WAF Providers - Compare Web Application Firewalls

AWS Web Application Firewall

4.3

/ 5

Native AWS WAF with pay-per-use pricing starting at $5/mo per Web ACL, $1/rule, and $0.60 per million requests. Protects CloudFront, ALB, and API Gateway workloads.

Pay-per-use (rules + requests)

Akamai App & API Protector

4.5

/ 5

Enterprise-scale WAF from the CDN pioneer, delivering comprehensive application security with unmatched global infrastructure and advanced threat intelligence.

Custom enterprise pricing based on traffic and features Azure

Alibaba Cloud WAF

3.8

/ 5

Cloud-native WAF from Alibaba Cloud, the largest cloud provider in Asia-Pacific. AI-powered deep learning detection, bot management, API security, and DDoS protection. Battle-tested during Double 11 (Singles' Day) handling millions of QPS. Available as pay-as-you-go (SeCU-based billing) or subscription. Recognized by Gartner, Forrester, IDC, and Frost & Sullivan.

Pay-as-you-go (SeCU) or Subscription

All-In-One Security (AIOS)

3.9

/ 5

Comprehensive free WordPress security plugin with PHP-based firewall, .htaccess hardening, login lockdown, and 6G blacklist rules protecting over one million sites.

Free Tier Open Source Freemium (Free tier with nearly full features + Premium add-ons)

AppTrana by Indusface

4.0

/ 5

Fully managed cloud WAF by Indusface with integrated vulnerability scanning, zero false positive guarantee, and 24/7 SOC support. Deploys in block mode from day one.

Per application / Per month

Azure Web Application Firewall

4.2

/ 5

Microsoft's cloud-native WAF integrated with Azure Application Gateway and Front Door, offering enterprise-grade protection with deep Azure ecosystem integration.

Pay-per-use (gateway hours + data processed)

BBQ Firewall

4.0

/ 5

The lightest WordPress firewall plugin. Under 10KB, zero configuration, based on Jeff Starr's battle-tested 7G/8G ruleset. 100,000+ active installs. Free version covers most sites. Pro adds customizable rules and statistics.

Free Tier Freemium (Free tier + paid licenses with lifetime option)

Barracuda Web Application Firewall

4.1

/ 5

Comprehensive WAF with flexible deployment options from appliances to cloud, featuring strong bot defense, API protection, and deep DevOps integration.

Appliance + subscription / WAF-as-a-Service Azure

BitNinja Server Security

3.9

/ 5

All-in-one server security platform with built-in WAF, malware scanning, IP reputation, and DDoS protection. Popular with hosting providers and sysadmins managing shared hosting environments.

Free Tier Per server / Usage-based

Blackwall

3.4

/ 5

Bot protection and WAF platform formerly known as BotGuard. Two products, BotGuard (website protection for SMBs) and GateKeeper (distributed reverse proxy with WAF for hosting providers). B2B2C model targeting hosting providers who bundle security for their customers. Free monitoring mode available. CloudFest Diamond sponsor.

Free Tier Custom (contact sales)

BulletProof Security

3.7

/ 5

WordPress security plugin featuring .htaccess-based firewall protection, one-click setup wizard, login security, database backups, and a lifetime Pro license for unlimited sites.

Free Tier Free edition + one-time Pro license (lifetime)

BunkerWeb Open Source WAF

4.0

/ 5

Next-generation open source WAF built on NGINX with ModSecurity integration, offering comprehensive web security with an intuitive web UI and extensive plugin system.

Free Tier Open Source Free (Open Source) / Pro Support Azure

Bunny Shield

4.1

/ 5

Affordable all-in-one web security from bunny.net, combining AI-powered WAF, DDoS protection, bot mitigation, and upload scanning with a generous free tier and simple pricing.

Free Tier Per feature tier + overage

CDNetworks Application Shield

3.7

/ 5

Cloud-based WAF integrated with CDNetworks' global CDN, offering signature-based threat detection, DDoS protection, and bot management across 1,500+ points of presence worldwide.

Custom pricing, usage-based

Check Point CloudGuard AppSec

4.3

/ 5

AI-powered WAF with preemptive zero-day protection, featuring dual machine learning engines and minimal false positives for cloud-native applications.

Usage-based / BYOL Azure GCP

Citrix NetScaler Application Firewall

4.0

/ 5

Enterprise application firewall integrated into the Citrix NetScaler (now Citrix ADC) application delivery controller, providing positive and negative security models with deep traffic inspection.

Perpetual license or subscription, bundled with Citrix ADC Azure

Cloudflare Web Application Firewall

4.5

/ 5

Industry-leading WAF with global CDN integration, offering robust protection against OWASP threats with easy setup and generous free tier.

Free Tier Per domain / Per feature tier

Coraza Web Application Firewall

4.2

/ 5

OWASP open source WAF written in Go, fully compatible with ModSecurity rules and OWASP Core Rule Set, designed as a modern alternative to ModSecurity with native support for Caddy, Traefik, and HAProxy.

Free Tier Open Source Free and open source (Apache 2.0)

CrowdSec Web Application Firewall

4.3

/ 5

Open-source, crowd-powered WAF that combines traditional rule-based filtering with community-driven threat intelligence. Integrates with Nginx, Traefik, HAProxy, and Kubernetes. Compatible with ModSecurity SecLang rules.

Free Tier Open source (MIT) + commercial blocklists and CTI

DataDome

4.2

/ 5

AI-powered bot and fraud protection platform that stops advanced bots, credential stuffing, scraping, and L7 DDoS attacks across websites, mobile apps, and APIs. Forrester Leader in Bot Management with 99.99% detection accuracy and sub-2ms latency. Starts at $3,830/month.

Tiered (by request volume per month)

F5 BIG-IP Advanced WAF

4.3

/ 5

Enterprise application security platform from F5 Networks combining behavioral analytics, bot defense, API protection, credential stuffing prevention, and L7 DDoS mitigation. The WAF that banks, airlines, and governments have relied on for over two decades.

Perpetual license + subscription, or SaaS subscription Azure GCP

F5 WAF for NGINX

4.2

/ 5

Lightweight, high-performance WAF running natively inside NGINX Plus. Brings F5's enterprise threat intelligence to DevOps workflows with declarative configuration, Kubernetes-native deployment, and CI/CD integration. Part of the NGINX One platform.

Per-instance annual subscription Azure

Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences)

4.5

/ 5

Developer-friendly WAF using proprietary SmartParse technology, offering low false positives and seamless DevOps integration for modern application security.

Custom pricing based on requests and features

Fortinet FortiWeb

4.2

/ 5

AI-powered web application firewall from Fortinet providing advanced threat detection, API protection, and bot mitigation for web applications and APIs, available as hardware appliance, VM, or cloud service.

Appliance purchase + subscription, or SaaS subscription Azure GCP

Gcore Web Application and API Protection

3.9

/ 5

Edge-deployed WAAP platform combining WAF, bot management, L7 DDoS mitigation, and API security in one service. AI-driven threat detection with pricing starting at EUR 55/month.

Per month / Tiered

Google Cloud Armor

4.2

/ 5

Google Cloud's edge security service combining WAF, DDoS protection, and adaptive protection with the scale and intelligence of Google's global network.

Pay-per-use (policies + rules + requests)

HAProxy Enterprise WAF

4.3

/ 5

High-performance WAF built into the world's most widely used open source load balancer. Uses machine learning-powered threat detection instead of regex-based signatures, delivering 98.5% balanced accuracy with sub-millisecond latency. Enterprise product with custom pricing.

Custom pricing (contact sales)

Imperva Web Application Firewall

4.4

/ 5

Enterprise-grade cloud WAF with industry-leading threat research, offering comprehensive application security with advanced bot protection and API security.

Custom enterprise pricing AWS Azure

Imunify360

3.8

/ 5

A multi-layered server security platform by CloudLinux that bundles a managed ModSecurity WAF, proactive PHP defense, malware scanning, and network firewall into a single automated package for Linux hosting servers.

Per-server subscription, tiered by number of hosting accounts

Jetpack Protect / Jetpack WAF

4.0

/ 5

WordPress security plugin by Automattic with built-in WAF, brute force protection, malware scanning, and downtime monitoring backed by WordPress.com infrastructure.

Free Tier Open Source Freemium (Free tier + paid subscriptions)

Kong Gateway WAF

3.8

/ 5

API gateway with built-in WAF plugin for enterprise customers. Kong is the most popular open source API gateway (35K+ GitHub stars, 312M+ downloads) built on NGINX, processing 400B+ API calls daily. The WAF plugin is an Enterprise-only add-on that protects API endpoints at the gateway layer.

Tiered (Plus per-gateway + Enterprise custom)

MalCare Security

4.0

/ 5

Cloud-based WordPress security plugin with off-server malware scanning, one-click malware removal, real-time firewall, and uptime monitoring without impacting site performance.

Free Tier Freemium (Free tier + annual subscriptions)

ModSecurity Open Source WAF

4.0

/ 5

The original open source WAF engine powering countless applications, offering unmatched flexibility for those willing to manage their own security infrastructure.

Free Tier Open Source Free (Open Source)

Modshield SB

3.5

/ 5

ModSecurity-based web application firewall with an intuitive management UI, offering IP reputation filtering, geo-blocking, SIEM integration, and built-in load balancing in a self-hosted virtual appliance.

Subscription-based, per appliance

Myra Hyperscale WAF

3.7

/ 5

German-made, GDPR-compliant cloud WAF built for critical infrastructure and regulated industries. BSI-qualified, NIS-2 and DORA compliant. Managed WAF service available. Blocks 8M+ malicious L7 requests per customer per year. Data processing exclusively in Germany on request.

Custom (quote-based)

NAXSI

3.4

/ 5

A lightweight, open source WAF module for NGINX that uses a scoring-based approach instead of signature matching, blocking attacks by detecting suspicious patterns rather than maintaining a vulnerability database.

Free Tier Open Source Free (Open Source, GPLv3)

NSFOCUS Web Application Firewall

3.8

/ 5

Enterprise-grade next-gen WAF from Chinese cybersecurity leader NSFOCUS, offering comprehensive web and API protection with flexible cloud, on-premises, and hybrid deployment options.

Custom / Quote-based

NinjaFirewall (WP Edition)

4.3

/ 5

PHP-based WordPress firewall that hooks into WordPress before core loads, providing stand-alone WAF protection with file integrity monitoring and real-time detection without cloud dependency.

Free Tier Free edition + annual license for premium

Patchstack

4.2

/ 5

WordPress vulnerability intelligence and virtual patching platform. Runs the largest open source vulnerability database and deploys targeted mitigation rules before exploits hit your site.

Subscription (per site, no free tier)

Peakhour Web Application & API Protection

4.0

/ 5

Australian-based WAAP platform combining WAF, bot management, DDoS protection, and CDN in a single solution designed for DevOps and security teams.

Free Tier Traffic-based (bandwidth + requests)

Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud WAAS

4.3

/ 5

Enterprise CNAPP with integrated WAF, API security, and bot management, designed for cloud-native applications across multi-cloud environments.

Credit-based licensing Azure GCP

Prophaze Web Application Firewall

4.0

/ 5

AI-powered WAF built natively on Kubernetes, combining behavioral threat detection with zero-configuration API protection for cloud-native applications.

Free Tier Per domain, usage-based

Qualys Web Application Firewall

3.0

/ 5

Cloud-managed WAF from Qualys that integrates with their vulnerability scanning platform, enabling one-click virtual patching of discovered vulnerabilities. Note — product was decommissioned September 2024.

Subscription, per-asset licensing (product decommissioned) Azure

Radware Cloud WAF Service

4.4

/ 5

Fully managed cloud WAF combining automatic policy generation, advanced bot mitigation, and 24/7 expert support with industry-leading DDoS protection.

OPEX-based subscription

Reblaze (Link11) Web Security

4.1

/ 5

Cloud-native WAAP platform offering fully managed WAF, bot management, and DDoS protection with private cloud deployment options for enhanced data privacy.

Custom enterprise pricing

SafeLine Web Application Firewall

4.1

/ 5

Self-hosted open source WAF by Chaitin Tech featuring a semantic analysis engine for intelligent threat detection, with a web management UI and one-command Docker deployment.

Free Tier Open Source Free community edition, paid pro edition

Sansec Shield Web Application Firewall

4.4

/ 5

Magento-specific WAF with real-time threat protection, zero false positives, and deep Adobe Commerce integration for e-commerce stores.

Subscription by store revenue tier

Security Ninja

3.9

/ 5

Lightweight WordPress security plugin with a free 8G-based firewall that works out of the box. 50+ security tests, vulnerability scanner, and core file integrity checks. Pro adds malware scanning, country blocking, and 2FA.

Free Tier Freemium (Free tier + paid subscriptions)

Shield Security

3.8

/ 5

WordPress security plugin with SilentCAPTCHA bot detection, automatic IP blocking, firewall rules, and activity logging designed for hands-off, automated protection.

Free Tier Open Source Freemium (Free tier + annual ShieldPRO license)

Solid Security (formerly iThemes Security)

4.1

/ 5

Comprehensive WordPress security plugin with Patchstack-powered firewall rules, virtual patching, two-factor authentication, and site scanning for proactive protection.

Free Tier Open Source Freemium (Free tier + annual Pro license)

SonicWall Web Application Firewall

3.5

/ 5

Appliance-based WAF from the established network security vendor, offering deep packet inspection, PCI DSS compliance, and integration with SonicWall's broader firewall ecosystem.

Appliance + Annual subscription Azure

StackPath Web Application Firewall

1.0

/ 5

Edge-based WAF that was part of StackPath's CDN and edge computing platform. Discontinued in June 2024 when the company shut down operations.

Per site / Per bandwidth tier (discontinued)

Sucuri Website Security

4.2

/ 5

Website security platform specializing in WordPress and CMS protection, combining WAF, malware scanning, and incident response in one affordable package.

Per site, annual subscription

Tempesta FW

4.0

/ 5

High-performance open-source WAF and web accelerator built directly into the Linux kernel, delivering up to 1.8M requests per second with integrated L3-L7 DDoS protection and automated bot mitigation via WebShield.

Free Tier Open Source Free (open source) + professional services

UBIKA WAAP

4.0

/ 5

European sovereign WAF offering comprehensive application and API protection with EU data residency guarantees and flexible SaaS or cloud deployment options.

Subscription / Pay-as-you-go

Vercel Firewall

3.8

/ 5

Edge-based web application firewall built into the Vercel platform, providing DDoS protection, bot management, and configurable security rules for Next.js and other frontend applications deployed on Vercel.

Free Tier Included in Vercel plans, features vary by tier

Wallarm API Security Platform

4.3

/ 5

API-first security platform combining cloud-native WAF, automated security testing, and advanced API abuse detection with real-time blocking capabilities.

Free Tier Subscription based on requests GCP

Wordfence Security

4.4

/ 5

The most installed WordPress security plugin. Endpoint firewall, malware scanner, and login hardening for over 5 million sites. Free tier included.

Free Tier Freemium (Free tier + paid subscriptions)

Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) WAF

3.8

/ 5

Enterprise zero trust security platform with integrated cloud WAF capabilities as part of Zscaler Internet Access. Inspects all traffic including encrypted SSL/TLS at cloud scale.

Per user / Annual subscription Azure

open-appsec

4.1

/ 5

Machine learning-based open source WAF that uses contextual AI to detect threats without signatures or rules, with native integration for NGINX, Kong, Envoy, and Kubernetes ingress controllers.

Free Tier Open Source Free open source, managed cloud SaaS available Azure