A slow website is SEO’s worst nightmare. Everyone hates waiting for a page to load, and Google doesn’t like it. If you’re a blogger, you know this struggle all too well.
Trust me, I’ve been there, so I see this as a big issue!
Our blog had the same problem! We had a low site speed score and didn’t pass core web vital assessments. Look at the screenshot below! So, we were hunting for the right solution.
We found a perfect solution that’s been a game-changer: Cloudflare Argo Pro Plan. It’s a paid solution!
I’ve used it for over two years and am here to share my honest Cloudflare Argo Pro review. I’ll explain what Argo Pro Plan did for my site and why it might be an excellent fit for yours.
Cloudflare Argo Pro Plan – An Overview
Cloudflare offers the Argo Pro plan to make the internet more secure and faster. It was introduced in 2017 to reduce internet latency and improve overall site speed performance.
It’s a smart routing service. Cloudflare Argo can analyze live traffic and send it along the best route. This minimizes internet congestion, allowing users to receive data as quickly as possible.
It also offers a tiered caching service, which helps deliver data to end users. If the data doesn’t exist in the nearby data centers, the lower tier will reach the upper tier to retrieve it.
Cloudflare Agro Pro Plan Features
This Cloudflare Argo Pro review focuses on the speed through which the users can make their site load lightning fast. Let’s see some of its best features, for which I’m a fan of this combo.
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
Web Application Firewall (WAF) is the most important feature Cloudflare offers. WAF keeps your website protected against cyber threats, including DDoS attacks. Without WAF, your site could get hit even if you update your themes and plugins.
Simple Interface – Easy To Use
With Cloudflare, it’s easy to manage your website’s performance and security. Cloudflare offers a user-friendly interface that allows you to configure and monitor your settings easily. With its simple dashboard, you can quickly access and utilize the tools.
Content Delivery Network (CDN)
Cloudflare’s global Content Delivery Network (CDN) ensures your website’s content is delivered quickly and efficiently to users globally. By caching content and utilizing a vast network of servers, Cloudflare minimizes latency and improves the browsing experience.
Lossy Image Optimization
It’s essential to optimize images to enhance website speed and performance. With this lossy image optimization feature, you can reduce image sizes without sacrificing quality. This results in faster load times and improved user experience (UX).
Unlimited DDoS Protection
Cloudflare offers unlimited DDoS protection, ensuring your website remains accessible even during malicious attacks. With real-time mitigation and attack alerts, you can rest assured knowing that your website is protected against downtime.
Cloudflare Web Analytics
Cloudflare Web Analytics offers free, privacy-first analytics that gives insights into page views, visitor behavior, and more. This feature allows you to optimize your website for better performance and user engagement without compromising privacy.
Speed & Security With Argo Pro (My Experience)
I have utilized the Cloudflare Argo Pro plan smartly for speed and security! Check the details!
- It offers automatic WebP conversion and prioritized routing to make my blog fast. It also helped me remove the requirement for an image optimization plugin. I’m sure you will be impressed with on-the-fly optimization.
- Argo subscription lets me speed up uncached requests for less popular pages from any region.
- With the help of a developer, I have created custom caching rules to prevent cache busting due to Query strings. It effectively avoids the CPU usage spike and caches unessential content like .XML Sitemap.
- As the most attacked path of WordPress is /wp-login.php, I have restricted my login page with the browser-based check. It will force us to wait five seconds to access the login.
- I also disabled XMLRPC.php through Firewall settings to prevent DDoS attacks on the server.
After I enabled the Argo plan, my traffic delivery speed and efficiency were boosted. My blog’s TTFB has especially been reduced.
Regarding security, the WAF has filtered the automatic and potentially malicious traffic. Bypassing the public internet, traffic is routed to a real-time network for high security.
Cloudflare Argo Plan Pricing
Cloudflare’s Argo plan is available to both pro and free users, but you must pay $5 monthly to get the add-on. Keep in mind that the actual cost will vary depending on your usage.
With the $5 monthly fee, Argo covers the first gigabyte of traffic. Once you exceed that, it costs an additional $0.10 per gigabyte.
So, the more you use, the more you’ll pay. You can check the screenshot below to see how the billing works.
If you’re worried about high costs, it depends on your site’s traffic. In my case, the benefits have been worth it—my website runs much faster now.
We’ve achieved a perfect 100 on core web vitals, and I’m pretty happy with that. Look at the speed performance!
Cloudflare Argo Pro Settings
In my genuine Cloudflare Argo Pro plan review, I would like to share its easy settings under a roof. Look at the following image!
All the options are satraightforward and self-explanatory. You may go with the default cache settings.
Cloudflare Pro Vs Free: An Overview
I use the Cloudflare Pro account with the Argo add-on, and the performance improvements are impressive. Since I’m not using separate image optimization tools, the Pro plan’s built-in optimization features are a great bonus.
One key advantage of the Pro account is adding up to 100 custom rules for triggering specific actions. So far, I’ve set up 20 rules, but with the free plan, you’re limited to 40.
The Pro account also offers enhanced security features. The free plan only has basic bot mitigation, and it only detects simple bots. The Pro plan includes more advanced bot detection, helping you spot and block more complex threats.
Another big benefit I’ve noticed in paid plans (Business and Enterprise) is its service guarantee. If there’s a service disruption, Cloudflare offers a service credit for downtime. This assurance is missing in the free plan.
Key Differences Between Cloudflare Pro and Free Plan
Below, you can read more details about the critical differences between Pro and Free plans.
Free Plan
Cloudflare’s free plan includes many useful features, such as a free CDN, DDoS protection, SSL, a web application firewall, and free DNS. However, it lacks advanced optimization options, which is reasonable given that it’s a free service.
Besides the features, I don’t like the customer support you get. For guidance, you’re limited to community forums and documentation. There’s no live chat or ticketing system, which can be inconvenient when you need direct assistance.
Pro Plan
I currently use the Pro plan, which includes everything in the free plan, plus extra features like lossless image optimization, Accelerated image delivery for small devices, Improved CDN caching, and boosts core web vitals through content prefetch.
Customer service is another significant improvement with the Pro plan. I had an issue once, which was resolved quickly through the ticketing system. There’s also a chat option (in the business plan). With the Enterprise plan, you can get customer support over the phone.
Free Or Pro: Which Is Best For You?
Choosing between Clouflare’s free and Pro plans is ultimately up to you, but I’d suggest the Pro plan (anyone). It is my recommendation—you know your needs best. I mentioned the benefits of the paid plan so you can weigh those features and see if they’re for you.
You might not need the Pro plan if you already have other optimization and security solutions. In that case, you may use a free Cloudflare account and add Argo to boost your website’s speed.
Take some time to consider your needs and compare the features. It might be a good investment if the Pro plan aligns with your goals. If not, you can still get much value from the free plan with the right add-ons.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is Cloudflare Argo?
Cloudflare Argo is a smart routing service by Cloudflare. It’s an add-on with the free or paid Cloudflare account. Argo analyses real-time network conditions and directs traffic through the most efficient paths to reduce latency and increase reliability.
Is Argo Cloudflare worth it?
Yes, Argo Cloudflare is worth it. This add-on can make your website faster by reducing internet latency, and the best part is that with all its features, the price is super affordable. You can even use this plan with a free Cloudflare account.
How much does Cloudflare charge for Argo?
The Cloudflare Argo plan starts at $5 monthly, covering up to one gigabyte of traffic. If you exceed that limit, it’s an additional $0.10 per extra gigabyte. You must have a free or paid Cloudflare account to use the add-on.
Should I enable Argo Smart Routing?
Yes, you should enable Argo Smart Routing in your Cloudflare account. It will help load your website faster, ensuring a good user experience and improving SEO rankings.
Final Thoughts
Cloudflare Argo Pro plan offers intelligent routing, enhanced speed optimization, and prioritized support to elevate your online presence. You can enjoy improved site loading, reduced latency, and air-tight security.
I hope you’ve found the answer to whether the Cloudflare Argo Pro plan is worth your money. I’ve highlighted the features and compared free and paid packages to give you a clearer picture. Besides, I have shared my speed and security approaches for better performance.
Now it’s up to you! So, relax! Consider what matters most for your website. Focus on your needs rather than just what’s popular. In my case, the plan worked well to reduce the connection errors, server response time, and network latency.
