Which Cloudflare plan you need depends on what is at risk. Cloudflare’s Free plan gives a simple site DNS, a CDN, SSL, unmetered DDoS protection and a free managed firewall ruleset. Pro adds features useful to most business sites, such as image optimisation and Automatic Platform Optimization for WordPress, for $25 a month on monthly billing. Business is for sites where downtime or a breach costs real money, and it carries a 100% uptime SLA, at $250 a month on monthly billing. Whichever you choose, the settings matter as much as the plan.
A note on older plan names
Earlier versions of this article described Tremhost tiers called Armor Lite, Pro and Business. Those names are no longer used. Tremhost now sells Cloudflare protection as Armor Guard (Pro-grade) and Armor Shield (Business-grade), and this guide uses current names and prices.
What each Cloudflare plan includes
According to Cloudflare’s plans page, as listed on 5 November 2026:
Free
- $0 a month.
- Web application firewall with the Free Managed Ruleset.
- Unmetered DDoS protection.
- Automatic Platform Optimization for WordPress available as a $5 a month add-on.
- No uptime SLA shown.
Pro
- $25 a month billed monthly, or $20 a month billed annually.
- Everything in Free, plus lossless image optimisation.
- Automatic Platform Optimization for WordPress included.
- No uptime SLA shown.
Business
- $250 a month billed monthly, or $200 a month billed annually.
- Everything in Pro.
- A 100% uptime SLA.
Cloudflare’s page lists many more features than this summary. Check it for anything specific you need, such as particular firewall or certificate options.
Matching the plan to your site
A personal site, simple blog or brochure site
The Free plan, correctly configured, is often enough. It hides your server’s IP address, serves cached files from nearby data centres (including Cloudflare’s Harare data centre), handles SSL and absorbs DDoS floods. The main risk is misconfiguration, such as the wrong SSL mode causing redirect loops.
A business site with enquiries, logins or WordPress
Pro is a sensible step. Image optimisation and APO help WordPress pages load quickly, and a paid plan gives more room to tune protection. The bigger question is whether anyone will configure the firewall and watch the alerts.
An online shop, payment site or client portal
Business is designed for sites where an outage or compromise costs money. The 100% uptime SLA reflects Cloudflare’s commitment for its own network on that plan. You still need a secure application and reliable hosting behind it.
The plan is only half the job
Cloudflare is a tool. Someone has to:
- Move the DNS without breaking email records.
- Choose the correct SSL mode so traffic is encrypted all the way to your server.
- Enable and tune firewall rules so attacks are blocked without challenging real customers.
- Watch for attacks and adjust settings when your site changes.
- Check that certificates, caching and DNS keep working.
Many sites are switched to Cloudflare once and never reviewed. That leaves protection weaker than the plan allows.
Common setup mistakes
- Flexible SSL mode: encrypts only between the visitor and Cloudflare, leaving traffic to your server unencrypted, and can cause redirect loops. Use Full (strict) with a valid certificate on the server.
- Proxying mail records: mail server records should not be proxied, or email can stop working.
- Leaving the origin exposed: if your server’s IP address is still public in old DNS records, attackers can bypass Cloudflare.
- Caching logged-in pages: carts, accounts and admin areas must bypass the cache.
- Security plugins seeing Cloudflare’s IPs: configure them to read the real visitor IP, or they may block the wrong traffic.
Managed options from Tremhost
Tremhost is a Cloudflare partner in Harare and offers the paid plans with configuration and monitoring included:
- Armor Guard: Cloudflare Pro-grade protection for one site at $9 a month, or $90 a year. Tremhost sets the firewall rules, including the Cloudflare Managed Ruleset and OWASP Core Ruleset, moves the DNS, renews SSL and monitors attacks and uptime. Usually live in about an hour.
- Armor Shield: Cloudflare Business-grade protection at $200 a month, or $2,000 a year, with rules written for your application, malware cleanup included if something gets through, and the Cloudflare Business 100% uptime SLA. Per-site pricing is lower from five sites.
Both work with any hosting provider. Payment can be made in US dollars by EcoCash, InnBucks, ZimSwitch, Omari, Visa, Mastercard or selected cryptocurrencies, and support runs Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00 CAT.
A quick decision guide
- Is the site informational only, with no logins or forms? Start with Free and check the settings.
- Does it run WordPress or capture leads? Consider Pro, ideally with someone managing it.
- Does it take payments or hold personal data? Consider Business.
- Has it been hacked before? Clean it first, then choose a plan with active rule tuning.
- Does nobody on your team have time to manage it? Choose a managed option.
Frequently asked questions
Can I start on Free and upgrade later?
Yes. You can change plans in Cloudflare without moving your site again.
Will Cloudflare make my site faster?
Usually for static files, because they are cached near visitors. Dynamic pages still depend on your server.
Does Business guarantee my website never goes down?
The SLA covers Cloudflare’s service. If your own server fails, uncached pages can still be unavailable.
Can I try a paid plan first?
Tremhost offers a free 15-day Cloudflare Pro or Business trial with no card needed.
Next step
Start the free 15-day Cloudflare trial and see what is blocked on your real traffic before deciding.
