Cloudflare Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
Cloudflare pricing varies by team size and features, ranging from $0 to $250 per month in 2026. Your actual cost depends on the tier you choose, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: No free tier available
- Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
- Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training
Cloudflare offers a freemium model with limited features; upgrade to unlock more.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- Unmetered DDoS mitigation
- Global CDN with 330+ data centers
- Free Universal SSL/TLS encryption
- 5 page rules
- Basic WAF with managed rulesets
- Cloudflare DNS with unlimited queries
- Bot fight mode (basic)
- Web analytics
- Limited Workers (100K requests/day)
What's NOT Included (Paid Only)
- Everything in Free
- Enhanced WAF with OWASP rules
- Image optimization (Polish and Mirage)
- Mobile optimization
- 20 page rules
- Cache analytics
- Priority email support
- Rocket Loader for JavaScript optimization
- Pro-level bot management
Free Plan Limits
| Limit | Free Plan | Paid Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Page rules | 5 | Unlimited/Higher |
| WAF rules | Managed rulesets only | Unlimited/Higher |
| Workers requests | 100,000/day | Unlimited/Higher |
| Upload size | 100 MB | Unlimited/Higher |
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like Everything in Free or Enhanced WAF with OWASP rules
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- Cloudflare branding may appear on your content or communications
- Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
- Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
- API access is typically limited or not available
- Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Free vs Pro Plan Comparison
| Free $0 | Pro $20/month | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 9 included | 9+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | Cloudflare branding | Your branding |
| Best For | Personal sites, blogs, and small projects needing basic CDN and DDoS protection | Small to medium websites, blogs, and startups needing advanced security and image optimization |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Cloudflare free?
Yes, Cloudflare offers a freemium plan with 9 core features included. However, there are limits on page rules, waf rules that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in Cloudflare's free plan?
Cloudflare's free plan includes: Unmetered DDoS mitigation, Global CDN with 330+ data centers, Free Universal SSL/TLS encryption, 5 page rules, Basic WAF with managed rulesets, and 4 more features. Key limits include Page rules: 5, WAF rules: Managed rulesets only, Workers requests: 100,000/day.
03 What's NOT included in Cloudflare's free plan?
The free plan excludes: Everything in Free, Enhanced WAF with OWASP rules, Image optimization (Polish and Mirage), Mobile optimization, 20 page rules. You'll also have Cloudflare branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from Cloudflare's free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like Everything in Free or Enhanced WAF with OWASP rules, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $20/month.
05 Is Cloudflare's free plan really free forever?
Yes, Cloudflare's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.
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