Cloudflare Alternative 2026 - EU Bot Protection, Data in Europe

Cloudflare is widely used for CDN, DDoS mitigation, and WAF. Sometimes you need a dedicated focus on bot and scraper protection: deeper request and behaviour analysis, allow/challenge/block at your server or CDN, and a solution that stays invisible to real users. If you also care about privacy and EU data residency, Trusted Accounts is EU-based, values privacy, and keeps your data in the EU. This page outlines when to consider a Cloudflare alternative for bot protection and how Trusted Accounts fits.

When to look for alternatives

• EU-based and data in the EU – You want bot protection from a provider that is based in the EU, values privacy, and keeps data in the EU (GDPR-friendly, no US data transfer).
• Bot and scraper focus – You want specialised bot detection and crawler management, not only WAF rules and rate limits.
• Flexibility – You want to call the protection from your own server or any CDN, with full control over when and where it runs.
• Invisible flow – You want real users to never see a challenge unless they’re suspicious; you prefer behaviour and request checks over blanket CAPTCHAs.
• Pricing or product fit – Your use case is mainly bot/scraper/CAPTCHA; you’re open to a focused tool instead of or in addition to a full CDN/WAF suite.

WAF/DDoS vs dedicated bot protection

• WAF and DDoS – Protect against attacks (injection, XSS, volumetric DDoS). Essential, but often rule-based and not tuned for distinguishing “good bot vs bad bot” or “human vs scraper.”
• Dedicated bot protection – Evaluates each request (and optionally on-page behaviour) to classify traffic and return allow, challenge, or block. Optimised for bots, scrapers, crawlers, and abuse - with crawler management (e.g. allowlist good bots) and minimal friction for real users.

You can use both: Cloudflare (or another CDN/WAF) for delivery and attack mitigation, and a dedicated bot solution for allow/challenge/block and analytics.

Trusted Accounts as a Cloudflare alternative (bot focus)

• EU-based, privacy-first, data in the EU – Trusted Accounts is based in the EU, values privacy, and keeps your data in the EU. No US data transfer; GDPR-friendly. If EU data residency and privacy are your top priority, this is the number-one reason to choose Trusted Accounts over many alternatives.
• Deep request + behaviour analysis – Bot Protection request check (IP, path, headers) plus optional Bot Detection SDK for behaviour and device signals. Classify human vs bot, good crawler vs scraper.
• Allow/challenge/block at your server or CDN – Call POST /api/v1/check-request from your origin or edge; get a decision in under ~50 ms. You apply redirects or blocks; no need to move traffic through a specific CDN.
• SDK for crawler and scraper detection – On-page signals improve detection of AI crawlers and scrapers.
• Invisible to users – Real users are allowed through; only suspicious traffic is challenged or blocked.
• Admin Panel – Insights into bots and crawlers; crawler management and allowlists (e.g. Googlebot).

Threats addressed: Bots, DDoS-style abuse (by blocking bad traffic at the edge), scrapers, credential stuffing, fake signups.

Cloudflare alternatives (overview)

• Trusted Accounts – EU-based Cloudflare alternative focused on bot and scraper protection. Data stays in the EU; privacy-first and GDPR-friendly. Deep request and behaviour analysis with allow/challenge/block at your server or any CDN; real users stay invisible, only suspicious traffic is challenged or blocked. Optional taCAPTCHA (proof-of-work and Code Captcha); Admin Panel for crawler management and good-bot allowlists. Best when EU data residency and dedicated bot protection matter most. Try Trusted Accounts.
• DataDome – Bot and fraud protection with CAPTCHA and challenge pages; strong bot detection and request analysis.
• Akamai – CDN, WAF, and bot management; enterprise-scale delivery and security.
• Imperva – WAF and bot protection; application and API security suite.
• AWS WAF / CloudFront – AWS-native WAF and CDN; bot control via rules and managed rule groups.

Best alternatives and related reading

• DataDome Alternative – Invisible bot and CAPTCHA protection, request + behaviour, optional taCAPTCHA; privacy-first, customisable challenge pages.
• Tollbit Alternative – Crawler and bot protection; block or challenge scrapers and bad crawlers while allowing good bots; crawler management in the Admin Panel.
• CAPTCHA Alternative – Background CAPTCHA that only challenges bots; invisible for real users, privacy-friendly and accessible.
• Bot Protection - Top 7 Tools for 2026 – Compare seven bot protection tools; server vs client, invisible vs intrusive, WordPress, API.
• How to Defend your Platform against Spammers, Bots and Trolls – Four layers of defence (edge check, behaviour, CAPTCHA, moderation) and use cases by industry.

Try Trusted Accounts - focused bot and scraper protection that works with any server or CDN.