Cloudflare Gateway

Overview

Cloudflare Gateway is a filtering service for managing and reporting on network activity across supported devices and connections. It suits households and organizations that want custom blocklists, safe search controls, and scheduled filtering without imposing a user limit on the monthly paid plan. Its free tier makes it possible to start at no cost, while the 50-user cap and short log retention make the plan choice consequential.

Key features

Custom blocklists and safe search controls let administrators shape what users can reach and how search results are filtered. Filtering schedules add a useful way to vary those rules over time. These controls make Gateway more compelling for managed access than a basic proxy whose stated role is simply to handle traffic.

Advanced activity reports provide visibility into network use, but the amount of standard log retention depends on the plan: up to 24 hours on Free, 30 days on Pay-as-you-go, and six months on Contract. The free tier's brief window is a real constraint for anyone who needs to review activity after more than a day.

Pricing

The Free plan costs nothing, billed forever, and supports 50 users with up to 24 hours of standard log retention. It is a sensible starting point for smaller groups that can work within that cap and do not need a long reporting history.

Pay-as-you-go costs $7 a month, billed monthly, with no user limit and up to 30 days of standard log retention. It is the practical upgrade for larger groups or anyone who needs a month of logs; the cost is a per-user monthly rate, so the total rises with the number of users.

Contract has custom pricing, no user limit, and up to six months of standard log retention. That longer window fits organizations with extended review needs, but the price is not a fixed published amount. The cheaper Free plan gives up both scale and retention, while Pay-as-you-go trades the longer Contract retention for a monthly per-user price.

Platforms

Gateway supports macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android, as well as PAC files, DNS locations, Cloudflare WAN, Cloudflare Mesh, and HTML5 browsers. This breadth suits mixed-device environments and several connection types, rather than teams tied to one desktop operating system.

Who it's for

Choose Gateway when filtering policy, safe search, scheduling, and activity reporting matter across a varied set of devices or network paths. Free is a fit for groups of up to 50 users with modest log-review needs; Pay-as-you-go is better for larger groups or a month-long standard log window. Contract makes more sense when six months of retention justifies custom pricing. It is less suitable when a small, self-hosted proxy is the actual need rather than a managed filtering service.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Custom blocklists, safe search controls, and filtering schedules give administrators several distinct ways to shape access.
• Pro: Paid plans remove the user limit, and Contract extends standard log retention to six months.
• Pro: Support for major desktop and mobile platforms plus DNS locations and network options suits varied deployments.
• Con: Free is capped at 50 users and retains standard logs for up to 24 hours, limiting both growth and later review.
• Con: Pay-as-you-go is billed per user each month, so its cost scales with the user count.
• Con: Contract requires custom pricing, making the longer retention option less straightforward to budget.

Alternatives

For a free, open-source interactive HTTPS proxy across Linux, macOS, Windows, or self-hosted setups, consider mitmproxy. Privoxy is a free option for Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted use, with permission to use, copy, modify, or distribute it and no registration. 3proxy is another free, open-source choice for Linux, macOS, Windows, or self-hosted environments.

If a paid private access product is a better fit, Skyhigh Private Access supports Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows. Zscaler Private Access is a paid option across Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows; its ZPA Standard plan describes limited private access for 5% of users.

For free proxy software, Squid is self-hosted and available for Linux, macOS, and Windows, with third-party commercial support potentially available. Apache Traffic Server is a free choice for API, Linux, macOS, or self-hosted use. Tinyproxy is a free option for Linux, macOS, or self-hosted environments, distributed under GNU GPL version 2 or above.

Readers comparing categories can also browse Forward Proxy Software, Security Service Edge Software, Zero Trust Network Access Software, and Internet Filtering Software.

Verdict

Cloudflare Gateway is a strong fit for groups that need filtering controls and activity reporting across diverse devices, with paid plans that scale beyond 50 users. Its clearest reason to choose it is the combination of blocklists, safe search, schedules, and longer retention options. Look elsewhere if you need a free self-hosted proxy or cannot accommodate per-user monthly charges or custom Contract pricing.