Cloudflare and AWS overlap less than people think. Cloudflare sits in front of your website, giving you DNS, a CDN, DDoS protection and a firewall, plus edge tools like Workers and R2 storage. AWS is a full cloud where you run servers, databases and almost anything else, with its own CDN called CloudFront. You can also use both: AWS to host the app and Cloudflare in front of it. If you just want a faster, safer website, Cloudflare is the simpler start.
If you're deciding where to put a website, this is the question to settle first. I read Cloudflare's plans, network, R2 and Workers pages and AWS's Free Tier, global infrastructure and CloudFront pages to show what each one does.
Cloudflare and AWS side by side
| Cloudflare | AWS | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Network in front of your site: DNS, CDN, security | Full cloud: compute, storage, databases and more |
| Free option | Free plan for personal or hobby projects | Free plan with credits for 6 months |
| Network reach | 330+ cities | 124 Availability Zones in 39 Regions |
| CDN | Included on every plan | CloudFront, 750+ Points of Presence |
| DDoS protection | Unmetered DDoS protection on every plan | AWS Shield Standard on CloudFront at no additional charge |
| Object storage | R2, no egress charges | Amazon S3, not covered here |
| Edge code | Workers in JavaScript, TypeScript, Python and Rust | Serverless compute at the CloudFront edge |
Read the small print on both free plans
Both companies offer a free way in, and both come with conditions worth knowing. Cloudflare's plans page labels its Free plan as for personal or hobby projects that aren't business-critical, and describes Business as the plan for small businesses operating online. The Free plan still includes DNS, a CDN, unmetered DDoS protection, a Universal SSL certificate and a free managed firewall ruleset.
AWS's Free plan works differently. New customers get credits to spend, and the account closes on its own six months after you open it or when your credits run out, whichever comes first. You aren't charged unless you upgrade to a Paid plan, but the Free plan is limited to select services, so it suits experiments rather than a long-term home.
What Cloudflare does best
Cloudflare's network page says its services run in every data centre across more than 330 cities, and that 95 in every 100 people in the world's Internet-connected population are within 50 milliseconds of one. Beyond the website basics, R2 object storage doesn't charge for egress and uses S3-compatible APIs, so existing tools work without a rewrite, and Workers lets you run code at the edge in JavaScript, TypeScript, Python or Rust.
What AWS does best
AWS is the place to run the application itself. Its global infrastructure page lists 124 Availability Zones in 39 geographic Regions, with three Availability Zones per Region for resilience. For delivery, CloudFront offers more than 750 Points of Presence, AWS Shield Standard DDoS protection at no additional charge and no charge for data transfer out from AWS origins to CloudFront, so pairing it with AWS hosting keeps everything in one bill.
Which setup fits you
- A brochure site or blog on any host: put Cloudflare in front for speed and protection.
- A custom app that needs servers and databases: host it on AWS.
- An app on AWS with heavy downloads: compare CloudFront with Cloudflare R2's no-egress storage.
- A business-critical site: use Cloudflare's paid tiers or AWS, not Cloudflare's Free plan.
- Just testing ideas: AWS's six-month Free plan or Cloudflare Workers' free start both work.
If you're comparing delivery networks specifically, my piece on AWS CloudFront versus BunnyCDN adds another option, and my guide to stopping AI bots scraping your website shows one more reason to sit a firewall in front of your site.
My advice on Cloudflare or AWS
For most small businesses with a website on a normal host, start with Cloudflare: it's quick to switch on and its Free plan is generous, though its own plans page says the Free plan isn't for business-critical sites. Use AWS when you're building an application that needs servers, databases or storage you control. And don't treat it as either-or; you can host on AWS and put Cloudflare in front.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Cloudflare a hosting provider?
Not in the usual sense. Cloudflare sits in front of your site with DNS, a CDN and security. AWS is a cloud where you run servers and databases.
Is Cloudflare's Free plan OK for a business?
Cloudflare labels its Free plan for personal or hobby projects that aren't business-critical, and its Business plan for small businesses operating online.
How long does the AWS Free plan last?
AWS says a Free plan account closes six months after you open it or when your credits run out, whichever comes first.
Does Cloudflare R2 charge for egress?
No. Cloudflare says R2 doesn't charge for egress, and it offers S3-compatible APIs.
Can I use Cloudflare with AWS?
Yes. AWS can host the application while Cloudflare's DNS, CDN and firewall sit in front of it.
