Head-to-head · Load Balancing Software
Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer vs HAProxy Community Edition
Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer leads on 1 check, HAProxy Community Edition on 1, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.
Our verdict
- Highest scoreAlibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer · 9.1/10
- Free planonly HAProxy Community Edition
- Most featuresAlibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer · 5 of 5
Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer scores higher on our rubric for load balancing software: 9.1 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #7.
HAProxy Community Edition offers free plan; Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer doesn't. Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer offers managed service; HAProxy Community Edition doesn't.
Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer is the better fit for alibaba Cloud deployments. HAProxy Community Edition is the better fit for free, capable Linux self-hosting.
- Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer fits best
Alibaba Cloud deployments
- HAProxy Community Edition fits best
Free, capable Linux self-hosting
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Side by side
| Feature | Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer 9.1/10 Visit ↗ | HAProxy Community Edition 8.7/10 Visit ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Editor score | 9.1 | 8.7 |
| Ranking | #3 in Load Balancing Software | #7 in Load Balancing Software |
| Best for | Alibaba Cloud deployments | Free, capable Linux self-hosting |
| Pricing model | Paid | Free |
| Starting price | $0.007/unit usage-based | Free plan |
| Free plan | — | ✓ (best) |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Deployment | Cloud | Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web | Linux |
| Support | Tickets, Live chat, Phone, Community, Docs | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Features Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer 5/5 · HAProxy Community Edition 3/5 | ||
| Managed service | ✓ (best) | — |
| Layer 7 routing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Layer 4 routing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Global traffic management | ✓ (best) | Not checked yet |
| TLS termination | ✓ | ✓ |
| Specs | ||
| Backend limit | 200 backends | Not checked yet |
| Our review | ||
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| Cons |
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| Our verdict | Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer (SLB) is a managed service for distributing client traffic across backend servers. It brings together Network Load Balancer (NLB) for Layer 4 traffic, Application Load Balancer (ALB) for Layer 7… Read the review → |
HAProxy Community Edition is a free, open-source reverse proxy and software load balancer for TCP and HTTP applications. It is designed for teams managing their own infrastructure on Linux, including deployments across containers, virtual… Read the review → |
Strengths and trade-offs
Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer — where it wins
- Supports Layer 4 and Layer 7 traffic, including QUIC and gRPC
- Multi-zone deployment, disaster recovery, and automatic traffic-based scaling
- Integrates with ECS, ACK, WAF, CEN, CDN, and other Alibaba Cloud services
Where it doesn't
- No free plan or dedicated free trial
- Actual charges can include LCUs and transfer or IP-related fees
- Prices and availability vary by region
HAProxy Community Edition — where it wins
- Free and open source for self-managed deployments
- Combines Layer 4, Layer 7, TLS, health checks, and persistence
- Includes rate limiting, monitoring, rewriting, and high availability
Where it doesn't
- Requires a Linux or self-hosted deployment model
- Global traffic management is outside the community edition's scope
- No AI features are provided
- Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer9.1/10 · Paid
A broad Alibaba Cloud balancing service with Layer 4/7 routing and a low published entry price.
Visit Alibaba CloudFull verdict → - HAProxy Community Edition8.7/10 · Free plan
A capable free choice for self-managed Layer 4 and Layer 7 traffic distribution.
Visit HAProxyFull verdict →
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All load balancing software comparisons → · Full ranking →
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update