Best Web Application Firewall Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Cloudflare WAF is ranked #1 of 23 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Gcore WAAP and BunkerWeb. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Gcore WAAP. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Cloudflare WAF at $20/mo.
Choosing a web application firewall means weighing the protections you need against how you plan to deploy and operate them. Compared on API protection, bot management, managed rule sets, and rate limiting, the entries show several dimensions of application and traffic security. Deployment model and log retention can help you consider operational fit, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing give cost details to compare. F5 BIG-IP APM, BitNinja, and DataDome API Protection are among the named options, alongside Fastly Image Optimizer and Gcore WAAP. Use the listed criteria to focus on the protection features and operating terms that matter for your environment.
23 web application firewall software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Recognised 40% · Phone app 26% · Documented 20% · Free plan 14% of the score
- 1 Cloudflare WAF No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.1$20/mo Deployment model: edgeManaged rule sets: YesAPI protection: Yes
- 2 Gcore WAAP No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.9€25/mo Deployment model: edgeManaged rule sets: YesAPI protection: Yes
- 3 BunkerWeb No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.7Free Deployment model: hybridManaged rule sets: YesAPI protection: Yes
- 4 OWASP Coraza WAF No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.5Free Managed rule sets: YesAPI protection: Yes
- 5 AWS WAF No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.3 Deployment model: hybridManaged rule sets: YesAPI protection: Yes
- 6 open-appsec No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.9 Deployment model: hybridAPI protection: Yes
- 7 FortiWeb No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.9 Deployment model: hybridManaged rule sets: YesAPI protection: Yes
- 8 Tencent Cloud WAF No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4 Deployment model: cloudManaged rule sets: YesAPI protection: Yes
- 9 ModSecurity No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4Free Managed rule sets: No
- 10 DataDome API Protection iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4 Deployment model: cloud
- 11 BitNinja iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4
- 12 Sucuri Website Firewall No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3 Deployment model: edgeManaged rule sets: Yes
- 13 Cloudbric No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3 Deployment model: cloudManaged rule sets: YesAPI protection: Yes
- 14 Alibaba Cloud WAF No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3$140/mo Deployment model: hybridManaged rule sets: YesAPI protection: Yes
- 15 F5 WAF for NGINX No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2 Deployment model: hybridManaged rule sets: YesAPI protection: Yes
- 16 SafeLine No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.1 API protection: Yes
- 17 Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Secret Management No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.0Free Deployment model: cloud
- 18 Wordfence Security No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.9 Managed rule sets: Yes
- 19 Security Ninja No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.8 Deployment model: hybridManaged rule sets: Yes
- 20 Shield Security No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.7 API protection: Yes
- 21 Hide My WP Ghost No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.6 API protection: Yes
- 22 Imperva API Security No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.5 Deployment model: hybridManaged rule sets: YesAPI protection: Yes
- 23 Haltdos No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.0 Deployment model: hybrid
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which web application firewall software is ranked first on Samsung Mobile US Press?
Cloudflare WAF is ranked #1 of 23 with a score of 8.1. Gcore WAAP is second and BunkerWeb third.
How many of these have a free plan?
6 of the 23 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Cloudflare WAF has the lowest first paid tier we found: $20/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.