ZeroTier vs F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud

ZeroTier8.0Visit F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud7.6Visit

Higher score ZeroTier #6 in Cloud Network Management Software 8.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit ZeroTier

vs

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

• ZeroTier fits best

  Flexible virtual networking across many environments

• F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud fits best

  Distributed-cloud WAF and API protection

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Side by side

Feature	ZeroTier 8.0/10 Visit ↗	F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud 7.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.0	7.6
Ranking	#6 in Cloud Network Management Software	#8 in Cloud Network Management Software
Best for	Flexible virtual networking across many environments	Distributed-cloud WAF and API protection
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	—	Pricing on request
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android	Web
Support	Community, Email, Tickets, Docs	Email, Phone, Tickets, Docs · 24/7
Compliance	SOC 2, GDPR	SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features ZeroTier 4/5 · 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	—	Not checked yet
Infrastructure as code	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment model	Hybrid	Hybrid
Cloud provider coverage	DigitalOcean, Amazon Web Services, Google Compute Engine, Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Alibaba Cloud, IBM Cloud, Vultr, Equinix Metal	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Free Personal plan and $18-per-month commercial entry tier Supports web, desktop, mobile, API, and self-hosted deployments Includes SD-WAN, policies, micro-segmentation, Terraform, and cloud connectivity	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	Network monitoring requires Prometheus and Grafana Personal is limited to non-commercial use, 10 devices, and 1 network Advanced enterprise capabilities use custom pricing	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	ZeroTier is a software-defined networking platform for connecting devices, people, sites, and cloud environments through encrypted virtual networks. It suits teams replacing a VPN, building SD-WAN deployments, connecting IoT or edge… 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

• ZeroTier — where it wins

  • Free Personal plan and $18-per-month commercial entry tier
  • Supports web, desktop, mobile, API, and self-hosted deployments
  • Includes SD-WAN, policies, micro-segmentation, Terraform, and cloud connectivity

  Where it doesn't

  • Network monitoring requires Prometheus and Grafana
  • Personal is limited to non-commercial use, 10 devices, and 1 network
  • Advanced enterprise capabilities use custom pricing

• 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

• ZeroTier8.0/10 · Free plan

  Flexible encrypted virtual networking with broad deployment options, but limited native monitoring.

  Visit ZeroTierFull 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 →