Softwr

Networking · head to head

Cloudflare vs Dragonfly

Cloudflare logo

Cloudflare

Networking

The web performance and security company

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Dragonfly logo

Dragonfly

Databases

High-performance Redis-compatible in-memory datastore with 25x better throughput

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cloudflare free tier limited to basic features (no advanced analytics or premium features); Dragonfly flex tier starting at $36/month may be underpriced, requiring careful usage monitoring
  • They diverge on capability: Cloudflare covers Global CDN, Dragonfly covers Redis API compatibility.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cloudflare and Dragonfly actually diverge.

Attributes where Cloudflare and Dragonfly differ
AttributeCloudflareDragonfly
Pricing modelfreemiumUsage-based cloud pricing with flexible tiers
PlatformsWebCloud, AWS, GCP, Azure
CategoryNetworkingDatabases
Founded2009Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Cloudflare

  • Global CDN
  • DDoS Protection
  • WAF
  • DNS
  • SSL/TLS
  • Load Balancing
  • Bot Management
  • Workers (Serverless)

Only in Dragonfly

  • Redis API compatibility
  • Thread-per-core architecture
  • High-performance caching
  • Memory efficiency
  • Real-time leaderboards
  • Message queue support
  • ML feature serving

Both cover

  • Cloud deployment

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Cloudflare

  • Global content delivery network (CDN) with 330+ data centres worldwidenot Dragonfly
  • DDoS protection and bot blockingnot Dragonfly
  • Web application security and rate limitingnot Dragonfly
  • DNS management and domain protectionnot Dragonfly
  • Static and dynamic content cachingnot Dragonfly
  • Serverless computing via Cloudflare Workersnot Dragonfly
  • Database and storage services (D1, R2)not Dragonfly
  • Performance optimisation for Core Web Vitalsnot Dragonfly

Dragonfly

  • High-throughput caching for web applicationsnot Cloudflare
  • Real-time leaderboards and rankingsnot Cloudflare
  • Message queue and event processingnot Cloudflare
  • ML model feature serving at millisecond latenciesnot Cloudflare
  • Gaming session state and player data storagenot Cloudflare

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Cloudflare

  • Free tier limited to basic features (no advanced analytics or premium features)
  • Pro tier ($20-25/month) caps at professional websites (higher tiers needed for enterprise scale)
  • Caches only anonymous API GET responses (authenticated requests and non-GET methods not cached)
  • Geographic coverage limited to announced 330+ cities (may not cover all regions globally)

Dragonfly

  • Flex tier starting at $36/month may be underpriced, requiring careful usage monitoring
  • Business tier $2,000/month represents significant jump in cost
  • Limited to in-memory storage, not suitable for cold data or archival
  • Bring-your-own-cloud requirement on Business tier adds operational complexity
  • Cloud availability dependent on AWS/GCP/Azure uptime

Pricing, plan by plan

Cloudflare

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cloudflare review.

Dragonfly

Free
  • Free TierFree
    • 100 cloud credits for new signups
    • Equivalent to free trial
  • Business$2000/month
    • Starting price for enterprise offering
    • Bring-your-own-cloud deployment
    • Auto-scaling with custom SLAs
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Custom pricing
    • Any-cloud deployment
    • Custom instances and sizing

Which should you pick?

Choose Cloudflare if

  • You need global cdn.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want ddos protection.
Cloudflare review

Choose Dragonfly if

  • You need redis api compatibility.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, AWS, GCP, Azure.
  • You also want thread-per-core architecture.
Dragonfly review

Questions people ask

Is Cloudflare or Dragonfly better?
Neither clearly leads. Cloudflare starts at Free and Dragonfly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cloudflare or Dragonfly?
Cloudflare starts at Free and Dragonfly at Free.
Does Cloudflare or Dragonfly run on more platforms?
Cloudflare runs on Web. Dragonfly runs on Cloud, AWS, GCP, Azure.
Can I use Cloudflare for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Cloudflare best used for?
Cloudflare is most often used for global content delivery network (cdn) with 330+ data centres worldwide, ddos protection and bot blocking, web application security and rate limiting, dns management and domain protection. Of those, global content delivery network (cdn) with 330+ data centres worldwide and ddos protection and bot blocking are not what Dragonfly is typically brought in for.
What can Cloudflare do that Dragonfly cannot?
Cloudflare covers Global CDN, DDoS Protection, WAF, DNS. Dragonfly covers Redis API compatibility, Thread-per-core architecture, High-performance caching, Memory efficiency. Both handle Cloud deployment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cloudflare: Does Cloudflare have a free tier?

Yes, Cloudflare includes a free tier with generous allowances: 100k daily requests for Workers, 10 GB monthly storage for R2, and 1 GB for Workers KV.

Source
Dragonfly: How much faster is Dragonfly than Redis?

Dragonfly achieves 3.97M queries per second compared to Redis's 718K QPS, representing a 25x improvement. Memory efficiency is also 30% better.

Source
Cloudflare: How much does Cloudflare cost beyond the free tier?

Cloudflare uses pay-as-you-go pricing beyond free allocations, charging per million requests, per GB-month of storage, or per vCPU-second depending on the service.

Source
Dragonfly: Can I migrate from Redis to Dragonfly without code changes?

Yes. Dragonfly maintains full API compatibility with Redis and Memcached, allowing drop-in replacement with minimal to no code modifications.

Source
Cloudflare: Does Cloudflare charge egress fees?

No, Cloudflare explicitly states no egress fees and no hidden costs; you only pay for the usage metrics specific to each service.

Source
Cloudflare: What's the Enterprise pricing model for Cloudflare?

Cloudflare Enterprise offers custom pricing and volume discounts available through direct sales for organizations with specialized needs and large-scale usage.

Source
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