AWS WAF vs ModSecurity
A detailed comparison to help you choose between AWS WAF and ModSecurity.
Quick Verdict
4.9/5
AWS WAF
8 reviews
4.0/5
ModSecurity
250 reviews
AWS WAF is rated higher (4.9 vs 4.0). 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. ModSecurity is a free WAF engine that detects and blocks malicious HTTP requests. Operates as a module for major web servers to protect against OWASP Top 10 attacks and custom threats.
 AWS WAF Amazon WAF integrated with CloudFront and ALB | ModSecurity Open-source web application firewall for Apache, Nginx, and IIS | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.9 (8 reviews)✓ | 4.0 (250 reviews) |
| Pricing model | usage-based | free |
| Starting price | From €5/mo | Free✓ |
| Best for | AWS-invested applications that need WAF tightly integrated with their existing CloudFront or ALB setup | DevOps teams and system administrators running self-managed web servers who need application-layer protection without managed WAF costs. |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | api accessus datacentereu datacenterapac datacenter | free tieropen sourceself hostable |
| Visit AWS WAF → | Visit ModSecurity → | |
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
ModSecurity
Pros
- + Deploy on-premises with full control and visibility
- + Use industry-standard OWASP Core Rule Set or create custom rules
- + Inspect request/response payloads, headers, and cookies in real-time
- + Free and open-source with active community support
Cons
- - Requires server-level integration and maintenance expertise
- - Rule tuning needed to avoid false positives in production
- - No built-in DDoS rate-limiting or volumetric attack mitigation
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