CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Cequence Security vs Cloudflare

Cequence Security sells a single platform that combines agentic AI governance, API security, bot defense and web app protection. Cloudflare sells one platform for apps, agents and workforce. CISO Tribune files both under WAF and WAAP. This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

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  • Cequence Security
  • Cloudflare
Cequence Security vs Cloudflare: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
Cequence SecurityCequence Security sells a single platform that combines agentic AI governance, API security, bot defense and web app protection.cequence.aiCloudflareCloudflare sells one platform for apps, agents and workforce.cloudflare.com
What it sells
  • Cequence API Security[7][12]Discovers, monitors and tests APIs.
  • Cequence AI Gateway[8]Contains agents and governs their actions in real time.
  • DDoS Protection[11][12][13][25][26]DDoS protection backed by 500 Tbps of network capacity.
  • Magic Transit[12][13]DDoS protection for networks at layers 3 and 4.
  • Spectrum[12][13]DDoS protection for TCP/UDP applications.
  • Bot Management[11][21][22][25]Custom machine learning models for each bot management customer.
  • RealtimeKit[24]A toolkit for real-time audio and video communication.
Categories
Headquarters
Sunnyvale, United StatesSan Francisco, United States[3][28]
Founded
2015[2]2009[4]
Ownership and funding
Privately held[4]Public (NYSE: NET)[2][10][19][20][28][31][32]
Named customers
Not stated on its pages
  • Canva[5]
  • Discord[6]
  • Shopify[7]
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory[8]
Recent news
  • October 7, 2026Cequence Security launched Agent Trust, a capability in its Application and API Protection that verifies AI agents presenting an identity and detects those that do not.[18]
  • August 6, 2026Cequence Security announced that NTT DOCOMO has deployed its application and API protection platform.[16]
  • June 23, 2026Cequence Security launched two new capabilities, Intent Graph and Biometric Check, for bot defense across web, mobile, API and agentic AI traffic.[17]
  • April 28, 2026Cequence Security announced general availability of Agent Personas in its AI Gateway, giving enterprises control over what AI agents are permitted to do.[15]
  • October 9, 2026Cloudflare announced that the Deno team is joining the company, with the stated aim of simplifying self-hosting of Workers and Durable Objects.[18]
  • August 6, 2026Cloudflare reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $696.1 million, up 36% year over year.[9]
  • June 4, 2026Cloudflare acquired VoidZero, the open source company behind the Vite JavaScript build tooling ecosystem.[10]
  • May 7, 2026Cloudflare reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of $639.8 million, up 34% year over year.[2]
  • April 14, 2026Cloudflare announced Cloudflare Mesh, a private networking solution built for AI agents.[32]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[4]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: listed, seen November 3, 2026[20]
Who it fits
From its own pages, Cequence sells mainly to organizations that run applications and APIs and need to protect them against attacks, business logic abuse and fraud. Financial services organizations are a named audience, including those with digital banking, payment systems and open banking initiatives. Organizations that store, process or transmit credit card information are addressed through its PCI DSS content. Modern retailers with AI-powered shopping experiences and agentic checkout flows are another described audience. Enterprises whose teams delegate work to AI agents with access to internal apps, data and systems are a further stated audience.From its own pages, Cloudflare sells to organizations from startups to the world's largest enterprises. Cloudflare describes its security platform as serving organizations from startup to enterprise. Cloudflare addresses developers building frontend applications, from static sites to complex web apps. Cloudflare works with managed service partners that serve small to midsize organizations. Cloudflare works with global partners serving the Large Enterprise segment.
Last verified
November 2, 2026October 10, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Cequence Security and Cloudflare are both filed under WAF and WAAP.
  • Both are headquartered in the United States.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Cequence Security's primary category is API security; Cloudflare's is DDoS protection.
  • Cequence Security is also filed under Bot and abuse management. Cloudflare is also filed under SASE and SSE and DNS security.
  • Cequence Security lists Cequence API Security and Cequence AI Gateway. Cloudflare lists DDoS Protection, Magic Transit, Spectrum, Bot Management and RealtimeKit.
  • Cequence Security is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States. Cloudflare is headquartered in San Francisco, United States.
  • Cequence Security was founded in 2015. Cloudflare was founded in 2009.
  • Cequence Security is privately held. Cloudflare is a public company listed on NYSE as NET.
  • Cloudflare publicly names Canva, Discord, Shopify and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

What it sells: Cequence Security

What Cequence API Security does[7][12]
Cequence API Security is an AI-first solution that discovers, monitors and tests APIs. Cequence API Security assesses risks that can lead to compliance or governance issues, data loss and business disruption. Cequence API Security discovers internal, external and third-party APIs. Cequence API Security ships more than 200 pre-built risk rules mapped to 25 global frameworks.
What Cequence AI Gateway does[8]
Cequence AI Gateway contains every agent wherever it runs and governs its actions in real time, across any model, MCP server, API or application, at enterprise scale. Agent Personas scope every agent to the tools, APIs, skills and LLMs its job requires. Prompt Guard detects prompt injection, override instructions and safety filter bypass attempts before they reach a model or tool.

What it sells: Cloudflare

What DDoS Protection does[11][12][13][25][26]
Cloudflare says its DDoS protection absorbs the largest attacks with 500 Tbps of network capacity. Cloudflare offers 24/7 email and phone support, including an Under Attack hotline.
What Spectrum does[12][13]
Cloudflare Spectrum provides DDoS protection for TCP/UDP applications. Spectrum covers applications built with any protocols, including custom protocols.
What Bot Management does[11][21][22][25]
Cloudflare built a platform to deploy custom machine learning models for every bot management customer. Super Bot Fight Mode includes bot protection for Pro, Business and all Enterprise customers.
What RealtimeKit does[24]
RealtimeKit handles WebRTC complexities, connection management and global routing. RealtimeKit Agents supports building voice bots, interactive assistants and automated support systems.

Questions about Cequence Security and Cloudflare

What do Cequence Security and Cloudflare sell?
Cequence Security sells Cequence API Security and Cequence AI Gateway. Cloudflare sells DDoS Protection, Magic Transit, Spectrum, Bot Management and RealtimeKit.
Are Cequence Security and Cloudflare in the same category?
They share WAF and WAAP. Cequence Security's primary category is API security and Cloudflare's is DDoS protection.
Where are Cequence Security and Cloudflare headquartered?
Cequence Security is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States. Cloudflare is headquartered in San Francisco, United States.
When were Cequence Security and Cloudflare founded?
Cequence Security was founded in 2015. Cloudflare was founded in 2009.
Who owns Cequence Security and Cloudflare?
Cequence Security is privately held. Cloudflare is a public company listed on NYSE as NET.
Which customers do Cequence Security and Cloudflare name?
Cloudflare publicly names Canva, Discord, Shopify and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Who are Cequence Security and Cloudflare sold to?
From its own pages, Cequence sells mainly to organizations that run applications and APIs and need to protect them against attacks, business logic abuse and fraud. From its own pages, Cloudflare sells to organizations from startups to the world's largest enterprises.
What have Cequence Security and Cloudflare announced recently?
October 7, 2026: Cequence Security launched Agent Trust, a capability in its Application and API Protection that verifies AI agents presenting an identity and detects those that do not. October 9, 2026: Cloudflare announced that the Deno team is joining the company, with the stated aim of simplifying self-hosting of Workers and Durable Objects.

About Cequence Security

Cequence Security sells a single platform that combines agentic AI governance, API security, bot defense and web app protection. Cequence says the platform welcomes legitimate traffic and shuts out abuse.[5]

Cequence says its platform gives organizations the security, governance and control they need to protect their applications and data against attacks, business logic abuse and fraud. Cequence says that core technology now extends to securing the AI agents and workflows modern enterprises depend on.[6]

Cequence analyzes behavioral intent so good agents transact smoothly while fraud, abuse and account takeover are kept at bay. Cequence says the platform distinguishes humans and bots, and legitimate automation from threats. Cequence says the platform continuously evaluates live traffic to identify threats in real time and trigger countermeasures. Cequence says its detection runs independent of the client. Cequence also says customers do not need to replace their CDN, because Cequence is separate from the delivery network.[5][6]

Cequence API Security is an AI-first solution that discovers, monitors and tests APIs. Cequence API Security assesses a broad range of risks that can lead to compliance or governance issues, data loss and business disruption. Cequence API Security discovers internal, external and third-party APIs. Cequence integrates with existing infrastructure such as API gateways, or can be deployed inline. Cequence identifies and masks sensitive data using ML-based rules with predefined and customizable data patterns. Cequence API Security test plans can be generated automatically from Postman collections or API specifications. Cequence API Security exposes every capability as MCP tools.[7]

Cequence AI Gateway contains every agent wherever it runs and governs its actions in real time, across any model, MCP server, API or application, at enterprise scale. Cequence says its Agent Personas scope every agent to the tools, APIs, skills and LLMs its job requires. Agent Behavior Protection evaluates each tool call in the context of the full session. Agents authenticate with Agent Access Keys while the gateway brokers backend tokens, so agents never have direct access to backend credentials. Prompt Guard detects prompt injection, override instructions and safety filter bypass attempts before they reach a model or tool. Cequence AI Gateway can monitor, redact and block sensitive data across more than 100 out-of-the-box detection types. Budgets in Cequence AI Gateway cap spend per employee, team and agent persona, by day or by month. Trusted registries of MCP servers, APIs, LLMs and skills define exactly what agents can connect to.[8]

Cequence takes a network-based approach that monitors all API transactions to protect against AI bot attacks, IP scraping and sensitive data exposure. Cequence says its approach requires no application modification. Cequence discovery identifies and inventories all APIs in use, whether they are internal, external or third-party. Cequence actively monitors API transactions, including GenAI and agentic AI APIs, for inappropriate sensitive data flows. Cequence describes business logic abuse as targeting the intended functionality of applications and APIs rather than exploiting traditional technical vulnerabilities. Cequence says it protected multiple major telecommunications companies from a series of six high-profile BOLA API attacks.[9][10][11]

Cequence describes use cases that include stopping credential stuffing and brute force attacks before attackers seize legitimate user accounts. Cequence describes use cases that include neutralizing scalper bots that buy out high-demand inventory before real customers can. Cequence describes use cases that include blocking bots that enumerate account numbers and drain gift card and rewards balances. Cequence describes use cases that include identifying and redacting PII, credentials and regulated data moving through API traffic in real time. Cequence says PCI DSS v4.0.1 includes provisions that require capabilities found in Cequence API Security and Bot Management, including API discovery and sensitive data identification and masking. Cequence describes digital banking platforms, mobile apps, payment systems, trading portals, partner integrations and open banking initiatives as relying on interconnected APIs to move money and data in real time.[1][3][5][6][7][12][13][14]

Cequence Security on the record

Sources

Cequence Security full record

  1. [1]cequence.aiCequence Security · cequence.ai · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Cequence security opens emea headquarters and names key execs to accelerate protection of hyper connected enterprises across emeaCequence Security · cequence.ai · published December 23, 2024 · Tier A
  3. [3]PlatformCequence Security · cequence.ai · published July 22, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Cequence Security Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier C
  5. [5]Application & API SecurityCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]The Cequence Platform – Securing Applications, APIs, and AICequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]API Security Tool | Posture Management, Compliance & TestingCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]AI Gateway: The missing agentic AI security and governance layerCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]AI Security Tool for Generative and Agentic AI | Cequence SecurityCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Business Logic Vulnerabilities | Prevent Logic Abuse | CequenceCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]BOLA Vulnerability Protection & Attack Prevention | CequenceCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]PCI DSS 4.0 Compliance | Cequence SecurityCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]API Security & Fraud Prevention for Financial Services | Cequence AICequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Agentic AI GovernanceCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Cequence Launches AI Gateway With Secure Agent PersonasCequence Security · published April 28, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Cequence Security Deployment Expands to NTT DOCOMOCequence Security · published August 6, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Cequence Launches Intent Graph for AI Agent SecurityCequence Security · published June 23, 2026 · Tier A
  18. [18]Meta's Muse Reached More Than Half of Customers Cequence Studied in Two Weeks Without Identifying Itself as an AI AgentGlobeNewswire · published October 7, 2026 · Tier A

Cloudflare full record

  1. [1]cloudflare.comCloudflare · cloudflare.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Cloudflare announces first quarter 2026 financial resultsCloudflare · cloudflare.com · published May 7, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]About overviewCloudflare · cloudflare.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Technologys promise def con china 1 0 highlightsCloudflare · blog.cloudflare.com · published June 5, 2019 · Tier A
  5. [5]CanvaCloudflare · cloudflare.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]DiscordCloudflare · cloudflare.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]ShopifyCloudflare · cloudflare.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Lawrence berkeley national laboratoryCloudflare · cloudflare.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Cloudflare announces second quarter 2026 financial resultsCloudflare · cloudflare.com · published August 6, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Cloudflare acquires voidzero to build the future of the ai native webCloudflare · cloudflare.com · published June 4, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Cloudflare: Build for the agent eraCloudflare · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Cloudflare DDoS Protection & Mitigation SolutionsCloudflare · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Magic Transit - Unmatched DDoS Protection for NetworksCloudflare · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]US Privacy Law Compliance FAQs | CloudflareCloudflare · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Cloudflare Stream - All-in-one Video PlatformCloudflare · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Cloudflare Artifacts - Versioned Git-compatible storage for agentsCloudflare · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Cloudflare AI Search - Automatic RAG infrastructure and queryingCloudflare · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  18. [18]Posts tagged "Acquisitions" — Cloudflare BlogCloudflare Blog · published October 9, 2026 · Tier A
  19. [19]Cloudflare Application Security and Performance Reviews 2026 - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier C
  20. [20]Cloudflare Reviews, Ratings & Features 2026 | Gartner Peer InsightsGartner Peer Insights · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier C
  21. [21]Web Security Platform - WAF, DDoS Protection, Bot ManagementCloudflare · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  22. [22]Building unique, per-customer defenses against advanced bot threats in the AI era | Cloudflare BlogCloudflare Blog · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  23. [23]Frontend Development PlatformCloudflare · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  24. [24]Cloudflare RealtimeKit - Voice, Video & Multimodal AppsCloudflare · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  25. [25]Shopify & Cloudflare | Customer StoryCloudflare · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  26. [26]Cloudflare and Rackspace Technology Expand Partnership with Managed Services | Cloudflare BlogCloudflare Blog · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  27. [27]Cloudflare Partner Program Now Supports SASE & Zero Trust Managed Services | Cloudflare BlogCloudflare Blog · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  28. [28]About | Cloudflare RadarCloudflare Radar · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  29. [29]Cloudflare to Acquire Replicate to Build the Most Seamless AI Cloud for DevelopersCloudflare · published November 17, 2025 · Tier A
  30. [30]Cloudflare Acquires Astro to Accelerate the Future of High-Performance Web DevelopmentCloudflare · published January 16, 2026 · Tier A
  31. [31]Cloudflare Strengthens Content Offering to AI Companies with Acquisition of Human NativeCloudflare · published January 15, 2026 · Tier A
  32. [32]Cloudflare Launches Mesh to Secure the AI Agent LifecycleCloudflare · published April 14, 2026 · Tier A

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