WAFPlanet

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

Comparing Akamai App & API Protector, Cloudflare Web Application Firewall 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 Akamai App & API Protector Review View Cloudflare Web Application Firewall Review View Imperva Web Application Firewall Review

Overview

Akamai App & API Protector, Cloudflare Web Application Firewall 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.

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

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

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
Akamai App & API Protector
Cloudflare Web Application Firewall
Imperva Web Application Firewall
Overall Rating 4.5/5 4.5/5 4.4/5
Free Tier No Yes No
Pricing Model Custom enterprise pricing based on traffic and features Per domain / Per feature tier Custom enterprise pricing
Ease of Use 3.3/5 4.8/5 3.5/5
Value for Money 3.5/5 4.5/5 3.7/5
Support 4.7/5 4.0/5 4.5/5
Platforms Any web application (cloud-based reverse proxy) Any web application, WordPress, Shopify, AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes Any web application, AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, on-premise
Compliance SOC 2, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, FedRAMP, HIPAA SOC 2, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, HIPAA, FedRAMP SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018
Best For Large enterprises, high-traffic websites, organizations facing sophisticated bot attacks, companies needing managed security services Small to medium websites, WordPress sites, developers wanting easy setup, organizations needing integrated CDN+WAF Large enterprises, organizations with sophisticated security requirements, companies needing advanced bot management, regulated industries

Pricing Comparison

Akamai App & API Protector

Model: Custom enterprise pricing based on traffic and features

Standard

Custom pricing

Premium

Custom pricing

Enterprise

Custom pricing

View full pricing →

Cloudflare Web Application Firewall

Model: Per domain / Per feature tier

Free Tier Available

Free

$0/month

Pro

$20/month

Business

$200/month

Enterprise

Contact Sales

View full pricing →

Imperva Web Application Firewall

Model: Custom enterprise pricing

Pro

Starting ~$59/month

Business

Starting ~$299/month

Enterprise

Custom pricing

View full pricing →

Features Comparison

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.

Cloudflare Web Application Firewall

  • Managed Rulesets

    Pre-configured rules from Cloudflare and OWASP that are automatically updated to protect against emerging threats.

  • Custom Rules

    Create your own firewall rules using Cloudflare's expression language to block, challenge, or allow specific traffic patterns.

  • Rate Limiting

    Protect against brute force attacks and API abuse by limiting request rates from specific IPs or patterns.

  • Bot Management

    Advanced bot detection and mitigation using machine learning to distinguish good bots from malicious ones.

  • API Shield

    Protect API endpoints with schema validation, mutual TLS, and anomaly detection.

  • Page Shield

    Monitor and control third-party JavaScript to prevent supply chain attacks and data theft.

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

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

Key considerations:

  • Akamai App & API Protector is well-suited for: Large enterprises, high-traffic websites, organizations facing sophisticated bot attacks, companies needing managed security services
  • Cloudflare Web Application Firewall is well-suited for: Small to medium websites, WordPress sites, developers wanting easy setup, organizations needing integrated CDN+WAF
  • 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: Akamai App & API Protector or Cloudflare Web Application Firewall or Imperva Web Application Firewall?

Cloudflare Web Application Firewall offers a free tier.

Which WAF is easiest to set up?

Cloudflare Web Application Firewall has the highest ease of use rating at 4.8/5 in our review.

Which WAF has the highest overall rating?

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