Cloudflare vs. WebTitan: What's the Better Choice?

Cloudflare and WebTitan both offer DNS filtering to help businesses block harmful websites, filter unwanted content, and stop malware, but they’re built for very different users.

Cloudflare is part of a much larger ecosystem of security tools and is designed mainly for big enterprises. WebTitan, on the other hand, is popular with Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and small businesses because it’s easy to set up and doesn’t require much maintenance.

In this comparison, we’ll break down the pros, cons, and compare them across features, analytics, pricing, support, and more, so you can decide which one makes the most sense for your business or clients.

We also explain why Control D might be a better option if you want more control, better filtering, and simpler pricing.

What are Cloudflare and WebTitan?

Cloudflare is a global enterprise best known for speeding up websites with its CDN (Content Delivery Network). In 2020, it launched Cloudflare Gateway, a DNS filtering service that blocks malware and phishing sites, enforces content rules, and works with the rest of Cloudflare’s Zero Trust tools. It is built for companies that want fast performance and full network security.

WebTitan is a DNS filtering service made by TitanHQ, a company that has been offering cybersecurity tools since 1999. It is used mostly by MSPs and small businesses. WebTitan is simple to use and runs in the cloud. It also works with TitanHQ’s other services, like email and spam protection.

In short: Cloudflare is built for scale and speed within large enterprise ecosystems, while WebTitan focuses on accessible, no-frills DNS protection for service providers and smaller organizations.

Cloudflare: Pros and Cons

Best for: Enterprises that want lightning-fast DNS bundled with a full-stack security suite, and don’t mind paying for it.

Key Features

• Globally distributed network ensuring low DNS latency
• Bundled enterprise tools like Secure Web Gateway, Remote Browser Isolation, and Data Loss Prevention
• Integrates into Cloudflare’s broader Zero Trust architecture

Pros

• One of the fastest DNS services available, backed by a massive global server network
• Offers advanced tools for securing modern hybrid workforces
• Works seamlessly with Cloudflare Access, WAF, and other products

Cons

• Entry-level pricing starts at $7/user/month, and costs escalate quickly for advanced features
• Weak malware filtering compared to dedicated security tools
• Granular policy control is limited
• Poor customer support unless you pay for the top plan

Our take on Cloudflare

Cloudflare excels where speed and scale matter most. It works well for companies that need performance, and it can slot neatly into a larger Zero Trust strategy if your organization already lives in the Cloudflare ecosystem. But beneath the surface, it’s less impressive as a DNS filtering solution.

If you need basic DNS and enterprise-grade add-ons in one box, it delivers. But if you need more control, visibility, or customization, you'll quickly hit its ceiling.

WebTitan: Pros and Cons

Best for: MSPs and small businesses that want simple, reliable DNS filtering without the bells and whistles.

Key Features

• Cloud-based DNS filtering and real-time threat protection
• Multi-tenant dashboard for MSPs
• Works with other TitanHQ tools like email filtering

Pros

• Good for MSPs with multiple clients
• Easy to deploy and manage
• Responsive customer service
• Pricing is competitive, especially for small and growing teams.

Cons

• No per-app, per-service, or geo-based filtering
• Doesn’t support mobile devices or Linux
• UI is dated and can be hard to use
• Basic reporting is available, but lacks the depth of more advanced DNS security platforms

Our take on WebTitan

WebTitan is a good entry-level DNS filter. It gets the job done for MSPs and small organizations that want quick, no-fuss DNS protection without diving into deep customization. That said, businesses looking for granular policy controls, advanced analytics, or flexibility may find the platform a bit too rigid.

Cloudflare vs. WebTitan

Plans & Pricing

Cloudflare offers two paid plans:

• Pay-as-you-go – $7/user/month
• Contract – Price not listed (requires sales contact)

Cloudflare also has a free plan, but it has major limits. You only get 50 users, 24-hour query log retention, and access to community support.

WebTitan doesn’t list its MSP pricing online, so you’ll need to reach out to their sales team for a custom quote. 

For standard business users, pricing starts at $2.25 per user per month when billed annually, though that rate is likely to be higher if you prefer monthly billing.

Features, Clients, and Integrations

Both Cloudflare and WebTitan have similar capabilities when it comes to DNS filtering.

But there are some notable differences, and neither offers Traffic Redirection or Ad & Tracker Blocking.

It’s clear to see that Cloudflare offers more useful features, more compatibility with different device types, and more integration with enterprise tools. Therefore, it wins this category.

Analytics

While Cloudflare reserves Data Exporting and Per-user Reporting for the Contract plan, WebTitan offers these by default. WebTitan also provides Scheduled Reporting, which can be useful for network admins who want a periodic overview of their network traffic.

However, Cloudflare offers a longer Query Log Retention period, a longer Report Retention period, and a longer Analytics Retention period. It also offers SIEM Log Streaming for users on the Contract plan, which WebTitan does not – an important feature for many businesses. 

As such, Cloudflare edges the lead in this category.

Support

Cloudflare offers more support channels with Community Support and Chat Support, and also has Prioritized Case Handling, all of which WebTitan does not provide. 

However, Cloudflare is notorious for delivering subpar customer service. This is largely due to the way it's structured.

Highest-paying organizations on the highest-tiered plan are prioritized first. This means if you’re on a lower plan or have a smaller per-month spend than others, your queries will be addressed last. 

The result is a myriad of complaints on forums, with one user being so dissatisfied they asked if Cloudflare’s customer support is “nonexistent.”

WebTitan’s support, which may be limited in scope, is at least consistent.

Cloudflare vs. WebTitan vs. Control D

If you like what Cloudflare and WebTitan each bring to the table but don’t want to deal with their limitations, consider Control D, an alternative that combines the best of both without the trade-offs.

Control D is an advanced DNS management solution that’s easy to use but powerful under the hood, offering better threat protection, more flexibility, greater customization capabilities, and better pricing.  Whether you're a business or MSP, you won’t hit the limits that Cloudflare and WebTitan have. 

Let’s explore why Control D is the go-to choice for industry leaders.

Easy Onboarding & Transparent Pricing

Control D was made to get up and running fast. Whether you're setting it up for your own devices or managing hundreds across a company, you can deploy it in minutes using your favorite RMM tool.

Pricing is just as clear. You pay a flat rate per device depending on your organization type. There are no plans, bundles, or "premium" paywalls, and you get access to all features right away with nothing being locked behind extra fees.

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

There’s also a 30-day free trial period (no credit card required) to test Control D before you buy.

Best-in-Class Malware Protection

Control D’s malware filter blocks 99.97% of threats, outperforming all other DNS providers in an independent test. By cutting threats off at the DNS level, they never reach your network, meaning you never get exposed in the first place.

As well as blocking known malicious domains, Control D uses AI and machine learning to spot new threats the moment they appear, even before they show up on a malware blocklist. 

It pulls from multiple intelligence feeds and combines that data with its own models, trained to recognize malicious behavior patterns and block domains likely to serve malware.

Ad & Tracker Blocking

Control D helps you take back your browsing experience by wiping out ads and trackers before they even have a chance to load.

Websites load cleaner, videos run smoother, and your network stays free of extra junk that you didn’t ask for. It’s a simple way to boost page load speeds and protect privacy in one shot.

There are also three blocking modes to choose from  – Relaxed, Balanced, and Strict – that let you select how aggressive you want to be, and they work on everything. Phones, laptops, TVs; any device connected to your network benefits without needing to install anything extra.

Blockable Services

Control D gives you the ability to block or allow services one by one, using a growing list of more than 1,000 Services. These aren’t vague groups, but real tools and platforms like Instagram, Discord, Telegram, and Zoom. Each one can be flipped on or off individually, depending on your needs.

This makes Control D perfect for customizing access based on user type. For example, maybe your marketing team needs access to social media sites or video sharing platforms, but the rest of your business doesn’t. You can enforce these rules with a single toggle, without manually editing any lists.

For broader policies, you can still use Control D’s 20 content categories, but the Services allow you to create smart, custom policies tailored to use cases.

No other DNS platform offers this level of granularity. For comparison, Cloudflare offers 200+ Services, whereas WebTitan offers zero.

Traffic Redirection

Traffic Redirection lets you decide where your DNS traffic goes, down to the specific app or domain. With more than 100 proxy locations across 60+ countries, you can route traffic globally without needing a VPN.

Set a default location for all DNS requests, or create custom redirection rules for individual Services or domains. It’s all managed with simple toggle switches and drop-downs in your Control D dashboard.

Neither Cloudflare nor WebTitan offers this feature.

Geo-Custom Rules

With Control D’s Geo-Custom Rules, you can filter DNS traffic based on the country or network it comes from or resolves to. This feature is especially useful when you want to avoid traffic from high-risk countries, stick to compliance rules, or prevent access to services that operate in restricted zones.

For instance, set rules such as:

• 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
• Combine these rules for layered protection

Most other providers don’t offer this level of control. For example, Cloudflare only offers geo-IP blocking (which does not extend to ASNs), and WebTitan does not offer this feature at all.

In-Depth Analytics & Monitoring

Control D makes it easy to understand your network traffic. Its powerful analytics break down every DNS request – allowed, blocked, or redirected – so you know what’s flowing through your network at all times, without overwhelming you.

You can see useful information such as which Services are used most, which Filters trigger the most blocks, and the top blocked domains. If you need to investigate something in more detail, historical logs allow you to trace incidents back in time. 

For security teams, you can send all DNS logs directly into your SIEM tool in real time – no limits, no extra charges. And if you don’t want to check the dashboard constantly, you can schedule reports. These can land in your inbox daily, weekly, or monthly to keep you informed.

Advanced Chatbot

Control D users get access to Barry, a smart AI chatbot trained to handle everything from simple questions to advanced setup queries. He’s built on top of Control D’s extensive technical documentation with machine-learning technology to improve and evolve as time goes on. 

Unlike other chatbots, Barry doesn’t just copy-paste help docs – he understands what you’re asking and delivers real answers to 99% of queries in seconds. Of course, if your question lands in the 1%, he can easily escalate your query to a human support agent when needed.

Full Cross-Platform Support

It doesn’t matter what kind of setup you’re running, Control D fits in easily, whether it’s a few personal devices or an entire organization.

Control D supports every major operating system – Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS – and can be installed on routers and browsers for full coverage across your network.

Enterprise teams can take it further with integrations for Active Directory, SIEM and RMM tools, and Single Sign-On platforms like Okta. That means you can keep user access, policy management, and security monitoring all in one place.

Dual Stack Ready & Modern Protocol Support

Control D supports both IPv4 and IPv6, so whether your infrastructure is fully modern or still transitioning, it works smoothly.

In terms of protocol support, you get full compatibility with DoH, DoT, DoH3, and DoQ. These DNS encryption protocols improve privacy, making it harder for anyone to intercept or tamper with your DNS requests.

Full API Access

With Control D, you don’t need to log into the dashboard to manage your DNS. Everything can be done through the fully documented API, available to all users from day one.

Use it to automate tasks like setting Profiles, changing filtering rules, pushing new Endpoints, or rotating IPs. You can even connect Control D with your own apps or management tools, making DNS changes part of your larger workflow.

Custom Data Storage Region

Control D gives you the power to control where your DNS logs and account data are stored. You can choose between three regions – North America, Europe, or Australia. This helps meet privacy laws and ensures your data stays close to where it matters most.

If your business has stricter requirements, Control D offers custom data storage regions, too. For a small additional fee, you can request a specific location that fits your compliance, regulatory, or security needs.

Performance

Note: WebTitan is not included in this list. Therefore, we’ll be comparing Cloudflare with Control D.

Cloudflare leads the way in query speed with 14.52 ms, but is followed closely behind by Control D with a speed of 16.09 ms.

Control D outperforms Cloudflare in Uptime results, with a score of 99.91% compared to 99.81%.

Again, Control D scores far better in the Quality metric with a score of 99.91%, compared to 99.72%.