A
Cloudflare vs Palo Alto Networks
Pricing, features, platforms and who each one suits — side by side.
C
Choose Cloudflare if…
- you want a free plan to start with
- you're in its core audience: website owners, developers
P
Choose Palo Alto Networks if…
- you're in its core audience: cisos, network security engineers
Side by side
Feature Cloudflare Palo Alto Networks
Pricing modelFreemiumContact for pricing
Starting price$5/mo—
Free plan
Free trial
API
Open source
PlatformsWebWeb
CategoryDDoS protection & WAFFirewalls & network security
CompanyCloudflare, Inc.Palo Alto Networks
Full feature lists
C Cloudflare
- Unmetered DDoS protection on all plans
- Web application firewall and bot protection
- Global CDN and DNS in 335+ cities
- Universal SSL certificates
- Zero Trust access, SWG and DEX
- Workers serverless functions billed by CPU time
- R2 object storage without egress fees
- D1 SQL, Workers KV and Durable Objects
P Palo Alto Networks
- Hardware and software next-generation firewalls
- Prisma SASE with SD-WAN, ZTNA and remote browser isolation
- Cortex XSIAM, XDR and XSOAR for SOC automation
- CNAPP and cloud detection and response via Cortex Cloud
- Privileged access management and secrets management
- Enterprise DLP, IoT and OT security
- Unit 42 incident response and managed detection
- Cortex XCOR AI-driven observability
Their home pages
What each vendor shows first: the pitch, the plans and the sign-up.
Cloudflare · cloudflare.com
Palo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.comWhat you'd pay
The cheapest plan that fits, per month, billed yearly where the plan offers it.
| Team size | Cloudflare | Palo Alto Networks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $7 Zero Trust Pay-as-you-go | no published plan |
| 5 people | $20 Pro | no published plan |
| 20 people | $20 Pro | no published plan |
All plans and prices
Cloudflare
Free (Network & CDN)$0
Pro$20/mo billed annually or $25/mo billed monthly
Business$200/mo billed annually or $250/mo billed monthly
ContractCustom
Zero Trust Free$0
Zero Trust Pay-as-you-go$7/user/month
Workers Paid$0.30 / million requests + $0.02 / million CPU ms
Palo Alto Networks
Contact for pricing. Plan details aren't published.
Strengths and limitations
Cloudflare
- Free plan includes unmetered DDoS protection, CDN and SSL
- Zero Trust free for up to 50 users
- Workers billed for CPU time, not idle wall time
- R2 storage has no egress fees
- Uptime SLA only on Business plan and above
- PCI DSS compliance requires Business plan
- Free Zero Trust plan keeps logs only 24 hours
Palo Alto Networks
- Covers network, cloud, identity and SOC security in one portfolio
- Named a leader in many Gartner and Forrester reports
- 24/7/365 incident response through Unit 42
- 700+ partner integrations for security operations
- No public pricing; buying goes through sales
- Built for enterprises, so it is complex for small teams
More comparisons
Other options to consider
A
Paid
I
II
Contact
D
D
From $3830/mo
F
FF
Contact
F
Next-generation firewalls, SASE and security operations for enterprises
Firewalls & network security
N
NFirewall, router and VPN software and appliances for homes and businesses
From $10.75/mo
N
From $10.75/mo
N
Firewall, router and VPN software and appliances for homes and businesses
Firewalls & network securityAPI
Facts from each vendor's public pages, prices checked Nov 10, 2026. Editorial policy