Summary: Most free CDNs don't work in China. EdgeOne's free plan is the first to include China access with direct ISP peering—plus DDoS protection, SSL management, and global acceleration at 3,200+ nodes. Zero cost. No credit card required. Here's everything you need to know.
The China CDN problem:
You need a CDN. You need it to work in China. You can't afford a paid plan yet.
The options:
The new option:
This is the first free CDN that actually delivers sub-second performance in China without requiring ICP licenses, local servers, or paid plans.
| Feature | EdgeOne Free | Cloudflare Free | AWS Free Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global CDN | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ (50 GB/month) |
| China Access | ✅ (Direct ISP peering) | ❌ (Slow in China) | ❌ (Separate product) |
| DDoS Protection | ✅ (Basic L3/L4) | ✅ (Basic) | ❌ (Paid add-on) |
| SSL/TLS Certificates | ✅ (Free auto-managed) | ✅ (Free) | ✅ (ACM free) |
| WAF | ✅ (Basic rules) | ✅ (5 rules) | ❌ (Paid) |
| Bot Management | Basic | Basic | ❌ (Paid) |
| Edge Functions | Limited | ✅ (100K req/day) | ❌ |
| HTTP/3 + QUIC | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Real-Time Analytics | ✅ | ✅ | Limited |
| AI Crawler Control | ✅ (Free) | ❌ | ❌ |
| Credit Card Required | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
EdgeOne Free Plan Specifications:
EdgeOne Free Plan China Performance:
| City | Without EdgeOne | With EdgeOne Free | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing | 6.8 seconds | 1.2 seconds | -82% |
| Shanghai | 6.2 seconds | 1.0 seconds | -84% |
| Shenzhen | 5.8 seconds | 0.9 seconds | -84% |
| Chengdu | 7.5 seconds | 1.3 seconds | -83% |
| Guangzhou | 5.5 seconds | 0.8 seconds | -85% |
How: Direct peering with China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile—included free.
1. Personal Developers
2. MVP Technical Teams
3. Non-Profit/Education Projects
4. Early-Stage Startups
Upgrade to Personal ($0.9/month promo) when:
Upgrade to Basic ($32/month promo) when:
Upgrade to Standard ($299/month promo) when:
Total setup time: < 10 minutes
"I'm building a mobile game and needed a website for player community. Most CDNs are too expensive for a pre-revenue project. EdgeOne's free plan gives me global CDN with China access—perfect since 30% of my players are in Asia. Setup took 8 minutes."
Results:
"Our education platform serves students in 15 countries including China. We tried Cloudflare free but China performance was terrible (7+ seconds). EdgeOne free gives us sub-second performance in China at zero cost."
Results:
"We're validating our B2B SaaS idea and needed global acceleration for our demo site. EdgeOne free gives us professional-grade performance while we're still pre-revenue. When we get customers, we'll upgrade to Basic."
Results:
| Feature | Free | Personal ($0.9) | Basic ($32) | Standard ($299) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global CDN | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| China Access | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Traffic | Basic | 50 GB | 500 GB | 3 TB |
| Requests | Basic | 3M | 20M | 50M |
| DDoS | Basic | Enhanced | Enhanced | Advanced |
| WAF | Basic | Enhanced | OWASP TOP 10 | Full WAF |
| Bot Management | Basic | Basic | Basic | Full |
| Edge Functions | Limited | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| SSL | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| HTTP/3 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| AI Crawler Control | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Support | Community | Priority | Enterprise |
Q: Is the Free Plan truly free forever?
A: Yes. No time limit, no credit card required, no hidden charges.
Q: Will my site actually work in China?
A: Yes. EdgeOne has direct peering with China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile. Free plan includes China access.
Q: What happens if I exceed limits?
A: Your service continues but may be throttled. You'll receive a notification to upgrade.
Q: Can I upgrade later without downtime?
A: Yes. Upgrading is instant with zero downtime.
Q: Is there DDoS protection on the Free Plan?
A: Yes. Basic L3/L4 DDoS protection is included.
Q: Do I need an ICP license for China access?
A: No. Content is cached at edge nodes, not hosted in China. No ICP required.
The world's first free CDN with China access. No credit card. No time limit. No catch.
Get Started in 10 Minutes:
| Plan | Best For | Specifications | Original Price | Promo Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Personal Developers, MVP Teams, Non-Profit/Education | Basic protection & static acceleration | —— | $0/month |
| Personal | Early-Stage / Lightweight Business | 50GB + 3M requests | CDN + Security | $4.2/month | $0.9/month |
| Basic | Growing / Functional Sites | 500GB + 20M requests | OWASP TOP 10 | $57/month | $32/month |
| Standard | Mature Business / Transactional Platforms | 3TB + 50M requests | WAF + Bot Management | $590/month | $299/month |
Start Free — No Credit Card Required
Free CDN with China access exists. No more choosing between performance in China and staying within budget. Start free today.