Best Web Application Firewall Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Cloudbric is ranked #1 of 30 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of Fastly Image Optimizer and BunkerWeb. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Fastly Image Optimizer. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Fastly Image Optimizer at $0.01/mo.
Web application firewall software is designed to help manage protections for web applications and APIs. Compare API protection, bot management, rate limiting, and managed rule sets to see which controls are listed for each option. Deployment model and log retention can help you consider operational fit; free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add cost context. Fastly Image Optimizer, BunkerWeb, and Gcore WAAP are among the entries, alongside Wallarm API Security and Cloudflare WAF. Check the listed features against the applications and traffic you need to protect, and weigh how deployment and logging fit your 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.
9 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 | CloudbricWeb · Windows · Mac · Android · iPhone · API | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | $0.17/mo | 6.7 | |
| 2 | Fastly Image OptimizerWeb · Linux · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | $0.01/mo | 6.5 | |
| 3 | BunkerWebWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 4 | Gcore WAAPWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | €25/mo | 6.4 | |
| 5 | ModSecurityWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 6 | OWASP Coraza WAFMac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 7 | Wallarm API SecurityWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 8 | Cloudflare WAFWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $20/mo | 6.3 | |
| 9 | Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Secret ManagementWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 10 | F5 BIG-IP APMWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 6 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 11 | BitNinjaWeb · Linux · Android · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 12 | FortiWebWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 13 | Hide My WP GhostWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 14 | open-appsecWeb · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 15 | Security NinjaWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 16 | Wordfence SecurityWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 17 | Radware AlteonWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 18 | SafeLineNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 19 | Shield SecurityWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 20 | AWS WAFWeb · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 21 | Check Point CloudGuard Data SecurityWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 22 | F5 WAF for NGINXLinux · Self-hosted | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 23 | HaltdosWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 24 | Imperva API SecurityWeb · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 25 | Indusface WASWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $49.92/mo | 5.0 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Deployment model | Managed rule sets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cloudbric | 6.7 | Free plan | $0.17/mo | No | — | cloud | Yes |
| 2 | Fastly Image Optimizer | 6.5 | Free plan | $0.01/mo | No | — | hybrid | Yes |
| 3 | BunkerWeb | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | hybrid | Yes |
| 4 | Gcore WAAP | 6.4 | Free plan | €25/mo | Yes | — | edge | Yes |
| 5 | ModSecurity | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | No |
| 6 | OWASP Coraza WAF | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 7 | Wallarm API Security | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | hybrid | Yes |
| 8 | Cloudflare WAF | 6.3 | Free plan | $20/mo | Yes | 20 /mo | edge | Yes |
| 9 | Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Secret Management | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | cloud | — |
| 10 | F5 BIG-IP APM | 5.4 | No | — | No | — | hybrid | Yes |
| 11 | BitNinja | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | 8 /mo | — | — |
| 12 | FortiWeb | 5.2 | No | — | — | — | hybrid | Yes |
| 13 | Hide My WP Ghost | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 14 | open-appsec | 5.2 | No | — | — | — | hybrid | — |
| 15 | Security Ninja | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | 9.92 /mo | hybrid | Yes |
| 16 | Wordfence Security | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 17 | Radware Alteon | 5.1 | No | — | No | — | cloud | Yes |
| 18 | SafeLine | 5.1 | No | — | Yes | 10 /mo | — | — |
| 19 | Shield Security | 5.1 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 20 | AWS WAF | 5.0 | No | — | No | 5 /mo | hybrid | Yes |
| 21 | Check Point CloudGuard Data Security | 5.0 | No | — | No | — | hybrid | — |
| 22 | F5 WAF for NGINX | 5.0 | No | — | No | — | hybrid | Yes |
| 23 | Haltdos | 5.0 | No | — | — | — | hybrid | — |
| 24 | Imperva API Security | 5.0 | No | — | No | — | hybrid | Yes |
| 25 | Indusface WAS | 5.0 | No | $49.92/mo | No | 99 /mo | edge | Yes |
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 web application firewall software is ranked first on Freedom251?
Cloudbric is ranked #1 of 30 with a score of 6.7. Fastly Image Optimizer is second and BunkerWeb third.
How many of these have a free plan?
9 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.