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NGINX App Protect vs StackPath WAF comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

NGINX App Protect
Ranking in Web Application Firewall (WAF)
15th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Container Security (27th), API Security (7th)
StackPath WAF
Ranking in Web Application Firewall (WAF)
47th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.5
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Web Application Firewall (WAF) category, the mindshare of NGINX App Protect is 2.1%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of StackPath WAF is 0.3%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Web Application Firewall (WAF) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
NGINX App Protect2.1%
StackPath WAF0.3%
Other97.6%
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
 

Featured Reviews

JP
Project Manager at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Blocking IPs and detecting bots enhances security for medical websites
I was researching products like NGINX App Protect and F5 Advanced WAF for long-term options. I have some use for such a solution, but probably not before next year Detecting bots and blocking IPs have proven effective for securing applications. We were able to block groups of IP addresses that…
FC
Stable product with an easy setup process
We use StackPath WAF to protect small websites for our customers The product’s most valuable is WAF. The authentication feature helps us protect WordPress sites. The product’s performance for caching feature needs improvement. It could provide high security to handle large traffic volumes for…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Overall, I rate NGINX App Protect between eight and nine."
"We were looking for a product that is capable of complete automation and a container based solution. It's working."
"The initial setup was simple and took three to four days."
"The most valuable feature is that I can establish different services from the firewall."
"The stability of the product is very impressive since it handles 60,000 to 70,000 requests or transactions per second."
"NGINX App Protect is stable."
"NGINX App Protect's best features are auto-learning, which creates a profile of applications that are deployed, bot protection, and force protection, which lets you configure your brute force policy and alert for and prevent brute force attacks."
"NGINX App Protect has complete control over the HTTP session."
"The product’s most valuable is WAF. The authentication feature helps us protect WordPress sites."
 

Cons

"They could provide a better user interface."
"As far as scalability, it takes a long time for deployment."
"The product's price is high, making it an area of concern where improvements are required. The tool's licensing model is also not good."
"The GUI and web GUI configuration could be improved to be easier to manage and use."
"Areas for improvement would be if NGINX could scan for vulnerabilities and learn and update the signatures of DoS attacks."
"The price of NGINX App Protect could improve."
"Right now, the tool doesn't provide an option revolving around update feeds, specifically the signature update option in the UI."
"The product's user interface is an area with shortcomings as it can be quite confusing for users, making it an area where improvements are required."
"The product’s performance for caching feature needs improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Our licensing costs are about $40,000 a year."
"The solution's price is reasonable."
"The pricing is reasonable because NGINX operates on an instance basis."
"There is a license needed to use NGINX App Protect."
"There are no additional fees."
"NGINX is not expensive."
"Really understand the licensing model, because we underestimated that."
"There are not any additional costs we had to pay to use NGINX App Protect."
"The product is affordable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise12
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NGINX App Protect?
I don't know the pricing yet because in my other project, I was not part of the buying side and I was just starting to look at options.
What needs improvement with NGINX App Protect?
It would be better if it were easier to implement and if there was more information from F5 regarding hardware requirements and specifications to deploy the service, to avoid disruptions after impl...
Ask a question
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Also Known As

NGINX WAF, NGINX Web Application Firewall
StackPath Web Application Firewall
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Robotics Cats, Jewlr
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet, F5, Imperva and others in Web Application Firewall (WAF). Updated: January 2026.
881,665 professionals have used our research since 2012.