AWS Web Application Firewall vs Akamai App & API Protector vs Imperva Web Application Firewall

Comparing AWS Web Application Firewall, Akamai App & API Protector and Imperva Web Application Firewall across pricing, features, ease of use, and more. Each WAF has different strengths — the right choice depends on your specific requirements.

View AWS Web Application Firewall Review

View Akamai App & API Protector Review

View Imperva Web Application Firewall Review

Overview

AWS Web Application Firewall, Akamai App & API Protector and Imperva Web Application Firewall are popular web application firewall solutions. This comparison will help you understand the key differences and choose the right one for your needs.

AWS Web Application Firewall: Native AWS security service providing scalable WAF protection for applications hosted on AWS infrastructure with pay-per-use pricing.

Akamai App & API Protector: Enterprise-scale WAF from the CDN pioneer, delivering comprehensive application security with unmatched global infrastructure and advanced threat intelligence.

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

Quick Comparison

Feature	AWS Web Application Firewall	Akamai App & API Protector	Imperva Web Application Firewall
Overall Rating	4.3/5	4.5/5	4.4/5
Free Tier	No	No	No
Pricing Model	Pay-per-use (rules + requests)	Custom enterprise pricing based on traffic and features	Custom enterprise pricing
Ease of Use	3.5/5	3.3/5	3.5/5
Value for Money	4.0/5	3.5/5	3.7/5
Support	4.0/5	4.7/5	4.5/5
Platforms	AWS CloudFront, ALB, API Gateway, AppSync, Cognito, App Runner, Verified Access	Any web application (cloud-based reverse proxy)	Any web application, AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, on-premise
Compliance	SOC 1/2/3, PCI DSS, HIPAA, FedRAMP, ISO 27001	SOC 2, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, FedRAMP, HIPAA	SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018
Best For	AWS-native applications, organizations already invested in AWS ecosystem, variable traffic workloads, multi-account AWS environments	Large enterprises, high-traffic websites, organizations facing sophisticated bot attacks, companies needing managed security services	Large enterprises, organizations with sophisticated security requirements, companies needing advanced bot management, regulated industries

Pricing Comparison

AWS Web Application Firewall

Model: Pay-per-use (rules + requests)

Small (1 ACL, 10 rules)

$15/month + $0.60/M requests

Medium (2 ACL, 25 rules)

$35/month + $0.60/M requests

Large (5 ACL, 50 rules)

$75/month + $0.60/M requests

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Akamai App & API Protector

Model: Custom enterprise pricing based on traffic and features

Standard

Custom pricing

Premium

Custom pricing

Enterprise

Custom pricing

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Imperva Web Application Firewall

Model: Custom enterprise pricing

Pro

Starting ~$59/month

Business

Starting ~$299/month

Enterprise

Custom pricing

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Features Comparison

AWS Web Application Firewall

AWS Managed Rules
Pre-configured rule groups maintained by AWS and AWS Marketplace sellers for common threats.
Custom Rules
Build your own rules using conditions like IP addresses, HTTP headers, URI strings, and more.
Rate-Based Rules
Automatically block IPs that exceed defined request thresholds.
Bot Control
Managed rule group for detecting and managing bot traffic (additional cost).
Fraud Control
Account takeover prevention and creation fraud detection for login/signup pages.
Firewall Manager Integration
Centrally configure and manage WAF rules across multiple AWS accounts.

Akamai App & API Protector

Adaptive Security Engine
Machine learning automatically tunes WAF rules for each application, reducing false positives over time.
API Discovery & Protection
Automatically discover API endpoints and apply security policies with schema validation.
Bot Manager
Industry-leading bot management using behavioral analysis, device fingerprinting, and ML detection.
Account Protector
Detect and prevent credential stuffing, account takeover, and fraud attempts.
Client Reputation
Leverage Akamai's global threat intelligence to score and act on suspicious client behavior.
Managed Security Services
Optional 24/7 security monitoring and incident response from Akamai's SOC.

Imperva Web Application Firewall

Advanced Bot Protection
Machine learning-powered bot detection that distinguishes between legitimate users, good bots, and malicious automation.
API Security
Discover, classify, and protect APIs with schema validation, anomaly detection, and positive security model.
Account Takeover Protection
Detect and prevent credential stuffing and account takeover attacks using behavioral analysis.
Client-Side Protection
Monitor and protect against client-side attacks like Magecart, formjacking, and supply chain compromises.
Attack Analytics
AI-powered analysis of security events to identify attack campaigns and reduce alert fatigue.
Virtual Patching
Immediate protection against known vulnerabilities while you work on permanent fixes.

Our Verdict

AWS Web Application Firewall, Akamai App & API Protector and Imperva Web Application Firewall are all capable web application firewalls that can protect your applications from common threats.

Key considerations:

AWS Web Application Firewall is well-suited for: AWS-native applications, organizations already invested in AWS ecosystem, variable traffic workloads, multi-account AWS environments
Akamai App & API Protector is well-suited for: Large enterprises, high-traffic websites, organizations facing sophisticated bot attacks, companies needing managed security services
Imperva Web Application Firewall is well-suited for: Large enterprises, organizations with sophisticated security requirements, companies needing advanced bot management, regulated industries

We recommend evaluating your options with a trial or free tier before committing. Consider your existing infrastructure, team expertise, compliance requirements, and budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the cheapest: AWS Web Application Firewall or Akamai App & API Protector or Imperva Web Application Firewall?

None of these providers offer a free tier. Contact each vendor for pricing.

Which WAF is easiest to set up?

AWS Web Application Firewall has the highest ease of use rating at 3.5/5 in our review.

Which WAF has the highest overall rating?

Akamai App & API Protector leads with an overall rating of 4.5/5.