AWS Web Application Firewall vs Check Point CloudGuard AppSec vs Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences)

Comparing AWS Web Application Firewall, Check Point CloudGuard AppSec and Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences) 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 Check Point CloudGuard AppSec Review

View Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences) Review

Overview

AWS Web Application Firewall, Check Point CloudGuard AppSec and Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences) 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.

Check Point CloudGuard AppSec: AI-powered WAF with preemptive zero-day protection, featuring dual machine learning engines and minimal false positives for cloud-native applications.

Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences): Developer-friendly WAF using proprietary SmartParse technology, offering low false positives and seamless DevOps integration for modern application security.

Quick Comparison

Feature	AWS Web Application Firewall	Check Point CloudGuard AppSec	Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences)
Overall Rating	4.3/5	4.3/5	4.5/5
Free Tier	No	No	No
Pricing Model	Pay-per-use (rules + requests)	Usage-based / BYOL	Custom pricing based on requests and features
Ease of Use	3.5/5	4.0/5	4.0/5
Value for Money	4.0/5	3.7/5	3.8/5
Support	4.0/5	4.2/5	4.5/5
Platforms	AWS CloudFront, ALB, API Gateway, AppSync, Cognito, App Runner, Verified Access	AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, Docker, any cloud environment	Any web application, AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes, Docker, Serverless, Nginx, Apache
Compliance	SOC 1/2/3, PCI DSS, HIPAA, FedRAMP, ISO 27001	SOC 2, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR	SOC 2 Type II, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR
Best For	AWS-native applications, organizations already invested in AWS ecosystem, variable traffic workloads, multi-account AWS environments	Enterprises seeking AI-powered WAF, organizations frustrated with false positives, cloud-native deployments, Check Point customers	Modern DevOps teams, API-heavy applications, organizations frustrated with false positives, companies needing flexible deployment options

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

View full pricing →

Check Point CloudGuard AppSec

Model: Usage-based / BYOL

Pay-As-You-Go

Usage-based pricing

Bring Your Own License

Custom pricing

View full pricing →

Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences)

Model: Custom pricing based on requests and features

Essential

Custom pricing

Professional

Custom pricing

Premier

Custom pricing

View full pricing →

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.

Check Point CloudGuard AppSec

AI-Powered Protection
Dual machine learning engines (supervised and unsupervised) provide intelligent threat detection without signature dependency.
Preemptive Zero-Day Protection
Block zero-day attacks including Log4Shell, Spring4Shell, and MOVEit without waiting for signature updates.
API Security
Real-time API protection with automatic schema validation and enforcement.
DDoS Protection
Built-in protection across multiple OSI layers against volumetric and application-layer attacks.
Bot Prevention
Advanced bot detection using behavioral analysis and device fingerprinting.
GenAI Security
Protection against prompt injection, data leaks, and harmful content for AI-powered applications.

Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences)

SmartParse Technology
Intelligent parsing technology that understands application context to reduce false positives by 90%+.
Power Rules
Flexible rule language for creating custom detection and response logic based on any request attribute.
API Discovery
Automatic discovery and cataloging of API endpoints with security assessment.
DevOps Integration
Native integrations with CI/CD tools, infrastructure as code support, and developer-friendly APIs.
Multi-Environment Deployment
Deploy as cloud service, agent, or edge module across diverse infrastructure.
Real-Time Dashboards
Live visibility into attacks, decisions, and application health without sampling.

Our Verdict

AWS Web Application Firewall, Check Point CloudGuard AppSec and Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences) 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
Check Point CloudGuard AppSec is well-suited for: Enterprises seeking AI-powered WAF, organizations frustrated with false positives, cloud-native deployments, Check Point customers
Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences) is well-suited for: Modern DevOps teams, API-heavy applications, organizations frustrated with false positives, companies needing flexible deployment options

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 Check Point CloudGuard AppSec or Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences)?

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

Which WAF is easiest to set up?

Check Point CloudGuard AppSec has the highest ease of use rating at 4.0/5 in our review.

Which WAF has the highest overall rating?

Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences) leads with an overall rating of 4.5/5.