Cloudflare is the best DDoS protection service for most websites, because the Free plan includes unmetered DDoS mitigation and Pro costs $20 per month when billed annually. AWS Shield Advanced, Google Cloud Armor Enterprise and Azure DDoS Network Protection are the best choices inside their own clouds, but each starts at $2,944 to $3,000 per month, so they suit larger workloads, not small sites. Sucuri is the best low-cost option for a single WordPress or small business site, with a Basic Firewall at $9.99 per month and a Basic Platform at $229 per year.
A DDoS attack floods a site or network with traffic until real visitors cannot get through, so the right service depends on where your site lives, how much traffic you serve and how fast you need help during an attack. Cloudflare does not charge for bandwidth or for DDoS mitigation, and that charge is unmetered across all plans, which keeps its entry cost predictable even when attack traffic spikes.
On this page
What's the best ddos protection service: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cloudflare | Most websites and small businesses | $20 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 2 | AWS Shield | AWS workloads that need a response team | $3,000 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 3 | Google Cloud Armor | Google Cloud workloads with variable traffic | $5 per policy per month | No | Visit |
| 4 | Microsoft Azure DDoS Protection | Azure networks with many public IPs | $199 per public IP per month | Yes | Visit |
| 5 | Imperva DDoS Protection | Large sites that need web, network and DNS cover | quote only | Free trial | Visit |
| 6 | Akamai Prolexic | Enterprises facing very large network attacks | quote only | No | Visit |
| 7 | Fastly | Developer teams on the Fastly edge | $1,500 per month | Free trial (30 days) | Visit |
| 8 | Sucuri | Single small sites and WordPress sites | $9.99 per month | Yes | Visit |
The 8 best what's the best ddos protection services, in detail
Cloudflare
Best for: Most websites and small businesses
Cloudflare sells four website plans, and DDoS mitigation is included from the Free plan upward. Pro costs $20 per month when billed annually, or $25 per month when billed monthly, and Business costs $200 per month when billed annually, or $250 per month when billed monthly. Pro adds managed WAF rules, 20 custom rules instead of 5 on the Free plan, Super Bot Fight Mode and ticket support, while Business adds the 100% uptime SLA, chat support and PCI compliance.
- Choose Cloudflare for a self-serve start and no separate charge for attack traffic.
- Choose another provider for non-web services such as mail, voice or game servers, because the website plans focus on HTTP and HTTPS traffic.
- Cloudflare charges per domain, so three sites cost three times the single-site price.
Pros
- Free plan includes unmetered DDoS mitigation
- Pro adds managed WAF rules and ticket support for $20 per month when billed annually
Cons
- No uptime SLA on Free or Pro
- Business at $200 per month is needed for a 100% uptime SLA and PCI compliance
AWS Shield
Best for: AWS workloads that need a response team
AWS Shield has two tiers. Shield Standard is automatic and included at no extra cost, and it protects resources such as EC2, Elastic Load Balancing, CloudFront, Global Accelerator and Route 53. Shield Advanced costs $3,000 per month per payer account, needs a 1-year subscription commitment and adds data transfer out fees, with AWS giving an example of $0.05 per GB for an Application Load Balancer and $0.025 per GB for CloudFront.
- Shield Advanced also includes standard AWS WAF charges up to 1,500 WCUs and up to 50 billion WAF requests per calendar month.
- To contact the Shield Response Team you need the Business or Enterprise support level, so add that support cost to the $3,000 fee.
- Choose AWS Shield when your main workload already runs on AWS.
Pros
- Shield Standard is included at no extra cost for all AWS customers
- Shield Advanced includes access to the Shield Response Team for eligible support plans
Cons
- Shield Advanced needs a 1-year commitment
- data transfer out fees apply on top of the $3,000 monthly fee
Google Cloud Armor
Best for: Google Cloud workloads with variable traffic
Google Cloud Armor Standard charges $5 per policy per month, $1 per rule per month and $0.75 per million requests for globally scoped security policies, or $0.60 per million requests for regionally scoped policies. That pay-per-use model suits a small Google Cloud workload, because a site with one policy, 10 rules and 10 million requests would incur $5 plus $10 plus $7.50 in those three line items. Enterprise changes the model to a subscription.
- The annual tier costs $3,000 per month, includes up to 100 protected resources and charges $30 per protected resource per month after the first 100.
- Enterprise adds Adaptive Protection and DDoS cost protection, so choose it when a single attack could push your bill far above normal.
Pros
- Standard tier is pay per use with no term commitment
- Enterprise at $3,000 per month includes up to 100 protected resources
Cons
- No free tier
- Enterprise needs a 1-year commitment and adds a data processing fee
Microsoft Azure DDoS Protection
Best for: Azure networks with many public IPs
Azure offers two subscription tiers above the free Infrastructure Protection tier. IP Protection costs $199 per protected public IP per month and suits a small Azure deployment, while Network Protection costs $2,944 per month and includes protection for 100 public IP resources, with overage at $29.50 per resource per month beyond 100. A single Network Protection plan can cover multiple virtual networks in a tenant, so count all protected IPs across the tenant first.
- The break-even point is 15 public IPs, because 14 IPs at $199 each cost $2,786 per month and 15 IPs at $199 each cost $2,985 per month, which is more
- Choose IP Protection below that point and Network Protection above it.
- Check regional pricing too, because Microsoft notes that prices vary by region.
Pros
- Infrastructure Protection is automatic on every Azure public IP at no extra cost
- Network Protection covers 100 public IPs under one plan
Cons
- Network Protection costs $2,944 per month, which is high for a site with only a few public IPs
- extra IPs beyond 100 cost $29.50 each per month
Imperva DDoS Protection
Best for: Large sites that need web, network and DNS cover
Imperva DDoS Protection is sold as a set of services for websites, networks, DNS and individual IPs, with always-on protection for web traffic and on-demand options for network assets. The vendor describes tiered bandwidth packages, with examples of up to 10 Gbps, 10 to 50 Gbps and 50 Gbps and above, and prices each engagement on capacity, routing model and SLA terms. A free trial is available for Cloud WAF, which is a useful way to test the console and rule workflow before a sales discussion.
- Because Imperva publishes no list price, ask for a written quote that names every protected asset, the bandwidth tier and the mitigation SLA.
- Confirm whether DDoS, WAF, bot management and DNS protection are priced together or as separate line items.
- Choose Imperva when you want one vendor for web and non-web assets.
Pros
- Covers websites, applications, APIs, networks and DNS from one vendor
- advertises a three-second mitigation SLA for Layer 3 and 4 attacks
Cons
- No published list price, so you cannot compare a quote with a public rate
- pricing depends on bandwidth capacity and SLA tier
Akamai Prolexic
Best for: Enterprises facing very large network attacks
Akamai Prolexic is a dedicated network-layer scrubbing service that routes whole network prefixes through scrubbing centres, so it protects services that a web CDN does not front, such as DNS, VPN, mail, voice and game servers. Akamai lists 20+ Tbps of dedicated defence capacity, 32 global scrubbing centres, a 100% platform availability SLA and zero-second mitigation, with proactive controls that stop more than 98% of attacks instantly and a 24/7 Security Operations Command Center with 225+ frontline defenders. Prolexic is available always-on or on-demand, as a cloud service, as an on-premises option powered by Corero, or as a hybrid of the two.
- That flexibility suits a data centre with strict routing needs, but the sales process is longer and the contract is annual.
- Ask Akamai to confirm the scrubbing centre locations and the runbook for an attack.
Pros
- 20+ Tbps dedicated defence capacity across 32 scrubbing centres
- 100% platform availability SLA and zero-second mitigation
Cons
- No published list price and no free tier
- sold through enterprise contracts with annual terms
Fastly
Best for: Developer teams on the Fastly edge
Fastly prices delivery by region and volume, with bandwidth at $0.12 per GB for the first 10 TB in North America and Europe and requests at $0.0075 per 10,000 requests on the usage rate card. The usage model has no long-term commitment. For DDoS Protection on that rate card, the first 500,000 requests are free each month and the next band costs $1.00 per 10,000 requests.
- Package plans give a fixed monthly price for a set request volume.
- Basic costs $1,500 per month and includes 100M requests per month and 20 TLS domains, while Starter costs $6,000 per month and includes 500M requests
- Choose Fastly when your team already uses its edge platform, and budget for WAF as a separate line item.
Pros
- First 100 GB of bandwidth and first 500,000 DDoS requests are free each month on the usage rate card
- Basic package includes 100M requests per month
Cons
- Package plans start at $1,500 per month, so the bundled route is costly for small sites
- security add-ons such as Next-Gen WAF are billed on top of delivery
Sucuri
Best for: Single small sites and WordPress sites
Sucuri sells two product lines. Firewall with CDN plans start at $9.99 per month for Basic Firewall and $19.98 per month for Pro Firewall, and they include the cloud WAF, CDN and DDoS mitigation for one site. Website Security Platform plans cost $229 per year for Basic, $339 per year for Pro and $549 per year for Business, and they add malware scanning, monitoring and unlimited cleanups, with a malware removal response time of 30 hours on Basic, 12 hours on Pro and 6 hours on Business.
- The free Sucuri plugin for WordPress gives scanning and hardening tools but no cloud firewall, so do not count it as DDoS cover.
- Junior Dev costs $999.98 per year and covers 2 to 5 sites.
- Choose Sucuri when you run one or a few WordPress sites and you want firewall cover plus a cleanup team in a single annual price.
Pros
- Basic Firewall starts at $9.99 per month
- Platform plans include unlimited malware cleanups with a stated response time
Cons
- Free plugin has no cloud firewall, so real DDoS cover needs a subscription plan
- each Platform plan covers only 1 site
How we chose
We chose services with a published DDoS product, an official pricing page or a clear quote-only sales route. Prices and plan limits in this article come from official vendor pricing pages and product pages opened on 2026-11-12, and each price is cited in Sources. We did not test any tool hands-on. We ranked entry cost and coverage first, then the limits that force an upgrade, such as the number of protected IPs, policies and rules, and request volume in a package.
Which service fits your budget and setup
| Situation | Pick | Monthly starting cost |
|---|---|---|
| One small website, lowest entry cost | Cloudflare Free, then Pro | $0, then $20 per month when billed annually |
| One WordPress site, firewall plus cleanup | Sucuri Basic Firewall | $9.99 per month |
| Google Cloud site with variable traffic | Google Cloud Armor Standard | $5 per policy per month plus $0.75 per million requests |
| Azure site with 1 to 14 public IPs | Azure IP Protection | $199 per public IP per month |
| Azure site with 15 to 100 public IPs | Azure Network Protection | $2,944 per month |
| AWS site that needs a response team | AWS Shield Advanced | $3,000 per month plus data transfer out |
| Large enterprise, non-web services | Akamai Prolexic or Imperva | quote only |
| Developer team already on Fastly | Fastly Basic package | $1,500 per month |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best DDoS protection service for a small website?
Cloudflare is the best choice for most small websites, because the Free plan includes unmetered DDoS mitigation and Pro costs $20 per month when billed annually. Sucuri is a close second for a single WordPress site, with a Basic Firewall at $9.99 per month. Pick Cloudflare when you want a free start and a simple per-domain price, and pick Sucuri when you also want a cleanup team in the same plan.
How much does DDoS protection cost per month?
Entry costs in this guide range from $0 on Cloudflare Free to $9.99 per month for Sucuri Basic Firewall, $20 per month for Cloudflare Pro when billed annually, $199 per public IP for Azure IP Protection, and $2,944 to $3,000 per month for Azure Network Protection, AWS Shield Advanced and Google Cloud Armor Enterprise Annual. Imperva and Akamai Prolexic are quote only, so their cost depends on capacity and SLA terms.
Which DDoS protection service is best for AWS?
AWS Shield is the best choice inside AWS, because Shield Standard is included at no extra cost and Shield Advanced adds the Shield Response Team and cost protection for $3,000 per month with a 1-year commitment. It protects EC2, Elastic Load Balancing, CloudFront, Global Accelerator and Route 53, and it includes standard WAF charges up to 1,500 WCUs and 50 billion requests per month. Add a Business or Enterprise support plan if you need response team contact.
Which DDoS protection service is best for Azure?
Azure DDoS Protection is the best choice inside Azure, because Infrastructure Protection is automatic on every public IP at no extra cost. IP Protection at $199 per public IP per month suits 1 to 14 IPs, while Network Protection at $2,944 per month suits 15 to 100 IPs. The break-even point is 15 IPs, because 15 IPs at $199 each cost $2,985 per month, which is more than the $2,944 plan.
Do I need a subscription plan for DDoS protection, or is a free plan enough?
A free plan is enough for a small site with modest traffic, because Cloudflare Free includes unmetered DDoS mitigation and Azure Infrastructure Protection is automatic at no extra cost. Move to a subscription plan when you need an uptime SLA, a response team, WAF rules, PCI compliance or cover for non-web services. Sucuri Free plugin users should note that the free plugin has no cloud firewall, so real cover needs the $9.99 per month Firewall plan.
What is the difference between Cloudflare and Akamai Prolexic?
Cloudflare is a self-serve edge service for websites, with a Free plan and Pro at $20 per month when billed annually, while Akamai Prolexic is a quote-only enterprise scrubbing service for whole network prefixes. Prolexic lists 20+ Tbps of dedicated defence capacity across 32 scrubbing centres and a 100% platform availability SLA, which suits very large network attacks. Pick Cloudflare for a website and Prolexic for a data centre or a large network.
Sources
- https://www.cloudflare.com/
- https://www.cloudflare.com/lp/pg-all-plans-multi-sku-simple/
- https://aws.amazon.com/
- https://aws.amazon.com/shield/pricing/
- https://cloud.google.com/
- https://cloud.google.com/armor/pricing
- https://azure.microsoft.com/
- https://azure.microsoft.com/is-is/pricing/details/ddos-protection/
- https://www.imperva.com/
- https://www.imperva.com/products/ddos-protection-services/
- https://www.akamai.com/
- https://www.akamai.com/products/prolexic-solutions
- https://www.fastly.com/
- https://www.fastly.com/pricing
- https://sucuri.net/
- https://sucuri.net/website-security-platform/
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.