Best Web Application Firewall Software in 2026
Updated
In short: BunkerWeb is ranked #1 of 30 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Gcore WAAP and F5 BIG-IP APM. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Gcore WAAP. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Fastly Image Optimizer at $0.01/mo.
Web application firewall software can be assessed by both its protections and the way it operates in your environment. Compare API protection, bot management, managed rule sets, and rate limiting, while checking deployment model and log retention against your operational needs. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing offer additional cost context. BunkerWeb, Gcore WAAP, and F5 BIG-IP APM are among the products included, alongside Cloudflare WAF. Use the listed details to consider which protections are relevant, how the software can be deployed, and what information remains available in retained logs.
30 web application firewall software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
#1 BunkerWeb Top pick · 7.6 Free plan · Free
#2 Gcore WAAP Runner-up · 7.6 Free plan · €25/mo
#3 F5 BIG-IP APM Also great · 7.3 - Free planFree trial apiLinuxself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free planFree trial apiWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- edge
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms€25/mofirst paid tier About Gcore WAAPVisit site - Free trial AndroidapiiOSLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan apiLinuxWeb
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$0.01/mofirst paid tier About Fastly Image OptimizerVisit site - Free plan apiLinuxself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan apiWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- cloud
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 20 /mo
- Deployment model
- edge
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$20/mofirst paid tier About Cloudflare WAFVisit site - Free trial Web
- Free plan
- No
- Paid from
- 99 /mo
- Deployment model
- edge
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$49.92/mofirst paid tier About Indusface WASVisit site - Free trial Linuxself-hosted
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free trial apiself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - apiLinuxself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment model
- cloud
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - apiWeb
- Free plan
- No
- Paid from
- 5 /mo
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment model
- cloud
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatformsCNY 21/mofirst paid tier About Tencent Cloud CDNVisit site - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Paid from
- 140 /mo
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$140/mofirst paid tier About Alibaba Cloud WAFVisit site - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 9.92 /mo
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - WebLinuxiOSAndroid
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 8 /mo
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan apiLinuxmacOSself-hosted
- Free plan
- Yes
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment model
- cloud
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - WebLinux
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment model
- cloud
- Managed rule sets
- Yes
- API protection
- Yes
- Bot management
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - WebiOSAndroid
- Free plan
- No
- Paid from
- 3,830 /mo
- Deployment model
- cloud
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
Is your platform 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 The Geeks Club?
BunkerWeb is ranked #1 of 30 with a score of 7.6. Gcore WAAP is second and F5 BIG-IP APM third.
How many of these have a free plan?
7 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 how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.