Company snapshot
| Category | 5 Cents CDN | Verizon Media (VMDS) |
|---|---|---|
| Status | active | defunct |
| Founded | — | — |
| Headquarters | — | — |
| Website | — | — |
| Docs | — | — |
Overview
5 Cents CDN provides a content delivery network focused on affordability and scalability for video streaming, web acceleration, and cloud storage. It serves enterprises, broadcasters, and OTT providers, with a client base including government agencies and TV channels across North America, Europe, Asia, and other regions. The platform emphasizes low-cost plans starting at $2.5/TB and a global network of over 70 points of presence (PoPs). Features include live streaming, video-on-demand, and multistreaming to social platforms. It supports businesses prioritizing cost-effective content delivery with minimal setup complexity.
Verizon Media (VMDS), originally Verizon Digital Media Services and formerly known as Edgecast, was a content delivery network (CDN) provider specializing in media and content delivery. Launched as a Verizon division, it served media companies and enterprises with scalable content distribution. In 2021, Verizon sold its media division, including VMDS, to Apollo Global Management, which rebranded it as Edgecast under Yahoo. In June 2022, Limelight Networks acquired Edgecast, forming Edgio. Edgio filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2024, shutting down its CDN services on January 15, 2025. Select Edgecast assets were sold to Parler in February 2025 for $7.5 million.
Network & Architecture
5 Cents CDN operates over 70 PoPs globally, with data centers in North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and India. Its infrastructure supports high availability for video streaming and web acceleration, leveraging modern server setups for low-latency delivery. The network offers 2+ Tbps capacity, with strong presence in North America and Europe, though some users report inconsistent speeds in certain global regions. The platform includes SimpleDNS for cost-effective domain management and Traffic Director for multi-CDN traffic steering based on geography or network conditions.
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Feature comparison
| Feature | 5 Cents CDN | Verizon Media (VMDS) |
|---|---|---|
waf | ✓ | ✗ |
bot_mitigation | ✗ | ✗ |
ddos | ✓ | ✗ |
rate_limit | ✗ | ✗ |
http3_quic | ✗ | ✗ |
tls13 | ✓ | ✗ |
tiered_cache | ✗ | ✗ |
origin_shield | ✗ | ✗ |
instant_purge | ✗ | ✓ |
stale_while_revalidate | ✗ | ✗ |
stale_if_error | ✗ | ✗ |
image_optimization | ✓ | ✗ |
video_vod | ✓ | ✗ |
video_live | ✓ | ✗ |
drm | ✗ | ✗ |
hls_dash_packaging | ✗ | ✗ |
websockets | ✗ | ✗ |
signed_urls | ✗ | ✗ |
edge_compute | ✗ | ✗ |
functions | ✗ | ✗ |
kv_storage | ✓ | ✗ |
api_first | ✓ | ✓ |
realtime_logs | ✓ | ✓ |
log_push | ✗ | ✗ |
terraform | ✗ | ✗ |
Legend: ✓ = Supported, ✗ = Not supported, — = Not listed
Pricing
5 Cents CDN offers pay-as-you-go (PAYG) pricing starting at $2.5/TB for North America and Europe delivery. Plans include Standard ($2.5/TB, 10+ PoPs) and Enterprise ($10/TB, 20+ PoPs) with unlimited zones and streams. A 15-day trial is available with no long-term contracts, though nominal setup fees apply. Custom pricing is offered for high-bandwidth needs (100+ TB/month). Full details at https://www.5centscdn.net/pricing/.
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Integrations & DevEx
The platform provides an API-first interface for managing CDN services, including stream setup and analytics. It integrates with vMix for live streaming and supports OpenStack Swift and S3 APIs for cloud storage. Realtime logs and analytics are available via the V5 dashboard, offering insights into traffic and performance. No public documentation confirms Terraform or CI/CD pipeline support. The control panel is noted for ease of use but has received feedback for needing a more intuitive interface.
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When it fits
- Small to medium businesses needing affordable CDN services with flexible PAYG plans.
- Broadcasters and OTT providers requiring live streaming and multistreaming to social platforms.
- Enterprises targeting North America and Europe with video-heavy workloads.
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When it doesn’t
- Organizations needing advanced edge compute or serverless functions, which are not supported.
- Users requiring consistent high-speed delivery in underrepresented regions like parts of APAC or Africa.
- Businesses seeking extensive IaC support (e.g., Terraform) or complex multi-CDN orchestration.
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History & Notes
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Verizon Media (VMDS) grew from Verizon’s 2013 acquisition of Edgecast, aiming to compete in media and ad tech. Despite $370 million in platform investment, it struggled against larger competitors. The 2021 sale to Apollo shifted its CDN to Edgecast, which merged with Limelight to form Edgio in 2022. Edgio’s bankruptcy in September 2024, due to accounting issues and debt, led to its CDN shutdown. Parler’s February 2025 acquisition of Edgecast assets supports its own platforms (Parler Social, PlayTV), with 120 former Edgio employees joining and a one-year IP license. The viability of Parler as a general CDN provider remains unclear.