Top 7 Cloudflare Alternatives

Cloud Industry Published on Date: April 11th 2025

Cloudflare is popular for extending website security and speed, but it’s not perfect for every business. In this article, we will explore the best Cloudflare alternatives, each providing unique features that may better fit your needs.

In this article, we will explore the best Cloudflare alternatives, each providing unique benefits and features that may better suit your needs.

What is Cloudflare Used For?

Cloudflare is utilized to boost the security, performance, and reliability of websites and online services. It acts as an intermediary between a website’s server and its visitors, filtering traffic to block threats like malicious bots, DDoS attacks, and hackers through features like bot protection and Web Application Firewall.

Also, it improves website speed and load times utilizing its global Content Delivery Network (CDN), which caches content across different data centers around the world. Cloudflare also offers secure and fast DNS hosting, automatic SSL certificates for HTTPS, and advanced protocols like HTTP/3 and Brotli compression to boost performance. It provides tools for load balancing, custom page rules, and detailed analytics, helping websites to stay fast, online, and protected even during high traffic or attacks.

Overview of Cloudflare Plans & Pricing

Most users state that Cloudflare provides excellent value for money, especially with its free plan, that includes robust features like SSL certificate, DDoS protection, web optimization, and caching.

They say that the free version is good for small businesses and individual users. However, most users report that the paid plans can be expensive, mainly for small businesses or individual users. They mention that premium features and customization options are limited in the free version and that opting for extra options can be expensive.

Cloudflare Pricing  

Features	Free	Pro	Business	Enterprise
Price	$0/month	$20/month	$200/month	Custom  Billed annually
CDN	✅	✅	✅	✅
Static Content Caching	✅	✅	✅	✅
Instant Full Cache Purge	✅	✅	✅	✅
Min Cache TTL Expiry	2h	1h	1s	1s
Client Max Upload Size (MB)	100	100	200	500+
TCP Turbo	❌	✅	✅	✅
Cache Bypass on Cookie	❌	❌	❌	✅
Cache Purge – By Tag	❌	❌	❌	✅
Cache Purge – By Host	❌	❌	❌	✅
Custom Cache Keysa	❌	❌	❌	✅
Prioritized IP Ranges	❌	❌	❌	✅
Prefetching URLs	❌	❌	❌	✅
Argo Smart Routing	Paid Add-on	Paid Add-on	Paid Add-on	Paid Add-on
Tiered Caching	Included with Argo	Included with Argo	Included with Argo	Included with Argo
Load Balancing	Paid Add-on	Paid Add-on	Paid Add-on	Paid Add-on
Global Load Balancing (Geo-based Routing)	Paid Add-on	Paid Add-on	Paid Add-on	✅
Load Balancing Health Monitors	with Load Balancing	with Load Balancing	with Load Balancing	Balancing  Custom Pricing
China Network	❌	❌	❌	Paid Add-on
Stream	Paid Add-on	Paid Add-on	Paid Add-on	Custom Pricing
Stream Delivery	❌	❌	❌	Custom Pricing

Why Consider a Cloudflare Alternative? 

As Cloudflare comes with top-notch services, it has few restrictions. Users mostly struggle with its Web Application Firewall (WAF) services. Also, some complain that there is an adverse effect on SEO. Also, users who require particular features like advanced malware removal or opt for better performance optimization within a free tier may find it necessary to explore Cloudflare alternatives.   

Furthermore, Cloudflare’s enterprise plan pricing can be expensive, which leads users to find alternatives. Let’s explore the top 7 Cloudflare alternatives that you can look for in 2025. 

Top Cloudflare Alternatives in 2025 

1. Amazon CloudFront

Rating: 4.6 / 5 
Pricing: Free/Pay-as-you-go model 

Amazon Cloudfront is among the top Cloudflare alternatives and is a scalable CDN solution. It is developed for security, speed, and deep integration with AWS services. It comes with enhanced performance, making it ideal for websites with high-traffic, API distribution, and video streaming. The pay-as-you-go pricing makes flexibility, but it can get expensive for heavy usage.

Key Features  

• Network Connectivity and Backbone 

• Protection against network and application layer attacks 

• SSL/TLS encryptions and HTTPS 

• Access control 

• AWS Shield DDoS Protection 

• Web Application Firewall 

• Pay as you go pricing   

Pros 

• Highly reliable and stable and provides a seamless content delivery network across the globe. 

• Robust speed is a significant advantage, facilitated by strategic edge location servers.  

• Streamlined integration with other Amazon services, boosting user-friendliness.  

• Robust security features that protect against DDoS attacks.

Cons  

• Pricing policies are noted to be challenging.  

• Integration with non-Amazon components is not seamless and may be improved for better compatibility with mixed cloud stacks.  

• Client support and service need enhancements to meet client expectations adequately.  

• Integration with non-Amazon components is daunting.  

2. Akamai

Rating: 4.5/5 
Pricing: Starting from $5 a month for 250 gigabytes of content  

Akamai, being the largest content delivery network in the market, caters to around 15 to 30% of all web traffic. it provides a myriad of features and top-of-the line security against online thefts. Therefore, when a user visits the website using Akamai’s CDN, the browser is redirected by the DNS to a proximal edge server utilizing algorithms that allow faster web downloads.

Key Features  

• Primary, secondary, and alias zones 

• Zone transfer agents (ZTAs) 

• Cross-account subzone delegation 

• Outbound zone transfers 

• Zone apex mapping 

• DNSSEC for Edge DNS 

• DNSSEC Sign and Serve 

•  DNSSEC serve 

• Alias zones 

• Logging 

Pros 

• Highly scalable with a network of 300 servers worldwide 

• Offers a sustainable and flexible infrastructure.  

• It manages web traffic effectively.  

• Akamai’s web app firewall is highly preferred.  

Cons  

• Low support  

• Lack of web 3.0, IoT solutions, and more integrations 

• Cloud service integration and API security 

• May be expensive for SMBs 

3. Fastly

Rating: 4.8/5 
Pricing: Free & Usage plan starts from $50/mo for CDN traffic  

Fastly is a robust CDN with real-time caching and high-speed content delivery. It is developed and designed for business that requires quick updates and highly personalized CDN solutions. This allows organizations to update their content across the network within milliseconds. It operates on an edge-compute model, which fosters quick response time and minimal delays.

It majorly focuses on security which includes robust features like Web Application Firewall, DDoS protection, and TLS encryption to protect websites from suspicious attacks.

Key Features  

• Defeat advanced threats 

• Visibility for faster remediation 

• Preemptive security 

• Flexible Deployment 

• Bot Protection 

Pros  

• Cost-Effectiveness 

• Flexibility 

• Detailed billing and usage reports 

• Good accessibility  

Cons  

• Cost Unpredictability 

• Complex Pricing Structure 

• Potential Over-reliance 

• CDN Limitations 

4. StackPath

Rating: 4.3/5
Pricing: $10/mo 

Stackpath is another Cloudflare alternative that is powered by 50 PoP’s across the globe. It provides various features like cache control, intelligent caching, and more, which can be utilized to accelerate audio, page loads, video streams, API interactions, and more.

Moreover, StackPath offers a unified management system for the seamless configuration and management of edge services. It comes with Instant Purge features that eliminate every instant of the content from the CDN seamlessly, meaning it will no longer be served anywhere on the network.

Key Features 

• DDoS Protection 

• Bot Manager 

• EdgeSSL® 

• EdgeRules™ 

• CDN (Content Delivery Network) 

• Serverless Scripting 

Pros      

• Robust security  

• The CDN identifies and blocks DDoS attacks 

• It comes with its own SSL certificate management solution.  

• Easy to use for basic CDN configurations  

Cons  

• Restricted global reach  

• Technical Expertise needed for complex configurations  

• Robust feature limitations 

• Lack of phone support  

5. Imperva

Rating: 4.3. / 5 
Pricing: Customized pricing as per your requirement

Imperva is the most suitable for the business that requires advanced security, web application, compliance solutions, and threat intelligence. It mostly focuses on enterprise-grade security and DDoS protection.  

Overall,it is developed and designed to protect websites, applications, and APIs from automated threats and hackers. It also includes CDN accelerations and API security that makes it a comprehensive solution.  

Key Features   

• Secure applications and APIs 

• Protect from DDoS attacks  

• Accelerate application delivery 

• Robust Data security  

• Runtime Protection  

Pros  

• Scalable and stable protection 

• It offers threat intelligence and can distinguish between HTTP and HTTPS 

• Comes with robust protection against DDoS attacks and malware.  

• It features robust flexibility and performance.  

Cons  

• Initial setup is challenging, often necessitating support. 

• The solution lacks the ability to block by signatures. 

• Integrating Imperva Web Application Firewall with converged infrastructure can be complex. 

• The solution lacks the ability to block by signatures a 

6. Bunny.net

Rating: 4.9/5 
Pricing: Pay-as-you-go starting from $0.01/GB 

Bunny.net is a robust content delivery network and edge cloud platform that is developed to accelerate videos, websites, and files globally. It is known for its cost-effectiveness, simplicity, and blazing-fast speeds. Also, it is a recommended choice among businesses and developers looking for an alternative to Cloudflare without sacrificing performance and reliability.

Key Features      

•   Global CDN: Network of over 120+ PoPs (Points of Presence) 

• Smart Edge™ Routing 

• Video CDN  

• Real-Time Analytics 

• Security Tools 

• Simple Pricing 

Pros  

• Extremely fast and reliable CDN with low latency 

• Cost-effective and transparent pricing 

• Easy to set up and integrate 

• Real-time analytics dashboard 

• Good customer support and documentation 

Cons  

• Fewer advanced enterprise-level features compared to Cloudflare 

• Limited free plan (not completely free like Cloudflare) 

• Smaller network footprint than Cloudflare or AWS CloudFront 

7. Sucuri

Rating: 4/5 
Pricing: basic starting from $229/yr 

Sucuri is a security-focused platform that offers website protection, malware removal, and performance optimization. While it also includes a CDN, its core strength lies in website security. Moreover, it is the well-known website security and monitoring provider that is owned by GoDaddy. 

Key Features  

• Website Firewall (WAF):  

• DDoS Protection: 

• Malware Scanning & Removal 

• CDN Integration 

• SSL Support 

• Performance Boosting 

Pros 

• Strong WAF and security suite 

• Excellent malware detection and cleanup  

• 24/7 customer support 

• Boosts both performance and security 

Cons  

•  More expensive than typical CDNs 

• CDN is secondary to its security features  

• Setup may be slightly complex for beginners

Cloudflare vs CloudFront: A Quick Comparison 

Feature	Cloudflare	AWS CloudFront
Core Focus	Performance, Security, DNS	High-speed CDN, AWS-integrated
Ease of Use	Beginner-friendly	Requires technical AWS knowledge
Pricing	Free plan available	Pay-as-you-go, no free plan
WAF & DDoS	Built-in with free and paid plans	Paid add-ons only
Global Network	300+ cities worldwide	310+ edge locations
Best For	Websites, small to enterprise businesses	Media-heavy, enterprise-level AWS users

Choosing the Right CDN Service 

When choosing a CDN, consider your specific needs: 

• For Security + Performance, Cloudflare is the best all-rounder. 

• For Budget and Simplicity: Bunny.net is fast, simple, and very cost-effective. 

• For Strong Security Protection, Sucuri is unmatched in malware defense and WAF. 

• For AWS Users & Custom Configurations: CloudFront integrates tightly with the AWS ecosystem. 

Conclusion

The right CDN depends on your priorities. If you want a free and powerful all-in-one solution, Cloudflare is hard to beat. For fast, affordable performance with easy setup, Bunny.net is a great choice. If your primary concern is security, Sucuri has your back. Meanwhile, AWS CloudFront shines in complex, enterprise environments. Test a few options and choose the one that best aligns with your site’s performance, security, and budget goals. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q 1. Is there anything better than Cloudflare? 

Ans. It depends on your use case. For raw speed and ease, Bunny.net might be better. For tight AWS integration, CloudFront may suit you more. For deep security, Sucuri offers more in that department. 

Q2. Who is Cloudflare’s biggest competitor? 

Ans. Major competitors include Akamai, AWS CloudFront, Fastly, and Bunny.net. Each excels in different areas like speed, scalability, or security. 

Q3. Is Cloudflare still the best DNS server? 

Ans. Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 DNS is one of the fastest and most privacy-focused public DNS resolvers out there. For most users, it’s still an excellent choice. 

Q4. Is Cloudflare no longer free? 

Ans. Cloudflare still offers a robust free plan with CDN, DDoS protection, and SSL. However, advanced features like WAF, Bot Management, and prioritized support are part of their paid plans. 

Q5. What is faster than Cloudflare? 

Ans. In certain regions or specific use cases, Bunny.net or Fastly may deliver faster speeds due to different routing or PoP strategies. However, Cloudflare is among the top globally. 

Q6. Is GoDaddy better than Cloudflare? 

Ans. GoDaddy is a domain registrar and hosting provider, while Cloudflare is a CDN and security platform. They serve different purposes, and Cloudflare is far superior in terms of performance and protection. 

Q7. Why is Cloudflare blocking my browser? 

Ans. Cloudflare may block your browser if it detects suspicious activity from your IP or region, or if the website owner has set strict firewall rules. Try clearing your browser cache or using a different network.