CDN Request Cost Calculator

Some CDNs charge per request (in addition to bandwidth). This calculator estimates request fees from your monthly request volume and pricing, and compares baseline vs peak traffic.

Inputs

Requests (per month)
Avg 114.22 req/sec.
Avg RPS
Est 315,187,200 requests/month.
Pricing unit
Per 1M is 100x per 10k.
Price ($ / 10k requests)
Effective rate: $0.75 / 1M requests
Scenario presets

Results

Estimated monthly request cost
$225.00
Requests
300,000,000
Cost per 1M requests
$0.75

What to split into separate scenarios (request classes)

  • Static vs dynamic: some CDNs price them differently.
  • Cache hit vs miss: misses also create origin load and origin egress.
  • Regions: if pricing varies by geography, model your top regions separately and add them up.

Use the Pricing unit selector in the calculator to enter $/10k or $/1M directly (it keeps the same effective rate).

When request fees spike

  • Bot traffic: more requests with little bandwidth change.
  • Chatty clients: many small API calls per page view.
  • Cache busting: query-string churn and low TTLs can increase request volume.

Cache keys and TTL levers

  • Query string and header variations can multiply unique cache keys.
  • Short TTLs increase origin fetches and raise request volume.
  • Normalize URLs to reduce cache fragmentation when possible.

Worked request estimate from pages and assets

  • Page views/month x assets per page = asset requests.
  • Add API or dynamic calls as a separate request class.
  • Apply a bot or prefetch multiplier if relevant.

CDN request anatomy

  • Image variants (size, format) create new cache keys.
  • HEAD requests and health checks still count as requests.
  • Range requests for media can multiply request counts.

CDN request data sources

  • CDN analytics: use edge request counts from CDN dashboards.
  • Cache hit rate: track hit vs miss to understand origin side effects.
  • Region mix: split request volume by geography if pricing differs.

Result interpretation

  • Edge request fees can grow even when bandwidth stays flat.
  • When requests dominate, focus on caching and reducing chatty clients.

Common mistakes

  • Using origin request counts instead of edge request counts.
  • Ignoring bot traffic that spikes requests without adding bandwidth.
  • Mixing cache hit and miss classes when pricing differs.

Advanced inputs to capture

  • Derive requests/month from RPS and time windows.
  • Normalize per-10k vs per-1M pricing units.
  • Separate bot or attack traffic from normal traffic.
  • Confirm which request types are billable for your provider.

Request scenarios

Scenario Requests Cache hit rate Drivers
Normal Expected Stable Normal traffic
Attack High Lower Bot/incident

Validate after changes

  • Compare edge request counts to CDN billing request units.
  • Watch cache hit rate during bot spikes and cache busting events.

Next steps

Guides All calculators Guide: CDN cost breakdown Guide: CDN request pricing RPS to monthly requests CloudFront vs Cloudflare cost
Advertisement

Example scenario

  • 300,000,000 requests/month at $0.0075 per 10k requests is about $225/month.
  • 1.2B requests/month at $0.01 per 10k requests is about $1,200/month.
  • Model a peak month if bots or incidents spike request volume.

Included

  • Request-fee estimate from requests/month and $ per 10k requests pricing.
  • Optional RPS-based request estimator.
  • Useful for comparing CDN plans where requests are billed separately.
  • Baseline vs peak comparison for request spikes.

Not included

  • Bandwidth costs (use CDN Bandwidth Cost Calculator).
  • Different request classes (e.g., dynamic vs static) unless you model separately.

How we calculate

  • Request cost = (requests per month / 10,000) x price per 10k requests.
  • Use the price and request class that matches your CDN billing model.
  • Use a peak multiplier when traffic spikes or cache busting increases requests.
  • This tool estimates request fees only (not bandwidth).
  • If you have multiple request classes, model them as separate scenarios and add them up.

FAQ

Do all CDNs charge request fees?
No. Some products include requests or have different tiers/classes. Always check the pricing page for your plan.
How do I estimate request volume?
Use CDN analytics, load balancer metrics, or convert from RPS using the RPS to Monthly Requests tool.
Are cache hits and cache misses billed differently?
Some providers price different request types/classes (static vs dynamic, cache miss vs hit). If your pricing differs, estimate each class separately.
Does HTTP/2 or HTTP/3 change request count?
Transport protocols can change connection behavior, but billing is usually based on requests rather than connections. Use your CDN's definition of a billable request.

Related tools

Guide: CDN cost breakdown Guide: CDN request pricing RPS to monthly requests CloudFront vs Cloudflare cost CDN bandwidth cost API request cost

Related guides

API Gateway vs ALB vs CloudFront cost: what to compare (requests, transfer, add-ons)
A practical cost comparison of API Gateway, Application Load Balancer (ALB), and CloudFront. Compare request pricing, data transfer, caching impact, WAF, logs, and the hidden line items that change the answer.
CDN request pricing: estimate $ per 10k / 1M requests (and when it dominates)
Some CDNs charge request fees in addition to bandwidth. Learn what counts as a billable request, how to estimate requests/month from RPS or analytics, and how to model per-10k vs per-1M pricing without unit mistakes.
Azure CDN pricing: estimate bandwidth, requests, and cache fill
A practical Azure CDN estimate: edge bandwidth, request volume, and origin egress (cache fill). Includes validation steps for hit rate, purge behavior, and big endpoints.
CDN Cost & Pricing Guide (bandwidth, requests, origin egress)
Step-by-step CDN cost breakdown: bandwidth $/GB, request fees, and origin egress. Includes estimation tips and pitfalls.
CDN cost comparison: how to compare pricing across providers
A practical framework to compare CDN pricing across providers: normalize bandwidth, requests, regions, cache fill, and contract terms before choosing the lowest total cost.
Cloud CDN pricing (GCP): bandwidth, requests, and origin egress (cache fill)
A practical Cloud CDN cost model: edge bandwidth, request volume, and origin egress (cache fill). Includes validation steps for hit rate by path, heavy-tail endpoints, and purge/deploy events that reduce hit rate.
Advertisement

Disclaimer

Educational use only. Not legal, financial, or professional advice. Results are estimates based on the inputs and assumptions shown on this page. Verify pricing and limits with your providers and documentation.

Last updated: 2026-02-07