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Head-to-head · Web Application Firewall Software

Cloudflare WAF vs Azure Web Application Firewall

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Cloudflare WAF #1 in Web Application Firewall Software 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Cloudflare
Azure Web Application Firewall #7 in Web Application Firewall Software 8.7/10 Paid ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit site

Cloudflare WAF leads on 1 check, Azure Web Application Firewall on 2, and 3 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 scoreCloudflare WAF · 9.4/10
  • Lowest starting priceAzure Web Application Firewall · $5/mo
  • Free planonly Cloudflare WAF
  • Most featuresAzure Web Application Firewall · 4 of 4

Cloudflare WAF scores higher on our rubric for web application firewall software: 9.4 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #7.

Cloudflare WAF offers free plan; Azure Web Application Firewall doesn't. Azure Web Application Firewall is cheaper to start at $5/mo against $20/mo. Azure Web Application Firewall offers bot management; Cloudflare WAF doesn't.

Cloudflare WAF is the better fit for teams wanting broad WAF coverage with a free plan. Azure Web Application Firewall is the better fit for azure users needing low-cost managed WAF controls.

  • Cloudflare WAF fits best

    Teams wanting broad WAF coverage with a free plan

  • Azure Web Application Firewall fits best

    Azure users needing low-cost managed WAF controls

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Cloudflare WAF 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Azure Web Application Firewall 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.7
Ranking #1 in Web Application Firewall Software #7 in Web Application Firewall Software
Best for Teams wanting broad WAF coverage with a free plan Azure users needing low-cost managed WAF controls
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price $20/mo $5/mo (best)
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Cloud
Platforms Web Web
Support Community, Tickets, Live chat, Phone, Docs Docs, Community, Tickets
Compliance ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR, PCI DSS PCI DSS
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Cloudflare WAF 3/4 · Azure Web Application Firewall 4/4
Managed rule sets ✓ ✓
API protection ✓ ✓
Bot management — ✓ (best)
Rate limiting ✓ ✓
Specs
Deployment model Edge Edge
Log retention 30 days Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Free plan includes managed rules and one rate-limiting rule
  • Edge inspection covers web applications and APIs
  • Terraform management, analytics, and virtual patching support
  • Azure-managed rules cover common web attacks
  • Custom rules, bot protection, rate limiting, and access controls
  • Azure Monitor provides monitoring and logging
Cons
  • Bot management is a separate Cloudflare product
  • Paid managed rules begin with the Pro plan
  • Business pricing starts at $200 per month billed annually
  • No free plan
  • Pricing includes fixed and request-based charges
  • Verified integrations are narrower than leading cloud alternatives
Our verdict

Cloudflare WAF is a cloud-delivered web application firewall for websites and APIs. It inspects HTTP and HTTPS requests at Cloudflare’s edge, applying managed rulesets, custom rules, and protections for attacks such as SQL injection and…

Read the review →

Azure Web Application Firewall is a managed web application firewall for organizations running applications on Azure. It protects websites and APIs from common web exploits, including SQL injection and cross-site scripting. The service…

Read the review →
  1. Cloudflare WAFWeb Application Firewall Software 9.4Free plan
  2. Azure Web Application FirewallWeb Application Firewall Software 8.7Paid

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Cloudflare WAF — where it wins

    • Free plan includes managed rules and one rate-limiting rule
    • Edge inspection covers web applications and APIs
    • Terraform management, analytics, and virtual patching support

    Where it doesn't

    • Bot management is a separate Cloudflare product
    • Paid managed rules begin with the Pro plan
    • Business pricing starts at $200 per month billed annually

  • Azure Web Application Firewall — where it wins

    • Azure-managed rules cover common web attacks
    • Custom rules, bot protection, rate limiting, and access controls
    • Azure Monitor provides monitoring and logging

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan
    • Pricing includes fixed and request-based charges
    • Verified integrations are narrower than leading cloud alternatives

More comparisons

All web application firewall software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update