Cloudflare vs Cisco Umbrella: Which One Should You Pick?

Cloudflare Gateway and Cisco Umbrella are equally matched regarding features and capabilities but differ significantly in the number of plans offered, pricing, and analytics capabilities.

Cloudflare is a premium DNS filtering solution geared towards large organizations, particularly those prioritizing low latency resolutions. Similarly, Cisco Umbrella is also designed with large enterprises in mind, but it’s better suited to those already integrated into Cisco’s ecosystem.

This article breaks down the key distinctions between Cloudflare and Cisco Umbrella to help you decide which platform best fits your business needs. But if you need something with more flexibility, customizability, and advanced DNS capabilities, all at a more affordable price point, we explain why Control D stands out as a strong alternative to both.

What are Cloudflare and Cisco Umbrella?

Cloudflare and Cisco Umbrella are widely recognized DNS security platforms that help protect businesses from online threats. They filter out malicious sites, block unwanted content, and secure internet access at the DNS level.

Cloudflare, founded in 2009, is primarily known for its Content Delivery Network (CDN) services. However, it also offers DNS filtering through Cloudflare Gateway – launched in 2020 – which is designed to block malware, phishing sites, and other cyber threats. Beyond DNS filtering, it offers advanced features like Secure Web Gateway (SWG) and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for a more rounded security solution.

Cisco Umbrella, launched in 2015 after Cisco acquired OpenDNS, is an enterprise-focused DNS security solution. Much like Cloudflare, it offers DNS security, as well as advanced features like DLP and Cloud Access Security. While OpenDNS still caters to personal users, Umbrella is built for businesses that require high-level security integrations.

Let’s compare them in detail.

Cloudflare: Pros and Cons

Best for: Large enterprises prioritizing speed and performance in their DNS filtering solution.

Key Features

Backed by Cloudflare’s global network for low-latency, high-speed DNS resolution
Advanced security features like Data Loss Prevention, Cloud Access Security, and Remote Browser Isolation
Strong integration with Cloudflare’s security suite

Pros

Free tier available with basic security features
Feature set beyond DNS filtering for organizations needing a broader security approach
Excellent performance and low-latency DNS resolution

Cons

Higher pricing than some competitors, starting at $7/user/month
Some features require upgrading to higher-tier plans for full functionality
Limited native threat intelligence and malware filtering effectiveness compared to dedicated security providers
Lack of built-in advanced analytics capabilities
Poor support

Our Take on Cloudflare

Cloudflare provides a fast, privacy-focused DNS security solution with robust performance. However, its higher pricing and limited malware protection may make it less appealing for businesses prioritizing deep threat intelligence, detailed reporting, or advanced filtering capabilities.

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Read our overview of the best Cloudflare alternatives

Cisco Umbrella: Pros and Cons

Best for: Large enterprises needing AI-driven threat detection and integration within Cisco’s security ecosystem.

Key Features

AI-driven threat intelligence powered by Cisco Talos
Advanced security features like Data Loss Prevention, Cloud Access Security, and Remote Browser Isolation
Seamless integration with Cisco’s security suite

Pros

Advanced threat intelligence via Cisco Talos
Strong security features beyond just DNS filtering
Scales well for large organizations, making it a strong fit for enterprises

Cons

High cost, with pricing reaching up to $28/user/month
Complex setup, particularly for non-Cisco users
Full functionality depends on Cisco ecosystem, limiting flexibility for non-Cisco environments
Poor post-sales support, as reported by many users

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Read our analysis of the best Cisco Umbrella alternatives.

Our Take on Cisco Umbrella

Cisco Umbrella is one of the most feature-rich security solutions, but it is designed primarily for large enterprises with big budgets and dedicated IT teams. If you're already using Cisco’s security products, it integrates well, but for those looking for a standalone DNS filtering solution, it may be too expensive and complex.

Cloudflare vs Cisco Umbrella

Plans & Pricing

Cloudflare has a freemium model, but its free plan is limited to 50 users, has a log retention of 24 hours, and only offers support via community forums and its Discord server.

As such, businesses will want to upgrade to a paid plan. There are two plans to choose from, which scale based on usage and feature set:

Pay-as-you-go – $7/user/month
Contract – undisclosed (must talk to a sales rep)

Meanwhile, Cisco Umbrella offers four plans:

DNS Essentials
DNS Advantage
SIG Essentials
SIG Advantage

The pricing of each plan is not disclosed, so you’ll have to consult a sales rep first to determine costs. However, there are numerous reports online from (ex) users claiming per-user costs start at $2.50/user/month and go as high as $28/user/month depending on your plan, business size, and contract length.

While these numbers can’t be confirmed, these claims are somewhat validated on review sites where Cisco Umbrella’s pricing is described as “steep” – something that makes sense when considering Umbrella’s target market.

It’s difficult to make a direct comparison between Cloudflare and Cisco since exact costs will depend on your chosen plan and features required for your business. But it’s safe to say that both services are premium products and are priced as such.

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Winner on Pricing: Tie

Features, Clients, and Integrations

Cloudflare and Cisco Umbrella are evenly matched regarding their feature set. Both offer:

Malware & Phishing Protection
Flexible Content Blocking
Geo-IP Blocking
Support for modern DNS protocols
Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)
Remote Browser Isolation (RBI)

One thing to remember is that advanced functionality, such as DLP, CASB, and RBI, is not available in both platforms’ core offering. This means you’ll have to upgrade to a higher-tier plan to unlock these features, or you’ll have to purchase them as an add-on, which will significantly drive your monthly costs up.

However, an area where the two platforms differ is in their ability to block Services – individual apps, vendors, tools, etc. Cloudflare has a selection of 200+, whereas Cisco has less than 100.

While this can seem like a minor difference, more Services increase the level of customization of your filtering policies. Factoring this in, Cloudflare wins this category.

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Winner on Features: Cloudflare

Analytics

Again, both platforms offer similar features when it comes to analytics, such as:

Admin Action Logs
Full Query Logging
Query Log Export
2 Data Storage Regions (NA/EU)

But, there are also some differences between the two:

Cisco stores query log data for 30 days, whereas Cloudflare stores it for up to 6 months (depending on the plan)
Cisco retains reports for up to 1 year, whereas Cloudflare stores reports for up to 6 months (depending on the plan)
Cisco retains analytics data for up to 1 year, whereas Cloudflare retains data for up to 6 months (depending on the plan)

Also, a key area where Cisco sets itself apart is with data availability within the platform itself. Umbrella allows you to view detailed analytics data within the dashboard and offer SIEM log streaming and per-user reporting by default.

On the other hand, Cloudflare’s built-in analytics dashboard only offers basic functionality. To view detailed data, obtain per-user reporting, and stream query log data to your SIEM tool, you must integrate Gateway with Cloudflare’s Logpush service, which is only made available to users on the Contract plan.

Therefore, Cisco Umbrella wins this category.

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Winner on Analytics: Cisco Umbrella

Support

Cloudflare and Cisco Umbrella both offer:

Community Support
Documentation/Knowledge Base
Email Ticketing

Cisco Umbrella also provides 24/7 support as a paid add-on. While Cloudflare doesn’t offer 24/7 support, it does offer priority support for Contract plan users with guaranteed faster response times.

However, Cisco and Cloudflare’s support has received frequent criticism for being slow and inconsistent. For instance, Cloudflare users often complain of bad customer service, with one asking if it is “nonexistent.”

Like Cloudflare, Cisco Umbrella has also garnered a reputation for lackluster post-sales support.

This is largely because both platforms prioritize support queries from highest-paying customers first. This means if you’re on a lower-priced plan, you may find yourself waiting a long time to resolve your issue, which is an important consideration when picking a DNS solution.

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Winner on Support: Tie

Cloudflare vs Cisco Umbrella vs Control D

If neither Cloudflare nor Cisco Umbrella fully meets your needs, consider Control D, a highly customizable DNS security solution that provides powerful filtering, privacy-first security, and more flexibility than both Cloudflare and Cisco Umbrella, all at a cost-effective price point.

Easy Onboarding & Transparent Pricing

Getting started with Control D is as easy as it gets – no confusing plans, no hidden fees, and no back-and-forth with a sales rep just to see a price.

Unlike Cloudflare and Cisco Umbrella, which make you jump through hoops to get a quote, Control D lays everything out upfront with a simple, pay-per-Endpoint model. You get access to the full feature set the moment you sign up, so there’s no need to worry about paying extra to unlock key functionality:

Enterprises – $2/Endpoint/month
MSPs – $1/Endpoint/month
Schools & Non-Profits – Discounted rates available

Onboarding is a breeze, too. Whether you’re rolling out Control D to a handful of devices or an entire fleet, you can quickly deploy it using your favorite RMM tool. That means less time spent on setup and more time keeping your network secure.

Best-in-Class Malware Protection

Control D leads the pack when it comes to malware protection. Independent testing proves its malware filter stops 99.97% of threats, beating out all other competitors. Cloudflare was also included in this test with their Cloudflare for Families product – the same technology that powers Gateway – which only blocked 3.93% of malicious domains.

By leveraging machine learning and AI threat detection, Control D proactively detects and blocks high-risk websites before they can spread malware. This real-time defense protects your network, even against emerging threats that haven’t yet made it onto traditional blocklists.

Ad & Tracker Blocking

Control D blocks ads and trackers at the DNS level, preventing unwanted content from reaching your devices to ensure faster browsing, reduce bandwidth usage, and protect user privacy. With three block modes to choose from, you can customize the level of your ad-blocking policies across your network.

👉 Read our head-to-head comparison of Control D vs Cloudflare

Blockable Services

In addition to blocking content categories, Control D allows you to block, bypass, or redirect Services – which are individual apps, websites, vendors, tools, etc. – with a single toggle.

There are over 1,000 individual Services to choose from, offering unmatched customization when tailoring access rules for specific users, teams, or clients, without relying on manual blocklists or complicated rules.

For comparison, Cloudflare offers 200+ blockable Services, and Cisco Umbrella provides less than 100.

Traffic Redirection

Control D’s Traffic Redirection feature lets you route your DNS traffic through one of 100 global proxy locations across 60+ countries. You can set a default location for all queries, set redirect rules for specific Services and domains, or a combination of the two.

This gives businesses complete control over how and where their internet traffic flows – enhancing security, compliance, and accessibility without relying on VPNs or manual configurations.

Geo-Custom Rules

Control D’s Geo-Custom Rules feature enables blocking, redirecting, or bypassing traffic based on the source and destination IP address. A typical use case is blocking traffic from high-risk countries like Russia and Iran to maintain security or simply adhere to compliance regulations.

Here are a few examples of some geo-based rules you can create:

Block queries resolving to IPs in a specific country or ASN
Redirect queries that don't resolve to IPs in a specific country or ASN
Bypass queries made from IPs in a specific country or ASN
Block queries made from IPs not in a specific country or ASN
Or any combination of the above

For comparison, this level of granularity is not available in Cisco Umbrella or Cloudflare; they only offer geo-IP blocking, and it does not extend to include ASNs and does not have redirection capabilities.

In-Depth Analytics & Monitoring

Whether you need a high-level overview of network trends or granular detail into individual queries, Control D’s analytics dashboard includes real-time and historical data to visually represent everything on your network.

Here, you can keep an eye on network traffic, spot unusual patterns, and even stream query log data to your SIEM tool for centralized threat analysis and alerts.

If you prefer to receive occasional updates instead, you can automate daily, weekly, or monthly reports to stay informed on network activity.

👉 Read our head-to-head comparison of Control D vs Cisco Umbrella

Advanced Chatbot

Need help? Meet Barry, Control D’s AI-powered chatbot who’s a walking (well, typing) encyclopedia of everything Control D. Available 24/7, Barry can answer 99% of your questions in seconds – whether you need help troubleshooting, figuring out a feature, or just learning what Control D can do.

Barry is built on Control D’s extensive documentation and the collective knowledge of all its employees, so you don’t have to dig through pages of docs or wait for an email reply. Just ask, and he’ll get you the answers you need, fast.

Plus, the more you chat with Barry, the smarter he gets, meaning quicker, more accurate solutions every time.

Full Cross-Platform Support

With full cross-platform support, Control D has you covered no matter what devices or systems your business runs on. It works on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android – plus, you can set it up on routers and even use it straight from your browser.

If you need deeper integration, Control D also plays nice with Active Directory, RMM and SIEM tools, and Single Sign-On solutions like Okta, making it easy to manage your users and security posture in one place.

Dual Stack Ready & Modern Protocol Support

Control D is dual-stack ready, supporting both IPv4 and IPv6. It’s also fully compatible with modern DNS protocols, including DoH, DoT, DoH3, and DoQ. Still using legacy DNS? No problem. Control D can handle that too.

Full API Access

With Control D’s full API access, you can integrate advanced DNS management directly into your own software and workflows, eliminating the need to log into the Control D dashboard entirely.

You can automate policy enforcement, manage Profiles, Endpoints, and authorized IP lists, connect seamlessly with third-party tools, and more.

Custom Data Storage Region

Control D gives you complete control over where your DNS logs and account data are stored. By default, you can choose from three standard regions – North America, Europe, and Australia. If you need something more specific, you can select a custom data storage region for an additional fee to meet your unique data sovereignty and compliance needs.

For comparison, Cloudflare and Cisco Umbrella only offer two regions – North America and Europe – with no option for a custom location. With Control D, you can align with industry regulations, protect sensitive data, and ensure your storage location works for your business.