CDN Buying Guide 2026 Verified: 7-Step Process, RFP Template Included
Seven concrete steps to pick the right CDN without overpaying. Half of overspend is buying the wrong model for the traffic shape; the other half is not benchmarking before signing.
Verified 17 June 2026
1. Measure your traffic
- Monthly egress in GB (from current CDN bill or origin logs).
- Region split (% of bytes by NA, EU, AP, SA, AF).
- Average request size and total requests per month.
- Cache hit ratio (target 90%+ for cost-efficient delivery).
- Peak hour bandwidth (Mbps).
2. Shortlist by pricing model fit
Use the 5 pricing models page to map your traffic to model. Predictable + flat budget = bundle. Spiky + cost-sensitive = per-GB tiered. Cloud-native = hyperscaler.
3. Issue an RFP
Use our CDN RFP template. The critical fields are: per-GB rate by region tier, request fees, minimum commitment, contract term, termination clause, security add-ons, SLA credits.
4. Anchor against published rates
Get a Cloudflare and Bunny quote even if you will not buy from either; both will give you a written rate. Use as anchor in quote-only vendor conversations.
5. Pilot
Migrate 5-10% of traffic to each of your top 2 vendors for two weeks. Measure cache hit ratio, p95 latency by region, real invoice. Vendor benchmarks are not your traffic.
6. Negotiate
- Ask for the next pricing tier without committing volume.
- Bundle WAF/Bot Management/Image Optimization for free; vendors will give them to close.
- Push for shorter term (12 months) with renewal incentives, not 36-month lock-in.
- Get penalty-free off-ramp in writing.
7. Re-audit at 90 days
Compare actual invoice to RFP estimate. Discrepancies are usually region premium, cache-miss penalties, or add-on fees. Adjust contract or migrate.