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AWS Shield Review: Is It The Right Website Security Software For Your Team?

Best for SMBs

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Starts from $0 / month when Billed Monthly

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What is AWS Shield?

AWS Shield is a managed Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection service that safeguards applications running on AWS. It provides always-on detection and automatic inline mitigations to minimize application downtime and latency. AWS Shield offers two tiers: Standard, which protects against common, most frequently observed network and transport layer DDoS attacks, and Advanced, which provides additional detection and mitigation against larger and more sophisticated attacks, near real-time visibility, and integration with AWS WAF for enhanced protection. AWS Shield integrates seamlessly with other AWS services, enabling customers to maintain application availability and security with minimal operational overhead.

Pricing

  • Starts from $0 / month when Billed Monthly

Best For

SMBs, Enterprise, Government, Startups

Security & Compliance

  • Data residency:🇺🇸

Platform

  • Cloud

  • Desktop only — no mobile app

AWS Shield Software Demo

AWS Shield was reviewed internally using user feedback, in-house testing, and market research to assess its performance, reliability, and user experience. Learn how we review products and our evaluation process.

Who should consider AWS Shield

Use cases
Protecting web applications from DDoS attacks, Securing AWS-hosted infrastructure, Mitigating large-scale network attacks
Team types
DevOps teams, Security teams
Company size
51-500 employees, 501-1000 employees
Workflow style
Automated and integrated within AWS ecosystem
Setup complexity
Medium

Why teams choose AWS Shield

  • Deep AWS integration

  • Automatic real-time mitigation

  • Access to expert DDoS response team

Is AWS Shield right for you?

Best for AWS users needing robust, automated DDoS protection integrated with their cloud infrastructure.

Choose AWS Shield if

  • You run critical applications on AWS
  • You want automatic and managed DDoS mitigation
  • You require expert incident response support

Consider alternatives if

  • Your infrastructure is outside AWS
  • You have a limited budget for security services
Pros and cons

AWS Shield pros and cons

  • AWS Shield pros
  • Deep AWS integration

  • Automatic real-time mitigation

  • Access to expert DDoS response team

  • AWS Shield cons
  • Cost of Advanced tier

  • Limited to AWS environments

From $0

Ready to try it?

Get started with AWS Shield

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Still comparing?

See how it stacks up

Compare AWS Shield side-by-side with top Website Security Software alternatives.

IRONSCALES
PowerDMARC
Lacework
+7 more
Compare alternatives

What is the pricing of AWS Shield?

Free TrialNot available
Free Plan✓ Included
PricingStarts from $0 / month when Billed Monthly

Weighing your options?

Not sure if AWS Shield fits your budget?

AWS Shield reviews and ratings

Buyer sentiment

Users appreciate AWS Shield's seamless AWS integration and effective automatic DDoS mitigation, though some note the cost and complexity for smaller teams.

What buyers like

  • Effective real-time protection
  • Strong AWS ecosystem integration
  • Responsive incident support

Common complaints

  • High cost for Advanced tier
  • Limited to AWS environments

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What are the features of AWS Shield?

31%

Feature coverage

9 of 29 tracked features

API integration is a feature that allows different software systems, platforms, or applications to seamlessly communicate with each other. I…

The ability of a firewall or security service to detect malicious traffic and block it on its own, without waiting for an administrator to r…

Custom Rules is a powerful feature that allows users to define their own specific set of rules within a software program. These rules can be…

A Firewall in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) software refers to a security feature designed to monitor, control, and filter network t…

The service desk, which is the single point of contact for all users dealing with IT, is usually tightly associated with incident management…

Traffic to a website or application is analysed as it arrives, so malicious requests such as injection attempts, cross-site scripting, or cr…

Reporting provides complete visibility of the project and a clear grasp of what has to be done to the on-site personnel. The reporting proce…

Threat intelligence is the process of collecting, analyzing, and utilizing information about potential or existing cybersecurity threats to…

Web Traffic Reporting is a software feature that provides detailed insights into the traffic generated on a website. This feature is especia…

Security & Compliance

AWS Shield security and data handling

Key compliance certifications and security features for IT and security teams evaluating AWS Shield.

Developer & data

Data residency
🇺🇸

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Help & Contact

AWS Shield Support Options

Customer Service24/7 support for Advanced tierAWS DDoS Response Team accessDocumentation and community forums

Connect with AWS Shield

Frequently Asked Questions About AWS Shield

Common questions buyers ask before choosing AWS Shield.

AWS Shield is a Website Security Software. AWS Shield offers Real-time Attack Detection, API Integration, Web Traffic Reporting, Custom Rules, Threat Intelligence and many more functionalities.

AWS Shield is a strong fit if: You run critical applications on AWS; You want automatic and managed DDoS mitigation. Consider alternatives if: Your infrastructure is outside AWS; You have a limited budget for security services.

Buyers commonly note the following limitations of AWS Shield: Cost of Advanced tier; Limited to AWS environments; Requires AWS knowledge.

Some top alternatives to AWS Shield includes IRONSCALES, PowerDMARC, Lacework, Wandera and Acunetix.

AWS Shield offers pricing model

We don't have information regarding integrations of the AWS Shield as of now.

The starting price of AWS Shield is $0/month when Billed Monthly

Ready to try it?

Get started with AWS Shield

Get connected with the team for a personalised demo.

About the reviewer

Rajat Gupta is the founder of Spotsaas. Over the past two years, he has reviewed 2,000+ tools across CRM, HR, AI, and finance — applying hands-on product research and a background in commerce and the CFA program to evaluate software through a business and ROI lens. His goal: help teams make software decisions they won't regret.

Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].