AWS WAF vs Cloudflare
A detailed comparison to help you choose between AWS WAF and Cloudflare.
Quick Verdict
4.9/5
AWS WAF
8 reviews
4.4/5
Cloudflare
122 reviews
AWS WAF is rated higher (4.9 vs 4.4). AWS WAF is Amazon's web application firewall that can be attached to CloudFront, ALB, or API Gateway. Pay per rule ($1/rule/month) and per million requests ($0.60). Integrates with AWS Shield. Cloudflare provides distributed content delivery, DDoS mitigation, and R2 object storage. Designed for developers and enterprises needing reliable infrastructure with minimal latency.
 AWS WAF Amazon WAF integrated with CloudFront and ALB | Cloudflare Global CDN and DDoS protection with object storage | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.9 (8 reviews)✓ | 4.4 (122 reviews) |
| Pricing model | usage-based | freemium |
| Starting price | From €5/mo | Free tier available✓ |
| Best for | AWS-invested applications that need WAF tightly integrated with their existing CloudFront or ALB setup | Teams building web applications requiring global distribution, DDoS protection, and cost-efficient object storage without egress fees. |
| Specifications (entry plan) | ||
| CPU cores | — | 0 vCPU |
| RAM | — | 0 GB |
| Storage | — | 0 GB |
| Bandwidth | — | 0 TB/mo |
| SLA uptime | — | 99.99% |
| Data-center count | — | 300 |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ✓ | |
| DDoS protection | ✓ | |
| Automated backups | ||
| Snapshots | ||
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ||
| Free tier | ✓ | |
| Data-center locations | ||
| Regions | — | Global — 300+ cities |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | api accessus datacentereu datacenterapac datacenter | free tiers3 compatibleddos protectioneu datacenterus datacenterapac datacenterapi accessipv6terraform provider |
| Visit AWS WAF → | Visit Cloudflare → | |
AWS WAF
Pros
- + Deep AWS integration
- + Per-rule pricing — cost-effective for simple use
- + Works with CloudFront, ALB, API Gateway
Cons
- - Complex rule management
- - Requires AWS expertise to use effectively
Cloudflare
Pros
- + Remove egress fees with R2 object storage pricing model
- + Deploy content globally with automatic edge caching
- + Mitigate DDoS attacks with Anycast network
- + Integrate security and performance in one platform
Cons
- - R2 has limited regional availability compared to AWS S3
- - Steeper learning curve for complex configuration options
- - Egress costs still apply for some traffic patterns outside R2
Stay in the loop
Get weekly updates on the best new AI tools, deals, and comparisons.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.