AWS Web Application Firewall vs Cloudflare Web Application Firewall vs Imperva Web Application Firewall

Comparing AWS Web Application Firewall, 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 AWS Web Application Firewall Review

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View Imperva Web Application Firewall Review

Overview

AWS Web Application Firewall, 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.

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

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	AWS Web Application Firewall	Cloudflare Web Application Firewall	Imperva Web Application Firewall
Overall Rating	4.3/5	4.5/5	4.4/5
Free Tier	No	Yes	No
Pricing Model	Pay-per-use (rules + requests)	Per domain / Per feature tier	Custom enterprise pricing
Ease of Use	3.5/5	4.8/5	3.5/5
Value for Money	4.0/5	4.5/5	3.7/5
Support	4.0/5	4.0/5	4.5/5
Platforms	AWS CloudFront, ALB, API Gateway, AppSync, Cognito, App Runner, Verified Access	Any web application, WordPress, Shopify, AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes	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, HIPAA, FedRAMP	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	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

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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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

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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.

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

AWS Web Application Firewall, 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:

AWS Web Application Firewall is well-suited for: AWS-native applications, organizations already invested in AWS ecosystem, variable traffic workloads, multi-account AWS environments
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: AWS Web Application Firewall 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?

Cloudflare Web Application Firewall leads with an overall rating of 4.5/5.