F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud vs Barracuda Web Application Firewall

F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud8.9Visit Barracuda Web Application Firewall8.8Visit

Higher score F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud #5 in Web Security Software 8.9/10 Pricing on request ✓ 0 of 4 features Contact F5

vs

Barracuda Web Application Firewall #6 in Web Security Software 8.8/10 Pricing on request ✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Barracuda

• F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud fits best

  Mid-market and enterprise teams with hybrid applications

• Barracuda Web Application Firewall fits best

  Teams needing a self-hosted WAF with SIEM integrations

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Side by side

Feature	F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud 8.9/10 Visit ↗	Barracuda Web Application Firewall 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.8
Ranking	#5 in Web Security Software	#6 in Web Security Software
Best for	Mid-market and enterprise teams with hybrid applications	Teams needing a self-hosted WAF with SIEM integrations
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Pricing on request	—
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Email, Phone, Tickets, Docs · 24/7	Email, Live chat, Phone, Community, Docs · 24/7
Compliance	SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS	PCI DSS, SSO/SAML, 2FA
Integrations	7 integrations	12 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud 0/4 · Barracuda Web Application Firewall 0/4
Phishing/malware blocking	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Web app firewall	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
DDoS protection	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Bot protection	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Websites covered	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Managed attack signatures, violations, and threat campaigns API protection, bot controls, and configurable rate limits Cloud or self-hosted deployment with Terraform and API automation	Protects web apps and REST, JSON, and XML APIs against OWASP Top 10 and zero-day attacks Offers bot defenses, rate controls, and application-layer DoS mitigation Exports logs to SIEM tools and supports centralized management
Cons	Pricing requires contacting sales Firewall and event log retention is 7 days Requires F5 Distributed Cloud management for the service	Pricing is quote-based, with no numeric price shown Advanced retains firewall and traffic logs for 30 days Machine-learning bot detection and automated API discovery require Premium
Our verdict	F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud protects web applications and APIs across public clouds, on-premises environments, customer-edge sites, and F5 global network points of presence. It is aimed at mid-market and enterprise organizations running… Read the review →	Barracuda Web Application Firewall protects websites, web applications, APIs, and mobile application backends against OWASP Top 10 attacks, zero-day threats, data leakage, bots, and application-layer denial-of-service attacks. It is aimed… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud — where it wins

  • Managed attack signatures, violations, and threat campaigns
  • API protection, bot controls, and configurable rate limits
  • Cloud or self-hosted deployment with Terraform and API automation

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires contacting sales
  • Firewall and event log retention is 7 days
  • Requires F5 Distributed Cloud management for the service

• Barracuda Web Application Firewall — where it wins

  • Protects web apps and REST, JSON, and XML APIs against OWASP Top 10 and zero-day attacks
  • Offers bot defenses, rate controls, and application-layer DoS mitigation
  • Exports logs to SIEM tools and supports centralized management

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing is quote-based, with no numeric price shown
  • Advanced retains firewall and traffic logs for 30 days
  • Machine-learning bot detection and automated API discovery require Premium

• F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud8.9/10 · Pricing on request

  Hybrid WAF and API protection with managed signatures, bot controls, and risk scoring.

  Contact F5Full verdict →
• Barracuda Web Application Firewall8.8/10 · Pricing on request

  A self-hosted and cloud WAF with API, bot, and application-layer DoS defenses.

  Visit BarracudaFull verdict →