Best DNS Filtering Software · 2026

Cisco Umbrella logoCisco Umbrella vs Cloudflare Gateway logoCloudflare Gateway

Cisco Umbrella vs Cloudflare Gateway: on our data-weighted scoring, Cisco Umbrella edges ahead (8.0 vs 7.7/10). Cisco Umbrella starts at Custom quote and is best for enterprises wanting dns-layer security that scales up into a full secure internet gateway (sig); Cloudflare Gateway starts at $7/user/mo and is best for teams wanting free dns + web filtering on cloudflare's edge, scaling into full swg. Choose Cisco Umbrella for the stronger overall track record; consider Cloudflare Gateway if its pricing model or fit matches your environment better. Side-by-side table below.

Cisco Umbrella

8.5/10
MSP Compared score
Starting price
Custom quote
Reviews
4.4/5 (~274 G2 reviews)
Free trial
14 days
Deployment
Cloud
Best for
Enterprises wanting DNS-layer security that scales up into a full secure internet gateway (SIG)
Visit Cisco Umbrella →
Our pick

Cloudflare Gateway

8.6/10
MSP Compared score
Starting price
$7/user/mo
Reviews
Not yet rated
Free trial
Free tier
Deployment
Cloud
Best for
Teams wanting free DNS + web filtering on Cloudflare's edge, scaling into full SWG
Visit Cloudflare Gateway →

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Strengths at a glance

Six criteria, each scored 0–10 on the same scale from real review data, public pricing and feature coverage. See our methodology →

EditorialUser reviewsAdoptionAffordabilityFeature breadthEase of trial
Cisco UmbrellaCloudflare Gateway
CriterionCisco UmbrellaCloudflare Gateway
Editorial 8.0 7.7
User reviews 8.8 7.0
Adoption 6.5 0.0
Affordability 5.0 9.5
Feature breadth 6.0 6.0
Ease of trial 6.0 7.0

Cisco Umbrella vs Cloudflare Gateway: head-to-head

Cisco Umbrella vs Cloudflare Gateway — specs and pricing
Cisco UmbrellaCloudflare Gateway
Starting price Custom quote $7/user/mo
Pricing model quote per user
Free trial / tier 14 days Free tier
Best for Enterprises wanting DNS-layer security that scales up into a full secure internet gateway (SIG) Teams wanting free DNS + web filtering on Cloudflare's edge, scaling into full SWG
Deployment Cloud Cloud
G2 rating 4.4/5 (274)
Capterra rating
Our score 8.0 7.7

Choose Cisco Umbrella if…

You need enterprises wanting dns-layer security that scales up into a full secure internet gateway (sig).

Pros

  • Massive Talos threat intelligence
  • Scales from DNS to full SIG
  • Proven enterprise reliability

Cons

  • No public pricing (quote-only)
  • Complex multi-SKU lineup
  • Costs climb fast with SIG tiers

Cisco Umbrella pricing · review

Choose Cloudflare Gateway if…

You need teams wanting free dns + web filtering on cloudflare's edge, scaling into full swg.

Pros

  • Free tier up to 50 users
  • Runs on Cloudflare's huge edge
  • Scales into full SSE/SASE

Cons

  • DLP/CASB still maturing
  • Best value if already on Cloudflare
  • Enterprise support gaps

Cloudflare Gateway pricing · review

Frequently asked questions

Cisco Umbrella vs Cloudflare Gateway: which is better?
Cisco Umbrella vs Cloudflare Gateway: on our data-weighted scoring, Cisco Umbrella edges ahead (8.0 vs 7.7/10). Cisco Umbrella starts at Custom quote and is best for enterprises wanting dns-layer security that scales up into a full secure internet gateway (sig); Cloudflare Gateway starts at $7/user/mo and is best for teams wanting free dns + web filtering on cloudflare's edge, scaling into full swg.
Is Cisco Umbrella cheaper than Cloudflare Gateway?
Cisco Umbrella starts at Custom quote and Cloudflare Gateway starts at $7/user/mo (see the pricing rows for models and limits).
Data as of June 16, 2026. Sources: umbrella.cisco.com, cloudflare.com. Figures are pulled from public vendor and security data and refreshed automatically.