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AWS Shield vs F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and F5 are both solutions in the Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.7, while F5 is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.3. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 4.4% mindshare in DDOS, compared to F5’s 1.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of F5 users who would recommend it.
AWS Shield
Read 11 AWS Shield reviews
  • 2,059 Views
  • 2,059 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall...
Read 26 F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) reviews
  • 1,181 Views
  • 1,181 Comparison Views
95% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 5, 2024

F5 BIG-IP AFM and AWS Shield are competing in network security, specifically in DDoS protection solutions. F5 BIG-IP AFM has a competitive edge in pricing and customer service, while AWS Shield is noted for its robust feature set and integration with AWS services.

Features: F5 BIG-IP AFM offers advanced traffic management, full-proxy security, and iRules for custom configuration. AWS Shield provides seamless integration with AWS services, automatic detection and mitigation of DDoS attacks, and real-time protection against server attacks.

Room for Improvement: F5 BIG-IP AFM could benefit from improved ease of deployment, enhanced integration capabilities, and a more intuitive user interface. AWS Shield could optimize its feature set for non-AWS environments, provide more detailed analytics, and offer more flexible pricing options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: AWS Shield is easily deployable within AWS, offering automated setup and robust integration. F5 BIG-IP AFM requires more setup time but provides reliable customer support, enhancing user experience for those prioritizing personalized assistance.

Pricing and ROI: F5 BIG-IP AFM attracts users with its competitive pricing and strong ROI for businesses with existing infrastructure. AWS Shield justifies its higher initial cost with significant long-term ROI through seamless AWS integration and reduced management overhead.

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To learn more, read our detailed AWS Shield vs. F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) Report (Updated: February 2026).
Buyer's Guide
AWS Shield vs. F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
February 2026
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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

AWS Shield
Ranking in Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall...
Ranking in Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection
13th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection category, the mindshare of AWS Shield is 4.4%, down from 6.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) is 1.2%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
AWS Shield4.4%
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)1.2%
Other94.4%
Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection
 

Featured Reviews

PT
PranavTelang
Lead Architect at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Has enabled multi-layered threat mitigation but still lacks deeper visibility for advanced application attacks
AWS Shield has limited coverage as it only protects against common and high-volume network and transport layer attacks, such as SYN floods. It does not provide inherent protection against more sophisticated layer 7 attacks such as HTTP floods. In such cases, integration with WAF is necessary, which results in additional costs for customers. To protect layer 7, layer 4, and layer 3, customers must implement both solutions. The service also has difficulties with static detection thresholds, which may not be sensitive enough to detect smaller application-specific attacks. While AWS Shield is a key security service, AWS should enhance their expert support with 24/7 response for complex attacks, which is currently limited.
Read full review
Nawapol Boonlerd - PeerSpot reviewer
Nawapol Boonlerd
Information Security Engineer at BigFish Enterprise Ltd.
Comprehensive network protection has mitigated DDoS risks and supports secure on-prem operations
Currently, there are no weaknesses or disadvantages in F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) that I have identified. It is a little bit expensive, and I think about additional features they could have in the future to make it even better. For example, I have thoughts about the price. Currently, it does not integrate, and I would assess the importance of F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)'s integration with cloud services as significant. Currently, I use only one site, and I cannot tell you about F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) centralized security policies. I have not used F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)'s Threat Intelligence capabilities. I have not used their dynamic traffic shaping feature. So far, the only thing that could be improved is the pricing of F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM).
Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"AWS Shield is aligned with the web application firewall (WAF), and they work seamlessly together, primarily working with Elastic Load Balancer, CloudFront, and Route 53 for CDN and DNS services protection."
"The product is easy to use."
"We have integrated the tool with Active Directory. The most important feature is that it's transparent and doesn't degrade the performance of our solution. Additionally, it's easy to configure, which is crucial for us. It's easy to use and set up and stops attacks on our servers. We haven't encountered any attack problems because the solution stops them in real-time. AWS Shield specifically focuses on defending against denial-of-service attacks, making it a great solution for that type of threat."
"The product has a good mechanism to analyze trends and trigger events."
"I am impressed with the product's multiple features like security."
"The solution's ease of use is the most valuable feature."
"The solution operates smoothly at its baseline level, and we do not encounter any issues at that level."
"It is quite scalable, and we have not faced any issues with its scalability."
More AWS Shield pros
"It blocks various attacks and mitigates disasters from occurring."
"The most valuable features for me are stability, availability, and security, along with the ability to manage multiple features to secure my applications."
"The solution provides behavioral analysis via AI to detect malicious traffic."
"It excels in preventing downtime and maintaining application performance, which is crucial for our clients' security and operational continuity."
"The most valuable features of F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) are the web gateway, load balancing, services, and applications available."
"I find the signature base is very helpful to see traffic"
"F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager's most valuable feature is load balance. It is readily available and uncomplicated."
"The product is stable, scalable, and easy to use."
More F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) pros
 

Cons

"AWS Shield has limited coverage as it only protects against common and high-volume network and transport layer attacks, such as SYN floods."
"The network has been experiencing frustrating performance issues today, which is not typical for Nigeria."
"Perhaps the time required to detect anomalies can be reduced."
"The product needs to improve its logs and reports to make it read better."
"The product should give users more flexibility to customize their security policies according to their requirements."
"The product is expensive."
"The time taken to detect anomalies must be reduced."
"There is an area for improvement regarding health checks. AWS Shield does not come with its own health check functionality."
More AWS Shield cons
"The appliance and features could be enhanced further, especially in terms of security. Some features like the WAF firewall may seem expensive compared to the standard license, so there could be room for adjusting the pricing."
"The web gateway feature could improve in F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)."
"Apart from the price, I feel no other areas need improvement."
"There should be simplified and better integration with BIG-IQ."
"F5 should increase its capability to prevent zero-day attacks."
"Currently, we have eighty F5s and we need some kind of management software. It would be very helpful."
"F5 could provide a distributed cloud version."
"It is a little bit expensive, and I think about additional features they could have in the future to make it even better."
More F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We pay $3000 per month for the solution."
"It depends on your subscription level and the volume that you're spending with AWS. So, it is very relative to the consumption alignment in your subscription level. It is a well-constructed, scalable pricing option, but it is relative to how much you're spending on AWS. Because the more you spend, typically, the more you get off on services like this. I find it to be comparable to other solutions."
"The tool is cheap."
"The cost depends on traffic each month, so on average, it costs us between US$200 and US$300 per month."
"The tool's pricing is good."
"We need to pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution."
"It's very expensive, and you pay extra for the models."
"F5 BIG-IP AFM is an affordable solution. There were not any additional fees other than the standard licensing."
"The solution is slightly on the higher priced side."
"The price of F5 BIG-IP AFM is a little more expensive than other firewalls on the market."
"The product is expensive."
"It is somewhat on the expensive side although it is worth the additional cost."
"F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) is an expensive solution. They are one of the best in the market, but the price could be cheaper."
More F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
12%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Insurance Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Marketing Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Performing Arts
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise7
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise14
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about AWS Shield?
We have integrated the tool with Active Directory. The most important feature is that it's transparent and doesn't degrade the performance of our solution. Additionally, it's easy to configure, whi...
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS Shield?
The pricing structure for AWS Shield is fair, yet it depends on the specific protections chosen. Enabling Shield Advanced on multiple services such as CloudFront, network load balancer, or Route 53...
See all answers
What needs improvement with AWS Shield?
Services always benefit from improvements, including AWS Shield. With respect to the Web Application Firewall, current rule-based setups may not be adequately defined or classified. Enhancement of ...
See all answers
What do you like most about F5 Advanced Firewall Manager?
CGNAT is one of its strong areas.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for F5 Advanced Firewall Manager?
The standard license is reasonably priced, but additional features like the WAF can be more expensive. There are plenty of technical documents and a supportive community available, which helps mana...
See all answers
What needs improvement with F5 Advanced Firewall Manager?
The appliance and features could be enhanced further, especially in terms of security. Some features like the WAF ( /categories/web-application-firewall-waf ) firewall may seem expensive compared t...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Cloudflare vs AWS Shield
Compared 22% of the time
Azure DDoS Protection vs AWS Shield Logo
Azure DDoS Protection vs AWS Shield
Compared 18% of the time
Cloudflare One vs AWS Shield Logo
Cloudflare One vs AWS Shield
Compared 16% of the time
Radware DDoS vs AWS Shield Logo
Radware DDoS vs AWS Shield
Compared 10% of the time
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Arbor DDoS vs F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) Logo
Arbor DDoS vs F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
Compared 43% of the time
Radware DDoS vs F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) Logo
Radware DDoS vs F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
Compared 27% of the time
A10 Thunder TPS vs F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) Logo
A10 Thunder TPS vs F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
Compared 19% of the time
More F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
AWS Shield
February 2026
AWS Shield reportDownload AWS Shield product report
Buyer's Guide
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
February 2026
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) reportDownload F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) product report
 

Also Known As

No data available
F5 AFM, F5 Advanced Firewall Manager
 

Overview

AWS Shield is a managed Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection service that safeguards applications running on AWS. AWS Shield provides always-on detection and automatic inline mitigations that minimize application downtime and latency, so there is no need to engage AWS Support to benefit from DDoS protection.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) is a high-performance, full-proxy network security solution designed to protect networks and data centers against incoming threats that enter the network. Built on F5’s industry-leading BIG-IP hardware and software platforms, BIG-IP AFM provides a scalable platform that delivers the flexible performance and control needed to mitigate aggressive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) and protocol attacks before they overwhelm and degrade applications and infrastructure availability.

For service providers, BIG-IP AFM IPS does even more, protecting the network edge and performing traffic inspection and protocol adherence for prevalent service provider protocols such as SS7, Diameter, HTTP/2, GTP, SCTP and SIP traffic coming into the network over UDP, TCP, and SCTP.

F5
 

Sample Customers

netflix, dow jones, mapbox, pearson, rovio, youview, moviestar planet, asurion, payplug, hour of code
City Bank, Ricacorp Properties, Miele, American Systems, Bangladesh Post Office
Buyer's Guide
AWS Shield vs. F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
February 2026
Free Report: AWS Shield vs. F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
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See our AWS Shield vs. F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) report.

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