F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing
F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing: Layer 4/7 balancing and global traffic steering for distributed application estates. Ranked #8 of 31 in Load Balancer Services by our editors (8.4/10); pricing: Pricing on request; best for hybrid and multicloud enterprise delivery.
At a glance
- Editor score8.4 / 10
- PricingPricing on request
- Best forHybrid and multicloud enterprise delivery
- Free planNo
- Balancing layersBoth
- Founded1996 · Seattle, Washington, United States
- Facts checked23 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Balances Layer 4 and Layer 7 traffic with TLS termination and health checks
- Supports routing, failover, session persistence, and DNS-based global balancing
- Integrates load balancing with WAF, DDoS, API security, and bot protection
Where it doesn't
- Public list pricing is not published; buying requires contacting sales
- Essentials targets public-facing web apps, not the advanced hybrid/multicloud scope
- Enterprise adds advanced security and behavioral analysis, making it a broader fit
Our verdict on F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing
F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing is a SaaS-based service for distributing application traffic across origins, sites, clusters, and cloud environments. It is aimed at mid-market and enterprise organizations managing public-facing and private applications across hybrid, multicloud, edge, or data-center settings. Its Layer 4 and Layer 7 controls cover TLS termination, origin health checks, routing, failover, and session persistence, so it suits teams that need more than simple traffic distribution at a single endpoint.
Its strongest fit is distributed delivery: DNS-based global server load balancing complements local traffic management, while cloud and self-hosted deployment options and Customer Edge nodes support hybrid or multicloud environments. Declarative APIs and console-based management offer two control paths. The service also integrates with web application and API protection, DDoS mitigation, WAF, and bot protection. Buyers looking to pair traffic management with those security capabilities have a broader delivery stack to consider; teams seeking only a straightforward load balancer may find this scope more than they need.
According to the vendor's pricing page, public list pricing is not published and buyers need to contact sales. The Essentials package covers cloud-based delivery for public-facing web applications and includes public/distributed load balancing and application delivery features. Enterprise adds advanced security and behavioral traffic analysis, alongside application delivery and traffic management across hybrid and multicloud environments. Support channels include email, phone, tickets, and documentation. Choose Essentials for public web delivery or Enterprise when cross-environment management and advanced security matter; organizations that need public, comparable prices or a stated free plan should consider alternatives.
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F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing pricing
All 2 F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing plans and prices →
F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing fact sheet
| Free plan | No |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Balancing layers | Both |
| Global regions | Not verified |
| TLS termination | Yes |
| Sticky sessions | Yes |
| DNS traffic steering | Yes |
| Backend target limit | Not verified |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Email, Phone, Tickets, Docs |
| Built for | Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 6 integrations: Declarative APIs, Web application and API protection, DDoS mitigation, WAF, Bot protection, Customer Edge nodes |
| Pricing | Pricing on request (source) |
| Website | f5.com |
| Facts checked | 23 Sep 2026 |
F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing integrations
F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing lists 6 integrations on its own site.
- Declarative APIs
- Web application and API protection
- DDoS mitigation
- WAF
- Bot protection
- Customer Edge nodes
Alternatives to F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing
- AWS Elastic Load BalancingA broad AWS-native load balancing service with usage-based pricing and multiple traffic layers.9.4
- Google Cloud Load BalancingA broad managed load balancer for global, hybrid, and multi-backend workloads.9.2
- Alibaba Cloud Server Load BalancerA broad managed balancing service with a clear ALB entry price and Alibaba Cloud integrations.9.0
See all F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing alternatives →
F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing vs the competition
- F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing vs AWS Elastic Load Balancing
- F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing vs Google Cloud Load Balancing
- F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing vs Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer
- F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing vs NGINX Plus
- F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing vs HAProxy Enterprise
- F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing vs Traefik Proxy
Compare F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing with any tool side by side →
Also Ranked In
F5 Distributed Cloud Load Balancing is ranked in 3 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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