# AWS Shield vs Cloudflare DDoS Protection

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** AWS Shield

| Attribute | AWS Shield | Cloudflare DDoS Protection |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 49.6 (55% (medium)) | 42.2 (55% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A managed DDoS protection service that provides automatic, real-time defense against distributed denial-of-service attacks. Offers a free standard tier for basic infrastructure protection and a premium tier with advanced threat detection, application-layer defense, and expert incident response. It is indexed under DDOS Protection.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","question":"What is AWS Shield?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"AWS Shield offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans are also available: AWS Shield Standard and AWS Shield Advanced. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","question":"Is AWS Shield free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for AWS Shield, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","question":"Can AWS Shield be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 8 integrations for AWS Shield, including AWS WAF, Amazon CloudFront, Amazon Route 53, Elastic IP, Elastic Load Balancing, AWS Global Accelerator, Amazon CloudWatch and AWS Firewall Manager. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","question":"What does AWS Shield integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed HIPAA and GDPR for AWS Shield. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as AWS Shield not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/trust-center/?nc1=f_cc","question":"What security certifications does AWS Shield have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"AWS Shield is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United States.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","question":"Where is AWS Shield available?","confidence":0.75}]` | `[{"answer":"A DDoS mitigation service that defends against volumetric attacks by leveraging Cloudflare's global network with 500 Tbps of capacity. Protects web applications, networks, and infrastructure at layers 3-7 with 24/7 support. It is indexed under DDOS Protection.","source":"https://www.cloudflare.com/plans","question":"What is Cloudflare DDoS Protection?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Cloudflare DDoS Protection offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $20 per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.cloudflare.com/plans","question":"Is Cloudflare DDoS Protection free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Cloudflare DDoS Protection. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.cloudflare.com/plans","question":"What platforms does Cloudflare DDoS Protection support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Cloudflare DDoS Protection, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.cloudflare.com/plans","question":"Can Cloudflare DDoS Protection be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for Cloudflare DDoS Protection. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Cloudflare DDoS Protection not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.cloudflare.com/solutions/security","question":"What security certifications does Cloudflare DDoS Protection have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Cloudflare DDoS Protection is available worldwide. Its primary markets are the United States, the United Kingdom, the EU, India and South Korea. The vendor is headquartered in the United States.","source":"https://www.cloudflare.com/plans","question":"Where is Cloudflare DDoS Protection available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | A managed DDoS protection service that provides automatic, real-time defense against distributed denial-of-service attacks. Offers a free standard tier for basic infrastructure protection and a premium tier with advanced threat detection, application-layer defense, and expert incident response. | A DDoS mitigation service that defends against volumetric attacks by leveraging Cloudflare's global network with 500 Tbps of capacity. Protects web applications, networks, and infrastructure at layers 3-7 with 24/7 support. |
| features.capabilities | `{"bundled_waf":true,"pricing_model":"freemium","pci_dss_compliant":true,"always_on_mitigation":true,"layer_7_application_protection":true,"layer_3_4_volumetric_protection":true}` | `{"bundled_waf":true,"pricing_model":"fixed_monthly_tier","pci_dss_compliant":true,"siem_log_export_api":true,"always_on_mitigation":true,"unmetered_attack_bandwidth":true,"layer_7_application_protection":true,"layer_3_4_volumetric_protection":true}` |
| integrations.count | 8 | 1 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"AWS WAF"},{"name":"Amazon CloudFront"},{"name":"Amazon Route 53"},{"name":"Elastic IP"},{"name":"Elastic Load Balancing"},{"name":"AWS Global Accelerator"},{"name":"Amazon CloudWatch"},{"name":"AWS Firewall Manager"},{"name":"Amazon EC2","native":true}]` | `[{"name":"Amazon S3","native":false,"category":"storage","direction":"outbound"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"AWS Shield Standard","features":["Protection against common network and transport layer DDoS attacks","Deterministic packet filtering","Priority-based traffic shaping","Works with CloudFront and Route 53"],"description":"Automatic DDoS protection included at no charge for all AWS customers","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"AWS Shield Advanced","features":["Automatic mitigation of sophisticated DDoS events","Customized detection based on traffic patterns","Application-layer attack detection (HTTP floods, DNS query floods)","Real-time notifications via CloudWatch","24/7 Shield Response Team support","Integration with AWS WAF and Firewall Manager","Health check-based detection optimization"],"description":"Enhanced DDoS protection with customized detection and 24/7 expert support","contactSales":false}],"summary":"Free tier included with AWS account; Advanced tier available (pricing not specified in documentation)","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","retrievedAt":"2026-08-18T21:36:46.444Z"}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free","features":["Fast, Easy-to-use DNS","Unmetered DDoS Protection","Universal SSL Certificate","Free Managed Ruleset"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For personal or hobby projects that aren't business-critical","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$20/mo billed annually","features":["Fast, Easy-to-use DNS","Unmetered DDoS Protection","Universal SSL Certificate","Free Managed Ruleset","Web Application Firewall (WAF)"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For professional websites that aren't business-critical","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$25/mo billed monthly","features":["Fast, Easy-to-use DNS","Unmetered DDoS Protection","Universal SSL Certificate","Free Managed Ruleset","Web Application Firewall (WAF)"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":25,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For professional websites that aren't business-critical","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Business","summary":"$200/mo billed annually","features":["Fast, Easy-to-use DNS","Unmetered DDoS Protection","Universal SSL Certificate","Free Managed Ruleset","Web Application Firewall (WAF)","Lossless Image Optimization","Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)","PCI DSS 4.0 Compliance","Uptime SLA"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":200,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For small businesses operating online","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Business","summary":"$250/mo billed monthly","features":["Fast, Easy-to-use DNS","Unmetered DDoS Protection","Universal SSL Certificate","Free Managed Ruleset","Web Application Firewall (WAF)","Lossless Image Optimization","Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)","PCI DSS 4.0 Compliance","Uptime SLA"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":250,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For small businesses operating online","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing","commitment":"annual","description":"For mission-critical applications that are core to your business","contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free plan available. Paid plans from $20/mo (billed annually) or $25/mo (billed monthly) through $250/mo with custom enterprise pricing.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.cloudflare.com/plans","retrievedAt":"2026-10-12T15:26:39.931Z","startingPrice":{"amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | low | mid |
| pricing.starting_price | - | `{"amount":20,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.fedramp | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.hipaa | yes | - |
| security.pci | yes | yes |
| security.trust_center | https://aws.amazon.com/compliance/ | https://www.cloudflare.com/solutions/security |

## Capabilities (DDOS Protection)

| Capability | AWS Shield | Cloudflare DDoS Protection |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Deployment model | - | - |
| Always on mitigation | ✓ | ✓ |
| On demand bgp diversion | - | - |
| Layer 3 4 volumetric protection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Layer 7 application protection | ✓ | ✓ |
| DNS amplification protection | - | - |
| Unmetered attack bandwidth | - | ✓ |
| Sub second mitigation SLA | - | - |
| Bundled WAF | ✓ | ✓ |
| SIEM log export API | - | ✓ |
| SOC2 type ii | - | - |
| PCI DSS compliant | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Fixed monthly tier |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:54:02.182Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*