Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs Menlo Secure comparison

Barracuda Networks and Menlo Security are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Barracuda Networks is ranked #23 with an average rating of 8.1, while Menlo Security is ranked #51. Barracuda Networks holds a 1.0% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to Menlo Security’s 0.3% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Barracuda Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Menlo Security users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall and Menlo Secure compete in the network security category. Menlo Secure has the upper hand in web content security while Barracuda offers comprehensive network protection.

Features: Barracuda CloudGen Firewall users value its advanced threat protection, network visibility, and policy management. Menlo Secure users prioritize its web isolation capabilities, protection against malware, and phishing prevention. Menlo Secure’s emphasis is on web content security whereas Barracuda provides an all-around network security.

Room for Improvement: Barracuda CloudGen Firewall could use improvements in VPN capabilities, simpler configuration, and better user interface. Menlo Secure would benefit from better integration with other tools, enhanced reporting, and expanded threat intelligence. Targeted improvements are needed for both products, focusing on user-specific requirements.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Barracuda CloudGen Firewall requires technical expertise for deployment but is generally considered straightforward. Customer service is positive. Menlo Secure offers an easier deployment process with very responsive support, catering well to users with varying expertise levels.

Pricing and ROI: Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is seen as cost-effective with a strong long-term ROI. Menlo Secure’s higher pricing reflects its specialized features, providing significant value for its unique security capabilities. Users consider Barracuda a good investment with a lower initial cost.

To learn more, read our detailed Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs. Menlo Secure Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs. Menlo Secure

April 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 16.0%, down from 21.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is 1.0%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Menlo Secure is 0.3%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	16.0%
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall	1.0%
Menlo Secure	0.3%
Other	82.7%

Firewalls

Featured Reviews

Abhinandan Yadav

Network Security Engineer at Arrow PC Network Pvt Ltd

Unified security and sd-wan have improved uptime and cut wan costs for multi-site branches

Users report stability issues in certain versions, which requires regular updates. Real-world attacks have also highlighted the need for urgent patching of vulnerabilities.Fortinet FortiGate, while a powerful and feature-rich web firewall, could improve in areas like firmware stability, documentation, and ease of use. The learning curve can be steep for some users. For beginners, support quality can vary, and frequent updates with occasional vulnerabilities call for careful patch management. However, once Fortinet FortiGate is configured, it remains highly reliable and efficient. Customer support needs improvement, as I find it very slow, with reports from other users reflecting that customer support is inadequate.

Read full review

Jennifer Bernice

Dotnet Developer at Kohl's

Centralized firewall management has saved time and improved network security across locations

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall could be improved as it has a very high learning curve. It is definitely not a one and done firewall, as a one and done firewall requires a lot of dedicated time to get the machine running the way you want. To improve Barracuda CloudGen Firewall, there should be a lot of tutorials and videos online to help new users. Multiple ways to configure for the same service or feature takes time to determine your customized build. In addition to previous points, the interface can sometimes be clunky when trying to determine how it is organized or arranged.

Read full review

reviewer2701794

Head Of Bluechip Enterprise at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees

Provides strong protection and multiple use cases but struggles with market recognition

There aren't specific areas for improvement; however, they're not as well known as the big vendors such as Palo Alto. Menlo Secure is a smaller company with limited resources and funding, which makes it challenging to compete with larger companies such as Palo and Cisco. What can be improved is market awareness and adoption of the technology. When selling it in the channel, regardless of how good the technology might be, success depends more on market adoption and awareness.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The solution is easy to configure and maintain remotely."

"FortiGate has a very strong unified threat management system."

"The price of Fortinet FortiGate is reasonable for an SME."

"It is easy to manage, and it doesn't need much knowledge from the team; it is a stable device, and there are many features that are included out of the box."

"The product is so stable I don't need to have a cluster."

"The most important feature is that it's easy to use, it is user-friendly and has all the features you need."

"It is useful for protecting and segregating the internal networks from the internet. Most of our customers also use the FortiGate client to connect to their offices by using the VPN client, and of course, they usually activate the antivirus, deep inspection, and intrusion prevention services. They are also using it for web filtering and implementing various policies dealing with forwardings, NAT, etc."

"The email protection and VPN features are the most valuable."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"Since implementing the Barracuda CloudGen Firewall, we've seen significant benefits, particularly in stopping a lot of unnecessary or dangerous emails. One key feature we value is the ability to train the solution with emails categorized as threats, giving it a learning capacity."

"The most valuable features of Barracuda CloudGen Firewall include antivirus protection, anti-DDoS, and IPS."

"We enjoy the reduction in terms of labor."

"We evaluated a lot of different options, and we concluded that Barracuda NG Firewall provided the most features for an exemplary price."

"I like the identity fire walling, malware protection and application control features."

"Barracuda CloudGen Firewall has positively impacted my organization by increasing the level of network protection against threats from twenty percent to forty-five percent."

"Its stability and SD-WAN features are the most valuable."

"Since switching to Barracuda CloudGen Firewall, we have saved time of 30 to 40 percent because we are able to control the network from one location, and we have also saved costs of 20 percent because we do not have to move from one location to another to control the network."

More Barracuda CloudGen Firewall pros

"The solution is invisible to our end users, so it doesn't have any impact on their work or performance."

"It has reduced security events to follow up on. While it is not 100%, there has been probably a 90% or more reduction. We were getting hit left, right, and center constantly from people browsing the Internet and hitting bad websites. It was not just bad websites that were stood up to be malicious, but good sites that were compromised."

"The fact that it is a cloud proxy solution is another feature we like. For example, if you acquire a new company, you can use it to protect that new company without the need to install anything physically on their networks."

"We are not aware of a single compromise from the web since implementing the solution."

"We have definitely seen ROI, as we save a ton of money and time because the numerous hits that we were receiving from our security tools prior to implementing them had to all be chased down, dispositioned, and endpoints had to be reimaged."

"Accessing the internet with a proxy from anywhere is the most valuable feature. It ensures that users are only able to browse legitimate websites. If they happen to go to a legitimate website with a malicious payload, the isolation feature will take care of that."

"For us, the primary goal is protection on the web, and that's extremely important. We're not using any of the other services at this time. The web part is key to the success of the organization. It gives us the ability to protect. It can isolate. It opens the session in an isolated format so that the code isn't running locally. It is running over in the Menlo environment, not in ours. It is not running on the local computer, whereas if you were to go to a normal website, it would run Java or something else on the local machine and potentially execute the malicious code locally. So, it does give us that level of protection."

"Either you have access to something or don't have access to it, and if you do, we can ensure, 100 percent of the time, that there is nothing malicious that is going to impact our system in any way."

More Menlo Secure pros

Cons

"The setup is pretty complex and not easy to implement."

"The solution’s stability could be improved because we sometimes faced some drops."

"They should improve high CPU and memory usage that occurs."

"The initial setup and configuration are not intuitive and require training."

"The cloud management and automation capability could be improved."

"The solution could improve the integration."

"Fortinet FortiGate could improve by having a frequent ask questions(FAQ) area for people to receive quick answers to popular questions. Additionally, it would be beneficial to have an SMS notification feature."

"They have recently acquired a CNAP solution which should be integrated into FortiGate boxes natively for protection at any application layer. Since Fortinet FortiGate has Layer 7 protection, they should integrate that as soon as they can for threat detection and network detection."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"I would like to see a more user-friendly dashboard and an easier interface."

"The interface of Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is not as user-friendly as others. It is a bit complicated and could be improved."

"The interface of Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is not as user-friendly as others."

"Sometimes we have a need for detailed reports. Barracuda NG Firewall does not have a reports module and uses a satellite application."

"The analytics are weak."

"To start working with spam, it takes a while because the product has to see that multiple emails are coming in with all the spam. If it could reduce that amount of time, then we would reduce the amount of users who are receiving spam."

"Technical support could be more reliable and more professional."

"The management program is something that only certain people understand."

More Barracuda CloudGen Firewall cons

"Currently, I don't have a good way to see which of my rules are being used in the access control lists."

"The user monitoring could still be improved."

"In the best of all worlds, we wouldn't have to make any exceptions. However, that is a big ask because a lot of that depends on how websites are constructed. For example, there are some very complex, application-oriented sites that we end up making exceptions for. It is really not that big an issue for us to make the exceptions. We feel like we are doing that without a huge impact on our security posture, but we do have to make some exceptions for complex sites, e.g., mostly SaaS-type sites and applications."

"Currently, I don't have a good way to see which of my rules are being used in the access control lists. I have numerous entries, but are they all still needed? A report that would show me my list of who is allowed and whether we're actually using it would be useful because I can then go clean up my list. It would be easier to manage. We would eliminate the vulnerability of unused services."

"We are now transitioning to another solution. The main reason for that is that managing all of the exceptions and troubleshooting all of the issues our users have had connecting to the internet has become too significant in terms of workload, compared to what we hope we will have with another solution."

"Menlo Secure is a smaller company with limited resources and funding, which makes it challenging to compete with larger companies such as Palo and Cisco."

"In the best of all worlds, we wouldn't have to make any exceptions. For example, there are some very complex, application-oriented sites that we end up making exceptions for."

"The user monitoring could still be improved."

More Menlo Secure cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"If we have an older version, the support costs get quite high."

"Go for long term pricing negotiated at the time of purchase."

"The pricing is reasonable."

"Its pricing is good. The advantages of Fortinet FortiGate over its competitors include good pricing and meeting our requirements at a lower cost."

"Fortinet FortiGate is reasonably priced."

"Work through partners for the best pricing."

"The licensing costs are very low."

"The license for Fortinet FortiGate is affordable in my country."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"We pay around 150 to 200 Euros per year and there are no additional costs."

"The 600 series is about USD $10,000 a year and the 80 is USD $400 a year."

"The pricing is very cheap compared to Cisco ASA, which we used before, and compared to Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet. Barracuda has different solutions for different people. So for my SMB-level infrastructure, Barracuda has given me a proper solution that is half of the price of Palo Alto or Fortinet."

"It's not the most expensive, but it's certainly not cheap."

"The solution's price is reasonable."

"The solution costs more than 800 Euros to purchase an F18, which is an entry model, and then another 500 Euros for instant replacement, and 500 Euros for energized updates. The total package would be around 1,900 Euros for five years license and all updates for an entry model."

"When the corporation purchases something, it follows a request-for-proposal process and the best price wins. So, I think Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is reasonably priced, though I’m not sure of the exact amount"

"The product is a bit cheaper than some solutions."

More Barracuda CloudGen Firewall pricing and cost advice

"It is appropriately priced for what they're doing for us. Considering the protection provided, I feel their pricing is spot-on."

"We save a ton of money and time. Previously, the numerous hits that we were receiving from our security tools, prior to implementing them, had to all be chased down, dispositioned, and endpoints had to be reimaged. It was just a ton of effort to do all that. That is where the savings from time and money come in."

"The solution is expensive. It's more expensive than the solution I previously used. Compared with the other cloud-based solutions, it's very competitive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

12%

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

15%

Retailer

10%

Computer Software Company

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	367
Midsize Enterprise	135
Large Enterprise	193

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	32
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	10

No data available

Questions from the Community

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What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?

As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Barracuda CloudGen Firewall?

My experience with pricing is that while the licensing cost can be reduced and is somewhat costly, the price is good ...

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What needs improvement with Barracuda CloudGen Firewall?

There is room for improvement in terms of response time and first-level support quality. Barracuda CloudGen Firewall ...

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What is your primary use case for Barracuda CloudGen Firewall?

My main use case for Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is that we purchased it to replace our current Cisco firewall tool. ...

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What needs improvement with Menlo Security Secure Web Gateway?

There aren't specific areas for improvement; however, they're not as well known as the big vendors such as Palo Alto....

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Menlo Security Secure Web Gateway?

People are mainly using it for zero trust web access. Menlo Secure is built from the ground up to provide zero basic ...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Menlo Security Secure Web Gateway?

Secure file sharing and data protection is not exactly what Menlo Secure is designed to do. While it can handle some ...

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Comparisons

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 18% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

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Cisco Secure Firewall vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 5% of the time

Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 4% of the time

Sophos Firewall vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 3% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 3% of the time

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Prisma Access Browser vs Menlo Secure

Compared 21% of the time

Check Point Harmony SASE (formerly Perimeter 81) vs Menlo Secure

Compared 13% of the time

Netskope Next Gen Secure Web Gateway vs Menlo Secure

Compared 8% of the time

Cloudflare One vs Menlo Secure

Compared 7% of the time

Silo by Authentic8 vs Menlo Secure

Compared 7% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

May 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

May 2026

Download Barracuda CloudGen Firewall product report

Buyer's Guide

Menlo Secure

April 2026

Download Menlo Secure product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

Barracuda NextGen Firewall, Barracuda CloudGen Firewalls

Menlo Security Web Security, Menlo Web Security

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate is a versatile network security tool offering features like VPN, firewall, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and scalability. It is known for its performance and integration with other Fortinet products, making it a preferred choice for robust cybersecurity.

Fortinet FortiGate stands out as a comprehensive cybersecurity solution with strong performance and ease of configuration. It delivers unified threat management, integrating features such as dynamic routing, SD-WAN support, and centralized management. Despite its strengths, improvements in the web interface's stability, pricing structures, and reporting capabilities are needed. Users seek better integration with third-party tools and automation advancements to enhance the experience further. These enhancements, alongside improvements in bandwidth management and the reduction of licensing costs, are points of interest for users looking to capitalize on FortiGate's extensive capabilities.

What are Fortinet FortiGate's key features?

VPN: Ensures secure remote connections.
Firewall: Protects against unauthorized access.
Web Filtering: Blocks malicious sites and content.
Application Control: Manages and controls applications.
Intrusion Prevention: Detects and prevents vulnerabilities.
SSL Inspection: Enhances security by inspecting encrypted traffic.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating Fortinet FortiGate?

Affordability: Offers cost-effective security solutions.
Reliability: Known for consistent and stable performance.
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other Fortinet products.
Comprehensive Protection: Provides broad threat protection capabilities.

Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries as a primary firewall system for securing internet gateways and safeguarding data centers. It supports businesses in achieving SD-WAN integration and enhances cybersecurity by providing essential features like antivirus, web filtering, and application control. Enterprises utilize FortiGate for securing remote connections and ensuring compliance with security standards, making it adaptable for different network sizes and industries.

Fortinet

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall offers strong VPN, scalable network management, and advanced threat protection. Its capabilities include dynamic VPN, SD-WAN, URL filtering, and malware protection, making it essential for network security in distributed environments.

Known for its robust security and user-friendly management, Barracuda CloudGen Firewall helps safeguard networks, manage traffic, and secure connections across distributed sites. It provides critical security features and solutions like firewalling and intrusion prevention for protecting environments such as data centers, offices, and remote locations. Room for enhancement includes the user interface, needing better tutorials, improved load balancing, and stronger tech support.

What are the most valuable features?

Seamless VPN capabilities enhance secure remote access for users.
Scalable network management supports large distributed architectures.
Advanced threat protection defends against malware and unauthorized access.
Dynamic VPN offers flexible secure connectivity options.
SD-WAN functionality optimizes application performance and cost-efficiency.
Robust URL filtering enhances security by blocking malicious sites.

What benefits or ROI should users look for?

Cost efficiency is achieved by combining security features with network management.
Centralized management allows configuration and policy updates from one interface, improving control.
Real-time monitoring boosts operational efficiency by promptly addressing threats.
Policy updates and instant changes help organizations stay responsive to security needs.

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is leveraged by industries to enhance network security and application performance. It caters to sectors requiring strong protection for IT infrastructure, managing traffic in data centers, and ensuring secure connectivity for distributed workforces, which is crucial in sectors like finance, healthcare, and education.

Barracuda Networks

Menlo Security Secure Application Access

Menlo Security Secure Application Access makes zero trust access easy, giving users secure connectivity to private applications, including web and legacy applications. At the core of Secure Application Access is the Menlo Secure Cloud Browser, which fetches, secures and delivers the content for users.

In addition to providing simple-to-deploy, clientless ZTA, Secure Application Access and the Menlo Secure Cloud Browser protect applications from attacks such as session hijacking, cookie manipulation, and other tactics that employ protocol manipulation.

Secure Application Access protects applications from Internet threats and provides granular controls for added protection of the application and associated data. These security controls include Read-only/Read-write, Upload/download, Copy/paste, AV scanning, Sandboxing, and Data Loss Prevention.

Last Mile Data Protection

Menlo Last-Mile Data Protection identifies and prevents sensitive data from leaving your company by meticulously inspecting all file uploads and user input across browsing sessions. Leveraging the Secure Cloud Browser, users are protected from the internet and you can protect your organization from data loss with comprehensive traffic monitoring and controls. This approach addresses the growing concerns surrounding data leakage in the age of AI tools like ChatGPT.

By identifying sensitive data through file types, regular expressions, or predefined libraries, Menlo Last-Mile Data Protection empowers security teams to regulate data input into AI platforms and prevent unauthorized uploads. This capability provides crucial protection for intellectual property, PII, and other confidential information.

The solution leverages the Menlo Cloud Security Platform's visibility and control over traffic to reliably detect and prevent data leaks originating from both browser submission forms and non-browser traffic. With the ability to inspect encrypted web traffic, Menlo Last-Mile Data Protection enforces DLP policies consistently across all users and devices, ensuring comprehensive data protection.

Menlo Security

Sample Customers

Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP, Oracle, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Vodafone, Orange, BT Group, Telstra, Deutsche Telekom, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, CenturyLink, NTT Communications, Tata Communications, SoftBank, China Mobile, Singtel, Telus, Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, Telkom Indonesia, Telkom South Africa, Telmex, Telia Company, Telkom Kenya

ARZ, Bauer, CBCX Technologies, Diamant-groep, Eissmann Group Automotive, European Youth Olympics, Exalo Drilling, FineLine Technologies, Geocell, Grimaldi, Infront Sports & Media, Odlo, Schenker Deutschland AG, Tilak, Verbandsgeneinde Zell, Conservas El Cidacos S.A., Institute for Emergency Medicine and Medicine Management, Erwin Muller GmbH, Info-Tech: NGF is Champion, Schoellerbank, IZB Informatik-Zentrum, RHI AG, Berglandmilch, Antenne Bayern, Sanochemia

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs. Menlo Secure

April 2026

Free Report: Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs. Menlo Secure

Find out what your peers are saying about Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs. Menlo Secure and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

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