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Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai 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
3.8
NodeZero Platform reduces pen testing costs and time while enhancing security, saving up to 20% and improving efficiency.
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
A reduction in remediation time has been seen because it is finding things before they happen.
Director of Enterprise Security at a energy/utilities company with 51-200 employees
Being able to find them because there have been no eyes on that particular section so far ever, and fixing those potentially prevented those companies from getting breached.
IT Security Consultant at Systemhaus for you GmbH
So far, I have seen a return on investment with The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai, as we managed to save a lot of time and effort with this because this is an autonomous tool, and our manual effort is significantly reduced because of a product of this type.
Senior Manager | Manager Security Services at RISK ASSOCIATES
 

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
7.3
NodeZero Platform provides excellent support with fast responses and knowledgeable staff, achieving high satisfaction ratings from users.
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
Overall, when it comes to The NodeZero Platform's tech support, you can reach them via a chat message on their website, and they respond almost immediately.
Director of IT Security at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Previously, with time-sensitive engagements, I would worry about resolving issues before deadlines. That concern has diminished as they've become more responsive and require less escalation to engineering.
Principal Consultant at JTI Cybersecurity
The vast majority of times they are able to resolve the exact questions my team has on the first attempt, which is really good for customer or technical support.
Chief Information Officer at a construction company with 1,001-5,000 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
7.4
NodeZero by Horizon3.ai offers scalable, flexible, and efficient deployment across networks, supporting extensive coverage and multiple concurrent tests.
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
We have conducted pen tests in environments with hundreds of thousands of IP addresses without any scalability issues.
CEO at cybovate
We currently scan approximately 1,500-2,000 assets and haven't encountered any scaling or throughput issues.
Information Security Manager at a non-profit with 51-200 employees
The platform offers various insider threats, segmentation tests, phishing tests, and PCI DSS tests.
Head Dig IT Al And Response/ Consultant at a tech services company with 11-50 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
8.3
The NodeZero Platform is stable, reliable, and performs well, with occasional external scan delays and minor optimizations needed.
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
We have not encountered any issues on the platform regarding accessibility, performance, or stability.
CEO at cybovate
Regarding stability, it has never crashed, and there has not been any lagging from deployment or running.
Director of Enterprise Security at a energy/utilities company with 51-200 employees
I would rate the stability of The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai as a ten.
Senior Manager | Manager Security Services at RISK ASSOCIATES
 

Room For Improvement

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall requires interface improvements, better integration, performance enhancements, pricing refinement, and enhanced training resources for users.
Users want better flexibility, integration, scalability, testing efficiency, visibility, and reporting in vulnerability management and notification systems.
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
This service reveals which credentials and email addresses are available on the deep web, as well as which domains have been set up using typo-squatting techniques.
Information Security Manager at a non-profit with 51-200 employees
The one thing that is very much asked from us as a service provider is DAST testing, so when a company is building a software, they could see their current security status while they are building the application.
Offensive Security Analyst at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
If that pen test could be load balanced on more than one system, I believe The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai could leverage that system and complete penetration tests in a much quicker time frame, providing quicker results to customers.
Lead Security Engineer at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
 

Setup Cost

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall offers competitive pricing with flexible subscriptions, free upgrades, and cost-effective features appealing to enterprises.
Enterprise users appreciate Horizon3.ai's competitive pricing and flexible IP-based licensing as cost-efficient compared to traditional methods.
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.
The pricing is much more affordable than traditional penetration tests.
Manager, Information Technology at a performing arts with 11-50 employees
It's a bit cheaper than manual penetration testing because manual testing typically allows you to scan only a few subnets.
Works at a hospitality company with 201-500 employees
Usually, manual penetration test scans take considerable time and money.
Security Engineer at Herjavec Group
 

Valuable Features

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall offers centralized control, SD-WAN, advanced protection, scalability, cost-effectiveness, and user-friendly design for efficient security.
The NodeZero Platform offers automated, user-friendly penetration testing, providing instant vulnerability insights and enhancing cybersecurity efficiency.
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
When a new vulnerability, such as a zero-day exploit, is identified, they review your previous scans to determine if you might be vulnerable to it, and they proactively notify you.
Director of IT Security at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The detailed reports not only list the vulnerabilities that matter, but they also include direct links to patches.
Information Security Manager at a non-profit with 51-200 employees
The NodeZero Platform's real attack capabilities help in identifying vulnerabilities on our on-prem systems because it provides actual vulnerabilities by attacking our systems.
Chief Information Security Officer at a construction company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

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)
The NodeZero Platform by Ho...
Ranking in Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
13th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (9th), Penetration Testing Services (1st), Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) (1st), Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (2nd), AI-Powered Penetration Testing (1st)
 

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 The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai is 1.1%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai1.1%
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall2.2%
Other96.7%
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.
Brent Hamlin - PeerSpot reviewer
Infrastructure Manager at a construction company with 501-1,000 employees
Continuous threat scanning has improved remediation time and strengthened executive reporting
The best features that The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai offers include the automated scans, which are great to use; you set it, scope it, and let it go, which works really well. The executive reporting feature is impactful for me as a manager, providing a strong foundation to give quarterly and yearly reports to our executives and board to see the state of our infrastructure from a security standpoint. The level of detail and clarity in the executive reports from The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai absolutely helps me communicate effectively with leadership. They are detailed enough for me to extract the necessary information tailored for the executives and to provide a broader perspective on our mitigation efforts or accepted risk stance and where additional controls exist. The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai has positively impacted my organization by giving us a better continuous picture of our security posture, what's exploitable, and what can be used against the organization. It allows us to run scans whenever needed, unlike a single third-party system that only provides a snapshot in time; our processes must be ongoing as the security landscape is dynamic. NodeZero's endpoint security effectiveness feature impacts my understanding of potential security threats by providing a clear picture of both the external and internal landscapes within my organization, enabling me to prioritize and adjust as needed for vulnerabilities such as WordPress plugin issues or user enumerations and software code version assessments. I have built The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai into our weekly and monthly workflows for security CI/CD, and we scan our externally accessible assets every week to address anything quickly if it comes up. That includes our firewalls, websites, and anything that is an external web server, which we scan weekly, while the monthly scans are for internal systems that feed our security CI/CD pipeline, enabling us to action across and prioritize any vulnerabilities caught by The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai.
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909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Construction Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
Outsourcing Company
7%
 

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 Business14
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise9
 

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 needs improvement with Horizon3.ai?
The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai could greatly improve their feature request and product suggestions process. There is not an easy way to see what the status is of product suggestions, and from...
What is your primary use case for Horizon3.ai?
My main use case for The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai is to run automated penetration tests and remediate findings. We run our penetration test on a scheduled basis, specifically every two mont...
What advice do you have for others considering Horizon3.ai?
The advice I would give to others looking into using The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai is to assess their environments to run penetration tests and get an idea of the amount of IPs or assets the...
 

Also Known As

Barracuda NextGen Firewall, Barracuda CloudGen Firewalls
Horizon3.ai
 

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
Government agencies, Defense Industrial Base organizations, and enterprises in regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and criticalinfrastructure rely on NodeZero to meet rigorous security and compliance requirements with continuous, scheduled, and on-demand testing.
Find out what your peers are saying about Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs. The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.