WAFPlanet

Cloudflare Web Application Firewall vs Imperva Web Application Firewall vs Sansec Shield Web Application Firewall

Comparing Cloudflare Web Application Firewall, Imperva Web Application Firewall and Sansec Shield 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 Cloudflare Web Application Firewall Review View Imperva Web Application Firewall Review View Sansec Shield Web Application Firewall Review

Overview

Cloudflare Web Application Firewall, Imperva Web Application Firewall and Sansec Shield 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.

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.

Sansec Shield Web Application Firewall: Magento-specific WAF with real-time threat protection, zero false positives, and deep Adobe Commerce integration for e-commerce stores.

Quick Comparison

Feature
Cloudflare Web Application Firewall
Imperva Web Application Firewall
Sansec Shield Web Application Firewall
Overall Rating 4.5/5 4.4/5 4.4/5
Free Tier Yes No No
Pricing Model Per domain / Per feature tier Custom enterprise pricing Subscription by store revenue tier
Ease of Use 4.8/5 3.5/5 4.0/5
Value for Money 4.5/5 3.7/5 4.3/5
Support 4.0/5 4.5/5 4.6/5
Platforms Any web application, WordPress, Shopify, AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes Any web application, AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, on-premise Magento 2, Adobe Commerce, Adobe Cloud
Compliance SOC 2, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, HIPAA, FedRAMP SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018 PCI DSS compatible
Best For 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 Magento 2 stores, Adobe Commerce merchants, e-commerce businesses requiring specialized protection

Pricing Comparison

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 →

Sansec Shield Web Application Firewall

Model: Subscription by store revenue tier

Secure

Custom pricing

Advanced

Custom pricing

Enterprise

Custom pricing

View full pricing →

Features Comparison

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.

Sansec Shield Web Application Firewall

  • Origin-Based Protection

    Operates at the application layer as a PHP module, protecting against attacks that bypass CDN-based WAFs.

  • Real-Time Threat Detection

    Sub-millisecond pattern matching with zero performance impact on store operations.

  • Zero False Positives

    Blocks only actual attacks using Magento-specific intelligence, not generic criteria.

  • Rapid Threat Response

    New protection rules deployed within minutes of detecting new attack patterns in the wild.

  • Magento-Specific Rules

    Deep understanding of Magento architecture enables detection of platform-specific vulnerabilities.

  • Hack Protection Guarantee

    Conditional guarantee against successful attacks when security requirements are met.

Our Verdict

Cloudflare Web Application Firewall, Imperva Web Application Firewall and Sansec Shield Web Application Firewall are all capable web application firewalls that can protect your applications from common threats.

Key considerations:

  • 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
  • Sansec Shield Web Application Firewall is well-suited for: Magento 2 stores, Adobe Commerce merchants, e-commerce businesses requiring specialized protection

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: Cloudflare Web Application Firewall or Imperva Web Application Firewall or Sansec Shield 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.