Best Huawei Cloud WAF Alternatives in 2026
The top Huawei Cloud WAF alternatives are Cloudflare WAF, AWS WAF and Wallarm WAAP: 15 web application firewall software our editors would look at instead of Huawei Cloud WAF, in our ranking order.
Huawei Cloud WAF: A feature-rich Huawei Cloud WAF for teams needing managed protection and dedicated deployment modes. Where it falls short: no free plan is available.
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Best forTeams wanting broad WAF coverage with a free plan
Broad edge WAF coverage with a free plan and Terraform management.
- Managed rule sets
- Rate limiting
- API protection
9.4/10★★★★★Visit Cloudflare -
Best forAWS-native applications needing flexible pricing
Flexible AWS-native protection with usage-based pricing that requires careful cost planning.
- Managed rule sets
- Rate limiting
- API protection
9.2/10★★★★★Visit AWS WAF -
Best forAPI-heavy teams wanting a free security tier
A broad WAAP platform with a useful free tier for API-focused security teams.
- Managed rule sets
- Rate limiting
- API protection
9.1/10★★★★★Visit Wallarm -
Best forLarge hybrid enterprises needing mature protection
A broad edge security platform for large enterprises with complex environments.
- Managed rule sets
- Rate limiting
- API protection
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit Akamai -
Best forCloud-native teams wanting open-source ML protection
A flexible open-source WAF for cloud-native web applications and APIs.
- Rate limiting
- API protection
- Bot management
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit open-appsec -
Best forGoogle Cloud users needing managed edge protection
A Google Cloud edge WAF with managed rules, API protection, bots, and rate controls.
- Managed rule sets
- Rate limiting
- API protection
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Google Cloud -
Best forAzure users needing low-cost managed WAF controls
A low-cost managed WAF for Azure applications, APIs, and edge traffic.
- Managed rule sets
- Rate limiting
- API protection
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forOrganizations wanting flexible F5 hybrid deployment
A flexible hybrid WAF with strong automation, API, bot, and rate-limiting coverage.
- Managed rule sets
- Rate limiting
- API protection
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit F5 -
Best forHybrid enterprises needing broad integrations
A broad hybrid WAF for teams securing applications, APIs, bots, and traffic.
- Managed rule sets
- Rate limiting
- API protection
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Barracuda -
Best forEnterprises wanting automated hybrid WAF operations
A broad hybrid WAF for enterprises that need managed rules, automation, and API security.
- Managed rule sets
- Rate limiting
- API protection
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Imperva -
Best forEnterprises needing AI-assisted hybrid WAF security
A broad hybrid WAF for enterprises needing AI-assisted application, API, and bot protection.
- Rate limiting
- API protection
- Bot management
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit Check Point -
Best forFortinet customers needing integrated WAF security
A broad Fortinet WAF for web, API, bot, and application-layer protection.
- Managed rule sets
- API protection
- Bot management
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit FortiWeb -
Best forTeams needing flexible Fastly WAF deployment
A flexible WAF for teams protecting applications, APIs, and microservices across varied deployments.
- Managed rule sets
- Rate limiting
- API protection
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Fastly -
Best forBudget-conscious teams needing free edge WAF access
A cost-conscious edge WAAP with free OWASP protection and paid rule controls.
- Managed rule sets
- Rate limiting
- API protection
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Gcore WAAP -
Best forSelf-hosted teams seeking a free open-source WAF
A free, self-hosted WAF with OWASP rules, API validation, rate limiting, and antibot controls.
- Managed rule sets
- Rate limiting
- API protection
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit BunkerWeb
Huawei Cloud WAF Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to Huawei Cloud WAF?
Cloudflare WAF: #1 in our Web Application Firewall Software ranking, with an editor score of 9.4 out of 10. Broad edge WAF coverage with a free plan and Terraform management.
Is there a free alternative to Huawei Cloud WAF?
Yes. Cloudflare WAF, Wallarm WAAP, open-appsec, Gcore WAAP and BunkerWeb have a free plan or a free tier.
What is the cheapest paid alternative to Huawei Cloud WAF?
Of the alternatives here that publish a price, AWS WAF starts lowest, at $0.6/unit usage-based.
Huawei Cloud WAF vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Deployment model | Managed rule sets | API protection | Bot management | Rate limiting | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Huawei Cloud WAF | No | — | Cloud | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.1 |
| 1 | Cloudflare WAF | Yes | $20/mo | Edge | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | 9.4 |
| 2 | AWS WAF | No | $0.6/unit usage-based | Hybrid | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.2 |
| 3 | Wallarm WAAP | Yes | — | Hybrid | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.1 |
| 4 | Akamai App & API Protector | — | — | Edge | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.0 |
| 5 | open-appsec | — | None | Hybrid | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.9 |
| 6 | Google Cloud Armor | No | — | Edge | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.8 |
| 7 | Azure Web Application Firewall | No | $0.6/unit usage-based | Edge | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.7 |
| 8 | F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud | No | — | Hybrid | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.6 |
| 9 | Barracuda Web Application Firewall | No | — | Hybrid | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.5 |
| 10 | Imperva Web Application Firewall | No | — | Hybrid | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.4 |
| 11 | Check Point CloudGuard WAF | No | — | Hybrid | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.3 |
| 12 | FortiWeb | — | — | Hybrid | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | 8.2 |
| 13 | Fastly Next-Gen WAF | No | — | Hybrid | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.1 |
| 14 | Gcore WAAP | Yes | €25/mo | Edge | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.0 |
| 15 | BunkerWeb | Yes | None | Hybrid | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.9 |
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update