Best Web Application Firewall Software in 2026

In short: F5 BIG-IP APM is ranked #1 of 30 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of BunkerWeb and Fastly Image Optimizer. The best-ranked option with a free plan is BunkerWeb. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Fastly Image Optimizer at $0.01/mo.

Protecting web applications involves weighing security capabilities alongside the practicalities of deployment and operations. Compare API protection, bot management, managed rule sets, and rate limiting; deployment model and log retention provide further points of fit. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing offer cost details to consider with those capabilities. F5 BIG-IP APM, BunkerWeb, and Fastly Image Optimizer are among the options, alongside Gcore WAAP and Wallarm API Security. The listed comparison fields can help you focus on the protections and operational details relevant to your application environment.

30 web application firewall software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.

30ranked
8free plans on this page
$0.01/molowest paid tier
4 Oct 2026last checked
Input list Web Application Firewall Software 25 channels on this page · 135 of 200 spec lines stated by the makers
Ch Tool Free planPaid fromDeployment modelManaged rule setsAPI protectionBot managementRate limitingLog retention Spec sheet Score
01 F5 BIG-IP APM Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelhybridManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retention7 days 7/8spec lines stated 7.7
02 BunkerWeb Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelhybridManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retentionnot stated 6/8spec lines stated 7.3
03 Fastly Image Optimizer Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelhybridManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retentionnot stated 6/8spec lines stated 7.3
04 Gcore WAAP Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modeledgeManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retentionnot stated 6/8spec lines stated 7.2
05 Wallarm API Security Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelhybridManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retentionnot stated 6/8spec lines stated 7.0
06 ModSecurity Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelnot statedManaged rule setsNoAPI protectionnot statedBot managementnot statedRate limitingnot statedLog retentionnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.8
07 Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Secret Management Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelcloudManaged rule setsnot statedAPI protectionnot statedBot managementnot statedRate limitingnot statedLog retentionnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.8
08 Cloudflare WAF Free planYesPaid from$20/moDeployment modeledgeManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementNoRate limitingYesLog retention30 days 8/8spec lines stated 6.7
09 Indusface WAS Free planNoPaid from$99/moDeployment modeledgeManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retentionnot stated 7/8spec lines stated 6.7
10 OWASP Coraza WAF Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelnot statedManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingnot statedLog retentionnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 6.7
11 F5 WAF for NGINX Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelhybridManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retentionnot stated 6/8spec lines stated 6.6
12 Imperva API Security Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelhybridManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retentionnot stated 6/8spec lines stated 6.6
13 Radware Alteon Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelcloudManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retentionnot stated 6/8spec lines stated 6.5
14 Check Point CloudGuard Data Security Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelhybridManaged rule setsnot statedAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retention90 days 6/8spec lines stated 6.4
15 AWS WAF Free planNoPaid from$5/moDeployment modelhybridManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retentionnot stated 7/8spec lines stated 6.2
16 Tencent Cloud CDN Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelcloudManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retentionnot stated 6/8spec lines stated 6.2
17 Alibaba Cloud WAF Free planNoPaid from$140/moDeployment modelhybridManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retention180 days 8/8spec lines stated 6.1
18 BitNinja Free planYesPaid from$8/moDeployment modelnot statedManaged rule setsnot statedAPI protectionnot statedBot managementnot statedRate limitingnot statedLog retentionnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.0
19 Tencent Cloud WAF Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelcloudManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retentionnot stated 6/8spec lines stated 6.0
20 DataDome API Protection Free planNoPaid from$3,830/moDeployment modelcloudManaged rule setsnot statedAPI protectionnot statedBot managementnot statedRate limitingnot statedLog retentionnot stated 3/8spec lines stated 5.9
21 Security Ninja Free planYesPaid from$9.92/moDeployment modelhybridManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionnot statedBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retention7 days 7/8spec lines stated 5.9
22 FortiWeb Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelhybridManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingnot statedLog retentionnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 5.8
23 open-appsec Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelhybridManaged rule setsnot statedAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retentionnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 5.8
24 Cloudbric Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelcloudManaged rule setsYesAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingYesLog retentionnot stated 6/8spec lines stated 5.7
25 Hide My WP Ghost Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelnot statedManaged rule setsnot statedAPI protectionYesBot managementYesRate limitingnot statedLog retention30 days 4/8spec lines stated 5.7

Is your tool 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 Specifiction?

F5 BIG-IP APM is ranked #1 of 30 with a score of 7.7. BunkerWeb is second and Fastly Image Optimizer third.

How many of these have a free plan?

8 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.

Which is the cheapest paid option?

On this page, Fastly Image Optimizer has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.01/mo.

How is this list ranked?

Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing. Paid placements never change a rank.

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