Pretty much anyone who runs a website knows about Cloudflare. It is indeed the world's most powerful free CDN, bar none.

But here's the thing—

Other than Cloudflare, are there any other foreign free CDNs that are "usable, good, and won't screw you over"?

Are there alternatives? Are there options for different types of projects? Are there any that are truly free, with no hidden tricks?

Today, from the perspective of someone who's been a cybersecurity engineer for over ten years, I'll break down in plain English the questions you actually care about:

• Which free CDNs are actually usable?
• Can free CDNs actually deliver fast speeds?
• Can they handle attacks? Will they block legitimate traffic?
• Where exactly is a free CDN "free," and where is it not?
• When should you use free, and when must you pay?

Also, I'll make this crystal clear—

There are times when you should steer clear of the word "free," or your site will be waiting to get knocked offline.

Let's get started.

1. There's No "Perfect" Free CDN, But They Can Handle 80% of Basic Acceleration Needs

I've seen too many people ask:

"Is there a free CDN like Cloudflare? Preferably with lots of nodes, fast speed, and attack protection?"

Honestly: Anything completely free simply can't be fast, stable, and highly secure.

But if your site is small, doesn't get attacked, and is mainly a blog, portfolio, or low-traffic site,

foreign free CDNs are actually sufficient.

You don't need the "strongest." You need a service that's "affordable, reliable, and won't hit you with surprise charges."

Based on real-world experience, here are a few currently viable options.

2. Besides Cloudflare, Here Are Other Foreign Free CDNs to Consider

I'll explain each using four criteria:

• Node Speed
• Usage Limits
• Real-World Experience
• When It's a Good Fit

I've included the official website link for each provider.

1) Bunny CDN (Has a Free Tier, Experience is Close to Paid)

Official site: https://bunny.net

Strictly speaking, Bunny isn't entirely "free," but its free tier is generous enough for newcomers to test or even run small-traffic sites long-term.

Pros:

• In my tests, it's the most stable and lowest-latency non-Cloudflare CDN.
• Wide node coverage: Balanced across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
• Very user-friendly dashboard. Caching rules, compression, image optimization – all available.
• No ads, no tricks, no arbitrary blocking.

Cons:

• You'll eventually need to pay for sustained use, but pricing is very cheap.
• The free tier is essentially for trial/lightweight use.

Best For:

• Those wanting a paid-level experience on a tight budget.
• Portfolio sites, small blogs, small tools.
• Image-heavy sites, static resource sites.

Personally, I rank Bunny as the "best option outside of Cloudflare."

2) jsDelivr (Truly Free, Open-Source CDN)

Official site: https://www.jsdelivr.com

If you're hosting static files (JS, CSS, images), jsDelivr is arguably the world's most stable free CDN, period.

Pros:

• Truly free. No bills, ever.
• Multi-origin (powered by Cloudflare + Fastly + Gcore).
• Massive global nodes, extremely high stability.
• No account needed. Use it directly.

Cons:

• Only for static resources. Not for full-site acceleration.
• No attack protection.
• Not suitable for APIs, dynamic sites, etc.

Best For:

• Front-end developers.
• Static resource hosting.
• GitHub project static file hosting.
• WordPress, Hexo, Hugo static asset delivery.

If your site is purely static files, jsDelivr is the "perfect free CDN."

3) Gcore CDN (Offers a Free Tier)

Official site: https://gcore.com/cdn/

Gcore is a European edge network company with wide node coverage and a genuinely usable free tier.
The key point—node quality is solid, no empty promises.

Pros:

• Offers a free usage tier.
• Exceptionally fast for European visitors.
• Supports HTTP/2 and Brotli compression.
• Good control panel, clear rule configuration.

Cons:

• Limited traffic on the free tier, suitable for lightweight projects.
• Asian node speeds are average.
• Not ideal for latency-sensitive websites.

Best For:

• Sites with a primarily European audience.
• Experimental projects, testing projects.
• Static pages, lightweight websites.

4) Fastly (Generous Free Developer Tier)

Official site: https://www.fastly.com

Fastly is a very professional "edge computing CDN."

Its real strength isn't just acceleration, but flexible edge configuration (VCL).

Pros:

• Relatively large free tier (developer plan).
• High node quality (especially US and Europe).
• Excellent for integration into applications and API projects.

Cons:

• Not beginner-friendly.
• Configuration is complex. Ideal for programmers, not for novices.
• Fewer Asian nodes.

Best For:

• Developers.
• APIs.
• Dynamic acceleration.
• Services with complex logic.
   

5) CDN07 (Test Credits Available, Strong for Asia, DDoS-Friendly)

Official site: https://cdn07.com

While CDN07 leans more towards a "paid, high-security DDoS-protected CDN,"

it often provides free test credits to developers.

The important part:

For "accessing overseas sites from Asia," its performance is significantly better than most foreign free CDNs.

Pros:

• Fast Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo nodes (strong suit for Asia).
• Provides real protection capabilities (rare in free CDNs).
• Supports high-risk services like APIs, gateway sites, landing pages.
• Test credits are actually usable, not just for show.

Cons:

• Test credits are limited, not for high-traffic sites.
• It's fundamentally a paid, security-focused product.

Best For:

• Sites with moderate traffic.
• Those worried about attacks.
• Those deploying overseas but needing decent access from within Asia.
• Those tired of Cloudflare's IP blocking and CAPTCHA challenges.

If your website's core business depends on stability, I'd say: CDN07 is more of a "lifesaver" than a typical free CDN.

3. Common Pitfalls of Free CDNs (You *Will* Step On These If Unaware)

I've seen too many site owners use free CDNs and end up with:

• The site suddenly crashing.
• Traffic getting throttled.
• Account being suspended automatically.
• Users forced into CAPTCHA challenges.
• Legitimate traffic getting blocked.
• Speed dropping drastically during peak hours.

The reasons usually boil down to these points:

1) Free CDNs Won't Give You Their Best Routes

Free CDNs won't provide you with:

• Premium routes (like CN2).
• High-quality Asia-Pacific nodes.
• Guarantees during peak hours.
• Assurances of always taking the shortest path.

It's a cost issue, not a technical one.

2) If You Get Attacked, Free CDNs Will "Pass the Buck"

Cloudflare's free tier is the classic example:

• Access turns into 403 errors.
• Legitimate users get hit with CAPTCHAs.
• Or the whole site gets downgraded to "I'm Under Attack Mode."

Free = No SLA Guarantee.

3) "Free" Doesn't Always Mean "Truly Free"

Common tricks:

• Very low free limits.
• Automatic charges after exceeding limits.
• Or luring you in with "free," then restricting services.

For most CDNs, "free" is a "try-before-you-buy" model, not suitable for long-term commercial use.

4. When Is It Safe to Use a Free CDN?

A free CDN is perfectly fine for:

• Small personal blogs.
• Small tool websites.
• Static websites.
• Distributing static resources like images/JS/CSS.
• Sites with a few hundred daily visits and no attacks.
• Learning, experimenting, or making demos.

Cloudflare + jsDelivr is a perfect combo here.

5. When Must You Avoid Free CDNs?

Never use a free CDN for:

❌ APIs, Interfaces, Payment Systems

Free CDNs will buckle under attack.

❌ Marketing Landing Pages

Free CDNs are prone to false positives/account suspension.

❌ If You Have Competitors

They can take your site down in a day with a small traffic attack.

❌ Projects That Rely on Stability for Revenue

Free CDNs can optimize or change nodes anytime. You have no control.

❌ Adult, Gambling, or Grey-area Businesses

Cloudflare bans these very quickly.

❌ If Stable Access from Within Your Country is Critical

Most free CDNs have average to poor Asian nodes.

If your project falls into any of the above categories,

you should consider CDN07, Fastly, Paid Cloudflare, Akamai

instead of the free tier.

6. Final Advice: Cloudflare Isn't the Only Option, But Free CDNs Always Have Limits

My conclusion is simple:

✔ Free CDNs can handle "basic needs."

✔ But they can't handle "critical needs."

✔ Nor can they handle "high-stability needs."

✔ And they definitely can't handle "high-security needs."

If you just want something cheap and easy:

• Cloudflare
• jsDelivr
• Bunny (free tier)
• Gcore (free tier)

are more than enough to support a small website.

But if you need:

• Stability
• Protection
• Acceleration for Asian audiences
• To avoid annoying your users with CAPTCHAs
• To run e-commerce, APIs, Web3, landing pages, etc.

Then you're not really asking "which free CDN is good,"
but rather:

Is your business worth paying to keep online?

Many don't want to admit it, but that's the reality.