WAF shortlist
Best Free WAF
A pragmatic list of free or free-start WAF options for developers, labs, and teams starting WAF evaluation.
Selection criteria
- Free path
- Deployability
- Documentation
- Upgrade clarity
Search intent
Users searching for free WAF options and trials.
Ranking note
Shortlists are not universal rankings.
WAF fit depends on traffic path, hosting model, team skill, false-positive tolerance, and compliance needs. Treat this page as a research starting point, then validate the top candidates with your own workload.