AWS SNS

Managed pub/sub messaging and mobile push at AWS scale

Fastly

Real-time CDN and edge computing for high-performance apps

AWS SNS vs Fastly: Full Comparison (2026)

Pricing, features, scores, and a clear verdict on which one is right for you.

The bottom line

AWS SNS positions itself as "managed pub/sub messaging and mobile push at aws scale" while Fastly goes after "real-time cdn and edge computing for high-performance apps" — so the right pick depends on which problem you're actually solving. Both use usage-based pricing, but AWS SNS charges per message while Fastly charges per gb — a meaningful difference for larger teams. AWS SNS lets you start for free, which means you can validate the fit before committing budget. Fastly requires a paid commitment upfront, so make sure it matches your workflow before signing.

At a glance

	AWS SNS	Fastly
Our score	72/100	76/100
Starting price	Free	$50/mo
Free tier	Yes	No
Best for	Managed pub/sub messaging and mobile push at AWS scale	Real-time CDN and edge computing for high-performance apps

Pricing comparison

AWS SNS

Free tier available

Free TierFree

Pay-as-you-go$null/mo

Pricing verified 2026-04-16

Fastly

No free tier

Pay-as-you-go$50/mo

Enterprise$null/mo

Pricing verified 2026-04-16

Calculate your cost

How many developers?10

1500

AWS SNSUnknown

Contact sales

FastlyUnknown

Contact sales

Try AWS SNS free →Visit Fastly →

Feature comparison

core

Feature	AWS SNS	Fastly
Pub/sub topics	Yes	No
Mobile push	Yes	No
SMS delivery	Yes	No
Email notifications	Yes	No
SQS fan-out	Yes	No
CDN	No	Yes
DDoS protection	No	Yes
Instant cache purge	No	Yes
WAF	No	Yes
Real-time analytics	No	Yes

advanced

Feature	AWS SNS	Fastly
FIFO topics	Yes	No
Message filtering	Yes	No
Dead-letter queues	Yes	No
Encryption at rest	Yes	No
Cross-region delivery	Yes	No
Compute@Edge (Wasm)	No	Yes
Image optimization	No	Yes
Origin shielding	No	Yes
Custom VCL	No	Yes
Bot management	No	Yes

integrations

Feature	AWS SNS	Fastly
AWS Lambda	Yes	No
AWS SQS	Yes	No
AWS EventBridge	Yes	No
CloudWatch	Yes	No
All AWS services	Yes	No
AWS	No	Yes
GCP	No	Yes
Terraform	No	Yes
Fastly CLI	No	Yes
GitHub Actions	No	Yes

Ratings breakdown

AWS SNS

Ease of use

5/10

Value for money

9/10

Features

8/10

Support

7/10

Fastly

Ease of use

6/10

Value for money

5/10

Features

9/10

Support

8/10

What the data tells us

Key capabilities you'd miss

Choosing AWS SNS means going without CDN, DDoS protection, Instant cache purge (which Fastly offers). Choosing Fastly means losing Pub/sub topics, Mobile push, SMS delivery. These are the features that typically drive the final decision — check whether your workflow depends on any of them before committing.

What company size tells you

Fastly (501-1,000 employees) has the engineering bench to ship features across many fronts but may iterate slower on individual requests. AWS SNS (100,000+ employees) typically ships faster on its core product but may lag on peripheral features. Consider which matters more for your roadmap.

Choose AWS SNS if...

You want a free tier to get started
You value powerful features over simplicity
Getting strong value for money is a priority

Try AWS SNS free →

Choose Fastly if...

You're ready to invest from $50/mo
You value powerful features over simplicity
You need enterprise-grade capabilities

Visit Fastly →

Frequently asked questions

Is AWS SNS or Fastly better?

Fastly scores 76/100 compared to AWS SNS's 72/100 on VendorVS. However, the best choice depends on your needs — AWS SNS excels at ease of use (5/10) while Fastly scores 6/10.

How much does AWS SNS cost compared to Fastly?

AWS SNS starts at free (free tier available). Fastly starts at $50/mo. AWS SNS is the more affordable option.

Does AWS SNS or Fastly have a free plan?

AWS SNS offers a free tier. Fastly does not — its cheapest plan starts at $50/mo.

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