AWS Web Application Firewall vs CrowdSec Web Application Firewall vs Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences)

Comparing AWS Web Application Firewall, CrowdSec Web Application Firewall 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 CrowdSec Web Application Firewall Review

View Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences) Review

Overview

AWS Web Application Firewall, CrowdSec Web Application Firewall 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.

CrowdSec Web Application Firewall: Open-source, crowd-powered WAF that combines traditional rule-based filtering with community-driven threat intelligence. Integrates with Nginx, Traefik, HAProxy, and Kubernetes. Compatible with ModSecurity SecLang rules.

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	CrowdSec Web Application Firewall	Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences)
Overall Rating	4.3/5	4.3/5	4.5/5
Free Tier	No	Yes	No
Pricing Model	Pay-per-use (rules + requests)	Open source (MIT) + commercial blocklists and CTI	Custom pricing based on requests and features
Ease of Use	3.5/5	-	4.0/5
Value for Money	4.0/5	4.7/5	3.8/5
Support	4.0/5	-	4.5/5
Platforms	AWS CloudFront, ALB, API Gateway, AppSync, Cognito, App Runner, Verified Access	Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, FreeBSD, Windows (beta)	Any web application, AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes, Docker, Serverless, Nginx, Apache
Compliance	SOC 1/2/3, PCI DSS, HIPAA, FedRAMP, ISO 27001	Supports PCI DSS compliance, SOC 2 workflows	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	-	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 →

CrowdSec Web Application Firewall

Model: Open source (MIT) + commercial blocklists and CTI

Free Tier Available

Community

Free

Premium Blocklists

From $900/month

CTI

Custom

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.

CrowdSec Web Application Firewall

Crowd-Sourced Threat Intelligence
Network of 200,000+ installations sharing attack signals in real-time. Blocks malicious IPs 7-60 days before other vendors detect them.
ModSecurity Rule Compatibility
Load existing ModSecurity SecLang rules directly. Teams migrating from ModSecurity can reuse their rule sets without rewriting.
Virtual Patching
Block exploitation attempts at the WAF layer before application patches are deployed. Protect against known CVEs without code changes.
Advanced Behavior Detection
Goes beyond single-request analysis. Generates internal events to build complex multi-request scenarios before triggering blocks.
Proxy Integration
Native integration with Nginx, Traefik, HAProxy, Apache, and Envoy. No separate appliance needed.
Kubernetes Ready
Runs as a sidecar or within ingress controllers. Fits containerized and microservice architectures.
Console Dashboard
Web-based management console for monitoring alerts, managing blocklists, and configuring the security engine.
Community Blocklists
Free access to crowd-sourced IP blocklists updated in real-time from the CrowdSec network.

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, CrowdSec Web Application Firewall 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
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 CrowdSec Web Application Firewall or Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences)?

CrowdSec Web Application Firewall offers a free tier.

Which WAF is easiest to set up?

Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences) 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.