Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Approximated VS Google Project Shield

Compare Approximated VS Google Project Shield and see what are their differences

Approximated logo Approximated

Reliably automate custom domains at scale with SSL for SAAS, marketplaces, platform, and web apps

Google Project Shield logo Google Project Shield

Google's DDoS protection service
  • Approximated Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-11-26

Easy to setup, simple to automate

Approximated treats convenience and simplicity as a first class citizen, going the extra mile to make every step as easy as possible to integrate.

How it works

Approximated creates a dedicated cluster just for you, with edge servers in regions all over the world. These proxy traffic for custom domains to your app at any scale with incredibly low latency.

  1. Create your dedicated cluster Approximated spins up a dedicated cluster, with nodes distributed globally. Traffic is automatically routed through the region nearest users for lightning fast response times. All you need to do is name it.

  2. Call the API, or use the dashboard Connecting a custom domain takes one API call to Approximated. Or, use the dashboard to do the same thing any time. The dashboard will even show you what that would look like as an API call.

  3. Point the domain(s) All that's needed is one DNS A record pointed at your cluster's dedicated IP address. Approximated will automatically create and manage SSL certificates for every domain.

Managed & maintained for you

Convenience isn't enough when it comes to handling custom domains in production - everything needs to be rock solid and reliable.

Approximated has constant monitoring, globally distributed servers, and automatically self-healing clusters so that it's ultra reliable.

Sophisticated monitoring at every level

Approximated is always monitoring the SSL status, DNS resolution, proxy hit status, and more for every domain. No external monitoring or infrastucture required - Approximated includes this for free.

Self-healing clusters with intelligent routing

Frequent health checks for every region of your cluster allow Approximated to find and heal any potentials issues before you or your users run into them. Traffic is automatically be routed to the nearest working region during any repairs to avoid any downtime.

  • Google Project Shield Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19

Approximated

$ Details
paid Free Trial $20.0 / Monthly ($20 minimum, 20 cents per custom domain, volume discounts)
Release Date
2021 March

Approximated features and specs

  • Dedicated clusters
  • Dedicated IPv4 per cluster
  • Globally distributed cluster nodes for low latency
  • Automatic SSL certificate provisioning/renewal
  • Automatic monitoring
  • Unlimited custom domains
  • Unlimited target hosts/servers/origins

Google Project Shield features and specs

  • Protection Against DDoS Attacks
    Project Shield uses Google's infrastructure to absorb and counteract Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, ensuring that websites remain accessible during such attacks.
  • Free Service for Eligible Websites
    The service is offered free of charge to news, human rights, and political sites, supporting the flow of information without financial burden.
  • Enhanced Website Reliability
    By protecting against attacks that could take websites offline, Project Shield enhances the reliability and availability of essential online services.
  • Part of Google's Security Suite
    As part of Google's range of security products, Project Shield benefits from continuous improvements and integration with broader security solutions.

Possible disadvantages of Google Project Shield

  • Eligibility Limitations
    Only certain types of websites, such as those focusing on news, human rights, or elections, are eligible, potentially excluding other at-risk sites from protection.
  • Dependence on Google Infrastructure
    Relying on Google's infrastructure could create dependency issues or concerns about corporate influence and data handling.
  • Potential Latency Issues
    Routing traffic through Google's systems might introduce latency, potentially impacting website performance for end-users.
  • Data Privacy Concerns
    Some organizations might be concerned about privacy implications, as the service could give Google visibility over site traffic and data.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Approximated and Google Project Shield)
SSL Certificates
100 100%
0% 0
CDN
0 0%
100% 100
API
100 100%
0% 0
Communication
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Approximated and Google Project Shield.

What makes your product unique?

Approximated's answer

Approximated makes it extremely easy to add a custom domains feature to any web app, SAAS, marketplace, or platform.

Often, companies can be integrated and live within a few days or less. It's very cost effective, making use of economies of scale and expertise to offer a complete solution at a tiny fraction of the cost to build the same features in house.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Approximated's answer

Approximated is both easier to integrate, and more cost effective than competitors.

It offers all of the features you care about without building in the cost of those that you don't:

  • Hours or days to integrate, instead of weeks or months
  • You can start small, at a very low price
  • You can scale up to any size without any extra steps
  • You get automatic volume discounts as you scale up, instead of being forced into various enterprise agreements
  • Talk to real developers on staff instead of sales people, if you want
  • Your cluster is dedicated only to you, instead of shared with everyone else like competitors

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Approximated's answer

Startups, Scale-ups, dev teams, and devops teams who want to get a custom domains feature launched this week, with rock solid reliability and genuine developer support.

User comments

Share your experience with using Approximated and Google Project Shield. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Google Project Shield should be more popular than Approximated. It has been mentiond 16 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Approximated mentions (3)

  • Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (March 2026)
    Https://approximated.app It makes connecting user domains to your app easy and reliable at any scale. Each Approximated user gets the own globally distributed, managed cluster of servers with its own dedicated IPv4 address. Includes (unlimited) edge rule features, DDoS protection, webhooks, and more. Make a simple API call, tell the user to point an A record at the IP, and itโ€™s connected to your app with its own... - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Ask HN: What are you working on (September 2024)?
    Https://approximated.app - reliably automating custom domains and their SSL certs at scale. For SaaS, marketplaces, platforms, outbound services, etc. Who have a lot of customers that want to connect their own domains. Currently working on: - Further improving the embeddable DNS widget (to help/automate users updating their DNS records) that launched last month - Rolling out the new hybrid self hosted version that... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • How to support user custom domains with Next.js
    It's why we built Approximated - so that you don't have to. And at a price you can afford, starting at $20/month instead of thousands. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago

Google Project Shield mentions (16)

  • How to force a coworker to apply opsec - How can I apply general opsec for both parties while chatting ?
    Check out Signal. If your friend is a journalist, they should look at Googleโ€™s Jigsaw project (https://jigsaw.google.com). Source: over 3 years ago
  • Jigsaw Research Participation Invitation NOV 3-DEC 2
    The Jigsaw User Experience Research Team is gathering feedback about Outline! Source: over 3 years ago
  • Starting next week Google subsidary Jigsaw will blanket Poland with video ads "designed to help people identify and refute derogatory tropes about migrants"
    CEO of Jigsaw, Yasmin Green, is a board member of the ADL. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • The end of genuine amateur UFO videos on YouTube [In-depth]
    Google's Project Jigsaw put paid to a lot of that. Here's Just Interesting talking about how their conspiracy tinged "Uncovered" got buried. It wasn't about "covering up" UFOs in the traditional sense, it was because conspiracy content was being linked by big tech and google to far right extremism, and ufo's got caught in the crossfire. The link has always been there quietly in the background, Jacques Vallee... Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Detecting toxicity in Tweets using the Twitter API v2 and the Perspective API
    Note: This is just sample code. Twitter does not own the Perspective API. It is a product of a collaborative research effort by Jigsaw and Googleโ€™s Counter Abuse Technology team. - Source: dev.to / about 4 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Approximated and Google Project Shield, you can also consider the following products

CloudFlare - Cloudflare is a global network designed to make everything you connect to the Internet secure, private, fast, and reliable.

Cloudflare Spectrum - DDoS protection for TCP services

Entri - Entri is the API for custom domains. We make it easy for your application to connect, secure, sell, and power custom domains.

Kilo SSL - Automatic SSL management solution for SaaS providers

SaaS Custom Domains - The easiest solution for offering branded custom domains and white-labelling to your customers. Secure, reliable, and scalable.

VanityCert.com - VanityCert.com simplifies custom domain management and automated SSL certificate issuance for SaaS businesses. Empower your customers with branded domains and seamless security.