Fastly DDoS Protection vs AWS Shield

Fastly DDoS Protection9.1Visit AWS Shield9.0Visit

Higher score Fastly DDoS Protection #3 in DDoS Protection Software 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Fastly

vs

AWS Shield #4 in DDoS Protection Software 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit AWS Shield

• Fastly DDoS Protection fits best

  Usage-based web and API protection

• AWS Shield fits best

  AWS-native teams needing layered protection

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Side by side

Feature	Fastly DDoS Protection 9.1/10 Visit ↗	AWS Shield 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	9.0
Ranking	#3 in DDoS Protection Software	#4 in DDoS Protection Software
Best for	Usage-based web and API protection	AWS-native teams needing layered protection
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$0.01/unit/mo	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Fastly DDoS Protection 0/2 · AWS Shield 2/2
Managed mitigation	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
WAF included	—	✓ (best)
Specs
Attack layers	Both	Both
Mitigation mode	Always-on	Always-on
Deployment model	Cloud	Cloud
Protection capacity	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Covers both network-layer and application-layer attacks Near-real-time mitigation with continuous anomaly detection Zero-attack-fee billing for mitigated attack spikes	Free Standard tier covers common network and transport-layer attacks Advanced adds AWS WAF application-layer protection and monitoring Integrates with EC2, CloudFront, Route 53, and other AWS services
Cons	WAF protection is not included The free tier does not specify a request allowance Pricing is based on monthly request volume	Shield Advanced starts at $3,000 per month Advanced requires a one-year subscription commitment Response Team access requires Business or Enterprise AWS Support
Our verdict	Fastly DDoS Protection is a cloud-based service for detecting and mitigating distributed denial-of-service attacks against applications, APIs, and infrastructure. It is designed for teams protecting web and API traffic across cloud,… Read the review →	AWS Shield is a managed DDoS protection service for applications and networks hosted on AWS. Shield Standard automatically protects AWS customers against common network and transport-layer DDoS events at no additional charge. Shield… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Fastly DDoS Protection — where it wins

  • Covers both network-layer and application-layer attacks
  • Near-real-time mitigation with continuous anomaly detection
  • Zero-attack-fee billing for mitigated attack spikes

  Where it doesn't

  • WAF protection is not included
  • The free tier does not specify a request allowance
  • Pricing is based on monthly request volume

• AWS Shield — where it wins

  • Free Standard tier covers common network and transport-layer attacks
  • Advanced adds AWS WAF application-layer protection and monitoring
  • Integrates with EC2, CloudFront, Route 53, and other AWS services

  Where it doesn't

  • Shield Advanced starts at $3,000 per month
  • Advanced requires a one-year subscription commitment
  • Response Team access requires Business or Enterprise AWS Support

• Fastly DDoS Protection9.1/10 · Free plan

  Usage-priced protection for network and application-layer DDoS attacks.

  Visit FastlyFull verdict →
• AWS Shield9.0/10 · Free plan

  A layered AWS-native option with free baseline coverage and a $3,000 Advanced tier.

  Visit AWS ShieldFull verdict →