Cloudflare provides CDN, DNS, DDoS protection, and edge computing (Workers). See 2026 pricing, key products, pros, cons, and FAQs for NYSE: NET.
Category
Developer Tools
Pricing
Freemium, from Free (Free plan); Pro plan from $20/month
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
Founded
2009
Headquarters
San Francisco, California, US
Free PlanWindowsWeb AppiOSAndroidAPIFreemiumMac
Overview
Cloudflare is a global network and web infrastructure company founded in 2009 by Matthew Prince, Lee Holloway, and Michelle Zatlyn, headquartered in San Francisco, California. It is publicly traded on the NYSE under the ticker NET.
Cloudflare operates a network spanning 300+ cities worldwide and is best known for making enterprise-grade CDN, DNS, and DDoS protection accessible to websites of any size, including a widely used free tier.
Key Features
Cloudflare's product line spans a global CDN, authoritative and recursive DNS (including the free 1.1.1.1 resolver), DDoS mitigation, a web application firewall, and SSL/TLS certificate management. Its developer platform includes Workers, a serverless edge compute product, and R2, an S3-compatible object storage service. Cloudflare also offers WARP, a device-level network client, and a domain registrar.
Pricing
Cloudflare's website plans are billed per domain: Free ($0), Pro ($20/month annual, $25/month monthly), Business ($200/month annual, $250/month monthly), and custom-priced Enterprise. Developer products such as Workers and R2 are billed separately on a usage basis, and the Zero Trust/Cloudflare One security suite is sold as its own product line with its own pricing.
Key Features
Global CDN — Caches and accelerates website content across a network spanning 300+ cities.
DNS management — Fast authoritative DNS hosting, plus the free 1.1.1.1 public DNS resolver.
DDoS protection — Network- and application-layer DDoS mitigation built into every plan, including the free tier.
Web Application Firewall (WAF) — Rule-based and managed protection against common web application attacks.
Workers — Serverless platform for running JavaScript and other languages at the network edge.
R2 object storage — S3-compatible object storage with no egress fees, built for use with Workers.
SSL/TLS management — Automated certificate issuance and renewal for HTTPS.
WARP client — Device-level app for routing traffic through Cloudflare's network, available on desktop and mobile.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Generous free tier includes CDN, DNS, and DDoS protection for any website
One of the largest, most geographically distributed networks in the industry
Broad product portfolio covering CDN, security, and edge compute under one vendor
Developer platform (Workers, R2) enables building and running applications at the edge
Cons
Advanced security and performance features are gated behind Business or custom Enterprise pricing
Product breadth can be overwhelming for teams that only need one specific service
Zero Trust, Workers, and other products are billed as separate line items from the core website plans
As critical internet infrastructure at massive scale, occasional outages can affect a large share of dependent websites simultaneously
Pricing
Free $0 N/A
Pro $20/month (annual) / $25/month (monthly) monthly or annual, per domain
Business $200/month (annual) / $250/month (monthly) monthly or annual, per domain
Enterprise Custom annual
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cloudflare free?
Yes, Cloudflare offers a Free plan for websites that includes CDN, DNS, and basic DDoS and security protection, with paid Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans available for more advanced features.
What is Cloudflare used for?
Cloudflare is used for content delivery (CDN), DNS management, DDoS protection, web application firewalling, SSL/TLS, and edge computing via its Workers platform.
Is Cloudflare a public company?
Yes, Cloudflare, Inc. trades on the NYSE under the ticker NET and has been publicly traded since its 2019 IPO.
What is 1.1.1.1?
1.1.1.1 is Cloudflare's free, privacy-focused public DNS resolver.
What is Cloudflare Workers?
Workers is Cloudflare's serverless platform for running application code across its global edge network.