Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks K2-Series comparison

Barracuda Networks and Palo Alto Networks are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Barracuda Networks is ranked #25 with an average rating of 8.0, while Palo Alto Networks is ranked #36 with an average rating of 8.7. Barracuda Networks holds a 0.5% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to Palo Alto Networks’s 0.1% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of Barracuda Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Palo Alto Networks users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall and Palo Alto Networks K2-Series are both competitive firewall solutions addressing diverse cybersecurity needs. Users indicate a preference for the feature set and comprehensive support of Palo Alto Networks K2-Series but find Barracuda CloudGen Firewall more appealing in terms of cost-effectiveness.

Features: Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is praised for its robust network security, integrated SD-WAN functionalities, and ease of use. Users value its comprehensive protection and flexibility in hybrid cloud environments. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series receives high marks for its advanced threat detection, automation capabilities, and granular control over network traffic. Users appreciate its advanced security features and integration with other Palo Alto products.

Room For Improvement: Users of Barracuda CloudGen Firewall suggest improvements in reporting capabilities and faster updates to address emerging threats. They also desire more intuitive management tools. For Palo Alto Networks K2-Series, users recommend enhancing its configuration process and reducing the complexity of managing policies. Integration with third-party solutions could be streamlined.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is noted for its relatively quick and straightforward deployment process. Users also report positive experiences with customer support, describing it as responsive and helpful. Conversely, Palo Alto Networks K2-Series often requires more time and expertise to deploy, but users benefit from comprehensive support and extensive resources provided by Palo Alto Networks, ensuring any issues are efficiently resolved.

Pricing and ROI: Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is generally seen as more budget-friendly, providing good value for the investment with satisfactory ROI outcomes. Users find the initial setup costs reasonable and the ongoing expenses manageable. Although priced higher, the Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is viewed as worth the investment due to its superior features and long-term benefits. Users feel the higher cost is justified by the enhanced security and efficiency provided.

To learn more, read our detailed Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

September 2025

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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 October 2025, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 20.4%, up from 19.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is 0.5%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is 0.1%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	20.4%
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall	0.5%
Palo Alto Networks K2-Series	0.1%
Other	79.0%

Firewalls

Featured Reviews

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

A stable solution with an intuitive interface and quick customer service

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate, WatchGuard, Sophos, and SonicWall. I'm not as comfortable with SonicWall because of their UI and limitations. I prefer Fortinet above all other options. When it comes to configuration, I am confident in my ability to handle various tasks, including creating policies such as firewall rules, web policies, and application policies. Additionally, I can configure VPNs and implement load balancing, among other tasks. Overall, I feel much more comfortable working with Fortinet. Fortinet has made significant improvements by integrating AI with firewalls for threat analysis and prevention. In the past 2-3 years, they have launched FortiSASE and SIEM, and they also provide SOC services. Both Palo Alto and Fortinet FortiGate are excellent. While Fortinet FortiGate comes at higher prices, the functionality and support justify the cost. They promptly resolve firmware issues and inform all support providers about configuration changes.

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RobertSmith15

Product Manager - Cyber Security at M247 Ltd Miami

Ensures data security with advanced intrusion prevention and 24/7 monitoring

I rate the initial setup as ten out of ten. It is straightforward to set up a CloudGen file, taking a couple of hours. Once we have the configuration agreed with the customer, the setup and onboarding are completed within a few hours. We receive the box from Barracuda or from our stores, pre-stage it into our network for initial configuration and Soak testing to ensure functionality. The customer can install it at their location, or we do it on their behalf. We run the firewall in simulation mode to observe traffic and ensure service transition is effective. After confirming functionality with the customer, we transition to a live service.

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Krishnakumar M

enterprise architect at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

One of the best tools for the prevention of evasive threats

There is a feature called granular application controls, which I liked. Instead of relying on ports and IP addresses, they use AMP ID. This kind of solution is very good. Another valuable feature is the prevention of evasive threats, which is one of the best tools I've encountered. SSL decryption and app ID-based SSL decryption are also impressive, along with the integration with user ID. Identity-based policies ensuring only authorized users can access specific resources are excellent features. Normally, there is something called SIM or SCIM in IDA IDM, but this feature is provided on the box, which is exemplary.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We are a visual effects company, and there have been a number of high profile security issues in our industry. This has brought us to a higher standard of security, which our clients are very keen on these days."

"The user interface (UI) is very, very good."

"The solution is stable."

"It is a scalable solution."

"Fortinet FortiGate provides combined features that other firewalls do not offer, offering a full package cost-effective manager with all integration supported."

"FortiAnalyzer's capability to provide detailed reporting based on various criteria is highly valuable."

"Fortinet FortiGate is pretty robust. The updates and firmware releases are pretty timely. They have a good product revision and review system, so they are constantly reviewing their configuration and the different mechanisms that are used on Fortinet FortiGate."

"Security solution with a straightforward and quick setup. It's a stable and scalable product."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"Scalability is good; the company wants to be able to handle large customers."

"I rate the customer service as ten out of ten."

"What I like best about this product are the support and the features."

"It can now integrate with Barracuda's XDR."

"Good identity fire walling, malware protection and application control features."

"The interface is very user-friendly and it is quite easy to use."

"The product is foolproof. It has done everything that we have needed with the amount of email that we receive, and it handles it quite well."

"Single sign-on is also good. If you are accessing your corporate firewall from your home, during that time there is integration with AD. You can use your AD password to access your SSL VPN. It's not like if you buy an additional SSL VPN... You can directly integrate with your AD. If you change your password on the AD side, your client-to-VPN password also gets changed. You can integrate all your passwords from a single console. It's not like admin has to change your password, it's a single sign-on."

More Barracuda CloudGen Firewall pros

"I have found that Palo Alto Networks K2-Series has the best security. They are more user-friendly, older firewalls used to have to be configured using the command-line interface, but in this solution, it can be done in the GUI."

"The most valuable feature of Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is the configuration, it is very clear."

"The scalability of the product is quite high."

"The customer service and support are really good."

"The application ID on the Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is able to understand the application traffic, and WildFire is also good."

"Prevention of evasive threats is one of the best tools I've encountered."

"Mainly, it is very easy to understand, and the logs are very good."

"The most valuable feature of Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is the performance which is above their competitors. The throughput they have delivered is good. When we used other solutions they failed the deployment when we were using different rules. They have a theory perform performance light and performance degradation. However, Palo Alto Networks K2-Series never fails in that scenario."

More Palo Alto Networks K2-Series pros

Cons

"Some of the filtering is not robust, you can escape it with a VPN. Some of the users bypass some of the filters. It catches some but it also misses some, that area could be improved. It's functioning reasonably but there's room for improvement in that area."

"Its reporting can be improved. Sometimes, I don't get proper reports."

"The feature which gives us a lot of pain is ASIC architecture."

"It could use more templates for third-party site-to-site VPN setups other than FortiGate and Cisco."

"Maybe they can offer a smaller scope for a cheaper price for smaller organizations."

"A lack of integration between our data centers."

"For the migration, everyone has a firewall in use and I am selling Fortinet. Typically, I am replacing another firewall. Previously, there was a tool available to convert configurations from one firewall, such as Palo Alto, to Fortinet, but this tool is no longer free. If it could be made free again, it would be very beneficial."

"They could simplify their deployment process, especially when customers have existing devices."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"There could be improvements in licensing."

"The analytics are weak."

"While using Barracuda CloudGen Firewall, we encounter issues with VPN profiles for Windows."

"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."

"There should be improvements in the management aspect of the firewall. Specifically, it would be beneficial to merge the existing application policy with the main policy into a single unified policy to improve manageability."

"The initial setup is a bit complex."

"Its interface could be better."

"The biggest downside is that it is quite an expensive product."

More Barracuda CloudGen Firewall cons

"The product should get frequent updates allowing us to add new signatures."

"The URL Filtering module needs to have more categories added to it."

"They could improve by providing more features in the solution."

"Higher levels of support are excellent but new users may need additional options."

"The technical support, and how they provide it to the client, needs to be improved."

"We had some issues with upgrading in the past. They could make the process easier."

"The solution's commitment time could be reduced as it often takes a lot of time to execute."

"I cannot think of anything specific to improve at the moment."

More Palo Alto Networks K2-Series cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of Fortinet FortiGate is affordable. Most of our customers are on a three-year license to use the solution. All the features and support are included in the price."

"The value is the capability of having multiple services with one unique license, not having the limitation per user licensing schema, like other vendors."

"Its pricing is competitive with other solutions."

"Currently, we are paying about $1,500 a month for three sites."

"I had to pay for the license for the firewall, but it is guaranteed to have updates. I expect a good service for it. It was about €1000 for a year, and there was no additional cost."

"It is an expensive solution."

"Fortinet's pricing is more straightforward than other solutions. If Fortinet doesn't stick out when you're searching for a solution, you are a glutton for punishment. You only need to know two things when purchasing a Fortinet solution: your total bandwidth and bandwidth at the site. You need to estimate the future bandwidth with other solutions if your customer plans to upgrade."

"I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"The solution's price is reasonable."

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

"It is a product with a very transparent model of licensing. In the sense of hidden expenses, they do not exist with this model. "

"The platform is inexpensive compared to other vendors."

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

"It would be nice if the pricing and licensing offered for less."

"Pricing and licensing are fine. It's worth the value because every four years, if I buy any other product, I have to replace my hardware. But with Barracuda I get a free hardware upgrade. Today I'm using Xbox. After four years I can take another Xbox or a Ybox."

"Pricing is good. Licensing is pretty much automatic if using Control Center."

More Barracuda CloudGen Firewall pricing and cost advice

"The price of the solution is expensive."

"This product is designed for large companies. The price would not be suitable for a small or medium size company."

"If you compare K2-Series' quality with its price, I think it is reasonable."

"Products by the leader in the field are justifiably a bit more expensive compared to other vendors."

"Palo Alto firewalls are very expensive."

"Pricing is a sensitive issue because the cost is high in this market."

"The overall price of Palo Alto Networks K2-Series could be reduced."

"This is an expensive solution, although you will get value for the price."

More Palo Alto Networks K2-Series pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

11%

Retailer

Government

Construction Company

Performing Arts

24%

Computer Software Company

16%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	350
Midsize Enterprise	130
Large Enterprise	187

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	29
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	5

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	13

Questions from the Community

Which is the better NGFW: Fortinet Fortigate or Cisco Firepower?

When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage a...

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What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?

From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know...

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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 do you like most about Barracuda CloudGen Firewall?

The encryption and the security standards are valuable.

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

The license price of Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is lower than others, and maintenance or support is included.

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What needs improvement with Barracuda CloudGen Firewall?

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

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Features comparison between Palo Alto and Fortinet firewalls

In the best tradition of these questions, Feature-wise both are quite similar, but each has things it's better at, it...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Palo Alto Networks K2-Series?

The pricing for the Palo Alto Networks K2-Series solution is affordable and there are no complaints about the licensing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks K2-Series?

The graphical user interface is a little complex and difficult to manage. L1 engineers cannot work on the Palo Alto N...

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos XG vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 17% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 11% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 9% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

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Cisco Secure Firewall vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 8% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 7% of the time

OPNsense vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 7% of the time

Azure Firewall vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 6% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 5% of the time

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Cisco Secure Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

Compared 52% of the time

Juniper SRX Series Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

Compared 48% of the time

More Palo Alto Networks K2-Series Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

October 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

October 2025

Download Barracuda CloudGen Firewall product report

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

September 2025

Download Palo Alto Networks K2-Series product report

Also Known As

No data available

Barracuda NextGen Firewall, Barracuda CloudGen Firewalls

No data available

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate excels in providing integrated VPN, firewalling, and Unified Threat Management (UTM) with centralized management and high availability. It supports remote access and comprehensive threat protection, making it a preferred choice for securing networks.

Fortinet FortiGate offers a robust security platform with features such as strong intrusion prevention, application control, and web filtering. Its integration with Active Directory and SD-WAN functionality provides scalable solutions for large networks. Users appreciate its ease of use through centralized management interfaces, ensuring robust security with flexible configurations. However, FortiGate could enhance its graphical interface and technical support responsiveness, address firmware bugs and costly licensing, improve logging, integrate better with third-party tools, and strengthen scalability and memory for log storage. Complexity in configuration and the need for intuitive features are noted challenges, and there's a demand for advanced security, zero-trust capabilities, and AI integration.

What are the key features of Fortinet FortiGate?

VPN: Secure remote access and connectivity.
Firewalling: Protects networks from unauthorized access and attacks.
UTM: Offers a comprehensive approach to threat management.
SD-WAN: Optimizes traffic routing for efficient network performance.
Web Filtering: Controls and monitors web access and ensures Internet security.

What benefits or ROI should be considered?

Centralized Management: Simplifies administration and monitoring.
High Availability: Ensures consistent security and network availability.
Scalability: Adapts to the needs of growing networks.
Comprehensive Threat Protection: Provides robust security measures.
Ease of Use: Minimizes the complexity of security management.

Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries like education, finance, and government. Companies use it for firewall protection, VPN, and SD-WAN capabilities, ensuring secure perimeter and data center security. It facilitates remote access management and traffic routing optimization, offering reliable security and connectivity solutions.

Fortinet

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is a comprehensive network security solution that provides advanced protection for organizations of all sizes. It offers next-generation firewall capabilities, including application control, intrusion prevention, and web filtering.

With its integrated VPN functionality, it ensures secure remote access for employees. CloudGen Firewall also includes advanced threat intelligence, leveraging real-time updates to detect and block emerging threats. Its centralized management console simplifies administration and provides visibility into network traffic.

CloudGen Firewall can easily adapt to changing business needs based on its scalable architecture.

Barracuda Networks

Designed to handle growing throughput needs due to increasing amounts of application-, user-, and device-generated data, the K2-Series offers amazing performance and threat prevention capabilities to stop advanced cyberattacks and secure mobile network infrastructure, subscribers, and services.

Palo Alto Networks

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

State of North Dakota, SEGA, Alameda County Office of Education, Temple University, VERGE, CAME

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

September 2025

Free Report: Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

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