Cloudflare Web Application Firewall vs Microsoft Azure Application Gateway comparison

Cloudflare and Microsoft are both solutions in the Web Application Firewall (WAF) category. Cloudflare is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.4, while Microsoft is ranked #2 with an average rating of 7.3. Cloudflare holds a 7.7% mindshare in WAF, compared to Microsoft’s 10.5% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of Cloudflare users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 78% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Cloudflare Web Application ...

Read 21 Cloudflare Web Application Firewall reviews

7,103 Views
5,262 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Microsoft Azure Application...

Read 46 Microsoft Azure Application Gateway reviews

11,809 Views
10,138 Comparison Views

78% willing to recommend

Cloudflare Web Application ...

Microsoft Azure Application...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway and Cloudflare Web Application Firewall are competitors in web traffic management and protection. Cloudflare has the upper hand due to its comprehensive features and perceived value for cost, but Azure excels in seamless integration with Microsoft services.

Features: Microsoft Azure Application Gateway offers powerful integration capabilities, customizable filtering, and excellent support options. Cloudflare Web Application Firewall boasts extensive network coverage, automatic threat updates, and a rich set of features.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Azure Application Gateway could improve in complex setup, latency issues, and user-friendliness. Cloudflare needs better documentation, support responsiveness, and some users see gaps in customer feedback channels.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Azure Application Gateway has a steep learning curve but operates reliably once configured. Cloudflare is known for an easier deployment process but requires better customer service support according to some user suggestions.

Pricing and ROI: Azure's pricing model is complex but offers good ROI for Microsoft-integrated users. Cloudflare provides economical upfront pricing with scalable ROI, appealing to diverse users with its initial pricing advantages.

To learn more, read our detailed Cloudflare Web Application Firewall vs. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway Report (Updated: October 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Cloudflare Web Application Firewall vs. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

October 2024

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Categories and Ranking

Cloudflare Web Application ...

Ranking in Web Application Firewall (WAF)

7th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

8.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Azure Application...

Ranking in Web Application Firewall (WAF)

2nd

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Web Application Firewall (WAF) category, the mindshare of Cloudflare Web Application Firewall is 7.7%, up from 7.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is 10.5%, down from 13.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

Featured Reviews

SachidDoshi

Senior Enterprise Security Architect at HGS - Hinduja Global Solutions

Offers a huge signature repository and is superiorly effective in mitigating DDoS attacks

The solution's learning curve can still be further reduced, which presently stands at two or three months. The product has a custom rule set that users can modify and manifest as needed. The vendor can probably shorten the learning curve using cutting-edge technologies like AI. The solution provider can also work around the web applications and identify the toolset that needs to be implemented to deploy the solution in less time. The vendor has launched a SASE product that can function with Cloudflare Web Application Firewall, but many improvements are needed in terms of features, such as the web filtering feature, and CASB has not yet been added.

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Sami

Cyber Security Consultant at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

High stability with built-in rules that reduce alerts and are easy to configure

The graphical interface needs improvement because it is not user friendly. There isn't a standardized process for blocking IPs. IPs need to be blocked individually, whether one or one hundred. A normal scenario would be to copy and paste multiple IPs at the same time but the solution does not offer this option. Updating takes a long time and is up to the WAF. In most cases, we prepare scripts to handle these updates.

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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

"The security features are valuable. The particular feature we use is called OWASP."

"Someone with a basic understanding of networking and security will be able to implement the firewall's basic features within 15 minutes."

"We like that there's load balancing, firewall capabilities, DDoS protection, et cetera, all covered by Cloudflare."

"The initial setup process is simple."

"Caching is the most valuable feature of Cloudflare Web Application Firewall."

"Cloudflare WAF provides protection through rules and functionalities like Cloudflare's SDRAP."

"The product has improved our security posture by blocking bad actors."

"The integration of Cloudflare with Cloud Suite is its most valuable feature."

More Cloudflare Web Application Firewall pros

"It is a scalable solution...The installation phase of Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is very easy."

"Good customization; able to report and take action on alerts."

"The tool helps manage microservices by providing developers with a platform to conduct tests and assessments on the web application. The custom domain option is one of the most valuable features I've found. This feature is incredibly helpful for the end-users of the web application. With the custom domain feature, you can change the lengthy link to a shorter, more memorable one. For example, instead of using a lengthy default link, you can customize it to something like imail.com, which is much easier to remember and share."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is traffic management."

"I rate Microsoft Azure Application Gateway's scalability a ten out of ten. My company has more than 1000 users who use it daily."

"I find Application Gateway’s WAF module valuable because it helps prevent layer 7 attacks."

"It has a filter available, although we are not currently using it because it is not part of our requirements. But it is a good option and when it becomes part of our requirements we will definitely use it."

"The simplicity of the solution and its ability to integrate easily with others are its most valuable aspects."

More Microsoft Azure Application Gateway pros

Cons

"The reporting could be more granular."

"Cloudflare Web Application Firewall should include port forwarding features."

"The platform's control features related to real-time authentication and response time need improvement."

"A key challenge arises when dealing with numerous integrations with HVAC systems. Depending on the specifics, there might be some configuration mismatches, which necessitate specific support."

"The accuracy of the Cloudflare Web Application Firewall could be improved by reducing the number of false-negative alerts."

"There could be an option to duplicate the cluster to maintain the consistency of rules."

"The dashboard could be more user-friendly."

"The blocked logs are difficult to read at times."

More Cloudflare Web Application Firewall cons

"Scalability can be an issue."

"The tool is a pain to deal with when it comes to the area of configuration."

"Microsoft Azure Application Gateway could improve by allowing features to use more third-party tools."

"We faced some downtime while validating CNAME."

"For the first-time user, it is difficult to understand so the user-interface needs to be improved."

"Application Gateway’s limitation is that the private and the public endpoint cannot use the same port."

"Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is not scalable."

"The tool's pricing could be improved."

More Microsoft Azure Application Gateway cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We pay $210 per month for CloudFlare WAF."

"The annual licensing fee is $10,000 USD."

"Cloudflare offers different types of subscriptions for businesses, enterprises, and personal users, and the pricing is negotiable."

"The solution is expensive."

"The solution's pricing option needs to be more transparent for enterprise clients."

"It is not too pricey."

"Cloudflare Web Application Firewall is more affordable than other solutions."

"The pricing model is very straightforward compared to the competition. You just pay per month for the product and usage."

More Cloudflare Web Application Firewall pricing and cost advice

"It is not expensive."

"The pricing is based on how much you use the solution."

"The solution is reasonably priced compared to other solutions."

"Regarding pricing for Azure Application Gateway, I would rate it at seven."

"The price of the solution can be reduced a bit."

"There is a need to pay a fixed price per month to use the product. There are no additional payments to be made to Microsoft apart from the charges paid towards the monthly licensing costs attached to the solution."

"I rate the price of Microsoft Azure Application Gateway an eight out of ten."

"Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is expensive."

More Microsoft Azure Application Gateway 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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816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

27%

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cloudflare Web Application Firewall?

The product has a valuable security control functionality.

See all answers

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

From my perspective, the price of Cloudflare Web Application Firewall is quite affordable, rating around an eight or nine.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cloudflare Web Application Firewall?

The dashboard could be more user-friendly, and a console approach like Cloudflare CLI could enhance its usability.

See all answers

What's the difference between Azure Front Door and Application Gateway?

We found Azure Front Door to be easily scaled and very stable. The implementation is very fast and Microsoft provides excellent support. Azure Front Door can quickly detect abnormalities before the...

See all answers

How does AWS WAF compare to Microsoft Azure Application Gateway?

Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Amazon’s Web Service Web Application Firewall or Microsoft Azure Application Gateway web application firewall software was the better fit ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft Azure Application Gateway?

Application Gateway automatically redirects unwanted users and takes care of the security aspect. It also handles the performance side of things, which is why we use it.

See all answers

Comparisons

AWS WAF vs Cloudflare Web Application Firewall

Compared 15% of the time

Akamai App and API Protector vs Cloudflare Web Application Firewall

Compared 14% of the time

Fortinet FortiWeb vs Cloudflare Web Application Firewall

Compared 11% of the time

Barracuda WAF-as-a-Service vs Cloudflare Web Application Firewall

Compared 7% of the time

Atomic ModSecurity Rules vs Cloudflare Web Application Firewall

Compared 5% of the time

More Cloudflare Web Application Firewall Competitors

F5 Advanced WAF vs Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

Compared 13% of the time

AWS WAF vs Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

Compared 11% of the time

NetScaler vs Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

Compared 10% of the time

HAProxy vs Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

Compared 9% of the time

Cloudflare vs Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

Compared 7% of the time

More Microsoft Azure Application Gateway Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cloudflare Web Application Firewall

November 2024

Cloudflare Web Application Firewall report

Download Cloudflare Web Application Firewall product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

November 2024

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway report

Download Microsoft Azure Application Gateway product report

Also Known As

Cloudflare WAF

Azure Application Gateway, MS Azure Application Gateway

Learn More

Cloudflare

Microsoft

Overview

Cloudflare Web Application Firewall's intuitive dashboard enables users to build powerful rules through easy clicks and also provides Terraform integration. Every request to the WAF is inspected against the rule engine and the threat intelligence curated from protecting over 27 Million websites. Suspicious requests can be blocked, challenged or logged as per the needs of the user while legitimate requests are routed to the destination, agnostic of whether it lives on-premise or in the cloud. Analytics and Cloudflare Logs enable visibility into actionable metrics for the user.

Azure Application Gateway is a web traffic load balancer that enables you to manage traffic to your web applications. Traditional load balancers operate at the transport layer (OSI layer 4 - TCP and UDP) and route traffic based on source IP address and port, to a destination IP address and port.

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

Sample Customers

crunchbase, udacity, marketo, okcupid, zendesk

Lilly, AccuWeather, AIRFRANCE, Honeywell

Buyer's Guide

Cloudflare Web Application Firewall vs. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

October 2024

Free Report: Cloudflare Web Application Firewall vs. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

Find out what your peers are saying about Cloudflare Web Application Firewall vs. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.

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