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NGINX Plus Alternative: Same Modules, 95% Less Cost

Get pre-compiled NGINX modules like PageSpeed, ModSecurity, and Brotli without the $3,675/year price tag. NGINX Extras delivers enterprise features starting at $10/month.

Save $3,555+/year compared to NGINX Plus

TL;DR - Which Should You Choose?

Choose NGINX Extras if you need modules like PageSpeed, Brotli, ModSecurity WAF, Lua scripting, or GeoIP2. You'll get 100+ modules starting at just $10/month instead of paying $3,675+/year for NGINX Plus (which charges extra for ModSecurity). We ship both NGINX stable and mainline branches, updated within hours of upstream releases — all modules including ModSecurity are always built against the latest NGINX version.

Choose NGINX Plus if you need DNS-based service discovery for Kubernetes/microservices, SSL certificate management via API, or require 24/7 phone support with SLA guarantees. Note: dynamic upstream management (adding/removing servers without reload) is now available in NGINX-MOD.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

See exactly what you get with each option

Feature NGINX Plus GetPageSpeed NGINX Extras
Core Features
Dynamic Module Loading
HTTP/2 Support
HTTP/2 Full HPACK Encoding NGINX-MOD includes HPACK patch for better compression
HTTP/3 (QUIC) Support Via nginx-quic packages
TLS 1.3
WebSocket Proxying
gRPC Proxying
Security
ModSecurity WAF Included in subscription $2,000+/yr extra
NAXSI WAF Alternative high-performance WAF
Security Headers Module Automatic HSTS, X-Frame-Options, etc.
JWT Authentication Via nginx-module-jwt
LDAP Authentication
Performance & Optimization
Google PageSpeed Module Automatic frontend optimization
Brotli Compression 15-25% better than GZIP
Dynamic ETag Conditional GET for dynamic content
Cache Purge
Image Filter
Load Balancing
Basic Load Balancing Round-robin, least_conn, ip_hash
Active Health Checks Via NGINX-MOD or upstream check module
Dynamic Upstream API NGINX Plus-compatible API via NGINX-MOD
Session Persistence Cookie-based via sticky module Partial
DNS Service Discovery NGINX Plus exclusive feature
Slow Start Supported via NGINX-MOD dynamic upstream API
Monitoring & Management
VTS Monitoring Dashboard Real-time traffic stats
NGINX Plus API Upstream management API built into NGINX-MOD Partial
Live Activity Monitoring VTS provides similar functionality Partial
Dynamic Upstream Configuration Add/remove servers without reload
Scripting & Extensibility
Lua Scripting Full OpenResty compatibility
njs (NGINX JavaScript)
Perl Scripting
Headers More Advanced header manipulation

Pricing Comparison

Enterprise features don't have to cost enterprise prices

NGINX Plus

$3,675
/year per instance
  • Commercial support included
  • 32 official modules
  • Proprietary features (API, dashboard)
  • DNS service discovery
  • ModSecurity WAF costs extra ($2,000+)
  • No PageSpeed module
  • No Brotli compression
  • Per-instance pricing adds up quickly
View NGINX Plus

GetPageSpeed NGINX Extras

From $10
/month
  • 100+ dynamic modules included
  • ModSecurity WAF included
  • PageSpeed, Brotli, GeoIP2 included
  • HTTP/2 HPACK via NGINX-MOD
  • Unlimited servers on higher tiers
  • Cancel anytime
  • Email support (not 24/7 phone)
  • Some enterprise features unavailable
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Which One Is Right For You?

Real-world scenarios to help you decide

Web Agencies Managing Client Sites

If you manage multiple client websites and need PageSpeed optimization, Brotli compression, and security features, NGINX Extras provides everything you need at a fraction of the cost.

Recommendation: NGINX Extras

High-Traffic WordPress Sites

WordPress sites benefit greatly from PageSpeed, Brotli, and cache modules. Unless you need NGINX Plus API for dynamic reconfiguration, NGINX Extras is the better choice.

Recommendation: NGINX Extras

API Gateways & Microservices

NGINX-MOD now includes a dynamic upstream API for adding and removing servers without reload — the most sought-after NGINX Plus feature. Choose NGINX Plus only if you need DNS service discovery or enterprise SLA support.

Recommendation: NGINX Extras (unless DNS discovery needed)

Security-Critical Applications

Both options provide strong security. NGINX Extras includes ModSecurity at no extra cost, while NGINX Plus charges $2,000+ for the same WAF.

Recommendation: NGINX Extras (better value)

Media Streaming

For RTMP/HLS streaming, both provide capable solutions. NGINX Extras includes the RTMP module; NGINX Plus has additional adaptive streaming features.

Recommendation: Either (depends on needs)

What's Included in NGINX Extras

Everything you need to build a high-performance, secure web stack

100+ Dynamic Modules

  • Google PageSpeed
  • ModSecurity WAF
  • Brotli Compression
  • GeoIP2 Database
  • Lua Scripting
  • RTMP Streaming
  • And 40+ more...

Supported Distros

  • RHEL 7, 8, 9, 10
  • AlmaLinux 8, 9, 10
  • Rocky Linux 8, 9, 10
  • CentOS 7
  • Amazon Linux 2, 2023
  • Fedora Latest
  • Oracle Linux 8, 9, 10

Bonus Packages

  • Varnish Cache
  • OpenSSL (Latest)
  • libmaxminddb
  • LuaJIT
  • Performance tools
  • Security utilities
  • Hundreds more...

Ready to Save Thousands on NGINX Modules?

Join thousands of developers and sysadmins who chose NGINX Extras over NGINX Plus

Subscribe Now - From $10/mo

Cancel anytime. No contracts. Instant access.

Common Questions About NGINX Plus Alternatives

NGINX Extras provides many of the same modules and features as NGINX Plus, but they are different products. NGINX Extras uses open-source NGINX with dynamic modules, while NGINX Plus is a proprietary build. With NGINX-MOD, you also get a built-in dynamic upstream API compatible with NGINX Plus — add and remove servers without reload. The remaining NGINX Plus exclusives are DNS service discovery and SSL certificate management via API. For most web serving, caching, load balancing, and security use cases, NGINX Extras provides equivalent or superior functionality at a fraction of the cost.
NGINX Plus pricing reflects enterprise sales, 24/7 support with SLA, and proprietary features developed by F5 Networks. The $3,675+/year per-instance model is typical of enterprise software. However, many teams don't need these enterprise features and can achieve the same goals with open-source NGINX and pre-compiled modules like those in NGINX Extras.
No. Millions of production servers run open-source NGINX without commercial support. The NGINX community, documentation, and resources like our blog provide extensive guidance. NGINX Extras includes email support for installation and configuration questions. Commercial support is only necessary if your organization requires SLA guarantees or 24/7 phone access.
Yes, in most cases. Your nginx.conf will work with minimal changes. NGINX-MOD includes a compatible dynamic upstream API, so scripts that add/remove servers work with a simple API version number change. The main remaining differences involve NGINX Plus-specific features like DNS service discovery and key-value store. If you're using those features, you'll need alternatives (VTS module for status, Redis for key-value). We can help assess your specific configuration.