Cloudflare vs Fastly H1B Sponsorship: 2025 Comparison
Cloudflare and Fastly are two of the leading CDN and edge network companies that regularly sponsor H1B visas for network engineers, security engineers, and distributed systems developers. Both companies are well-known for engineering-driven cultures and competitive compensation. This guide compares their H1B programs for technical candidates.
H1B Sponsorship Comparison: Cloudflare vs Fastly
| Metric | Cloudflare | Fastly |
|---|---|---|
| Annual H1B LCA Filings | 250+ | 80+ |
| H1B Approval Rate | ~91% | ~90% |
| Median H1B Base Salary | $178,000 | $165,000 |
| Market Cap (2024) | ~$30B | ~$1.5B |
| Premium Processing | Yes | Yes |
| Green Card Sponsorship | Yes | Yes |
| HQ Location | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Top Sponsored Roles | Network Eng, SWE, Security Eng | SWE, Network Eng, Distributed Systems |
| Engineering Culture | Strong — edge computing focus | Strong — CDN infrastructure focus |
| Public Company | Yes (NYSE: NET) | Yes (NYSE: FSLY) |
Cloudflare H1B Sponsorship
Cloudflare is the significantly larger of the two companies by market cap and H1B volume. Cloudflare files 250+ H1B LCA applications annually, primarily for network engineers, software engineers, and security engineers at its San Francisco HQ and Austin TX office. Cloudflare's edge computing platform, DDoS protection, and Zero Trust security products create strong demand for specialized engineers. Median H1B base salary is $178,000, among the highest in the CDN/network security space.
Fastly H1B Sponsorship
Fastly sponsors approximately 80 H1B applications per year, primarily at its San Francisco headquarters. Fastly focuses on CDN infrastructure, edge compute, and web application firewall technologies. The company is smaller than Cloudflare and has faced financial challenges, resulting in more selective hiring. Software engineers and distributed systems engineers are the most sponsored roles. Median H1B base salary is $165,000. Fastly has a strong engineering reputation despite its smaller size.
Verdict
Cloudflare is the superior H1B sponsor — 3x more filings, higher median wages, stronger company growth, and a more diverse product portfolio. Fastly is a reasonable alternative for engineers specifically interested in CDN infrastructure work, but Cloudflare's scale, compensation, and growth trajectory make it the preferred option for most candidates choosing between the two.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Cloudflare sponsor H1B for network engineers?
Yes. Cloudflare is one of the top H1B sponsors for network and distributed systems engineers. Its edge network spanning 300+ cities globally requires specialized networking expertise that it recruits internationally.
What is the H1B salary at Cloudflare vs Fastly?
Cloudflare pays a median H1B base salary of $178,000; Fastly pays approximately $165,000. Senior network and security engineers at Cloudflare can earn $200,000+ in base salary.
Is Fastly a stable H1B sponsor?
Fastly has experienced financial turbulence and layoffs, which creates uncertainty around long-term H1B sponsorship. H1B employees who are laid off have 60 days to find a new sponsor before falling out of status. Candidates should weigh this stability risk against Cloudflare or other more financially stable CDN/security companies.
What engineering roles does Cloudflare sponsor H1B for?
Cloudflare's most common H1B sponsored roles include network infrastructure engineers, software engineers (Rust, Go, C), security engineers (DDoS, WAF, Zero Trust), site reliability engineers, and ML engineers for bot detection and traffic analysis.
Are there other edge/CDN companies that sponsor H1B?
Yes. Akamai Technologies is the largest CDN company and a significant H1B sponsor. Zscaler, Palo Alto Networks (for network security), and AWS CloudFront team (within Amazon) also sponsor H1B for edge and network engineering roles.