Top 12 Web Application Firewall (WAF) Solutions in 2023

Web application firewalls monitor and filter web application traffic and protect web applications against attacks that exploit weaknesses in the application code and server structure.

A web application firewall (WAF) can identify and prevent typical web-based threats such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and file inclusion vulnerabilities.

A WAF is a critical component of a robust online application security strategy. WAFs can identify and prevent assaults on web application vulnerabilities, helping prevent data theft, service interruption, and reputational harm.

These are the web application firewalls that stood out in our analysis of the WAF market, followed by advice and considerations for WAF buyers.

• Akamai App and API Protector: Best for high-traffic enterprise apps
• AppTrana: Best affordable WAF for SMBs
• AWS WAF: Best AWS option
• Barracuda Web Application Firewall: Best for ease-of-use and configuration
• Cloudflare: Best cloud-based WAF with CDN integration
• F5 Advanced WAF: Best for advanced security
• Fastly: Best flexible cloud-based WAF solution
• Fortinet FortiWeb: Best all-around threat protection
• Imperva WAF: Best secure enterprise WAF
• Microsoft Azure Application Gateway: Best for Azure
• Radware: Best ML-based threat detection and mitigation
• Wallarm WAF: Best WAF for containers and microservices

Comparing the Top WAF Solutions

This table compares the top WAF tools based on deployment method, protocol support, DDoS protection, AI/ML capabilities, integration capabilities, and price.

WAF Solution	Deployment Method	Protocol Support	DDoS Protection	AI/ML Capabilities	Integration	Pricing
Akamai App and API Protector	Cloud-based	Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and HTTP/2	Yes	Yes	SIEM, SOAR, DevOps tools	Akamai has not provided pricing information for this service.
AppTrana	Cloud-based	Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and other web protocols	Yes	No	SIEM	Starting at $99 per month
AWS WAF	Cloud-based	Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and other web protocols	Yes	Yes	AWS services	Starting price per Web ACL is $5 per month, plus $1 per WAF rule and request.
Barracuda WAF	On-premises and cloud-based	Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and other web protocols	Yes	Yes	SIEM, SOAR, DevOps tools	WAF-as-a-Service (50Mbps) starts at $1.02 per unit.
Cloudflare	Cloud-based	Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and other web protocols	Yes	Yes	DevOps tools	Pro plan starts at $20/month
F5 Advanced WAF	On-premises and cloud-based	Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and other web protocols	Yes	Yes	SIEM, SOAR, DevOps tools	F5 has not provided pricing information for this service.
Fastly	Cloud-based	Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and other web protocols	Yes	Yes	DevOps tools	TLS/SSL secure connection plan starts at $20.00 per month while bandwidth & requests plan starts at $50.00 per month
Fortinet FortiWeb	On-premises and cloud-based	Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and other web protocols	Yes	Yes	SIEM, SOAR, DevOps tools	1-year standard bundle starts at $2321
Imperva WAF	On-premises and cloud-based	Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and other web protocols, as well as APIs and microservices	Yes	Yes	SIEM, SOAR, DevOps tools	Pro plan starts at $59 per site per month
Microsoft Azure App Gateway	Cloud-based	Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and other web protocols	Yes	Yes	Azure services	Pay-as-you-go pricing
Radware	On-premises and cloud-based	Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and other web protocols	Yes	Yes	SIEM, SOAR, DevOps tools	Radware has not provided pricing information for this service.
Wallarm WAF	Cloud-based	Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and other web protocols, as well as APIs and microservices	Yes	Yes	SIEM, SOAR, DevOps tools	Wallarm has not provided pricing information for this product or service.

Akamai App and API Protector

Best for large enterprises with high-traffic web applications

Akamai App and API Protector is a cloud-based web application firewall (WAF) that safeguards an organization’s web and mobile assets from sophisticated denial-of-service (DoS), web application, and API-based threats. It takes use of visibility throughout the Akamai Intelligent Edge Platform to protect websites and APIs against outages and data theft. Akamai has been rated a Leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Cloud Web Application and API Protection in 2022.

Key Features

• API visibility
• AI and machine learning methods
• Hybrid deployment options
• Live traffic insights
• Automation

Pros

• Provides adaptive defenses that immediately send the most recent security updates to your apps and APIs
• Preventive self-tuning reduces the need for time-consuming manual maintenance
• Developer and technical resources provide rapid innovation
• Advanced API discovery, allowing users to manage risk associated with new or previously undisclosed APIs
• DevOps integration through a simple graphical user interface or through Terraform provider, APIs, or the Akamai CLI
• Integrated bot detection enhances security and performance
• Quick-start with in-portal instructions, configuration procedures, and wizard settings
• Personalized dashboards, real-time notifications, and SIEM integration to examine security flaws and triage attacks
• Advanced AppSec management controls, managed services, and professional services are optional
• DDoS prevention that responds in seconds to application-layer assaults

Cons

• Configuration and maintenance can be complex, and in a large and sophisticated API environment, the management interface may be more difficult to use
• Possibility of false positives

Pricing

• Akamai has not provided pricing but Azure Marketplace offers some pricing information. Buyers should contact Akamai sales for a custom quote.

More on DDoS and bot protection:

• How to Prevent DDoS Attacks: 5 Steps for DDoS Prevention
• How to Stop DDoS Attacks in Three Stages
• Best Bot Protection Solutions and Software

AppTrana

Best affordable WAF solution for SMBs

AppTrana provides real-time protection against web application attacks by combining machine learning algorithms, security specialists, and a 24/7 security operations center. Unlike typical WAF solutions, AppTrana provides a fully managed solution where AppTrana’s security professionals administer the WAF on the customer’s behalf, enabling the customer’s IT team to focus on other priorities. These services distinguish it as a distinct and appealing choice for enterprises seeking an easier way to safeguard their online applications from cyber attacks.

Key Features

• Ability to patch critical vulnerabilities in 24 Hours
• Unmetered DDoS mitigation & bot protection
• API Security
• Zero false positives
• Content delivery network

Pros

• Offers 24/7 security operations
• Provides comprehensive coverage against OWASP top 10, zero-day, DDoS, bot and API attacks
• Monitors websites and applications on a continuous basis
• Provides real time web attack detection and mitigation
• Provides simple to use dashboard with comprehensive information and analytics
• Offers simple setup with no hardware or software installation
• Provides auto-scaling to manage unexpected traffic surges
• Offers affordable pricing plans for businesses of all sizes

Cons

• Advanced users have fewer customizing possibilities
• Advanced security measures may need additional charges
• There are limited integration possibilities with other security programs

Pricing

• Advance plan starts at $99/month. Alternatively, you may explore other pricing options at G2. 

AWS WAF

Best for integration with other Amazon Web Services

AWS WAF is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) web application firewall service that helps protect online applications from typical web exploits that might disrupt application availability, compromise security, or consume excessive resources. AWS can be used to define security rules that regulate bot traffic and prevent typical attack patterns like SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS).

Key Features

• Custom rule creation
• Integration with other AWS services
• Live metrics update
• Easy setup of pre-configured rules using AWS management console

Pros

• Allows the user to design their own rules that determine which traffic to accept or prohibit to the web applications
• Compatible with other AWS services such as Amazon CloudFront, Amazon API Gateway, and AWS AppSync
• AWS WAF supports both IP-based and resource-based access control lists (ACLs)
• Expands in accordance with the size of your application and traffic
• Provides a collection of pre-configured rules, allowing for easy deployment and configuration

Cons

• While AWS WAF provides customizable rules, it may not provide the level of customization required for more complex web application environments
• AWS WAF is an additional charge on top of the other AWS services used
• It can be difficult to set up and configure, especially for people who are new with AWS services

Pricing

• Starting price per Web ACL is $5/month, plus $1/WAF rule and request. AWS provides a custom calculation here.

Barracuda Web Application Firewall

Best for ease-of-use and simple configuration.

Barracuda Web Application Firewall is a hardware or virtual device that protects against numerous web application assaults and ensures safe application delivery. This is ideal for enterprises that demand a comprehensive and user-friendly WAF solution with advanced security capabilities such as bot protection and DDoS avoidance.

Key Features

• Protection against online threats and DDoS
• Ability to stop malicious bots in their tracks
• APIs and mobile apps protection
• Granular access restriction and secure app distribution
• Automated security
• Detailed insights of attacks and traffic patterns

Pros

• Simple to deploy and manage, making it an excellent choice for companies with limited IT resources
• Provides SSL offloading and inspection, which aids in the detection and prevention of attacks hidden within encrypted traffic
• Utilizes machine learning for enhanced threat detection and response, allowing it to identify and respond to assaults in real-time
• Provides full API security, which is becoming increasingly crucial as more apps communicate via APIs
• Provides protection against the top ten OWASP threats, including SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting, and others
• Provides centralized management and reporting for multiple applications
• Several deployment options are available, including on-premises, virtual, and cloud

Cons

• Cost may be pricier than other solutions
• Customer support is not available 24/7
• Some features may require the purchase of additional licenses

Pricing

• WAF-as-a-Service for a 50Mbps plan starts at $1.02 per unit.

Cloudflare

Best cloud-based WAF solution with CDN integration and live analytics.

Cloudflare WAF is a cloud-based web application firewall meant to protect websites and APIs from many forms of assaults. It offers a variety of security measures to assist avoid attacks, as well as performance and reliability benefits. Cloudflare WAF offers a unique combination of global network, machine learning, bot mitigation, user-friendly UI, and DNS security.

Key Features

• Provides a comprehensive application security, with a single, integrated rules engine for effective and uniform security
• Security analytics deliver real time attack insights
• Quick implementation of zero-day protections to allow for instant virtual patching. These controlled rules are globally deployed in seconds
• Machine learning safeguards detect evasions and assaults
• Managed rulesets for automated protection against recognized dangers, such as the OWASP Top 10
• Custom rule creation

Pros

• Faster and easier implementations of security installations, resulting in faster mitigations and time-to-value
• Enables building of own security policies and prohibit particular types of traffic using custom rules
• Firewall rules exist to prevent malicious traffic such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other web application assaults
• There is no hardware to buy or maintain with cloud-based deployment
• A web-based dashboard makes it simple to configure and maintain
• A free tier with basic security measures is included
• Provides benefits in terms of performance and dependability, such as CDN services and load balancing

Cons

• A higher tier membership is required for advanced features such as API protection
• Comparing to other WAF tools, it has fewer customization options
• Comparing to other WAF tools, it may not provide as much granular control over security policies
• Some users have complained about false positives and difficulty configuring rulesets

Pricing

• Cloudflare pro plan starts at $20/month. Explore other pricing options at Cloudflare Plans. 

F5 Advanced WAF

Best choice for advanced security capabilities.

F5 Advanced WAF (previously known as F5 BIG-IP Application Security Manager) is a WAF product that secures online applications by combining traffic filtering, proactive bot protection, application-layer encryption, and behavioral analytics. F5 Advanced WAF is built on proven F5 technology and goes beyond reactive security features like static signatures and reputation to identify and neutralize bots, safeguard passwords and sensitive data, and fight against application denial-of-service (DoS). F5 Advanced WAF is a good choice for organizations with sophisticated web-based apps that require advanced security capabilities like automated threat detection and API protection.

Key Features

• Capabilities for advanced machine learning
• SSL/TLS verification
• Traffic management and load balancing
• Encryption at the application layer
• Behavioral analytics

Pros

• Delivers continuous security monitoring and threat analysis to discover and guard against the most recent security threats
• Offers tailored rules and fine-grained control to safeguard applications and infrastructure against known and developing threats
• Includes simple dashboards and reporting to monitor application security posture and give insights into security occurrences
• Can easily be integrated with other F5 products such as BIG-IP and Silverline DDoS prevention
• Provides a variety of deployment choices, including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid settings

Cons

• F5 Advanced WAF is a complicated solution that necessitates the use of experts and resources to configure and maintain
• Licensing expenses might be prohibitively expensive, especially for big businesses
• Incorrect implementation creates performance concerns
• It lacks native interaction with cloud systems like as AWS and Azure, thus requiring additional configuration and maintenance

Pricing

• F5 has not provided pricing information for this service but you may contact F5 Sales for custom quotations. Azure Marketplace also offers some pricing information.

Fastly

Best choice for flexible cloud-based WAF solution and customer support.

Fastly Next-gen WAF is a cloud-based WAF that provides enhanced security capabilities to guard against web-based threats. It employs an innovative technique created by Signal Sciences that identifies and blocks malicious traffic without the need for rule refining, allowing AppSec teams to focus on more pressing issues. Fastly received the Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice award five years in a row. Fastly is the best cloud-based WAF choice for enterprises seeking flexible deployment choices, customer support availability, and real-time attack response capabilities.

Key Features

• Real-time web application security
• Integrated web application firewall
• Bot security
• Advanced DDoS protection
• Customizable rules and policies
• Customizable response pages
• Centralized management and reporting
• API security

Pros

• Fastly’s next-generation WAF uses machine learning and behavioral analytics to detect and mitigate sophisticated threats
• Excellent customer support
• Fastly’s system is capable of handling large quantities of traffic and can simply scale to suit future demand
• The solution features comprehensive APIs for system integration
• Fastly’s WAF minimizes false positives and assists companies in reducing the need for manual intervention
• Provides user-friendly UI and extensive rule customization

Cons

• Reporting and event querying should be enhanced in the interface
• Fastly’s WAF may not be as configurable as some other market alternatives
• Because Fastly’s solution is primarily cloud-based, it may not be the best option for organizations that need an on-premises solution
• Some customers report that the system might be difficult to set up and configure, especially for enterprises with sophisticated infrastructures or security requirements

Pricing

• TLS/SSL secure connection plan starts at $20.00 per month while bandwidth & requests plan starts at $50.00 per month. You may explore other pricing options at Fastly. 

Fortinet FortiWeb

Best for all-around threat protection.

Fortinet FortiWeb protects online applications and APIs from OWASP Top-10 threats, distributed denial of service attacks, and malicious bot assaults. Advanced ML-powered features increase security while decreasing administrative costs. It provides anomaly detection, API discovery and protection, bot mitigation, and advanced threat analytics to identify the most serious threats across all protected apps.

Key Features

• Web application protection
• ML-based threat detection
• Security fabric integration
• Advanced analytics
• False positives mitigation
• Hardware-based acceleration

Pros

• Incorporates automatic upgrades to guarantee that it is continuously up to date with the most recent threat information and security features
• Extremely scalable and can be implemented in a wide range of contexts, including on-premises, cloud-based, and hybrid
• Integrates with other Fortinet products such as FortiGate, FortiSandbox, and FortiSIEM
• Offers extensive application-layer security, including capabilities such as URL and form hardening, session tracking, and content inspection
• Employs powerful threat detection algorithms to detect and stop threats such as SQL injection attacks, cross-site scripting (XSS), and others. It also provides real-time threat intelligence to aid in the detection of developing threats.

Cons

• Some users have reported issues with the management console being somewhat complex and difficult to use
• To maximize speed and reduce false positives, some tuning and adjustment may be required

Pricing

• A 1-year standard bundle starts at $2,321. You may explore other bundles and pricing options at Azure Marketplace.

Imperva WAF

Best enterprise-grade WAF solution for advanced protection and 24/7 customer support.

Imperva is a market leader for DoS/DDoS protection and is one of several vendors on this list that was named a Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice in 2023. Imperva is a cloud-based security solution that defends online applications against assaults such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and remote file inclusion (RFI). Imperva WAF provides comprehensive capabilities that enable multi-layered threat prevention, assuring the safety and availability of online applications.

Key Features

• Protection without WAF false positives
• Automated policy creation
• Offers security for active and legacy applications, third-party applications, APIs and microservices, and cloud applications, containers, VMs and more
• Real time threat detection
• Behavioral detection to detect and prevent zero-day attacks

Pros

• Seamless implementation and does not require on-premises hardware
• Provides 24-7 customer support
• Cost is lower compared to other WAF tools
• Rules and policies may be customized for granular control over security settings
• The solution protects against attacks and vulnerabilities in real time, lowering the risk of data breaches and downtime that other WAF solutions may miss
• Able to detect zero-day attacks due to the behavioral-based detection feature
• The technology is extremely flexible, allowing firms to create rules and policies that are tailored to their specific security requirements
• Imperva WAF works with major SIEM solutions to provide enhanced threat intelligence and improve incident response capabilities

Cons

• Users report frequent UI changes, necessitating a new learning curve for changes
• Reporting, UI complexity, Advanced BOT Protection rules are not intuitive, according to some users
• Although Imperva offers lower plan costs, some plans may still be pricier, especially for big enterprises
• To fully take advantage of all of the solution’s features and capabilities, some training may be required
• Because of the degree of customization offered, the deployment process may take longer than with comparable WAF solutions

Pricing

• Pro plan starts at $59 per site per month

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

Best for scalability and integration with Azure services.

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway WAF is a web application firewall service that is integrated with the Azure Application Gateway. It provides centralized security for online applications against common exploits and vulnerabilities. Among the most frequent attacks protected by Azure are SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and cross-site request forgery.

Key Features

• SQL injection protection
• Cross-site scripting protection
• Protection against other common web attacks, such as command injection, HTTP request smuggling, HTTP response splitting, and remote file inclusion
• Protection against HTTP protocol violations and anomalies, such as missing host user-agent and accept headers
• Protection against crawlers and scanners
• Detection of common application misconfigurations (for example, Apache and IIS)
• Configurable request size limits with lower and upper bounds
• Exclusion lists to omit certain request attributes from a WAF evaluation
• Create custom rules to suit the specific needs of your applications
• Geo-filter traffic to allow or block certain countries/regions from gaining access to your applications
• Protection from bots with the bot mitigation ruleset
• Inspection of JSON and XML in the request body

Pros

• Offers Azure services integration
• Simple to set up and manage
• Supports load balancing at both layers 4 and 7
• Improves performance and availability with autoscaling
• Monitors and alerts threat detection and insights real time

Cons

• Customization possibilities are limited in comparison to other WAF systems
• Higher cost when compared to other WAF tools
• Integration capability with non-Azure environments is limited

Pricing

• Azure offers pay-as-you-go pricing. Explore pricing options here.

Radware

Best for advanced machine learning-based threat detection and mitigation capabilities.

Radware Cloud WAF Service protects online applications with enterprise-grade, continuously adaptive security. It is based on Radware’s ICSA Labs certified web application firewall and provides comprehensive coverage of OWASP Top 10 threats while dynamically adapting defenses to emerging threats and protected assets.

Key Features

• Full coverage of OWASP Top 10 attacks
• Provides protection from zero-day web attacks
• Automatically generates policies for new applications
• Single “pane of glass” with unified portal fully managed by Radware’s Emergency Response Team
• Real time monitoring and reporting of insights
• DDoS protection
• Multi-layered security approach

Pros

• Provides comprehensive web security protection, including OWASP Top 10 coverage, advanced attack prevention, and zero-day attack protection
• Through automatic policy generation technology, it detects and protects new web applications as they are added to the network
• A multi-layered security strategy guarantees complete protection
• Automated security policy formulation and maintenance
• The integration of different security technologies improves the overall security posture
• DDoS defense adds an extra degree of security
• Optional deployment flexibility

Cons

• The user interface and policy setup procedure is complex
• Not enough documentation and resources for troubleshooting

Pricing

• Pricing depends on your custom plan. You may explore Radware’s different pricing options here.

Wallarm WAF

Best AI-based WAF solution for real-time threat detection on containers and microservices.

Wallarm WAF is an AI-powered web application firewall that protects APIs and apps in real time with Cloud Web Application and API Protection (WAAP) with comprehensive API support for REST, SOAP, WebSocket, graphQL, and gRPC. With a single DNS update, Wallarm Cloud WAF secures your apps, APIs, and serverless workloads.

Key Features

• AI-powered threat identification and mitigation
• API security in real time
• Comprehensive reporting and analytics
• Integration with well-known CI/CD tools
• Automated vulnerability screening and patching
• Customizable WAF policies and regulations

Pros

• Artificial intelligence-based security
• Highly adaptable
• Minimizes the risk of false positives
• Offers an interface that is quick and simple to utilize
• Generates real-time monitoring and reporting
• Provides advanced API protection
• Enables simple integration with DevOps procedures

Cons

• There is no support for on-premises implementation
• Some users report issues on accuracy of threat detection
• Configuration and maintenance may need some complex technical knowledge
• Limited support for some programming languages

Pricing

• Wallarm has not provided pricing information for this service but you may contact Wallarm Sales for their subscription plans. Azure Marketplace also offers some information on Wallarm’s pricing and plans.

10 Common Features of Web Application Firewalls

The best web application firewalls offer a range of features to protect web applications while making management easier. Buyers should look for a solution that best addresses their needs.

1. API protection: WAF solutions safeguard APIs against unauthorized access and API-specific threats such as API injection and API scraping.
2. Automated updates: WAF vendors update their rules and signatures automatically to offer protection against new and emerging threats.
3. Bot protection: WAF systems detect and block bot traffic that attempts to exploit web applications using machine learning and behavioral analysis.
4. Centralized administration console: WAF products provide a centralized administration console through which administrators can configure, monitor, and administer many WAF instances from a single place.
5. Customizable firewall policies: WAF solutions allow administrators to establish and enforce custom firewall policies to prevent unwanted access to web applications.
6. Custom rule creation: WAFs enable administrators to build customized rules to guard against specific risks or to ensure compliance with industry laws.
7. Intrusion detection and prevention: WAF solutions detect and prevent web application assaults by combining signature-based and behavior-based methodologies.
8. Real-time monitoring and warnings: WAF systems monitor web traffic in real time and send administrators alerts when suspicious behavior is discovered.
9. Scalability: WAFs can manage massive levels of online traffic while also protecting against large-scale DDoS assaults.
10. SSL/TLS encryption: WAF solutions include SSL/TLS encryption to protect online traffic from eavesdropping and interception.

WAF Deployment Methods

It’s also important for buyers to look at the WAF deployment method that best meets their needs. Here are five common deployment options.

1. Cloud-based WAF: This type of WAF solution is hosted in the cloud and protects web applications from cyber threats before they reach the application server. Cloud-based WAF solutions are often simple to set up and administer, and they can handle large amounts of online traffic.
2. On-premises WAF: These WAF solutions are deployed on the organization’s own servers or hardware. On-premises WAF solutions allow total control over the WAF setup and may be tailored to match the organization’s unique needs.
3. Hybrid WAF: A mix of cloud-based and on-premises WAF solutions can be utilized to secure web applications. Organizations that utilize a combination of cloud-based and on-premises applications typically use hybrid WAF solutions.
4. Integrated WAF: This WAF solution is combined with additional security solutions, such as a content delivery network (CDN) or a load balancer. Integrated WAF solutions can add layers of security and are more successful at preventing complicated cyber threats.
5. Virtual WAF: WAF solutions deployed as a virtual appliance can offer the same degree of security as physical WAF systems while being easier to operate and grow.

How To Choose a WAF Vendor

In addition to features and deployment options, WAF buyers should look for a solution that offers the security and management capabilities they need. Some important ones to consider:

• Discovers and fixes application vulnerabilities effectively and thoroughly in a timely way
• Constantly detects new threats and DDoS attacks
• Fits into the organization’s budget and is affordable. When compared to on-premises WAFs, cloud-based WAFs typically have lower monthly subscription fees and faster upgrades.
• Allows for simple rule adaptation to overcome faults in business logic
• Allows the security team to choose the appropriate course of action for requests (blocking, flagging, challenging)
• Provides strong defense against a wide range of cyber threats, including SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and other forms of assaults
• Is simple to implement, configure, and administer, especially in organizations that do not have specialized security professionals
• Can manage high levels of web traffic while also protecting against large-scale DDoS assaults
• Allows for rule customization to comply with industry requirements and guard against unique dangers
• Integrates with other security solutions, such as content delivery networks (CDNs) or load balancers, effortlessly
• Provides extensive documentation and support to assist enterprises in making the most of their WAF solutions

How We Evaluated the Top WAF Solutions

In selecting the WAF products for this list, we looked for those that offer an optimal combination of protection, scalability, ease of use, customization, integration, and support, along with factors such as price, reputation, and customer feedback. We analyzed WAF vendors using multiple data points and product features, including sources such as vendor documentation, analyst reports, security data and user reviews. Every organization will need to balance their needs for things like ease of use and high security with their available resources and expertise.

Bottom Line: Web Application Firewalls

Web application firewall (WAF) solutions are a critical tool for protecting web applications from a range of cyber threats, including SQL injection, cross-site scripting, DDoS attacks and more. Each WAF tool has its own set of capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Cloud-based WAFs are frequently less expensive and provide faster updates than on-premise WAFs. WAF solutions that include artificial intelligence and machine learning can offer more advanced and proactive protection against emerging threats.

Buyers should analyze several WAF vendors and products to find the best option for their needs. Ultimately, the best WAF solution is determined by the company’s specific needs and requirements.

Also see the Best DDoS Protection Service Providers