Azure Web Application Firewall vs F5 Advanced WAF comparison

Microsoft and F5 are both solutions in the Web Application Firewall (WAF) category. Microsoft is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.4, while F5 is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.6. Microsoft holds a 5.4% mindshare in WAF, compared to F5’s 12.0% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of F5 users who would recommend it.

Azure Web Application Firewall

Read 11 Azure Web Application Firewall reviews

4,581 Views
3,822 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

F5 Advanced WAF

Read 60 F5 Advanced WAF reviews

10,237 Views
8,239 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Azure Web Application Firewall

F5 Advanced WAF

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Azure Web Application Firewall and F5 Advanced WAF based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Web Application Firewall (WAF) solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Azure Web Application Firewall vs. F5 Advanced WAF Report (Updated: October 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Azure Web Application Firewall vs. F5 Advanced WAF

October 2024

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Categories and Ranking

Azure Web Application Firewall

Ranking in Web Application Firewall (WAF)

13th

Average Rating

8.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Microsoft Security Suite (20th)

F5 Advanced WAF

Ranking in Web Application Firewall (WAF)

3rd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Web Application Firewall (WAF) category, the mindshare of Azure Web Application Firewall is 5.4%, up from 5.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of F5 Advanced WAF is 12.0%, up from 10.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

Featured Reviews

Thomas Zebar

Azure Principal Architect at Cloud Computech Consultancy

May 4, 2023

Is priced well, is stable, and the initial setup is straightforward

I previously used Barracuda Web Application Firewall. I hope that Azure Web Application Firewall will look at other products and replicate some of their functionality. Azure WAF is doing great because it is designed to host web applications in Azure. However, it can be improved with other services. Barracuda is the most advanced firewall in the industry, so Azure WAF could pick some of its features and replicate them into its own application firewall. Barracuda WAF was deployed in parallel to the traffic. Azure WAF should not be deployed in the middle of the traffic. It should support both public and private points of presence. Additionally, like Barracuda, Azure WAF should have an inspection engine that covers not just Microsoft products, but also products from other manufacturers. This would be a great addition to the product and would increase its security functionality.

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YUSUF TAIWO

Founder roverupgrades.com.ng at 22 TEAM RESOURCES LIMITED

Oct 26, 2023

Ensures a robust and unified security approach for our clients

My clients often seek a comprehensive security solution for their hybrid environments, with both cloud and on-premise web applications. To address this, I recommend combining F5 Advanced WAF for web application security with Fortinet solutions, including FortiGate, FortiSign, and FortiAnalyzer, for…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Azure WAF is extremely stable."

"The initial setup is easy and straightforward...Azure Web Application Firewall is a scalable product."

"It's great for protecting against DDoS attacks."

"We have found the most valuable features to be the web application, minimal skills required for management, control through policies, and automation."

"The most valuable feature of Azure Web Application Firewall is its ability to filter requests and block false positives by using custom rules and the OWASP rule set."

"The most valuable feature is that it allows us to publish our applications behind the firewall."

"It's a good option if you want a solution that's ready to go and easy for your team to learn. It's cloud-based, so you don't need to buy or maintain any hardware infrastructure."

"The solution has good dashboards."

More Azure Web Application Firewall pros

"The most valuable feature is artificial intelligence and to get extra internal access."

"With F5 Advanced WAF, it was protection for online publications and for our customers that caused us to choose the platform."

"The most valuable features of F5 Advanced WAF are the easy identification of events and customization. We can pinpoint our settings."

"The most valuable features of F5 Advanced WAF are the security features and the protection."

"Feature-wise, they are always cutting edge and up-to-date. Many features aren't available via competitors. There's always a lot of enhanced critical features that just aren't available through anyone else, or, if they are, are too lightweight."

"The most valuable feature of F5 Advanced WAF is its ability to have a pool of resources that can distribute your traffic, and that is a plus for me. My company tried to look into a competitor, Imperva, but it was lacking that capability, so F5 Advanced WAF outperforms Imperva."

"iRules are quite appealing when it comes to F5."

"The valuable features vary from customers to customers. Some customers are okay with the basic features of the WAF, and some customers use advanced WAF with a few other features."

More F5 Advanced WAF pros

Cons

"The documentation needs to be improved."

"We would like to see additional site services using AI to provide information about blocking requests and offer analytics on the origin of calls."

"From a reporting perspective, they could do more there."

"The knowledge base could be improved."

"The support for proxy forwarding could improve."

"There is a need to be able to configure the solution more."

"Azure WAF should not be deployed in the middle of the traffic."

"I would say that Azure's customer service is not that good...I am not very happy with the support offered."

More Azure Web Application Firewall cons

"The interface is old-looking, it's not modern, which is why it's not always comfortable to use."

"The product could be more user-friendly for administrators."

"F5 Advanced WAF could improve the reporting. It's a bit difficult to populate, them. If you're not so familiar with the functions, such as where to find the logs and other settings."

"The overall price of F5 Advanced WAF could improve."

"I would like to see a better interface and better documentation compatibility with other products. It's more complicated with OWASP."

"I would like to see additional controls."

"This solution can be made more user-friendly."

"The accuracy of the automatic learning feature needs improvement."

More F5 Advanced WAF cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have an enterprise agreement with Microsoft and the pricing is good."

"The price is reasonable. It is approximately $2,000 US per month."

"The price of the solution depends on your architecture and how you manage it. You can control the cost in Azure quite well. The costs do not directly correlate to expenses in the features we are using."

"The price is for this solution is fair and there is a license needed."

"I give the pricing a nine out of ten."

"Azure WAF has price advantages over other WAF solutions. The pricing model is flexible because you pay on a scale based on the level of protection you need."

"F5 Advanced WAF pricing structure should be adjusted to meet the need of small to medium-sized companies."

"There are various plans available for Fortinet FortiWeb Cloud WAF as a Service, including a trial version."

"Licensing fees for this solution are paid on a yearly basis."

"The pricing is too high."

"I rate F5 Advanced WAF's pricing a three out of ten."

"F5 Advanced WAF technical support comes at a cost, and it's expensive."

"The solution is very expensive so should only be used in the right environment."

"It is a little bit costly, but it has all the features that are required."

More F5 Advanced WAF pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Web Application Firewall (WAF) solutions are best for your needs.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

20%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Azure Web Application Firewall?

The integration it has with GitHub is great.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Web Application Firewall?

The price is reasonable. It is approximately $2,000 US per month. This cost is one of the main reasons why we selected Azure Web Application Firewall. It provides enough functionality for our needs.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Azure Web Application Firewall?

Microsoft is constantly working on improvements. We would like to see additional site services using AI to provide information about blocking requests and offer analytics on the origin of calls. Th...

See all answers

What do you like most about F5 Advanced WAF?

It's a fairly easy-to-use and user-friendly tool. My administrators and team also like its ability to customize the rules per the requirements.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for F5 Advanced WAF?

I don't have direct knowledge of the pricing. From what I know, it is not too expensive compared to other solutions.

See all answers

What needs improvement with F5 Advanced WAF?

The product could be more user-friendly for administrators. The user interface could be easier.

See all answers

Comparisons

AWS WAF vs Azure Web Application Firewall

Compared 44% of the time

Fortinet FortiWeb vs Azure Web Application Firewall

Compared 12% of the time

Azure Front Door vs Azure Web Application Firewall

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Azure Web Application Firewall

Compared 4% of the time

Imperva Web Application Firewall vs Azure Web Application Firewall

Compared 3% of the time

More Azure Web Application Firewall Competitors

Fortinet FortiWeb vs F5 Advanced WAF

Compared 21% of the time

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway vs F5 Advanced WAF

Compared 16% of the time

AWS WAF vs F5 Advanced WAF

Compared 15% of the time

Imperva Web Application Firewall vs F5 Advanced WAF

Compared 9% of the time

NetScaler vs F5 Advanced WAF

Compared 1% of the time

More F5 Advanced WAF Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

November 2024

Download Azure Web Application Firewall product report

Buyer's Guide

F5 Advanced WAF

November 2024

Download F5 Advanced WAF product report

Learn More

Microsoft

Overview

Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF) provides centralized protection of your web applications from common exploits and vulnerabilities. Web applications are increasingly targeted by malicious attacks that exploit commonly known vulnerabilities. SQL injection and cross-site scripting are among the most common attacks.

To learn more about our solution, ask questions, and share feedback, join our Microsoft Security, Compliance and Identity Community.

F5 Advanced WAF is a web application security solution for financial and government sectors, e-commerce, and public-facing websites. It offers protection against various attacks, including botnets, web scraping, and foreign entities. The solution can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud and is often used with other security tools. Its most valuable features include DDoS and DNS attack protection, SSL uploading, anomaly detection, and the ability to input custom rules.

F5 Advanced WAF has helped organizations to expose more services to the public while providing an extra layer of protection, preventing revenue loss, and securing connectivity.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

MAXIMUS, Vivo, American Systems, Bangladesh Post Office, City Bank

Buyer's Guide

Azure Web Application Firewall vs. F5 Advanced WAF

October 2024

Free Report: Azure Web Application Firewall vs. F5 Advanced WAF

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We monitor all Web Application Firewall (WAF) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.