# Linode (by Akamai) > Linode is a major American cloud hosting provider that focuses on providing virtual private servers (VPS). Founded in 2003, it was a pioneer in SSD-based cloud hosting and was acquired by Akamai Technologies in 2022 to form the basis of the Akamai Connected Cloud. - URL: https://optimly.ai/brand/linode-by-akamai - Slug: linode-by-akamai - BAI Score: 92/100 - Archetype: Challenger - Category: Cloud Computing - Last Analyzed: April 10, 2026 - Part of: Akamai Technologies, Inc. (https://optimly.ai/brand/akamai-technologies) ## Competitors - Amazon Lightsail (https://optimly.ai/brand/aws-amazon-web-services-lightsail) - DigitalOcean (https://optimly.ai/brand/digitalocean) - Hetzner (https://optimly.ai/brand/hetzner) - Vultr (https://optimly.ai/brand/vultr) ## Buyer Intent Signals Problems: On-premise Infrastructure: Managing physical servers in-house or in a private data center. Solutions: best affordable VPS for developers | managed kubernetes providers for small business | global edge compute platforms for enterprise | linux virtual private server with ssd | PaaS Providers: Small teams often use Heroku or Vercel to avoid managing servers entirely, though at a higher cost. | Alternative VPS Providers: DigitalOcean or Vultr provide similar developer-centric VPS services. Comparisons: alternative to digitalocean