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Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs MetaDefender comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.4
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall boosts security and efficiency with automation, free upgrades, centralized management, and improved connectivity.
Sentiment score
4.3
MetaDefender improves ROI by automating threat detection, reducing manual work, and lowering malware incidents, benefiting larger organizations.
The centralized management and automation features have reduced manual monitoring efforts, saving our IT team several hours per week.
Offensive Security Analyst at a outsourcing company with 201-500 employees
It has drastically reduced the amount of infections from cybersecurity threats and makes managing close to 50 clients or more for our engineers much easier, hence saving a lot of time and cost.
Dotnet Developer at Kohl's
Since using Barracuda CloudGen Firewall, the security incidents have decreased significantly by approximately 25 to 35 percent across our global network.
Security Lead at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Having both cloud and on-premise solutions enables effective file sanitization and vulnerability detection while preventing attacks that save costs and protect reputation.
Partner Account Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 51-200 employees
MetaDefender has positively impacted my organization by reducing the risk of file-based attacks, which has significantly improved our overall defense against phishing and malware delivery techniques.
Manager at Cyvogenix
I believe it is worth the money, as it brings time-saving, cost-saving, and efficiency improvements, especially in large environments.
Network Security Engineer at EMAK For Integrated solutions
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.4
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall support is generally satisfactory, with varying quality and responsiveness, particularly between different support tiers.
Sentiment score
6.4
MetaDefender support is praised for responsiveness, professionalism, and expertise, especially Vlad, with efficient AI-assisted and clear communication.
The support team is responsive and knowledgeable, assisting us promptly whenever we have faced configuration questions or technical issues.
Offensive Security Analyst at a outsourcing company with 201-500 employees
Barracuda's partner support is better than the majority, and it stands out as one of their strengths.
Product Manager - Cyber Security at M247 Ltd Miami
Whenever I faced any issues and searched the knowledge base, I found many solutions in place.
Security Practitioner at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
This can save time because many vendors, when they check something and ask for logs, need those logs from the beginning.
Cyber Security Architect at Diffiesec
When it comes to my communication with agents, I find they are responsive and professional.
Integration Technician at danet
Their customer service team, distribution team, and regional sales managers provide excellent aftercare and set us up for upselling across the entire MetaDefender portfolio.
Partner Account Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 51-200 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall offers scalable solutions for businesses, supporting seamless growth and flexible deployment across various environments.
Sentiment score
6.2
MetaDefender supports high file volumes and scalable automation, adaptable for banking, defense, with flexible deployment for complex networks.
Its flexible licensing and hybrid deployment options allow it to adapt to evolving network requirements, ensuring continuous security and reliable operations.
Offensive Security Analyst at a outsourcing company with 201-500 employees
Regarding scalability and the ability to scale and expand with Barracuda CloudGen Firewall, there is no issue, so I would rate it a ten.
IT Director at a retailer with 51-200 employees
I can handle growth and larger workloads easily with Barracuda CloudGen Firewall.
Security Practitioner at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
You need to do some sizing before installation and understand exactly what you are seeking from the solution and how it fits your organization.
Infrastructure Securiy & Cyber Engineer at El Al
When you use one database for all instances, you can deploy ten different servers or ten different instances with a separate database for each one.
Cyber Security Architect at Diffiesec
We handle vast amounts of traffic from banking, defense, and critical national infrastructure.
Partner Account Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 51-200 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is praised for stability, reliability in critical environments, and improved connectivity with newer versions.
Sentiment score
8.2
MetaDefender is stable and reliable, performing well with high file volumes and smooth integration despite occasional minor issues.
Its robust infrastructure and real-time monitoring give us the confidence that our network remains secure and operational at all times.
Offensive Security Analyst at a outsourcing company with 201-500 employees
We have very few issues with Barracuda Firewall, even in the case of zero-day vulnerabilities.
Product Manager - Cyber Security at M247 Ltd Miami
In my experience, Barracuda CloudGen Firewall has been reliable and very high performing.
Software Engineer at Ernst & Young
The stability of the system is very high.
Cyber Security Architect at Diffiesec
MetaDefender is 100% stable, making it one of the best cybersecurity solutions we offer.
Partner Account Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 51-200 employees
I find it stable as it maintains good external stability with good availability and no major issues.
Network Security Engineer at EMAK For Integrated solutions
 

Room For Improvement

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall requires interface improvements, better integration, performance enhancements, pricing refinement, and enhanced training resources for users.
MetaDefender users seek improvements in scanning speed, cost, AI explainability, UI, documentation, automation, deployment, and notifications.
Integration with AI would be helpful as modern attacks often utilize AI.
Director Of Technology at PT Exa Teknologi Indonesia
It would be beneficial to merge the existing application policy with the main policy into a single unified policy to improve manageability.
System Engineer for Network & Security at Projekt IP d.o.o.
AI can help us enhance our cybersecurity posture, but at the same time, it can be a nightmare that brings attackers. We need to use caution while enabling any AI-driven features.
Security Practitioner at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
I want to see enhancements allowing for automatic ticket creation using APIs to streamline the workflow and assign tickets to respective teams.
Packaged Application Development Team Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
MetaDefender should have a wizard or general policies that can be used for 80 percent of customers.
Cyber Security Architect at Diffiesec
Pricing is an important aspect in catering to customer budgets and is a must-have consideration for organizations.
Partner Account Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 51-200 employees
 

Setup Cost

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall offers competitive pricing with flexible subscriptions, free upgrades, and cost-effective features appealing to enterprises.
MetaDefender's extensive security justifies its high price, with better value than competitors; custom quotes are recommended.
Our experience with Barracuda CloudGen Firewall pricing and licensing has been reasonable and transparent.
Offensive Security Analyst at a outsourcing company with 201-500 employees
The license price of Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is lower than others, and maintenance or support is included.
Director Of Technology at PT Exa Teknologi Indonesia
It is neither the cheapest nor the most expensive option available.
System Engineer for Network & Security at Projekt IP d.o.o.
When someone attempted to buy from us one instance of OPSWAT, it was about nine thousand dollars for multi-scanning with eight engines and also the CDR module.
Cyber Security Architect at Diffiesec
The price varies based on deployment types; we only used it for file transfer and cloud integration rather than email, which kept it within our budget.
Senior Associate at a educational organization with 11-50 employees
Regarding pricing, setup cost, and licensing, I find the pricing for kiosks, cloud, deep CDR, and adaptive sandbox appropriate.
Partner Account Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 51-200 employees
 

Valuable Features

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall offers centralized control, SD-WAN, advanced protection, scalability, cost-effectiveness, and user-friendly design for efficient security.
MetaDefender offers advanced malware protection features including multi-engine scanning, threat intelligence, sandboxing, and seamless system integration for enhanced security.
This integration helps secure our data and applications from attackers trying to gain access and detect malicious activity.
Product Manager - Cyber Security at M247 Ltd Miami
The real-time monitoring helps us quickly identify unusual traffic patterns and potential threats, allowing us to respond immediately and maintain secure and uninterrupted network operations.
Offensive Security Analyst at a outsourcing company with 201-500 employees
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall has positively impacted my organization by increasing the level of network protection against threats from twenty percent to forty-five percent.
Software Engineer at Ernst & Young
I believe this is very effective and is the most effective engine of OPSWAT because customers ask for OPSWAT for two main reasons: the CDR capabilities and the multi-scanning engines.
Cyber Security Architect at Diffiesec
MetaDefender's core philosophy of trusting no file means it scans files, rebuilds them, and verifies their reputation, ensuring they contain no malicious content.
Partner Account Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 51-200 employees
The integration of multi-scanning and Content Disarm and Reconstruction is truly helpful because we can utilize it in other products such as email integration with ICAP capability, and we are also using it in web scanning.
Project Engineer at i-Secure Networks & Business Solutions Inc.
 

Categories and Ranking

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
Ranking in Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
15th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
47
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (15th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (8th), IoT Security (6th), WAN Edge (5th)
MetaDefender
Ranking in Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
12th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Anti-Malware Tools (4th), Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIP) (6th), Cloud Detection and Response (CDR) (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) category, the mindshare of Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is 2.2%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MetaDefender is 1.8%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
MetaDefender1.8%
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall2.2%
Other96.0%
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
 

Featured Reviews

Jennifer  Bernice - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
RS
Senior Associate at a educational organization with 11-50 employees
File protection has improved and now keeps millions of daily transfers secure and compliant
In my organization, while using this tool, we found that there were a few files flagged as suspicious; however, those were not suspicious and it was a false positive, so that can be improved. False positive results were an issue, and it took time to scan files if the file size was greater than 1 GB. For larger files greater than 1 GB, it needs to be improved. In some cases, the reconstruction of the file led to a failure of code deployment and it flagged a valid file as malicious, which was not effective; however, in other types of files, it was very effective and could scan files properly. We have already covered all the main suggestions; however, it can be improved to reduce false positive results, and scanning could be faster to process more files in a day.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Construction Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Educational Organization
10%
Healthcare Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business32
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise13
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise11
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Barracuda CloudGen Firewall?
Although I am not directly involved in that particular segment, from what I understood from the pricing information, it is a very cost-effective solution compared with other well-known firewall ven...
What needs improvement with Barracuda CloudGen Firewall?
When I consider what I dislike about Barracuda CloudGen Firewall, there are a lot of competitors in the market. Next-gen firewalls offer a lot of capabilities. From a capability standpoint, competi...
What is your primary use case for Barracuda CloudGen Firewall?
I use Barracuda CloudGen Firewall for multiple functionalities. One function is an email security gateway. It also acts for network security protection, network security and threat protection, whic...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MetaDefender?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that it is good and at par with other competitors.
What needs improvement with MetaDefender?
I would like to see improvements in the tool's automation capabilities. It would be beneficial if it could automatically create tickets and notify responsible teams about any identified vulnerabili...
What is your primary use case for MetaDefender?
The major use cases of MetaDefender in my work environment involve preventing malware updates, data breaches, and compliance violations through scanning files for malware, vulnerabilities, and sens...
 

Also Known As

Barracuda NextGen Firewall, Barracuda CloudGen Firewalls
OPSWAT MetaDefender, MetaDefender Core
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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
Find out what your peers are saying about Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs. MetaDefender and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.