Cloudflare Gateway
7.7/10
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
Best DNS Filtering Software · 2026
Cloudflare Gateway vs 
SafeDNS Cloudflare Gateway vs SafeDNS: on our data-weighted scoring, Cloudflare Gateway edges ahead (7.7 vs 7.6/10). 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; SafeDNS starts at $0.9/user/mo and is best for SMBs, schools and nonprofits wanting affordable, easy-to-deploy DNS web filtering. Choose Cloudflare Gateway for the stronger overall track record; consider SafeDNS if its pricing model or fit matches your environment better. Side-by-side table below.
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SafeDNS
7.6/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- $0.9/user/mo
- Reviews
- 4.5/5 (~18 G2 reviews)
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Best for
- SMBs, schools and nonprofits wanting affordable, easy-to-deploy DNS web filtering
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 →
| Criterion | Cloudflare Gateway | SafeDNS |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial | 7.7 | 7.6 |
| User reviews | 7.0 | 9.0 |
| Adoption | 0.0 | 3.4 |
| Affordability | 9.5 | 9.7 |
| Feature breadth | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Ease of trial | 7.0 | 6.0 |
Cloudflare Gateway vs SafeDNS: head-to-head
| Cloudflare Gateway | SafeDNS | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $7/user/mo | $0.9/user/mo |
| Pricing model | per user | per user |
| Free trial / tier | Free tier | 14 days |
| Best for | Teams wanting free DNS + web filtering on Cloudflare's edge, scaling into full SWG | SMBs, schools and nonprofits wanting affordable, easy-to-deploy DNS web filtering |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| G2 rating | — | 4.5/5 (18) |
| Capterra rating | — | — |
| Our score | 7.7 | 7.6 |
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
Choose SafeDNS if…
You need smbs, schools and nonprofits wanting affordable, easy-to-deploy dns web filtering.
✓ Pros
- Very affordable per-user pricing
- Easy
- low-skill deployment
- Strong support for a small vendor
✕ Cons
- Per-tier user minimums (15/25/35)
- Feature depth trails Umbrella/DNSFilter
- Small vendor/brand footprint
In depth
Pricing: Cloudflare Gateway vs SafeDNS
Cloudflare Gateway bills on a per user model from $7/user/mo (free tier available), while SafeDNS uses a per user model from $0.9/user/mo (14 days trial). Because the models differ, the cheaper option flips depending on your fleet size — model both at your seat/endpoint count.
Features & deployment
Cloudflare Gateway ships 6 headline capabilities (DNS + HTTP filtering, Edge-delivered on 330+ cities, Category + security filtering, Secure web gateway (SWG)) and deploys Cloud. SafeDNS ships 6 (DNS-layer content + threat filtering, 60+ content categories, Per-user policies + DoH policy, Roaming/edge-router deployment), deploying Cloud.
Ratings & verdict
Cloudflare Gateway holds Not yet rated; SafeDNS holds 4.5/5 (~18 G2 reviews). On our data-weighted score, Cloudflare Gateway edges ahead (7.7 vs 7.6/10). Pick SafeDNS instead when smbs, schools and nonprofits wanting affordable, easy-to-deploy dns web filtering. See Cloudflare Gateway alternatives or SafeDNS alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
- Cloudflare Gateway vs SafeDNS: which is better?
- Cloudflare Gateway vs SafeDNS: on our data-weighted scoring, Cloudflare Gateway edges ahead (7.7 vs 7.6/10). 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; SafeDNS starts at $0.9/user/mo and is best for SMBs, schools and nonprofits wanting affordable, easy-to-deploy DNS web filtering.
- Is Cloudflare Gateway cheaper than SafeDNS?
- Cloudflare Gateway starts at $7/user/mo and SafeDNS starts at $0.9/user/mo (see the pricing rows for models and limits).
Data as of September 17, 2026. Sources: cloudflare.com, safedns.com. Figures are pulled from public vendor and security data and refreshed automatically.