Tencent Cloud EdgeOne Free Plan Guide: Global Acceleration + Security Shield for Your Blog Without Spending a Dime
Have you ever been in this awkward situation — you spent all that effort building a blog, but when overseas friends try to visit, the loading spinner spins forever, and they finally say “Is your site down?”
I’ve been there.
People used to default to Cloudflare, but recently CF has been acting up more and more, throwing 500 errors left and right. Many site owners have started looking for alternatives.
Then I discovered Tencent Cloud EdgeOne’s free plan. No exaggeration — this might be the most generous free CDN + security combo on the market right now.
What is EdgeOne?
Simply put, EdgeOne is Tencent Cloud’s “next-generation CDN.” Unlike traditional CDNs that only handle acceleration, it packs CDN acceleration, DDoS protection, WAF (Web Application Firewall), CC protection, Bot management, and edge functions all into one package.
Think of it this way — pretty much anything Cloudflare can do, it can do too, and it has 2300+ nodes in Mainland China, making domestic access speed blow CF out of the water.
What Does the Free Plan Actually Give You?
This is the part that surprised me most. The free plan is quite generous with its resources:
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Traffic | Unlimited secure acceleration traffic |
| Requests | Unlimited |
| Global Nodes | 3200+ (2300+ in China) |
| Security Protection | DDoS scrubbing, WAF, CC protection |
| SSL Certificate | Free auto-apply + auto-renew |
| Subdomains | Up to 200 |
| Edge Functions | Supported |
| Pages Deployment | Supported (similar to CF Pages) |
No tricks. Unlimited means unlimited — not the kind where “free 50GB then pay.”
It also supports domains without ICP filing (international version), which is extremely friendly for personal site owners.
How to Get It for Free
Method 1: Direct Claim via International Site (Simplest)
Visit edgeone.ai/zh/get-free-plan, complete the speed test or try the edge function, then share to X or Facebook. The plan gets sent directly to your account.
I tested the whole process — from registration to getting the free plan took less than 10 minutes.
Method 2: Discord Giveaway
Join the EdgeOne official Discord server. On weekdays at 15:00/18:00/21:00 (Beijing time), the #giveaway channel posts giveaway links. Race to grab a redemption code.
Method 3: GitHub Partnership Program
If you have an open-source project, add EdgeOne sponsor display in your README, or add a “Deploy to EdgeOne” button, and you can get the free plan.
Method 4: China Site Users
China users visit cloud.tencent.com/act/pro/eo-freeplan and obtain redemption codes through lucky draws or Baota panel partnership events.
How Easy Is the Setup?
After getting the free plan, it’s just four steps to get started:
- Add Site — Enter your domain in the EdgeOne console
- Choose Plan — Bind the free plan
- Configure DNS — Point your domain’s NS records to the EdgeOne nameservers (or use CNAME)
- Verify — Wait for DNS propagation (usually 10–30 minutes), then HTTPS and acceleration kick in automatically
That’s it. From start to finish, fifteen minutes tops. No need to configure SSL certificates, no need to set up WAF rules manually — the defaults are pretty sensible.
What About the Downsides?
Being honest, EdgeOne free plan isn’t flawless:
- No custom error pages in the free tier — you get Tencent Cloud’s default 404/502 pages
- Purple (purge) API rate limited — cache purges are limited per day on the free plan
- Reports are basic — detailed analytics require an upgrade
- Support response is slower for free users (but for personal blogs, this rarely matters)
But for a personal blog or small site, these are totally acceptable trade-offs for the price (free).
Last Word
EdgeOne’s free plan is a pretty strong option, especially if your site has significant traffic from Mainland China. Combined with Tencent Cloud’s domestic node advantage, the speed improvement over Cloudflare is very noticeable. If you’ve been frustrated with CF’s recent instability, give EdgeOne a try — no credit card required for the free plan signup.
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