Metal lath might be less expensive than hardware cloth. And works better for some predator-proofing. I compared hardware cloth in 25' or shorter rolls of 2', 3', and 4' widths before prices jumped up so much; I haven't compared it lately. It is a lot harder to work with for the reasons that make it better (heavier, sharper, stiffer). It works very well for aprons and windows; not so much for eaves - at least not the way I did them with cutting to go around each rafter. I didn't try sides of runs.