Global Accelerator vs CloudFront cost: two edge services, two bills

Quick answer

Global Accelerator and CloudFront both use AWS's edge network but bill differently and solve different problems. Global Accelerator charges a fixed fee of about $0.025 per hour per accelerator (roughly $18 per month) plus a data transfer premium of about $0.015 per GB and up on top of standard transfer, and it does not cache. CloudFront has no fixed hourly fee and bills per GB of data transfer (about $0.085 per GB) plus per-request fees, and it caches content at the edge. So CloudFront suits cacheable web content and Global Accelerator suits non-cacheable TCP and UDP traffic needing fast, stable routing. The rule: cache-friendly HTTP goes to CloudFront, latency-sensitive non-cacheable traffic goes to Global Accelerator.

Global Accelerator and CloudFront are both AWS edge services that route user traffic over the AWS backbone for better performance, and they are easy to confuse. But they bill differently and target different workloads, so choosing on cost means understanding what each is actually for. Pick the wrong one and you pay for capabilities you do not use.

How each bills

Factor	Global Accelerator	CloudFront
Fixed fee	~$0.025/hr (~$18/mo) per accelerator	None
Data transfer	Premium ~$0.015/GB and up on top of transfer	~$0.085/GB (US/Europe)
Requests	Not charged per request	Per 10,000 requests
Caching	No caching	Caches at the edge

Global Accelerator has a fixed hourly fee, about $18 a month per accelerator, plus a data transfer premium of about $0.015 per GB and up (varying by region) charged on top of standard data transfer. It does not cache; it optimizes the network path to your origin. CloudFront has no fixed fee, bills per GB of data transfer out plus per-request charges, and caches content at edge locations so repeat requests never reach your origin.

What each is for

CloudFront is a content delivery network: its value is caching, so static assets, images, video, and cacheable API responses are served from the edge, cutting origin load and transfer. Global Accelerator is a network accelerator: it gives you static anycast IPs and routes traffic over the AWS backbone to your origin for consistent low latency, without caching. It shines for non-cacheable traffic, TCP and UDP applications, gaming, VoIP, and APIs where every request must reach the origin but should do so fast and reliably.

The cost consequence of choosing wrong

Put cacheable web content behind Global Accelerator and you pay the fixed fee and the transfer premium for every request while getting no caching benefit, whereas CloudFront would have served most requests from the edge for less. Conversely, forcing non-cacheable, latency-sensitive TCP traffic through CloudFront misuses a caching CDN for something it is not built for. The cost mistake is using the tool whose pricing model does not match your traffic. For cacheable content, CloudFront's caching makes its per-GB rate effective cost far lower because the origin serves fewer bytes.

Choosing on cost and fit

If your traffic is cacheable HTTP or HTTPS content, use CloudFront and optimize itscache hit ratio andprice class to lower the effective rate. If your traffic is non-cacheable, needs static IPs, or is TCP or UDP where routing consistency matters more than caching, use Global Accelerator and accept its fixed fee and premium. Some architectures use both for different traffic. See the standalone Global Accelerator cost guide for its pricing in depth.

Because the right choice depends on whether your traffic is cacheable, decide it against real traffic characteristics. Price both options against the resource catalog so the fixed fee, premium, and per-request costs are compared before you route users through the wrong service.

FAQ

What is the difference between Global Accelerator and CloudFront cost?

Global Accelerator charges a fixed fee of about $0.025 per hour per accelerator (roughly $18 a month) plus a data transfer premium of about $0.015 per GB and up on top of standard transfer, and it does not cache. CloudFront has no fixed fee and bills per GB of data transfer (about $0.085 per GB) plus per-request fees, and it caches at the edge so repeat requests never reach your origin.

When should I use CloudFront instead of Global Accelerator?

For cacheable HTTP or HTTPS content: static assets, images, video, and cacheable API responses. CloudFront's caching serves most repeat requests from the edge, cutting origin load and making its effective per-GB cost far lower. Global Accelerator does not cache, so using it for cacheable content means paying its fixed fee and premium for every request with no caching benefit.

When should I use Global Accelerator instead of CloudFront?

For non-cacheable, latency-sensitive traffic: TCP and UDP applications, gaming, VoIP, and APIs where every request must reach the origin but should do so with consistent low latency. Global Accelerator gives static anycast IPs and routes over the AWS backbone without caching. Forcing this traffic through CloudFront misuses a caching CDN for something it is not built for.

Is Global Accelerator or CloudFront cheaper?

It depends on whether your traffic is cacheable. For cacheable web content, CloudFront is cheaper because caching means the origin serves far fewer bytes, lowering the effective rate, and there is no fixed fee. For non-cacheable latency-sensitive traffic, Global Accelerator is the right fit despite its fixed fee and premium, since CloudFront's caching provides no benefit there. Matching the tool to the traffic is what controls cost.

Can I use both Global Accelerator and CloudFront?

Yes. Some architectures use CloudFront for cacheable content and Global Accelerator for non-cacheable, latency-sensitive traffic, routing each type of traffic through the service whose pricing model fits. This avoids paying the fixed fee and premium for content that could be cached, while still getting fast stable routing for traffic that must reach the origin every time.

How does C3X help compare edge services?

C3X prices both Global Accelerator and CloudFront from Terraform before you deploy, so the fixed fee, data transfer premium, per-GB rates, and request fees are visible in the pull request. That lets you match the service to your traffic type at design time and avoid paying for a caching CDN on non-cacheable traffic or an accelerator's premium on content that should be cached.

What to do next

Compare edge service cost before you deploy. C3X reads your Terraform and prices your resources against a live catalog. Start with the quickstart.