AWS Web Application Firewall vs Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences) vs Radware Cloud WAF Service

Comparing AWS Web Application Firewall, Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences) and Radware Cloud WAF Service 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 Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences) Review

View Radware Cloud WAF Service Review

Overview

AWS Web Application Firewall, Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences) and Radware Cloud WAF Service 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.

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.

Radware Cloud WAF Service: Fully managed cloud WAF combining automatic policy generation, advanced bot mitigation, and 24/7 expert support with industry-leading DDoS protection.

Quick Comparison

Feature	AWS Web Application Firewall	Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences)	Radware Cloud WAF Service
Overall Rating	4.3/5	4.5/5	4.4/5
Free Tier	No	No	No
Pricing Model	Pay-per-use (rules + requests)	Custom pricing based on requests and features	OPEX-based subscription
Ease of Use	3.5/5	4.0/5	3.6/5
Value for Money	4.0/5	3.8/5	3.8/5
Support	4.0/5	4.5/5	4.6/5
Platforms	AWS CloudFront, ALB, API Gateway, AppSync, Cognito, App Runner, Verified Access	Any web application, AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes, Docker, Serverless, Nginx, Apache	Any web application, AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, on-premises
Compliance	SOC 1/2/3, PCI DSS, HIPAA, FedRAMP, ISO 27001	SOC 2 Type II, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR	SOC 2, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, HIPAA
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	Mid-market to enterprise organizations, companies needing integrated WAF and DDoS, hybrid cloud environments, organizations valuing managed services

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 →

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 →

Radware Cloud WAF Service

Model: OPEX-based subscription

Standard

Custom pricing

Advanced

Custom pricing

Premium

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.

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.

Radware Cloud WAF Service

Automatic Policy Generation
Patented technology automatically creates and optimizes security policies for new applications.
Positive and Negative Security
Combines signature-based detection with positive security model for comprehensive protection.
Bot Manager
Advanced bot detection using behavioral analysis, device fingerprinting, and CAPTCHA challenges.
API Protection
Discover and protect APIs with schema validation, rate limiting, and anomaly detection.
DDoS Protection
Integrated network and application layer DDoS mitigation backed by Radware''s global scrubbing network.
Geo-Fencing
Block or allow traffic based on geographic location with granular country-level controls.

Our Verdict

AWS Web Application Firewall, Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences) and Radware Cloud WAF Service 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
Radware Cloud WAF Service is well-suited for: Mid-market to enterprise organizations, companies needing integrated WAF and DDoS, hybrid cloud environments, organizations valuing managed services

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 Fastly Next-Gen WAF (Signal Sciences) or Radware Cloud WAF Service?

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

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.