Cloudflare Gateway review
A broad filtering gateway with strong policy controls and basic reporting.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Cloudflare Gateway is a cloud-delivered secure web gateway for organizations that need to control more than DNS requests. Administrators can filter DNS, HTTP and HTTPS requests, network traffic, packets, ports, and protocols. Policies can target malware, phishing, content categories, applications, hostnames, users, and groups. The product also supports custom lists, SafeSearch enforcement, recurring DNS schedules, time-limited policies, and traffic routing through the Cloudflare One Client or network DNS.
The published plans offer a freemium starting point. The Free plan costs $0 per organization per month and is intended for teams under 50 users or enterprise proof-of-concept tests, with up to 24 hours of standard log retention. Pay-as-you-go costs $7 per user per month, has no user limit, and provides up to 30 days of standard log retention. The Contract plan has custom pricing, no user limit, and up to 6 months of standard log retention. According to the vendor's pricing page, the paid plans are aimed at broader traffic-control needs, while the free tier is a smaller-scale entry point.
Its main strength is breadth: Gateway combines DNS filtering with HTTP/HTTPS inspection, network traffic policies, identity-based controls, SafeSearch, scheduling, custom lists, and activity logs. That makes it a fit for organizations requiring layered Internet filtering across desktop, mobile, network, and API environments. The trade-off is that reporting is basic, so teams seeking more detailed analysis may need a different emphasis in their evaluation. Choose Cloudflare Gateway when policy coverage and multiple traffic paths matter; choose an alternative when advanced reporting is the primary requirement.
Cloudflare Gateway pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Filters DNS, HTTP/HTTPS, network traffic, and custom lists
- Supports identity controls, SafeSearch, scheduling, and activity logs
- Runs across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, network DNS, and API
- Where it doesn't
- Activity reporting is basic
- Free log retention is limited to up to 24 hours
- Contract plan pricing is custom
Cloudflare Gateway fact sheet, pricing and score →
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