Vendor comparison
Google Cloud Armor vs Cloudflare WAF: pricing compared
GCP-native per-policy versus Cloudflare flat-plan bundle. Cloud Armor wins when the app is on GCP behind the Global External HTTPS Load Balancer; Cloudflare wins when you want the CDN + DNS + WAF bundle on one bill.
Last verified June 2026
Decision in one paragraph
Cloud Armor wins for GCP-hosted apps that already use the Global External HTTPS Load Balancer; Adaptive Protection ML detection on Enterprise tiers is a real differentiator. Cloudflare wins for apps anywhere that want WAF + CDN + DNS on one flat bill. Picking Cloud Armor for a non-GCP app means paying for cross-cloud egress; almost never worth it.
Side by side
Google Cloud Armor
- Standard global: $5/policy + $1/rule + $0.75/M requests.
- Enterprise Paygo: $200/mo (2 resources). Enterprise Annual: $3,000/mo (100 resources).
- Adaptive Protection (ML detection) ships with Enterprise tiers.
- Native to GCP Global External HTTPS Load Balancer.
- No bundled CDN; pair with Cloud CDN or third-party.
Cloudflare WAF
- Flat plans: Free $0, Pro $20-25, Business $200-250, Enterprise quote.
- CDN, DNS, Universal SSL bundled at every paid tier.
- Bot Management Enterprise quote-only; Bot Fight Mode bundled with Pro.
- Global Anycast network; no GCP dependency.
- Workers and developer platform sit alongside the WAF.
Feature matrix
| Feature | Cloud Armor | Cloudflare |
|---|---|---|
| Published list pricing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free tier | ✗ | ✓ |
| ML adaptive detection | ✓ | ◐ |
| Bundled CDN | ✗ | ✓ |
| Per-request billing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Flat monthly plan option | ◐ | ✓ |
| Cloud-native integration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bot defence published rate | ◐ | ✗ |
Headline pricing
| Vendor | Cheapest published rate | Pricing model | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Cloud Armor | $5.00 per policy per month (Standard) | Standard (per policy + per rule + per request) or Enterprise subscription | Source (2026-06-19) |
| Cloudflare WAF | Free plan, WAF rules included | Flat monthly plan, WAF included on every paid tier | Source (2026-06-19) |
Direct answer
Which is cheaper at typical traffic?
Below 2 protected resources Cloudflare Pro or Business is cheaper because Cloud Armor Standard adds per-request fees and the Enterprise tier starts at $200/mo. Above 10 protected resources Cloud Armor Enterprise Annual at $3,000/mo for 100 resources is cheaper per resource than scaling Cloudflare zones. At single-app 100M req/mo, Cloud Armor Standard ~$90, Cloudflare Business $200.
Source: Use the cost calculator on the homepage to model your own workload.
Switching cost
If you are already on one and considering the other
Cloud Armor lives on the GCP Global External HTTPS Load Balancer; moving off means moving the load balancer, which usually means moving the app. Cloudflare deploys via DNS change with the origin untouched. Cloud-Armor-to-Cloudflare is usually only on the table when an app is leaving GCP. Cloudflare-to-Cloud-Armor is rare unless the app is migrating to GCP.
Where to read more
Cross-reference with the pricing-models explainer and the hidden-costs page before signing.
Last verified June 2026