Vendor comparison
Cloudflare WAF vs Imperva Cloud WAF: pricing compared
The SMB-to-enterprise migration shortlist. Cloudflare publishes plans up to Business at $250/mo; Imperva publishes nothing and sells through a named-account enterprise motion. Pick Cloudflare to start; consider Imperva when bot, DDoS, and API security need to sit under one mature enterprise contract.
Last verified June 2026
Decision in one paragraph
Cloudflare wins on transparency, time-to-deploy, and bundled value below the Enterprise line. Imperva wins on the depth of Advanced Bot Protection (ex-Distil Networks), Attack Analytics reporting that auditors recognise, and a named SOC team for high-regulation environments. Pick Cloudflare for SMB through mid-market. Pick Imperva for compliance-heavy environments where the WAF is part of a larger Imperva relationship.
Side by side
Cloudflare WAF
- Free tier through Enterprise; below Enterprise is fully self-serve and published.
- WAF + CDN + DNS + Universal SSL on one bill.
- Bot Management Enterprise is quote-only and a real shortcoming below Enterprise.
- Global Anycast network; deploys in minutes via DNS change.
- Stateless API Shield for OpenAPI-defined endpoints (Enterprise add-on).
Imperva Cloud WAF
- Quote-only across every SKU; no self-serve buying path.
- Advanced Bot Protection (ex-Distil Networks) is the deep specialisation.
- Attack Analytics reporting suite frequently accepted as-is by PCI DSS auditors.
- API Security is a separate paid module, not a free entitlement.
- Named SOC team and account-managed support.
Feature matrix
| Feature | Cloudflare | Imperva |
|---|---|---|
| Published list pricing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bot management published rate | ✗ | ✗ |
| Bot management depth (research-led) | ◐ | ✓ |
| Bundled CDN | ✓ | ◐ |
| Attack analytics suite | ◐ | ✓ |
| Named SOC team | ◐ | ✓ |
| Self-serve onboarding | ✓ | ✗ |
Headline pricing
| Vendor | Cheapest published rate | Pricing model | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare WAF | Free plan, WAF rules included | Flat monthly plan, WAF included on every paid tier | Source (2026-06-19) |
| Imperva Cloud WAF | Quote only | Quote only, per-site or per-application | Source (2026-06-19) |
Direct answer
Which is cheaper at typical traffic?
At every traffic level Cloudflare publishes a cheaper rate than Imperva quotes on like-for-like SKUs in buyer-shared bands, because Cloudflare has a free and a $20 entry point that Imperva has no equivalent for. At Enterprise volume the rates converge but Imperva charges separately for Advanced Bot Protection.
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
Cloudflare-to-Imperva migrations require re-pointing DNS, terminating TLS on Imperva, and re-tuning the managed rule set. Imperva offers a parallel-run window and professional services for rule migration. Expect 4-8 weeks of work for a mid-sized property plus a separate professional-services line for ruleset migration.
Where to read more
Cross-reference with the pricing-models explainer and the hidden-costs page before signing.
Last verified June 2026