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Akamai App and API Protector vs Radware DDoS comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 30, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.5
Cloudflare users experienced increased performance, security, and cost-effectiveness, leading to improved loyalty and revenue despite difficult ROI calculations.
Sentiment score
4.8
Akamai App and API Protector offers superior traffic management, security, and cost savings for large infrastructures, despite higher costs.
Sentiment score
5.4
Radware DDoS offers a 20% ROI by preventing costly downtime and optimizing infrastructure, saving time and resources significantly.
For the small project I was working on, using the basic tier provided a huge improvement at zero cost.
Security Specialist at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
In terms of return on investment with Cloudflare, it costs my time to set them up, but basically once they're set up, it's done.
Owner at Hga consulting
The hybrid approach optimized infrastructure costs and personnel resources.
CIO at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.0
Cloudflare's customer service is quick, but technical support feedback is mixed, with improvement needed in responsiveness and detailed assistance.
Sentiment score
7.7
Customer service is excellent, while technical support has mixed reviews with praise for expertise but needs improved availability.
Sentiment score
6.9
Radware DDoS support is praised for quick, knowledgeable assistance but needs improved scalability and responsiveness for some users.
Cloudflare does not offer hands-on technical support to fix customer problems but rather a self-service model.
Senior Consultant CDN at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
I would rate the technical support with Cloudflare as excellent every time I've had to call them.
Owner at Hga consulting
I have primarily worked not with the tool's customer support but with the product's sales engineers and technical sales engineers, who seem to know their stuff.
Principal Cyber Prevent and Defense Engineer at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Providing assistance almost instantly when needed.
IT Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Ensuring less than one second mitigation for L3/L4 and less than ten seconds for L7.
CIO at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Sometimes I do not even get a response for days.
3rd Line Security Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Users praise Cloudflare for seamless scalability, effective traffic management, easy upgrades, and robust global infrastructure without disruptions.
Sentiment score
7.8
Akamai App and API Protector excels in scalability, seamlessly handling extensive user demands and large-scale deployments with stability.
Sentiment score
7.7
Radware DDoS is praised for its strong scalability in various industries, despite challenges with license flexibility and data centers.
It is a SaaS tool, but the fact that they have workloads deployed across the world proves that it is a highly scalable tool.
Principal Cyber Prevent and Defense Engineer at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
The tool offers very good performance, even during high-traffic periods.
Engineer at SITMEXICO
I rate the solution’s scalability an eight out of ten.
Independent Consultant at Unaikui
In terms of scalability, Radware DDoS excels.
Associate Manager for Network and Cybersecurity at TP Northern Odisha Distribution Limited (TPNODL)
Scalability is well-supported by Radware.
IT Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
It is scalable and user-friendly.
Sr IT Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Cloudflare is highly rated for stability and uptime, with few past issues, especially on higher-tier plans.
Sentiment score
8.1
Akamai App and API Protector is highly stable and reliable, with no reported outages or issues over years of use.
Sentiment score
8.3
Radware DDoS is highly reliable, providing stable performance with minimal issues, making it a trusted choice for users.
I rate the solution’s stability an eight out of ten.
Independent Consultant at Unaikui
The service is very stable with no impacts during high-traffic periods.
Engineer at SITMEXICO
In my opinion, there is no downtime experienced with Radware DDoS Protection Service due to external network redundancy.
Sr IT Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
 

Room For Improvement

Enhancements needed in Cloudflare: analytics, CDN latency, API integration, user support, DNS, pricing, documentation, server coverage, WAF, and cache.
Akamai App and API Protector needs enhancements in flexibility, UI, customer support, documentation, and advanced protection features.
Radware DDoS requires improvements in scalability, UI, cloud integration, support, monitoring, AI, and platform integration for enhanced usability.
Despite these challenges, overall, Cloudflare remains the preferred solution compared to Azure, AWS CloudFront, and Google Cloud Armor.
Managed Services Manager at Adapture Technology Group
Areas like how assessment, discovery, and payload are dealt with and how it all comes into your organization can be considered when trying to make suggestions to Cloudflare for improvements.
Senior Cloud Solution Architect at Integrated Technology Solution Group (ITSG)
There are some performance considerations when it comes to dynamic content that involves fetching data from databases or using APIs.
Senior Solutions Architect at Think Power Solutions
We suggest that clear visibility within a management console could significantly enhance Radware DDoS's usability.
Associate Manager for Network and Cybersecurity at TP Northern Odisha Distribution Limited (TPNODL)
There should be improved bot management integration that mitigates bot-based DDoS attacks completely.
Information Security Manager at Dalmia Bharat Ltd
Radware DDoS does not have any authentication countermeasures to mitigate any attacks, which needs to be addressed.
3rd Line Security Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
 

Setup Cost

Cloudflare offers scalable pricing, from free to enterprise plans, providing significant value especially for mid-sized companies.
Akamai App and API Protector is expensive yet considered worth the cost by large enterprises for its quality services.
Radware DDoS pricing is high but worthwhile for enterprises, with flexible options like pay-as-you-go and subscriptions.
I find it to be cheap.
Engineer at SITMEXICO
I rate the product’s pricing a five out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive.
Senior Solutions Architect at Think Power Solutions
The tool is a premium product, so it is very expensive.
Principal Cyber Prevent and Defense Engineer at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Radware pricing is on the high end, suitable more for larger organizations.
IT Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
I didn't check pricing of other providers in depth but verified with two, and found Radware to be significantly cheaper compared to F5.
Sr IT Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
We have a premium cost setup to align with a tier four uptime certified data center, storing and protecting critical infrastructure.
CIO at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Valuable Features

Cloudflare enhances performance and security with CDN caching, DDoS protection, and an easy-to-use dashboard, benefiting many users.
Akamai App and API Protector delivers scalable security, ease of use, and cost-effective protection with advanced features like DDoS defense.
Radware DDoS offers robust multi-layer protection with real-time updates, user-friendly interface, and flexible deployment for continuous network security.
The most valuable features of the solution are performance and security.
Senior Cloud Solution Architect at Integrated Technology Solution Group (ITSG)
Techniques like minification and image compression reduce the size of assets, leading to better performance and faster user load times.
Senior Solutions Architect at Think Power Solutions
The solution has been able to compare it to the market, and I think the product has taken great strides in automating quite a bit of things, and they use a lot of AI.
Principal Cyber Prevent and Defense Engineer at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
The area in which Akamai excels compared to other competitors with a WAF is in threat intelligence, as threats continually evolve, requiring ongoing updates to backend algorithms to effectively capture smart bots.
Privacy & Risk Management Vice President, Information Security at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
The support from Radware is also exceptional, as they are always willing to jump on a call to help solve issues and improve our network design.
IT Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
The ERT feeds, which are based on Radware intelligence services, have been beneficial to my organization because they block a lot of malicious IP addresses and botnets.
CISO at a insurance company with 201-500 employees
The best feature of Radware DDoS Protection Service is the automation.
Sr IT Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Cloudflare
Sponsored
Ranking in Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
77
Ranking in other categories
CDN (1st), WAN Optimization (4th), Managed DNS (1st), Domain Name System (DNS) Security (5th), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (12th)
Akamai App and API Protector
Ranking in Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection
8th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
29
Ranking in other categories
Web Application Firewall (WAF) (16th), Cloud and Data Center Security (14th)
Radware DDoS
Ranking in Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection
2nd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
42
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection category, the mindshare of Cloudflare is 16.7%, down from 18.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Akamai App and API Protector is 4.2%, up from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Radware DDoS is 8.2%, up from 7.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cloudflare16.7%
Radware DDoS8.2%
Akamai App and API Protector4.2%
Other70.9%
Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection
 

Featured Reviews

HA
Owner at Hga consulting
Has helped manage client domains with streamlined access control and threat visibility
I don't know what areas could be improved with Cloudflare WAF; Cloudflare is constantly improving and adding features to their feature set. They're doing a good job, and as far as DNS and support for any domains that I create or my clients create, it's mandatory for me to make sure that they have Cloudflare as their DNS provider. The Cloudflare load balancing capability hasn't really helped in enhancing my website's uptime and resiliency because we don't really get that much traffic; it's mostly remote users, and web hosting is done by a web hosting service. It doesn't pay to try to host your own website.
Gavin Pinho - PeerSpot reviewer
Privacy & Risk Management Vice President, Information Security at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Has provided strong protection against evolving threats but still needs support for configuration fine-tuning
The standout features of Akamai App and API Protector are rooted in it being the Web Application Firewall, where all traffic gets scanned, including the implementation of web firewall rules, and after this phase, traffic proceeds through the BMP, which is Bot Management. Akamai App and API Protector exceeds expectations in terms of AI capabilities, and it genuinely combines a plethora of advanced features. The area in which Akamai excels compared to other competitors with a WAF is in threat intelligence, as threats continually evolve, requiring ongoing updates to backend algorithms to effectively capture smart bots, and Akamai's commitment in that regard is backed by an excellent team, while other providers are still catching up.
NK
Information Security Manager at Dalmia Bharat Ltd
Behavioral analytics and AI automation enhance security and performance
It provides protection for network applications and infrastructure level, and the best part is the behavioral-based detection that Radware provides us, along with real-time signature creation. We also have some applications where we have botnets running, and it provides protection against them. Web DDoS targets the application layer, which is layer seven of the OSI model. For that, we focus on the Web DDoS technique for bot-based attacks because we have many applications where bots are running. We also face many random URL attacks every day, and it protects against malicious or suspicious random URL attacks. It ensures both security and performance. It achieves this by learning behavior patterns and providing protection without blocking normal traffic. These are some of the features I am particularly satisfied with in this product.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
19%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Performing Arts
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Non Profit
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business46
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise25
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise18
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise19
 

Questions from the Community

Which is the best DDoS protection solution for a big ISP for monitoring and mitigating?
Cloudflare. We are moving from Akamai prolexic to Cloudflare. Cloudflare anycast network outperforms Akamai static GR...
Which would you choose - Cloudflare DNS or Quad9?
Cloudflare DNS is a very fast, very reliable public DNS resolver. It is an enterprise-grade authoritative DNS service...
What do you like most about Cloudflare?
Cloudflare offers CDN and DDoS protection. We have the front end, API, and database in how you structure applications.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Akamai Web Application Protector?
The price is higher than others. It could be about 80% to 70% more expensive than other tools. So, it’s not just a sl...
What needs improvement with Akamai Web Application Protector?
There are no significant areas for improvement on the WAF side or for Akamai App and API Protector solution; they are...
What is your primary use case for Akamai Web Application Protector?
The main use case for Akamai App and API Protector is serving as the WAF, Web Application Firewall.
What do you like most about Radware Cloud DDoS Protection Service?
The most important part is that Radware DDoS integrates seamlessly and provides anomaly identification, real-time not...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Radware Cloud DDoS Protection Service?
For Radware Cloud DDoS Protection, the pricing model can vary based on a number of factors such as the scale of the b...
What needs improvement with Radware Cloud DDoS Protection Service?
The time it takes to upload a site to the cloud is critical when under attack. If a site is down, a quick response to...
 

Also Known As

Cloudflare DNS
Akamai Web Application Protector, Akamai Kona Site Defender, Akamai Kona DDoS Defender
Radware DDoS Protection Service, Radware DefensePro, Radware DefenseFlow
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Trusted by over 9,000,000 Internet Applications and APIs, including Nasdaq, Zendesk, Crunchbase, Steve Madden, OkCupid, Cisco, Quizlet, Discord and more.
Douglas Omaha Technology Commission, ZALORA, PrintPlanet
Myntex, APAC retailers
Find out what your peers are saying about Akamai App and API Protector vs. Radware DDoS and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,443 professionals have used our research since 2012.