Softwr

Networking · head to head

Cloudflare vs Kentik

Cloudflare logo

Cloudflare

Networking

The web performance and security company

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Kentik logo

Kentik

Networking

Network observability platform built on flow and traffic data, sold on annual-only contracts starting around $24,000/year

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Cloudflare has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Cloudflare free tier limited to basic features (no advanced analytics or premium features); Kentik contracts are annual only, so there is no monthly option for a team wanting to trial the platform under real production load before committing to a year of spend
  • They diverge on capability: Cloudflare covers Global CDN, Kentik covers Flow-based traffic analysis.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cloudflare and Kentik actually diverge.

Attributes where Cloudflare and Kentik differ
AttributeCloudflareKentik
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumAnnual contract only, per tier
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, API
Founded2009Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Networking).

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 Kentik

  • Flow-based traffic analysis
  • Synthetic testing
  • Cloud network monitoring
  • DDoS detection
  • API-driven querying

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 Kentik
  • DDoS protection and bot blockingnot Kentik
  • Web application security and rate limitingnot Kentik
  • DNS management and domain protectionnot Kentik
  • Static and dynamic content cachingnot Kentik
  • Serverless computing via Cloudflare Workersnot Kentik
  • Database and storage services (D1, R2)not Kentik
  • Performance optimisation for Core Web Vitalsnot Kentik

Kentik

  • A network engineering team at an ISP or large enterprise needing flow-level traffic visibility beyond basic uptime monitoringnot Cloudflare
  • A cloud-heavy organisation wanting visibility into cloud provider network cost and performance across multiple providersnot Cloudflare
  • A security or network operations team wanting DDoS detection layered on top of standard traffic monitoringnot Cloudflare
  • A team needing synthetic testing alongside passive flow analysis in one platform rather than two separate toolsnot 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)

Kentik

  • Contracts are annual only, so there is no monthly option for a team wanting to trial the platform under real production load before committing to a year of spend
  • The Pro tier's $24,000/year starting price is a serious commitment relative to general infrastructure monitoring tools, and it is aimed specifically at flow-level traffic visibility rather than general host monitoring
  • Add-on modules for advanced DDoS protection, service provider analytics and the Firehose pipeline are priced separately, so real deployment cost frequently exceeds the Pro sticker price
  • Premier tier pricing is entirely quote-based, so organisations needing more than Pro's limits (50 users, 1,000 FPS, 120-day retention) cannot get a number without a sales conversation
  • It is a specialised flow and traffic analytics tool, not a general infrastructure monitoring platform, so most buyers will still need a separate tool like PRTG or Icinga for host and service uptime checks
  • Data retention is capped at 120 days for traffic and 45 days for forensic data even on Pro, which may be short for organisations with longer compliance or investigation requirements

Pricing, plan by plan

Cloudflare

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cloudflare review.

Kentik

On request
  • Pro$24000/year
    • 50 users
    • 1,000 flows per second baseline
    • 2.5M synthetics credits
  • Premier$undefined/year
    • 1,000 users
    • 5M synthetics credits
    • Custom dimensions and scheduled reporting

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 Kentik if

  • You need flow-based traffic analysis.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want synthetic testing.
Kentik review

Questions people ask

Is Cloudflare or Kentik better?
Neither clearly leads. Cloudflare starts at Free and Kentik at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cloudflare or Kentik?
Cloudflare has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Cloudflare and On request for Kentik.
Does Cloudflare or Kentik run on more platforms?
Cloudflare runs on Web. Kentik runs on Web, API.
Can I use Cloudflare for free?
Yes. Cloudflare has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Kentik starts at On request.
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 Kentik is typically brought in for.
What can Cloudflare do that Kentik cannot?
Cloudflare covers Global CDN, DDoS Protection, WAF, DNS. Kentik covers Flow-based traffic analysis, Synthetic testing, Cloud network monitoring, DDoS detection.

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
Kentik: Is there a monthly billing option?

No, Kentik states contracts are annual only.

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
Kentik: What is the entry price?

Pro starts at $2,000/month billed as $24,000/year for 50 users and baseline flow and synthetics quotas.

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
Kentik: Does Kentik replace general infrastructure monitoring tools like PRTG?

No, it is focused on flow-based traffic and network observability rather than general host and service uptime monitoring.

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
Share

Related pages

More on Cloudflare

More on Kentik

Keep looking

Other head to heads