Imperva Web Application Firewall vs F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud

Imperva Web Application Firewall9.1Visit F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud8.9Visit

Higher score Imperva Web Application Firewall #3 in Web Security Software 9.1/10 Pricing on request ✓ 0 of 4 features Contact Thales

vs

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

• Imperva Web Application Firewall fits best

  Enterprises needing managed WAF policies and automation

• F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud fits best

  Mid-market and enterprise teams with hybrid applications

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Side by side

Feature	Imperva Web Application Firewall 9.1/10 Visit ↗	F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	8.9
Ranking	#3 in Web Security Software	#5 in Web Security Software
Best for	Enterprises needing managed WAF policies and automation	Mid-market and enterprise teams with hybrid applications
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Pricing on request	Pricing on request
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Tickets, Docs	Email, Phone, Tickets, Docs · 24/7
Compliance	GDPR, PCI DSS	SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Imperva Web Application Firewall 0/4 · F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud 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 rules update daily, with real-time updates for critical threats Combines web/API protection, bot controls, and behavior-based rate thresholds Automates policy creation and rule propagation, with Terraform deployment	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
Cons	No public WAF plan prices; buying requires contacting sales No free plan, though a Cloud WAF trial is advertised Multiple deployment variants may require choosing among different operating models	Pricing requires contacting sales Firewall and event log retention is 7 days Requires F5 Distributed Cloud management for the service
Our verdict	Imperva Web Application Firewall protects web applications and APIs against application-layer attacks, including SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and other OWASP Top 10 threats. Thales offers it to mid-market and enterprise… Read the review →	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 →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Imperva Web Application Firewall — where it wins

  • Managed rules update daily, with real-time updates for critical threats
  • Combines web/API protection, bot controls, and behavior-based rate thresholds
  • Automates policy creation and rule propagation, with Terraform deployment

  Where it doesn't

  • No public WAF plan prices; buying requires contacting sales
  • No free plan, though a Cloud WAF trial is advertised
  • Multiple deployment variants may require choosing among different operating models

• 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

• Imperva Web Application Firewall9.1/10 · Pricing on request

  Managed WAF rules, bot controls and deployment automation for hybrid environments.

  Contact ThalesFull verdict →
• 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 →