Getting Started
Do I Need a CDN? - Quick Decision Guide
Updated on August 30, 2025
Not sure if your website needs a CDN? Answer 3 simple questions and get a personalized recommendation. Plus learn exactly when CDNs make financial sense.
Quick Decision Tool
Answer 3 questions to know if you need a CDN right now.
Websites Guide
Under 5,000 visitors? Learn if CDN is worth it for small sites.
The Reality: Almost Every Site Benefits
Even a $0.50/month CDN can make small sites load 3x faster. For growing businesses, CDN directly impacts sales and Google rankings. Learn more about how CDNs make websites faster.
The short answer: Almost every website benefits from a CDN, even tiny ones. But let's figure out exactly what you need.
Quick Decision Tool
Let me help you figure out if your website needs a CDN. Just answer these 3 questions:
1. Monthly Visitors
| Visitor Range | CDN Need | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1,000 | Nice to have | $0.50 |
| 1,000-10,000 | Recommended | $1-5 |
| 10,000+ | Essential | $5-15 |
If you get less than 1,000 visitors monthly, CDN isn't urgent but costs only $0.50 anyway. For 1,000-10,000 visitors, CDN makes pages noticeably faster. Above 10,000 visitors, you'll feel slow without CDN.
2. Visitor Location
Check Google Analytics → Audience → Geo → Location:
- Single country: CDN helps a bit
- Multiple countries: CDN is essential
- Global audience: CDN absolutely necessary
Someone in Japan loading your USA-hosted site will suffer without CDN.
3. Website Type
| Site Type | Loading Improvement | CDN Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Text blog | 2x faster with CDN | Can wait |
| Image-heavy | 4x faster with Image CDN | Get it now |
| E-commerce | 3x faster + more sales | Essential |
| Video/files | Prevents crashes | Critical |
Text sites load fine anyway. Image-heavy sites see 50-80% improvement. Online stores lose customers without CDN.
Different Website Types
1. Small Websites & Blogs {#small-websites}
For personal blogs, small business sites, and portfolios under 5,000 monthly visitors.
Should you get CDN? Yes, it's worth it, but not NECESSARY!
Benefits for small sites:
- Load 3x faster (4-5s → 1-2s)
- Better Google rankings
- Great mobile experience
Real costs:
| Monthly Visitors | CDN Cost |
|---|---|
| 500 | $0.10 to $0.30 |
| 2,000 | $1.50 |
| 5,000 | $3.00 |
Even tiny speed improvements keep visitors engaged and reduce bounce rates.
- Best choice: BunnyCDN pay-as-you-go at $0.01/GB. See our quick startup guide for setup instructions.
2. Growing Businesses {#growing-businesses}
For e-commerce stores, service businesses, and SaaS products with 5,000-50,000 monthly visitors.
CDN is absolutely recommended at this level.
Slow loading directly hurts income. 1 extra second = 7% fewer sales.
What you get:
- Loading: 6-8s → 1.5-2s (4x faster)
- Bounce rate: 15-25% reduction
- Conversions: 10-30% increase
- Better Google rankings
People expect under 3-second loading. Longer = they leave for competitors.
- Best choice: BunnyCDN + Optimizer at $9.50/month for unlimited image optimization. Compare with other paid CDN options.
3. High-Traffic Sites {#high-traffic}
For popular blogs, large stores, and SaaS platforms over 50,000 monthly visitors.
CDN is absolutely recommended.
Without CDN, you will face:
- Site crashes during traffic spikes
- Terrible international user experience
- Insane hosting costs
- Lost customers and rankings
What CDN provides:
- Handles 80-95% of bandwidth load
- Global fast loading
- Server cost savings
- Uptime protection
Cost comparison (100K visitors):
| Provider | Monthly Cost | Pricing Model |
|---|---|---|
| BunnyCDN | $15-25 | Predictable |
| Cloudflare Images | $40-80 | Usage surprises |
| AWS CloudFront | $30-120 | Complex |
CDN saves more in hosting costs than it charges.
- Best choice: BunnyCDN Pro + Optimizer for enterprise reliability. See our guide on when to upgrade from free plans.
Why We Recommend BunnyCDN
After testing many CDN services, BunnyCDN offers the best value.
Crystal clear pricing: $0.01/GB + optional $9.50/month for unlimited optimization.
Cost comparison (50GB monthly site):
Provider Monthly Cost Pricing Model BunnyCDN $10 ($0.50 + $9.50) Predictable Cloudflare Images $25-60 Usage-based surprises AWS CloudFront $35-80 Complex billing
Why BunnyCDN wins:
- 40-60% cheaper than alternatives
- No surprise bills
- Simple setup and docs
- 119+ global server locations
- Responsive support
Bottom line: Enterprise performance at startup prices.
Start with BunnyCDN's free trial. $5 credit covers months of testing.
