Absorb and filter floods of traffic so a DDoS attack doesn't take your site offline.
DDoS protection software keeps websites and online services reachable when attackers flood them with traffic. What you protect determines what to buy: an online store facing HTTP request floods, an API behind an edge network, or an internet-facing IP range can require different defenses. Some vendors filter traffic within a CDN, while others offer dedicated network scrubbing and mitigation appliances. These options are organized by deployment scenario rather than ranked, so buyers can match attack coverage, traffic routing and operational responsibility to their environment.
By SEM Solutions Editorial Team. Researched from vendor documentation, not hands-on testing. Ordered by Overall Score. Checked October 16, 2026. How we research
Website and edge defense
#1 of 5 in DDoS Protection
Cloudflare automatically applies HTTP DDoS managed rules to traffic proxied through its network. Website owners can inspect security events and adjust detection sensitivity if legitimate promotions or product launches create unusual spikes. Its separate network-layer rules apply to eligible onboarded IP applications and prefixes, which is important for organizations protecting more than a conventional website.
Programmable edge mitigation
#2 of 5 in DDoS Protection
Fastly places DDoS mitigation alongside its programmable delivery network. Its Adaptive Threat Engine identifies traffic patterns during application attacks and automatically filters suspect requests, including traffic that shifts between IP addresses. Teams using Fastly's edge services can coordinate mitigation with application delivery and stream operational logs to external monitoring systems for investigation.
Network and application protection
#3 of 5 in DDoS Protection
Imperva offers mitigation for web applications alongside defenses for network infrastructure and individual IP addresses. Organizations can choose always-on network protection or an on-demand routing arrangement depending on their architecture. Its application security portfolio adds web firewall and bot defenses, allowing security teams to assess denial-of-service traffic separately from malicious application requests.
Security for content websites
#4 of 5 in DDoS Protection
Sucuri includes DDoS filtering within its cloud website firewall, placing a protective layer in front of a website's origin server. The same service addresses malicious web requests and works with the vendor's website monitoring and malware response offerings. That combination speaks to site operators who want denial-of-service resilience alongside common website compromise defenses.
Carrier-scale network attacks
#5 of 5 in DDoS Protection
NETSCOUT Arbor addresses attacks against network infrastructure through specialized detection and mitigation components. Arbor Sightline supplies traffic visibility and helps coordinate responses, while Threat Mitigation System handles scrubbing. Arbor Edge Defense operates at the network perimeter and Arbor Cloud offers cloud-based mitigation capacity, enabling operators to combine local and remote response paths.
Ranked by Overall Score: our Editor Rating and Market Signal, 50/50. Market Signal uses Ahrefs and Semrush data through September 2026, pulled October 12 to 17, 2026. How we score
Global network service providing CDN, DNS, WAF, DDoS protection and Workers edge compute.
Best for: Website owners and developers who want DNS, caching, SSL and attack protection in front of their sites, with room to add edge code.
Programmable edge cloud combining CDN, edge compute, Next-Gen WAF and DDoS protection.
Best for: Engineering teams running high-traffic sites and APIs that want to configure caching, compute and security as code at the edge.
Thales-owned application and data security vendor with DDoS protection for websites, networks and IPs.
Best for: Enterprises and regulated firms that want DDoS, web application and data protection from a single vendor.
Website security service combining malware cleanup, cloud firewall and monitoring.
Best for: Website owners and agencies that need remote malware cleanup and a cloud firewall across WordPress or other web platforms.
NETSCOUT's Arbor DDoS line: Sightline, TMS, Arbor Edge Defense and the Arbor Cloud scrubbing service.
Best for: Internet service providers, hosting companies and large enterprises that run their own networks and data centers.
No. A web application firewall evaluates application requests against malicious patterns, while DDoS defenses detect and filter traffic floods that can exhaust network or server capacity. Some providers combine the capabilities, but buying a WAF alone does not establish protection for every network-layer attack or protocol.
No. Website-focused providers usually protect traffic passing through a proxy or content delivery network. Dedicated network products can protect routed IP prefixes, public network services or individual addresses. Check the routing arrangement and supported protocols before assuming protection extends beyond a website's HTTP and HTTPS traffic.
Yes, Cloudflare and Fastly both offer a free plan. Free tiers usually come with usage limits, so check whether they cover your volume before relying on them long-term.