Cloudflare WAN (formerly Magic WAN) vs F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud

Cloudflare WAN (formerly Magic WAN)9.2Visit F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud7.6Visit

Higher score Cloudflare WAN (formerly Magic WAN) #1 in Cloud Network Management Software 9.2/10 Pricing on request ✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Cloudflare

vs

F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud #8 in Cloud Network Management Software 7.6/10 Pricing on request ✓ 0 of 5 features Visit F5

• Cloudflare WAN (formerly Magic WAN) fits best

  Global cloud connectivity and WAN operations

• F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud fits best

  Distributed-cloud WAF and API protection

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Side by side

Feature	Cloudflare WAN (formerly Magic WAN) 9.2/10 Visit ↗	F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud 7.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	7.6
Ranking	#1 in Cloud Network Management Software	#8 in Cloud Network Management Software
Best for	Global cloud connectivity and WAN operations	Distributed-cloud WAF and API protection
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Pricing on request	Pricing on request
Free plan	Not checked yet	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Docs	Email, Phone, Tickets, Docs · 24/7
Integrations	8 integrations	7 integrations
Built for	Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Cloudflare WAN (formerly Magic WAN) 5/5 · F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud 0/5
Multicloud support	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
VPN management	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Firewall policy management	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Network monitoring	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Infrastructure as code	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment model	Hybrid	Hybrid
Cloud provider coverage	AWS, Azure, GCP	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Connects offices, data centers, and clouds through Cloudflare's global network Supports AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud with automated VPN on-ramps Combines firewall policy, analytics, traceroutes, and packet captures	Protects web applications and APIs across hybrid and multicloud environments Combines WAF, bot protection, rate limiting, and AI risk scoring Supports Terraform, public APIs, vesctl, and major monitoring integrations
Cons	Enterprise-only product with pricing handled through sales Its broad networking scope may exceed smaller deployment needs Private dedicated connections require Cloudflare Network Interconnect	Pricing is handled through F5 account teams or Contact Sales Its focus is application security rather than broad cloud network management Firewall and event log retention is stated as 7 days
Our verdict	Cloudflare WAN, formerly Magic WAN, is an enterprise WAN-as-a-service product for connecting and securing offices, data centers, and cloud resources through Cloudflare's global network. It is designed for organizations managing… Read the review →	F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud is a SaaS and deployable web application firewall for organizations running applications across public clouds, on-premises environments, customer-edge sites, and F5 global network points of presence. It is… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Cloudflare WAN (formerly Magic WAN) — where it wins

  • Connects offices, data centers, and clouds through Cloudflare's global network
  • Supports AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud with automated VPN on-ramps
  • Combines firewall policy, analytics, traceroutes, and packet captures

  Where it doesn't

  • Enterprise-only product with pricing handled through sales
  • Its broad networking scope may exceed smaller deployment needs
  • Private dedicated connections require Cloudflare Network Interconnect

• F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud — where it wins

  • Protects web applications and APIs across hybrid and multicloud environments
  • Combines WAF, bot protection, rate limiting, and AI risk scoring
  • Supports Terraform, public APIs, vesctl, and major monitoring integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing is handled through F5 account teams or Contact Sales
  • Its focus is application security rather than broad cloud network management
  • Firewall and event log retention is stated as 7 days

• Cloudflare WAN (formerly Magic WAN)9.2/10 · Pricing on request

  A broad hybrid WAN platform for connecting and securing global cloud environments.

  Visit CloudflareFull verdict →
• F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud7.6/10 · Pricing on request

  Focused hybrid-cloud WAF and API protection with automation and monitoring.

  Visit F5Full verdict →