Top 5 Radware WAF Alternatives

Radware’s Cloud WAF provides robust, enterprise-level web application security. It adapts to changing threats and applications automatically, offering full protection against the OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities

Top Radware WAF Features and Benefits

Comprehensive Coverage

Radware’s Cloud Application Protection provides comprehensive coverage for modern web applications, addressing all potential threat vectors. It includes protection against attacks like SQL injection cross-site scripting, and file inclusion

The solution also offers API Protection, with dedicated security policies and automated discovery of outdated APIs, as well as Client-side protection to monitor and block 3rd-party code exploits. Bot Management differentiates between good and bad bots, and Web DDoS protection safeguards against Layer 7 (L7) HTTP/S DDoS attacks ensuring holistic web application security.

Flexible Deployment 

It offers versatile deployment options, including on-premise, cloud, and Kubernetes environments. The Hybrid Cloud WAF Service provides unified protection for both on-premise and cloud-based applications through a single technology solution.  

Radware eliminates the need for multiple tools, ensuring consistent protection across multi-cloud environments.  

Application Vulnerability Analyzer 

As part of Radware’s WAF, the Application Vulnerability Analyzer uses a scanning engine to automatically generate security policies for web application protection. The Auto Policy Generation module identifies and applies the required security filters, generates filter rules, and activates them automatically.  

This feature, combined with support for vulnerability scanning engines, DAST tools, API discovery, and Radware’s negative and positive security models, helps secure both APIs and web applications. 

It should be noted that Application Vulnerability Analyzer of Radware are limited to certain types of vulnerabilities and customer should use automatic generation of rules with caution as they can be prone to false positives. 

Bot Manager 

Radware Bot Manager is an add-on module to the Web Application Firewall platform that delivers comprehensive protection for web applications against bot threats through its advanced AI and behavioral detection algorithms.  

This solution can be used as a standalone tool or integrated with other WAFs. One notable feature, the “Crypto Challenge,” enhances security by using invisible, escalating challenges instead of traditional CAPTCHA.  

Reasons Why You Might Want to Switch from Radware WAF 

Configuration and Maintenance 

The configuration of the Radware product can be quite complex, requiring a thorough understanding of its features and functionalities.  

Organizations may require dedicated security engineers who possess specific expertise in the product to ensure effective setup and ongoing maintenance.  

This reliance on expertise can lead to increased operational costs and potential challenges in managing security policies and performing false positive testing, particularly for teams lacking in-house expertise. 

Unmetered DDoS Protection  

While the DDoS mitigation solution provides effective protection backed by 24/7/365 support, it is important to note that it is not unmetered. Organizations may incur extra charges if the volume of blocked attacks surpasses the Gbps limit outlined in their current plan, following a tiered pricing model. 

Fifteen Radware Alternatives to Consider 

1. AppTrana
2. Cloudflare
3. Akamai
4. Imperva
5. Fastly
6. AWS WAF
7. Barracuda 
8. Azure WAF 
9. Fortiweb 
10. F5 
11. ThreatX 
12. Palo Alto 
13. Sucuri 
14. Google Cloud Armor 
15. ModSecurity(Open Source) 

For a deeper dive, explore our detailed blog comparing 17 WAF (WAAP) providers in the market. 

A Quick Snapshot Comparison for the Top 5 Radware Alternatives 

WAF Feature	Radware	AppTrana	Cloudflare	Imperva	Akamai	Fastly
Gartner Peer Insights Rating	4.7	4.9	4.5	4.7	4.7	4.9
Gartner Peer Insights Customer Recommendation Rating	99%	100%	93%	92%	88%	97%
DDoS Monitoring	Add-on	Starts at $399	Enterprise Only	Add-On	Add-On	Ultimate Plan only
Virtual Patching	Basic	Starts at $99	Enterprise Only	Add-On	Add-On	Ultimate Plan only
Payload Inspection Size	1GB	134MB	128KB	Unknown	Starts: 8KB   Max: 128KB	Unknown
NTLM Support	Yes	Yes	No	Unknown	No	Unknown
Bot Protection	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not available in essentials   Add-on in Professional   Bundled in Enterprise Plan	Add-On	Yes, but unsure whether it is bundled in all plans
Response Timeout	Default: 60 seconds      Max: 900 seconds	Default: 300 seconds      Max: 300 seconds	Default: 100 seconds  Enterprise: 6000 seconds	Default: 360 seconds    Max: Unknown	Default: 120 seconds      Max: 599 seconds	Default: 60 seconds      Max: 300 Seconds
Managed Services	Add-On	Starts at $399	Enterprise only	Add-On	Add-On	Ultimate Plan only
DAST Scanner	Not Available	Bundled in all plans	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available
Asset Monitoring	Not Available	Bundled in all plans	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available
Penetration Testing	Not Available	Bundled in the $399 plan	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available
API discovery	Available	Available	Available	Available as an Add-On	Available	Available
API Security	Available	Available	Available	Available	Available	Available
API Scanning	Available	Available	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available
API Pen Testing	Not Available	Bundled in the $399 plan	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available
Workflow-based bot mitigation	Add-on	Starts at $399	Enterprise only	Add-On	Add-On	Ultimate Plan only
Origin Protection	Not Available	Bundled in all plans	Limited	Not Available	Add-on	Available
SwyftComply	Not Available	Available	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available	Not Available
Client-side Protection	Available	Available	Available	Available	Available	Not Available
Custom Error Page	Available	Available	Available	Available	Available	Not Available
DNSSEC	Available	Available	Available	Available	Available	Available
Malware Protection	Available	Available	Available	Not Available	Available	Available

1. AppTrana

With a complete suite of solutions—including DAST scanning, API discovery and security, DDoS mitigation, bot protection, and CDN services—AppTrana stands out in the WAAP market. 

It starts by scanning applications and APIs with its integrated DAST scanner to identify vulnerabilities, then fine-tunes its rules to eliminate false positives. 

Its built-in DDoS scrubber ensures round-the-clock availability by effectively mitigating DDoS and bot attacks using AI-driven auto-mitigation techniques tailored to traffic patterns. 

Some stand out features of AppTrana 

SwyftComply 

To ensure regulatory compliance, businesses need a clean report with no vulnerabilities, but fixing open vulnerabilities can be tough, especially when relying on third-party components without available patches. On average it takes 180+ days to fix vulnerabilities. SwyftComply makes it easy for AppTrana users to generate a zero-vulnerability report in just 72 hours, streamlining the security audit process. 

Key features include: 

• Built-in DAST scanner for ongoing vulnerability detection, including zero-day threats. 
• Automated patching to protect against any open vulnerabilities on AppTrana WAAP. 
• Quick access to a clean, zero-vulnerability report that can be downloaded within 72 hours. 

Managed Security Service 

Acting as an extended Security Operations Center (SOC), the bundled managed services team collaborates with application teams to tailor security rules specifically for each organization using AppTrana. 

The team’s expertise lies in fine-tuning scans, validating and prioritizing vulnerability findings, and delivering actionable reports free from false positives. Furthermore, AppTrana guarantees 24/7 support for all customers, including those on the $99 plan, offering assistance via phone, email, and chat during security incidents. 

User Defined Bot Policies 

With this feature, organization can classify bots based on their behavior and risk level, enabling tailored actions like blocking high-risk bots or using CAPTCHAs for lower-risk ones.  

Organization can also set specific thresholds and actions for different areas of their application, making bot detection more precise. Additionally, by allowing multiple conditions for a single rule (using “or” logic), businesses can catch a wider range of bots without affecting real users.  

If you are looking for comprehensive bot management with a tight budget, AppTrana is your ideal option. 

Positive Security Model Automation for APIs 

This process involves several steps: API discovery, vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, and developing positive security policies. 

Even teams without API documentation in Swagger or Postman can take advantage of this. The API discovery feature automatically downloads the Swagger file, and the managed services team is available to help create Postman files for critical open APIs. 

Now coming to the cons: 

On-Premise WAAP 

Lacks an on-premise Web Application and API Protection (WAAP) option, which can be a limitation for enterprises that prefer to manage their security infrastructure internally. 

Legacy API Support 

While AppTrana emphasizes modern API security, it lacks support for older API standards such as SOAP and WebSocket. 

2. Cloudflare WAF

Cloudflare’s Web Application Firewall (WAF) provides comprehensive security, offering full visibility and protection against OWASP threats, emerging exploits, and account takeovers. Using machine learning, it detects evasions and new attacks while seamlessly integrating with API security and bot management. Built on one of the most connected cloud platforms, it ensures strong, layered defenses for enterprise applications. 

Some standout features of Cloudflare WAF 

Adaptative DDoS Protection 

Cloudflare’s Adaptive DDoS Protection is designed to intelligently defend against complex DDoS attacks by learning and adapting to your specific traffic patterns.  

Like AppTrana WAAP, Cloudflare customizes protection by monitoring deviations in traffic from your site’s origins, user agents, geo-locations, and IP protocols. By continuously analyzing these factors, the system dynamically applies mitigation measures that ensure optimal protection for layers 3, 4, and 7, helping to safeguard your applications with tailored defences. 

Global Threat Intelligence 

Cloudflare’s global threat intelligence offers exceptional security by analyzing data from its vast network, which handles 81 million HTTP requests per second. It combines real-time insights with advanced threat research to defend against emerging threats like zero-day vulnerabilities.  

This intelligence is distributed across the Cloudflare platform, blocking over 150 billion attacks daily to protect applications, networks, and users. 

Powerful Bundle for SaaS Start-Ups 

Cloudflare offers an ideal security bundle for SaaS start-ups, featuring SSL management, vanity domain support, DDoS protection, WAF and API security. The flexible pricing across Free, Pro, and Business plans makes it affordable, scaling with your business.  

With Cloudflare’s solutions, SaaS providers can deliver fast, secure apps to global users, boosting customer retention and performance. 

Now coming to the cons 

Virtual Patching as a Service 

In fast-paced agile environments, particularly in tech, new vulnerabilities can easily slip into code with each iteration. One way to mitigate this risk is by using virtual patching on the WAF. This process involves a DAST scanner identifying vulnerabilities, filtering out false positives, and sending valid issues to Cloudflare for virtual patching—only available with the enterprise plan. 

Alternatively, many teams manage WAF rules internally but often lack the expertise to create and effectively test these rules, leaving potential security gaps unaddressed. 

Request Inspection and Response Time out 

In Cloudflare’s Free, Pro, and Business plans, the maximum request inspection size is limited to 128KB, which can be insufficient for handling larger payloads. Additionally, applications with longer response times face a timeout after 100 seconds.  

To accommodate larger request sizes and extend response timeouts, upgrading to the enterprise plan is necessary. 

DDoS Monitoring 

While the platform excels in DDoS mitigation, its monitoring services lack comprehensive support in the Free and Pro plans, which do not provide assistance during attacks. 

Complete expert help is only available with the Enterprise plan. This lack of immediate assistance can be a problem during complex DDoS attacks, highlighting the need for organizations to have skilled security professionals to manage risks effectively. 

Support 

Their support lacks effectiveness, a key drawback worth noting. 

Pricing 

Security-conscious customers must consider the enterprise plan, which is often cost-prohibitive. Reports indicate instances of customers being forced to upgrade overnight due to increased traffic volumes. 

3. Akamai WAF

Akamai is a leading cloud service provider specializing in edge security solutions. Its Web Application Firewall (WAF) detects and mitigates threats in HTTP and SSL traffic before reaching customer data centers. Using a modified ModSecurity rule set, Akamai WAF protects against common attacks like XSS and SQL injection, allowing customers to customize traffic controls and alerts for enhanced web application security. 

Some standout features of Akamai WAF 

Enhanced DNS (EDNS) 

Akamai’s Enhanced DNS (EDNS) is a secure and scalable outsourced DNS solution that directs users to websites and applications reliably. It functions as an authoritative secondary DNS service, allowing customers to benefit from Akamai’s powerful global nameserver network without changing their current DNS setup.  

With advanced features like IP Anycast and secured zone transfers, EDNS shields you from cache poisoning and denial-of-service attacks, all without changing your existing DNS setup. 

Zero-Downtime Delivery Platform 

Built for resilience, it automatically recovers from failures at any level, ensuring your web content is always available. Built with redundancy at every level, it can quickly recover from failures, whether at the machine, data center, or network level.  

This self-healing capability means that customers don’t need to maintain their own failover systems. Akamai’s network smartly routes around issues, delivering content quickly from the nearest edge servers for a seamless user experience. 

Prolexic DDoS Protection 

The cloud-based DDoS protection solution is your frontline defense against a wide range of attacks, from high-bandwidth bombardments to eliminate multi-vector threats. Available as an always-on or on-demand service, Prolexic boasts over 20 Tbps of dedicated DDoS defense capacity, stopping over 80% of attacks instantly.  

With 24/7 global monitoring, you can rest easy knowing your infrastructure is protected without sacrificing performance. 

Now coming to the cons 

Pricing 

The Akamai platform is generally considered a premium option in the market, reflecting its focus on enterprise-level products and advanced features. However, this level of quality and service can come with a significant price tag, which may pose a challenge for smaller organizations or those with limited budgets. 

However, the high costs can be a barrier for smaller organizations or those with limited budgets, requiring them to consider whether the benefits align with their financial capabilities. 

Many features, such as BOT protection and Origin protection, are offered as add-ons, even though they are considered basic components of a WAAP solution. 

False Positive  

Like other WAAP solutions, handling false positives is a challenge with Akamai’s WAF. Legitimate traffic can be blocked alongside malicious requests, causing disruptions for users. Managing these false positives often requires manual intervention, which can be difficult for organizations without dedicated security teams or managed services. 

4. Imperva WAF

Imperva Cloud WAF is a key part of their comprehensive app security solution, offering advanced defence with a near-zero false positive guarantee. Over 90% of customers confidently use it in blocking mode.  

Notably, AppTrana takes it further with 100% of applications running in block mode. 

Imperva also offers unique features like Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) and integrates with SIEMs, using AI-powered analytics to streamline security operations and reduce risk. 

Some standout features of Imperva WAF 

In-built RASP 

Imperva’s Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) delivers real-time defence against both known and unknown threats. Utilizing LANGSEC for precise attack detection, RASP minimizes false positives and consolidates insights from network, application, and database security into a single report.  

It helps security and development teams by filtering alerts for better resource allocation, providing critical visibility into runtime risk exposure. This capability allows organizations to monitor applications in real time, identifying ongoing attacks and enhancing risk management and remediation efforts. 

API Security  

Imperva API Security integrates with the Imperva Application Security Platform to safeguard against the OWASP API Security Top 10 threats. It combines WAF, DDoS protection, and Advanced Bot Protection (ABP) to block known attacks. It also detects and remediates unknown threats, including business logic attacks. 

Organizations can easily identify if their sensitive APIs are under automated bot attacks and mitigate risks using the ABP policy tailored for APIs. This solution works seamlessly across legacy, hybrid, and cloud-native environments, including Kubernetes and AWS Lambda. Available as part of the Imperva Cloud Web Application Firewall or as a standalone solution. 

Flexible Deployment Option 

Imperva WAF provides a range of deployment options, including on-premises installations and seamless integration with major cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, and GCP. This flexibility guarantees that each application can be secured efficiently while adhering to its unique service level requirements.  

According to Gartner, Imperva offers customers flexible deployment options, ensuring smooth transitions as their application environments evolve. 

Additionally, the inclusion of detailed policy controls enhances precision and oversight, enabling organizations to tailor their protection strategies to meet their specific security needs. 

Now coming to the cons 

Managed Services as an Add-On 

Accessing a managed WAF requires opting for managed services, which are offered as an add-on. 

With AppTrana’s managed WAF, you receive more than just basic protection. The $399 plan includes DDoS monitoring, virtual patching, and thorough false-positive testing, all bundled together for comprehensive security. 

When looking for an alternative to Radware because of its managed WAF, Imperva may not be the ideal choice. 

API Discovery is an Add-on 

Mapping out the API footprint is vital for organizations to understand how their APIs function and identify necessary protections against data breaches and cyberattacks. However, Imperva’s solution provides API discovery only as an add-on option. 

Paying extra for this critical feature may not be the best choice, leaving organizations vulnerable and unaware of their API risks. 

5. Fastly WAF

The Fastly Next-Gen WAF, powered by Signal Sciences, offers strong web application and API protection (WAAP) for applications, APIs, and microservices through a single solution. 

Like AppTrana, Fastly stands out, for its focus on eliminating false positives. Nearly 90% of customers use the WAF in full blocking mode, which allows organizations to secure their environments with minimal false positives.  

Some stand out features of Fastly WAF 

SmartParse 

The Fastly Next-Gen WAF uses SmartParse, which evaluates request context to identify malicious payloads. It connects to the Network Learning Exchange (NLX) to recognize and defend against attack patterns across all customers. 

SmartParse avoids traditional regex methods by analyzing request parameters to see if code is executable. This results in fewer false positives and quicker detection of OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities and other advanced attacks. 

Deploy Anywhere  

Fastly Next-Gen WAF offers versatile deployment options that cater to diverse team needs. Install the solution at various points in the stack—whether at web servers, API gateways, or app levels for cloud and container-native environments. For hassle-free setup, the Cloud WAF requires only a DNS change to route traffic to the hosted agent. With hybrid solutions, teams can ensure comprehensive protection across all apps and APIs while maintaining centralized management and visibility. 

Network Learning Exchange (NLX) 

The WAF gathers attack data and combines it with insights from other Fastly security services. This threat intelligence helps detect future attacks and improves Fastly’s offerings without revealing any subscriber identities. Users benefit from this through the Network Learning Exchange (NLX), which provides enhanced information in control panels and alerts you to potential threats identified in the subscriber network. 

Now coming to the cons 

Limited Rate Limiting Controls 

Users of the standard plan face limited customization options, as advanced rate-limiting features are only available to those on the ultimate plan. This means that many users may struggle to tailor their defences against DDoS attacks effectively, potentially leaving them vulnerable. 

Support Limitations 

When it comes to customer support, Fastly offers phone and chat assistance only to ultimate plan users. Additionally, general inquiries are addressed through 24/7 support, but this is only available during business hours in key locations such as San Francisco, London, or Tokyo. 

Verdict 

If you’re seeking an alternative to Radware due to a lack of in-house security expertise and need a robust managed WAF service, AppTrana stands out as the most comprehensive WAAP solution. Akamai and Cloudflare could be considered as next options, offering strong features but with certain limitations.

The best approach is to begin with a trial and evaluate how the WAF performs with your specific application. 

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