Akamai acquired Linode in 2022. In 2026, the integration is deeper, and the pricing changes are fully in effect. Here is what changed, what stayed, and what it means for WordPress and small business hosting.
What changed
Akamai’s restructuring of Linode’s pricing took effect in phases. The key changes by mid-2026:
- Plan consolidation — Older legacy plans are no longer available for new accounts. Existing customers still on legacy plans received migration notices.
- Bandwidth pooling — Bandwidth is now pooled across all services in an account rather than per-instance. This benefits multi-server setups.
- Compute plans — Standard shared CPU plans remain the entry point, with dedicated CPU and premium plans at higher price points.
- Managed databases — Pricing shifted upward, though still competitive with DigitalOcean managed databases.
Current pricing snapshot
Linode (Akamai) mid-2026 approximate pricing:
| Plan | RAM | CPU | Storage | Transfer | Price/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nanode 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 shared | 25 GB | 1 TB | $5 |
| Linode 2 GB | 2 GB | 1 shared | 50 GB | 2 TB | $12 |
| Linode 4 GB | 4 GB | 2 shared | 80 GB | 4 TB | $24 |
| Linode 8 GB | 8 GB | 4 shared | 160 GB | 5 TB | $48 |
| Dedicated 4 GB | 4 GB | 2 dedicated | 80 GB | 4 TB | $36 |
| Premium 4 GB | 4 GB | 2 dedicated | 80 GB NVMe | 4 TB | $43 |
Compare with DigitalOcean (standard droplets):
| Plan | RAM | CPU | Storage | Transfer | Price/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 1 GB | 1 shared | 25 GB | 1 TB | $6 |
| Basic | 2 GB | 1 shared | 50 GB | 2 TB | $12 |
| Basic | 4 GB | 2 shared | 80 GB | 4 TB | $24 |
And Hetzner (CX series):
| Plan | RAM | CPU | Storage | Transfer | Price/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CX22 | 2 GB | 2 shared | 40 GB | 20 TB | ~€4.50 |
| CX32 | 4 GB | 2 shared | 80 GB | 20 TB | ~€8 |
| CX42 | 8 GB | 4 shared | 160 GB | 20 TB | ~€16 |
Linode’s pricing is in line with DigitalOcean, slightly cheaper at some tiers. Hetzner remains the far-cheaper option for raw compute, though with fewer regions and a less polished ecosystem.
What existing customers should know
If you have been on Linode for years:
- Legacy plans — If you are still on a plan that does not appear on the current pricing page, it will eventually be migrated or deprecated. Check your account notices.
- Bandwidth pooling — If you run multiple Linodes, the pooled bandwidth model is generally an improvement over per-instance caps.
- Support — Akamai support replaced Linode’s original team. The support experience has been mixed: some long-time customers report slower response for complex issues, while basic support remains functional.
- Panel and API — Cloud Manager is modern and functional. The API is well-documented. If you manage Linodes programmatically, the API has not broken in any significant way.
How it affects WordPress hosting
Linode remains a solid option for WordPress on a VPS:
Good for:
- Self-managed WordPress with a panel (RunCloud, SpinupWP, Enhance)
- Single-site setups where a $5–12/month Linode is cost-effective
- Developers who want the Linode API and Cloud Manager
- Sites that benefit from Akamai’s CDN integration (available to Linode customers)
Less good for:
- Price-sensitive buyers (Hetzner is cheaper)
- Beginners who want managed WordPress (use Kinsta, WP Engine, or SiteGround)
- Users who want managed databases at the lowest cost (Hetzner is cheaper, DigitalOcean has better docs)
Practical take
Linode under Akamai is still a reliable VPS provider. The pricing is fair but no longer the bargain it was in 2018. The ecosystem is stable. If you are already running WordPress on Linode, there is no urgent reason to leave. If you are choosing a new VPS provider, compare Linode against Hetzner (if location works) and DigitalOcean (if you value docs and managed services) before committing.