Best DDoS Protection Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Fastly Image Optimizer is ranked #1 of 31 as of 7 October 2026, ahead of AWS Shield and Gcore DDoS Protection. The best-ranked option with a free plan is AWS Shield. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Fastly Image Optimizer at $0.01/mo.
When you need to protect online services or infrastructure from distributed denial-of-service attacks, compare what each option says it can address and how it is deployed. Compared on attack layers, protection capacity, and mitigation mode, these entries also vary by deployment model and whether managed mitigation or a WAF is included. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing provide further points of comparison. Fastly Image Optimizer, AWS Shield, and Gcore DDoS Protection are among the names shown, as are Cloudflare DDoS Protection and FastNetMon. Weigh the listed protection and deployment details against the systems you need to cover.
31 DDoS protection software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
5 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fastly Image OptimizerWeb · Linux · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | $0.01/mo | 6.5 | |
| 2 | AWS ShieldWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $3,000/mo | 6.4 | |
| 3 | Gcore DDoS ProtectionWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $275/mo | 6.4 | |
| 4 | Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Secret ManagementWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 5 | Cloudflare DDoS ProtectionWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $20/mo | 6.3 | |
| 6 | Check Point DDoS ProtectorWeb · Linux · Self-hosted | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 7 | F5 BIG-IP APMWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 6 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 8 | FastNetMonWeb · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 9 | Huawei HiSecEngine USG6800GWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 10 | Nexusguard DDoS ProtectionWeb · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 11 | Alibaba Cloud Anti-DDoSWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $1,580/mo | 5.3 |
| 12 | Nokia Deepfield DefenderSelf-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 13 | Corero SmartWall ONEWeb · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 14 | DigitalOcean DDoS ProtectionWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 15 | Path Network DDoS ProtectionWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 16 | Project ShieldWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 17 | NETSCOUT Arbor Edge DefenseNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 18 | Radware AlteonWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 19 | A10 Thunder ADCLinux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 20 | Andrisoft WanguardWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | $49.58/mo | 5.0 |
| 21 | FlowtriqWeb · Linux | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | $7.99/mo | 5.0 |
| 22 | HaltdosWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 23 | Imperva API SecurityWeb · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 24 | Juniper Security DirectorWeb · Self-hosted | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 25 | Qrator DDoS ProtectionWeb · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Attack layers | Mitigation mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fastly Image Optimizer | 6.5 | Free plan | $0.01/mo | Yes | 1 /mo | both | always-on |
| 2 | AWS Shield | 6.4 | Free plan | $3,000/mo | Yes | 3,000 /mo | both | always-on |
| 3 | Gcore DDoS Protection | 6.4 | Free plan | $275/mo | Yes | — | both | hybrid |
| 4 | Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Secret Management | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 5 | Cloudflare DDoS Protection | 6.3 | Free plan | $20/mo | Yes | 20 /mo | both | always-on |
| 6 | Check Point DDoS Protector | 5.5 | No | — | — | — | both | hybrid |
| 7 | F5 BIG-IP APM | 5.4 | No | — | No | — | both | always-on |
| 8 | FastNetMon | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | 115 /mo | network | on-demand |
| 9 | Huawei HiSecEngine USG6800G | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | Nexusguard DDoS Protection | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | both | hybrid |
| 11 | Alibaba Cloud Anti-DDoS | 5.3 | No | $1,580/mo | Yes | 1,580 /mo | both | hybrid |
| 12 | Nokia Deepfield Defender | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | both | always-on |
| 13 | Corero SmartWall ONE | 5.2 | No | — | — | — | both | hybrid |
| 14 | DigitalOcean DDoS Protection | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | network | always-on |
| 15 | Path Network DDoS Protection | 5.2 | No | — | — | — | both | always-on |
| 16 | Project Shield | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | both | hybrid |
| 17 | NETSCOUT Arbor Edge Defense | 5.1 | No | — | — | — | both | always-on |
| 18 | Radware Alteon | 5.1 | No | — | No | — | both | hybrid |
| 19 | A10 Thunder ADC | 5.0 | No | — | No | — | both | hybrid |
| 20 | Andrisoft Wanguard | 5.0 | No | $49.58/mo | No | — | both | hybrid |
| 21 | Flowtriq | 5.0 | No | $7.99/mo | No | 7.99 /mo | both | hybrid |
| 22 | Haltdos | 5.0 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 23 | Imperva API Security | 5.0 | No | — | No | — | both | hybrid |
| 24 | Juniper Security Director | 5.0 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 25 | Qrator DDoS Protection | 5.0 | No | — | No | — | both | always-on |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which DDoS protection software is ranked first on Freedom251?
Fastly Image Optimizer is ranked #1 of 31 with a score of 6.5. AWS Shield is second and Gcore DDoS Protection third.
How many of these have a free plan?
5 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 free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.