | $0.01 to $0.06\GB |
| Latency | 30-71 MS | 27-64 MS |
| Listed in Cdnperf | No | Yes |
| Fixed monthly fee | $4 | $1 |
| Free Trial | 14 Days | 14 Days |
No need to compare KeyCDN to Bunny because the clear winner is BunnyCDN.
BunnyCDN is affordable, starts at $0.01GB, has 112+ POPs, and includes a bunny optimizer to optimize your website for images and JS, CSS, etc., for only $9 per month.
Geo-replication is another term for Bunny Perma-cache. It auto-creates a copy of your data to storage locations. They will pull from the nearest location, and all requests will bypass the origin server. This improves the cache hit ratio by reducing lag.
Bunny also has additional security settings that can be used to detect malicious user requests. The traffic manager can restrict or reroute a country’s entrance.
Do you need CDN?
In terms of performance:
You only require it if you have global traffic. It is essential if you have over a thousand visitors from different countries. You do not need it if your traffic is almost domestic. But, local users can still benefit from CDN. A further factor is the speed of your web host.
If your web host is extremely slow or unable to handle high traffic, using a CDN can reduce the pressure on your server. CDN is almost less expensive than a prominent host.
If you experience poor TTFB, connect time, and other low-grade metrics, CDN can help. Even the free version of Cloudflare can provide significant benefits.
Security-wise:
If you have a crowded site, online shopping, or a site that catches hackers, perhaps free Cloudflare can be helpful in many ways. It includes blocklists, DDOS, security header, stop bad bots, network limits, bot fight mode, and other basic security features.
Don’t be concerned about the security of shared hosting. Shared servers are most likely set to deal with attacks. Security is critical if you use unmanaged VPS and dedicated servers. It is okay to use security plugins if you have enough server recourses.
Conclusion
In my experience and with this KeyCDN review, KeyCDN’s performance is OK, not bad. But not the best option for me because they only have 40 data centers, a $49 minimum deposit, and a $4 monthly fixed fee, which are unfavorable. They are good if your target audience is Europe/US, but not if your visitors reach from Africa/Latin America/Asia.
They stated that they are a leading Europe CDN provider, meaning that their target market is most likely Europe and the US. However, performance-wise, I have no complaints, but it is overpriced and unsuitable for small websites.
KeyCDN documentation and blog are outstanding, with advanced information. And their free tools are handy for analysis websites.
When choosing a CDN, specify what is valuable to you, your budget, your required bandwidth, and what you need to cache, such as tiny static or big assets. POP locations, closeness to the viewers, and service quality, such as speed and consistency.
Use better hosting services Like GURU with CDN. Cloudflare’s free is enough if you only need to cache static files.
What are your thoughts?
Leave your feedback in the comment.
Additional readings:
