Cloudflare Stats for 2022: How Many Websites Use Cloudflare?
by Brian Dean · Updated Jul. 02, 2021
Founded in 2009, Cloudflare has become a leading internet security company offering global cloud services to over 4 million customers.
The business generated $431.06 million in revenue in 2020 – a 5.08x increase since 2016. According to Cloudflare, its customers include 17% of Fortune 500 companies.
Read on to discover the latest Cloudflare data for 2022.
Here’s a quick summary of what we’ll cover:
- Cloudflare Key Stats
- How many websites use Cloudflare?
- Cloudflare paying customers
- Cloudflare large customers
- Cloudflare revenue
- Cloudflare total operating expenses
- Cloudflare sales and marketing expenses
- Cloudflare research and development expenses
- Cloudflare general and administrative expenses
- Cloudflare revenue breakdown by region
- Cloudflare revenue breakdown by type of customers
- How many people work at Cloudflare?
Cloudflare Key Stats
- 7.59 million active websites use Cloudflare.
- Cloudflare has a total of 4.1 million customers, including 119,206 paying customers.
- The internet security company has 945 large customers. And an annualized revenue exceeding $100K.
- Cloudflare generated $431.06 million in revenue in 2020.
- Nearly half (49.38%) of Cloudflare’s revenue came from customers with a billing address outside of the United States.
- Cloudflare currently has 1,931 full-time employees.
How many websites use Cloudflare?
In total, 7,591,745 active websites use Cloudflare worldwide. Ranked by traffic, 3,280 out of 10,000 most popular websites globally use Cloudflare.
Of all the live websites using Cloudflare, 1,459,262 (19.22%) are registered in the United States.
Here’s a breakdown of the number of live websites by country. Included are the 10 regions with the highest number of active websites using Cloudflare:
| Country | Number of live websites |
|---|---|
| United States | 1,459,262 |
| United Kingdom | 122,313 |
| Canada | 50,235 |
| Russia | 46,786 |
| Australia | 40,019 |
| India | 34,379 |
| Germany | 33,945 |
| France | 25,529 |
| Netherlands | 22,894 |
| Brazil | 16,474 |
Source: Built With.
Cloudflare paying customers
Cloudflare has 119,206 paying customers as of March 2021. A further 8,023 paying customers were added in Q1 2021, resulting in 27,029 since the beginning of 2020.
Cloudflare’s paying customer base has grown by 3.4x since 2016.
We’ve charted Cloudflare paying customer growth since 2016 (by quarter):
| Year | Paying customers |
|---|---|
| Q4 2016 | 35,002 |
| Q4 2017 | 49,309 |
| Q1 2018 | 58,330 |
| Q2 2018 | 62,653 |
| Q3 2018 | 67,643 |
| Q4 2018 | 72,823 |
| Q1 2019 | 73,555 |
| Q2 2019 | 77,626 |
| Q3 2019 | 80,986 |
| Q4 2019 | 84,154 |
| Q1 2020 | 89,223 |
| Q2 2020 | 96,178 |
| Q3 2020 | 100,968 |
| Q4 2020 | 111,183 |
| Q1 2021 | 119,206 |
Source: Cloudflare.
Cloudflare large customers
The minimum threshold for being considered a “large customer” by Cloudflare is an annualized revenue of $100,000 or more per account. The company provides data for two additional tiers: over $500,000 in spending and $1,000,000 in 12-month revenue.
Cloudflare had a total of 828 large customers, contributing more than $100,000 apiece in 2020. The internet security company increased its enterprise segment by 57.41% over the past year.
Cloudflare has grown its number of large customers by 8.71x since 2016.
Here’s a table showing a number of Cloudflare customers with an annualized spend of $100K or more since 2016:
| Year | $100K+ customers |
|---|---|
| Q4 2016 | 95 |
| Q4 2017 | 160 |
| Q1 2018 | 197 |
| Q2 2018 | 235 |
| Q3 2018 | 261 |
| Q4 2018 | 294 |
| Q1 2019 | 336 |
| Q2 2019 | 387 |
| Q3 2019 | 451 |
| Q4 2019 | 526 |
| Q1 2020 | 556 |
| Q2 2020 | 637 |
| Q3 2020 | 736 |
| Q4 2020 | 828 |
| Q1 2021 | 945 |
Cloudflare had 71 customers with an annualized revenue of $500,000 or more in 2020. Since then, Cloudflare has added 20 new customers to this group.
This table charts the number of large Cloudflare customers (exceeding $500K in annualized revenue) since 2017:
| Year | $500K+ customers |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 11 |
| 2018 | 27 |
| 2019 | 51 |
| 2020 | 71 |
Cloudflare has 32 customers with an annualized revenue of more than $1,000,000. The company has grown this customer group by 2.9x since 2018, adding 21 further customers contributing upwards of $1,000,000 each.
We’ve charted the growth of Cloudflare customers generating an annualized revenue greater than $1,000,000:
| Year | $1M+ customers |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 11 |
| 2019 | 17 |
| 2020 | 32 |
Source: Cloudflare.
Cloudflare revenue
Cloudflare generated $138.1 million in revenue in the Q1 2021. And $431.06 million in revenue across 2020.
2020 saw a growth of 50.18% in Cloudflare’s annual revenue compared with 2019.
Cloudflare achieved a 4-year revenue compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 50.15%.
Here’s a table with Cloudflare revenue since 2016:
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $84.81 million |
| 2017 | $134.91 million |
| 2018 | $192.67 million |
| 2019 | $287.02 million |
| 2020 | $431.06 million |
| Q1 2021 | $138.1 million |
Source: Cloudflare.
Cloudflare revenue breakdown by region
Cloudflare provides a revenue breakdown based on customer billing address with an active contract.
In 2020, Cloudflare generated $218.19 million in revenue from clients with a billing address in the United States, accounting for a 50.62% share of global revenue. The company’s revenue from the US market has increased by 50.92% over the previous year.
Here’s a table showing Cloudflare’s revenue from customers in the United States since 2016:
| Year | US revenue (share) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $43.18 million (50.91%) |
| 2017 | $64.94 million (48.14%) |
| 2018 | $92.65 million (48.09%) |
| 2019 | $144.57 million (50.37%) |
| 2020 | $218.19 million (50.62%) |
| Q1 2021 | $71.22 million (51.57%) |
Cloudflare brought in $109.27 million in revenue from customers with a billing address in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) in 2020. That represents the highest regional growth percentage over the previous year – an increase of 59.7%.
Cloudflare’s EMEA revenue share has reached 25.73% in Q1 2021 (25.35% in 2020), increasing from 20.86% in 2016.
We’ve charted Cloudflare’s revenue from customers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa since 2016:
| Year | EMEA revenue (share) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $17.69 million (20.86%) |
| 2017 | $31.88 million (23.63%) |
| 2018 | $48.44 million (25.14%) |
| 2019 | $68.42 million (23.84%) |
| 2020 | $109.27 million (25.35%) |
| Q1 2021 | $35.53 million (25.73%) |
Cloudflare’s revenue from customers in the Asia Pacific region reached $76.12 million – a 38.07% year-over-year growth.
Here’s a table including Cloudflare’s revenue from customers with a billing address in the Asia Pacific region since 2016:
| Year | Asia Pacific revenue (share) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $8.5 million (10.02%) |
| 2017 | $15.46 million (11.46%) |
| 2018 | $38.85 million (20.16%) |
| 2019 | $55.13 million (19.21%) |
| 2020 | $76.12 million (17.66%) |
| Q1 2021 | $22.88 million (16.57%) |
In 2020, Cloudflare generated $27.42 million in revenue from “other markets” (outside of the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific). This represents growth of 45.08% over the previous year.
We’ve charted Cloudflare’s revenue from other markets since 2016:
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $5.37 million |
| 2017 | $8.2 million |
| 2018 | $12.73 million |
| 2019 | $18.9 million |
| 2020 | $27.42 million |
| Q1 2021 | $8.42 million |
Source: Cloudflare.
Cloudflare revenue breakdown by type of customers
Cloudflare’s sales team and channel partners each generate revenue from sales transactions.
As such, the company brought in $385.76 million in direct customer revenue in 2020 – an 89.49% share of total revenue. Cloudflare’s direct customer revenue increased by 48.07% over the past year.
Here’s a detailed overview of Cloudflare’s direct customer revenue since 2016:
| Year | Direct customers revenue (share) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $81.34 million (95.91%) |
| 2017 | $127.07 million (94.19%) |
| 2018 | $179.44 million (93.13%) |
| 2019 | $260.53 million (90.77%) |
| 2020 | $385.76 million (89.49%) |
| Q1 2021 | $122.69 million (88.84%) |
Cloudflare generated $45.3 million in channel partner revenue in 2020. And $15.36 million in the first three months of 2021.
The segment share grew to 11.12% in Q1 2021, from 4.07% in 2016.
Here’s Cloudflare’s channel partner revenue since 2016:
| Year | Channel partners revenue (share) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $3.45 million (4.07%) |
| 2017 | $7.85 million (5.82%) |
| 2018 | $13.23 million (6.87%) |
| 2019 | $26.5 million (9.23%) |
| 2020 | $45.3 million (10.51%) |
| Q1 2021 | $15.36 million (11.12%) |
Source: Cloudflare.
Cloudflare total operating expenses
Cloudflare’s operating expenses totaled $436.77 million in 2020. That’s an increase of 31.74% over the previous year.
The following table shows Cloudflare’s total operating expenses since 2016:
| Year | Operating expenses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $77.86 million |
| 2017 | $115.86 million |
| 2018 | $234.04 million |
| 2019 | $331.54 million |
| 2020 | $436.77 million |
| Q1 2021 | $114.68 million |
Source: Cloudflare.
Cloudflare sales and marketing expenses
Cloudflare’s sales and marketing expenses amounted to $217.87 million in 2020, making up 49.88% of total operating expenses.
The company’s sales and marketing expenses in 2020 increased by 36.76% compared with 2019.
Here’s a table displaying Cloudflare’s sales and marketing expenses:
| Year | Sales and marketing expenses (Share) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $40.12 million (51.53%) |
| 2017 | $61.9 million (53.43%) |
| 2018 | $94.39 million (40.33%) |
| 2019 | $159.3 million (48.05%) |
| 2020 | $217.87 million (49.88%) |
| Q1 2021 | $63.14 million (55.06%) |
Source: Cloudflare.
Cloudflare research and development expenses
In 2020, Cloudflare reported $127.14 million in research and development expenses. The company’s research and development expenses grew by 40.18% over the previous year.
Cloudflare’s research and development expenses as a share of total operating expenses declined from 30.39% in 2016 to 24.83% in Q1 2021.
We’ve charted Cloudflare research and development expenses since 2016:
| Year | Research and development expenses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $23.66 million (30.39%) |
| 2017 | $33.65 million (29.04%) |
| 2018 | $54.46 million (23.27%) |
| 2019 | $90.7 million (27.36%) |
| 2020 | $127.14 million (29.11%) |
| Q1 2021 | $28.47 million (24.83%) |
Source: Cloudflare.
Cloudflare general and administrative expenses
Cloudflare spent $91.75 million in general and administrative expenses in 2020. And an additional $23.08 million in Q1 2021.
Here’s a table showing Cloudflare’s general and administrative expenses since 2016:
| Year | General and administrative expenses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $14.07 million (18.07%) |
| 2017 | $20.3 million (17.52%) |
| 2018 | $85.18 million (36.4%) |
| 2019 | $81.58 million (24.61%) |
| 2020 | $91.75 million (21.01%) |
| Q1 2021 | $23.08 million (20.13%) |
Source: Cloudflare.
How many people work at Cloudflare?
As of March 2021, Cloudflare has 1,931 full-time employees across 15 locations worldwide. The company’s headcount grew by 41.15% over the past year, adding 563 new employees since March 2020.
Here’s a table showing Cloudflare’s employee count since Q1 2018:
| Quarter, year | Headcount |
|---|---|
| Q1 2018 | 627 |
| Q2 2018 | 703 |
| Q3 2018 | 793 |
| Q4 2018 | 865 |
| Q1 2019 | 960 |
| Q2 2019 | 1069 |
| Q3 2019 | 1191 |
| Q4 2019 | 1270 |
| Q1 2020 | 1368 |
| Q2 2020 | 1535 |
| Q3 2020 | 1697 |
| Q4 2020 | 1788 |
| Q1 2021 | 1931 |
Average compensation is estimated to be $138,324, according to Comparably data. Based on 14 records of employees with an H1B visa, the median base salary at the company is $146,000.
Source: Cloudflare, Comparably, H1B Salary Database.
Conclusion
That’s all for our list of Cloudflare stats in 2022. The web infrastructure and security company is gaining increased market traction with additional paying customers, including the growth of its enterprise segment.
Do you think Cloudflare has a competitive content delivery network (CDN) offering with future room for growth? Or do you believe the company is overvalued? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
Equally, if you have any questions or data suggestions, please get in contact below.