Best Web Security Software (2026): Top 10 Compared

Cloudflare runs its WAF, DDoS protection and bot mitigation on the same edge network that serves its CDN, so a site gains protection by routing its traffic through Cloudflare. The WAF page lists managed rulesets, custom rules, API-managed rules, OWASP Top 10 protection, zero-day defence and content scanning, enforced at the edge.

The plan comparison makes the tiering clear. All four plans include the WAF, the Free Managed Ruleset and unmetered DDoS protection. The Cloudflare Rules allowance grows from 70 rules on Free to 225 on Pro, 450 on Business and 2,700 on Enterprise. Bot mitigation steps up from simple bots on Free and easy-to-detect bots on Pro to sophisticated bots with basic analytics on Business, and all bots with anomaly detection, custom CAPTCHAs and advanced analytics on Enterprise.

Client-side security follows the same pattern, from script monitoring on Free to malicious resource detection and code change alerts on Enterprise. Support moves from community forums on Free to tickets on Pro, chat on Business and 24x7 phone support on Enterprise.

Akamai describes App & API Protector as one-stop security for websites, applications and APIs. Every request is inspected in real time at the Akamai edge before it reaches the origin.

The product combines several layers. The WAF addresses OWASP threats such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting. A Behavioral DDoS Engine handles volumetric and application-layer DDoS attacks. API discovery and API Top 10 protections cover programmatic traffic, and bot controls and sensitive data protection complete the set. A malware protection module scans uploaded files at the edge so that malicious files do not reach the origin.

The Adaptive Security Engine is the core detection technology, which Akamai says learns attack patterns and adapts to future threats. App & API Protector Hybrid extends the same WAF protection to applications hosted on premises, in hybrid cloud or behind other CDNs. DevOps teams can manage policies through a GUI, a Terraform provider, APIs or the Akamai CLI.

Akamai does not publish list prices. The page offers a free trial on request and a promotion of up to 9 months free for new customers.

AWS WAF monitors the HTTP and HTTPS requests forwarded to protected AWS resources. The developer guide lists Amazon CloudFront distributions, API Gateway REST APIs, Application Load Balancers, AppSync GraphQL APIs, Cognito user pools, App Runner services, Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Gateway, Verified Access instances and AWS Amplify. Applications in Amazon ECS can be protected through a WAF-enabled Application Load Balancer.

Rules can filter requests by IP address, headers, body, query strings or URI and respond with the content, a 403 or a custom response. The product page highlights managed rule packs for industries and workloads, controls to monitor, block, rate-limit or monetise bot traffic, account takeover protection for login and signup pages, and automatic layer 7 DDoS mitigation.

Pricing is fully metered. A web ACL costs $5 a month, each rule or rule group $1 a month, and requests $0.60 per million. Bot Control adds a $10 subscription, with common bot inspection free for the first 10 million requests a month and then $1 per million, and targeted bot inspection free for the first million and then $10 per million. Fraud Control rule groups for account takeover and account creation fraud cost $10 a month each plus tiered request fees.

Azure Web Application Firewall provides centralised protection for web applications against common exploits such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting. Microsoft Learn states that it can be deployed with Azure Application Gateway, Application Gateway for Containers, Azure Front Door and Azure Content Delivery Network, the last in preview. A central WAF lets administrators patch a known vulnerability once instead of in each application.

The deployment choice drives both features and cost. On Azure Front Door Premium, the pricing page says WAF adds web application and API protection, Microsoft Threat Intelligence integration, bot and DDoS protection and security analytics, and its price is included in the Premium tier. Front Door Premium has a $330 monthly base fee, billed hourly, plus data transfer.

Older Front Door (classic) and Azure CDN (classic) deployments use per-policy pricing: $5 a policy each month, $1 per custom rule, $0.60 per million requests, and $20 a month plus $1 per million requests for the default managed ruleset. Application Gateway and Application Gateway for Containers bill WAF by gateway, frontend, association and capacity-unit hours.

Fastly's Next-Gen WAF protects applications, APIs and microservices wherever they run. The product page contrasts it with traditional WAFs that rely on regex pattern rules and constant tuning. Its SmartParse method evaluates the context of each request and how it would execute to decide whether a payload is malicious, which Fastly says allows near-zero tuning.

Coverage goes beyond OWASP Top 10 injection attacks to account takeover through credential stuffing, malicious bots and API abuse. The NLX feed is an IP reputation list built from confirmed malicious activity across Fastly customers' agents. Deployment options include an agent-module software pair, edge or cloud deployment with no installation, and A10 Networks Thunder ADC hardware or virtual appliances.

DDoS Protection is a separate product. It absorbs network-layer attacks, blocks application-layer attacks once enabled, and uses an Adaptive Threat Engine to isolate malicious spikes. Fastly bills legitimate traffic rather than attack traffic under its Zero Attack Fees model. The page also lists a Managed Security service with 24/7 expert management of WAF, bot and DDoS protection.

F5 Distributed Cloud Services combines web application and API protection with application delivery and edge distribution. F5 sells it in two annual packages. Essentials suits organisations that want to deliver public web applications securely from the cloud. Enterprise adds behavioural traffic analysis for suspicious activity, extending to malware detection and client-side attacks.

The WAF uses F5's signature engine with more than 8,500 signatures for CVEs and known techniques, plus bot signatures from F5 Labs. Both packages include automatic signature tuning to suppress false positives, IP reputation, masking of sensitive data in logs and responses, CSRF and cookie protection, and GraphQL inspection. Both also include external attack surface management and DAST scanning of web applications.

For DDoS, both packages include network ACLs, layer 3-4 mitigation for services on the F5 network, machine-learning layer 7 DoS detection, policy-based challenges and rate limiting. Routed DDoS mitigation for on-premises networks is an add-on. API security includes protection rules, rate limiting, JWT validation and schema upload, with traffic-based API discovery included on Enterprise and an add-on on Essentials.

FortiWeb is Fortinet's web application firewall and API protection product. The product page describes protection against OWASP Top 10 threats, sophisticated bots and DDoS attacks, with anomaly detection, API discovery and protection, bot mitigation and client-side security.

Machine learning is the main distinction. Fortinet describes a dual-layer machine learning approach that models each application, identifies malicious patterns, minimises false positives and prioritises remediation, replacing the manual application learning older WAFs require. The page also mentions AI-based detection of zero-day exploits, advanced threat analytics and a built-in SOC agent.

FortiWeb comes as hardware, virtual machines and SaaS, and is listed in public cloud marketplaces. It integrates with FortiGate next-generation firewalls through the Fortinet Security Fabric, and cloud deployments can be sized through the FortiFlex program. Fortinet does not publish prices on the product page, so buyers obtain quotes from Fortinet or its partners.

Barracuda Application Protection secures websites, applications and APIs from a single platform, delivered as WAF-as-a-Service or as deployable WAF models. The plans page lists two plans. Advanced covers web application and API protection. Premium adds machine learning, automated API discovery, complex bot mitigation, client-side protection, containerised deployment and zero trust security.

Detection uses Smart Signatures, each covering 40 attack-specific signatures, together with a positive security model aimed at zero-day attacks. Barracuda Active Threat Intelligence gathers data from a worldwide sensor network and assigns risk scores to incoming requests. IP intelligence can block proxies, VPNs, TOR and whole networks by ASN, and GeoIP controls limit access by region.

Data leak prevention inspects outbound traffic and blocks or masks card numbers, US social security numbers and custom patterns. Uploaded files are scanned by an antivirus engine. WAF-as-a-Service includes unmetered volumetric DDoS scrubbing and application-layer DDoS protection that uses fingerprinting and IP reputation. Premium applications receive individual public IP addresses, and logs can be exported to a SIEM.

Indusface AppTrana is a web application and API protection service sold with managed operations. The pricing page states that more than 6,500 customers use it. Each plan combines a WAF with unlimited application security scanning, remediation guidance, origin protection, a managed CDN and free SSL certificates.

The tiers differ in depth and management. Advanced includes limited DDoS and bot mitigation and 2 custom rules written by Indusface experts, with 30 GB of bandwidth on a $99.00 per-FQDN licence and $0.36 per extra GB. Premium and Enterprise move to comprehensive DDoS and bot mitigation, unlimited expert-written rules, false-positive monitoring, a named account manager, quarterly service reviews, RBAC, SIEM integration and an uptime SLA. Premium includes 150 GB of bandwidth.

Premium and Enterprise also include SwyftComply, which Indusface describes as autonomous, instant vulnerability remediation. AI-assisted penetration testing and malware file-upload protection are add-ons. All plans have access to a 24x7 support centre certified to ISO 27001, by email, chat and phone.

Sucuri's Website Firewall is a cloud WAF that inspects all HTTP and HTTPS traffic before it reaches the server. It is platform agnostic, supporting any CMS and hosting provider, and adapts to the CMS in use with custom rules.

Firewall plans cover one site each. Both Basic and Pro include virtual patching and hardening that protect outdated software, mitigation of layer 3, 4 and 7 DDoS attacks over a global Anycast network, and a CDN that Sucuri says reduces server load by 80% on average. SSL is enabled automatically on the firewall, and Sucuri helps with load balancing and failover configuration. Pro adds faster support and preloading of an existing SSL certificate.

Security Platform plans add malware and hack removal by Sucuri's team, with unlimited manual cleanups, blocklist monitoring and removal, and scheduled security scans. Business has the fastest cleanup response, and Junior Dev covers 2 to 5 sites for freelancers and agencies. Every plan includes a 30-day guarantee and 24/7 ticket support.