Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs Palo Alto Networks K2-Series comparison

Check Point Software Technologies and Palo Alto Networks are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Check Point Software Technologies is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.6, while Palo Alto Networks is ranked #31 with an average rating of 8.7. Check Point Software Technologies holds a 3.0% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to Palo Alto Networks’s 0.1% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Check Point Software Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Palo Alto Networks users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 17, 2025

Check Point Quantum Force and Palo Alto Networks K2-Series compete in the advanced security solutions category. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series seems to have the upper hand due to its superior application control and threat prevention capabilities.

Features: Check Point Quantum Force emphasizes its VPN features, including IPsec VPN and real-time traffic monitoring, which are beneficial for secure remote connections. It also offers ease of VPN setup and management. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series provides deep inspection and app identification with features like WildFire and SSL decryption, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of application traffic.

Room for Improvement: Check Point Quantum Force struggles with stability, often requiring frequent reboots and updates, and has high costs for SMBs. Integration limitations with third-party solutions are noted. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series faces criticism for high pricing and a complex licensing model. Management interfaces and API integration could be more user-friendly.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Check Point Quantum Force supports diverse deployment options, but customer service experiences vary. Some users find support responsive, while others encounter delays. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series offers straightforward initial deployment but presents a steep learning curve for new administrators. Customer service is generally excellent, though technical support efficiency in complex scenarios may vary.

Pricing and ROI: Check Point Quantum Force is expensive, with high initial and licensing costs, but offers competitive features that justify the price. Flexibility in licensing can mitigate higher costs. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series also has high costs but balances this with its robust protection capabilities, offering significant ROI over time.

To learn more, read our detailed Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

July 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 August 2025, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 20.8%, up from 17.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) is 3.0%, down from 3.1% 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	20.8%
Check Point NGFW	3.0%
Palo Alto Networks K2-Series	0.1%
Other	76.1%

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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Hailemichael Yigrem

Senior Cyber Security Engineer at Deliver ICT and Telecommunication Technology PLC

Advanced security features enhance threat detection and prevention

Check Point NGFW provides granular application control and detailed visibility over application and user activity. It integrates with the ThreatCloud ecosystem, enabling real-time threat detection and prevention. The User Identity Awareness blade integrates with Active Directory, identifying user traffic sources. Check Point NGFW is highly scalable and has centralized management through SmartConsole, which manages policies, logs, and threat data. It reduced our incidents and decreased the time to analyze cyber threats by 70 percent.

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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.

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

"Customers want to load balance more than eight lines or six internet lines. FortiGate is the only solution that can accomplish this."

"The stability and scalability of this solution are satisfactory. Its SD-WAN, VPN, and URL filtering features are very useful."

"On a scale of one to ten, I rate this solution 10 out of 10."

"The solution is extremely reliable."

"Fortinet FortiGate is a very stable solution."

"There is an easy process for configuring it, and it is straightforward to implement the device from scratch."

"The most valuable feature is the bundled subscription, which is IPS, TV and web filtering."

"I would advise others considering or evaluating the Fortinet FortiGate to buy it."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"There is a lot of legacy traffic from other vendors that has been migrated to Check Point which has resulted in a lot of stability in our environment."

"There are several ways to implement it."

"Check Point NGFW provides essential security, featuring no-obligation access for secure connections, strong intrusion prevention, and comprehensive antivirus protection."

"They utilize various gateway features, including Identity as a Service (IDaaS), anti-spam, antivirus, and other security measures, effectively creating a robust defense against a wide range of potential risks."

"The packet inspection capabilities are great."

"We can also run policies with two or more people simultaneously without problems or the risk of developing the wrong policy."

"The firewall's default behavior of blocking all traffic, including a cleanup rule that blocks everything from external to internal sources, is highly valuable for protecting our network."

"The solution is easy to use. I like the monitoring the most."

More Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) pros

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

"Simple integrations with the domain controllers and other inventories"

"The company is inventive and always adds a lot of great features."

"K2-Series' best features include its scalability, which is the best on the market."

"Overall product rating: Nine out of ten."

"This firewall is very good for our customers because they don't have to write their own rules for adding an application."

"The solution is reliable and scales well."

"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

"The support we receive when we need to upgrade is not satisfactory and has room for improvement."

"Fortinet FortiGate needs to improve the logging and reporting. Additionally, the next-generation application's policies should be improved. When they were released they had bugs."

"The advanced models are expensive."

"The platform's interface could improve."

"The logging details need to be improved."

"There are some complex administration tasks in their administration portal. That needs to be improved."

"The area that Fortinet may improve is customer support."

"We would like to have the ability to disable some of the security functionalities."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"The end-user VPN could be improved. It could benefit from some modification."

"Check Point NGFW deployment in our organization showed that the initial setup and policy design can be complex, especially for teams unfamiliar with Check Point's architecture."

"The Check Point TAC support has, in recent years, deteriorated."

"In the past year, we faced severe downtime that lasted many days due to a misconfiguration."

"You need to merge all the old consoles into one new one and make the interface more convenient for the novice administrator."

"Monitoring graphs for Check Point NGFW can be made better, and that is something I wish worked better."

"I would like to see an improvement of built-in monitoring capabilities such as throughput. Practically visualization of CPview outputs into beautiful pink GUI will do it."

"Check Point NGFW should concentrate more on the SMB market, as solutions in this space are not as strong in security."

More Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) cons

"I would like to see the threat intelligence capability integrated with other vendors such as Cisco and Forcepoint."

"Its networking features could be better."

"The reporting functionality in GlobalProtect needs to be improved."

"If we have issues, they take anywhere from two days to a week to respond. I even wrote to their CEO because there was no response. When it comes to support, this is the worst company."

"Palo Alto has many other products. It would be nice for these products to be centralized under one tool"

"The licensing cost is a typical complaint with many clients. The solution is expensive."

"The graphical user interface is a little complex and difficult to manage. L1 engineers cannot work on the Palo Alto Networks K2-Series because it's too complex, which requires L2 and above level of engineers."

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

More Palo Alto Networks K2-Series cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The initial setup is super straight forward and as far as the licensing goes for the small product that we have, the pricing was pretty competitive. It wasn't as simple and as cheap as a SonicWall but for the service we would get it was a good price."

"Fortinet has more device options that are affordable for small businesses than Palo Alto, and its enterprise-level models are also cheaper. Palo Alto also has a separate license for VPN connections and SD-WAN, but FortiGate offers these features standard."

"Fortinet has one or two license types, and the VPN numbers are only limited by the hardware chassis make."

"Fortinet FortiGate has different licensing models, depending on what you're going to do. Services included would depend on the license model. Licenses can be renewed annually."

"The main reason we chose Fortinet FortiGate was that the price was better than the competition."

"The price of Fortinet FortiGate when compared to other solutions is high. However, my knowledge of the price is from third parties and I am not sure how accurate it is. I typically work in the technical area of my organization."

"The price is highly competitive when compared to other brands that offer similar functionality."

"The Indian market is different than the European and American markets. When you compare they need to be a bit more aggressive on pricing."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"We pay $5,000-$6,000 a year."

"The pricing is good. It is less than Palo Alto's firewalls. Check Point has the same features as Palo Alto, but the licensing and cost of these firewalls are not too expensive. It is one of the best firewalls in the market in this range."

"The price is high in comparison to other solutions."

"We had to get separate licenses for the different blades. It would be nice to have a feature where we can get the multiple licenses all-in-one instead."

"The vendor has a very flexible licensing approach."

"Check Point Firewall costs more compared to the other firewalls in the markets, as pricing is little high. However, it is easy to take the license and use it in the firewall."

"One of the main reasons that we went with Check Point is that they provide a good solution for a firewall but at an affordable price. As a state agency, we can't afford Cisco Firepower. It's just out of our budget to be able to pay for something where licensing and hardware are so expensive. Check Point has really met our needs for a budget-friendly solution."

"Though we did not take issue with the price of Check Point NGFW, we felt that it was providing us with inadequate support here in Uganda."

More Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) pricing and cost advice

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

"Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is an expensive solution, the price could be reduced. They are more expensive than some of their competitors."

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

"The pricing is expensive."

"Palo Alto firewalls are very expensive."

"The price of the solution is expensive."

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

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

More Palo Alto Networks K2-Series pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Performing Arts

23%

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	263
Midsize Enterprise	101
Large Enterprise	144

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	131
Midsize Enterprise	97
Large Enterprise	194

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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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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How does Check Point NGFW compare with Fortinet Fortigate?

I have experience on both from Disti and channel experience. Please find below my comments (nothing new as such). -Ch...

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Which would you recommend - Azure Firewall or Check Point NGFW?

Azure Firewall is easy to use and provides excellent support. Valuable features include integration into the overall ...

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What do you like most about Check Point NGFW?

Check Point NGFW provides essential security, featuring no-obligation access for secure connections, strong intrusion...

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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 20% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 12% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 11% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

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Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW)

Compared 13% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW)

Compared 8% of the time

Sophos XG vs Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW)

Compared 8% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW)

Compared 6% of the time

Sophos XGS vs Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW)

Compared 6% of the time

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Cisco Secure Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

Compared 56% of the time

Juniper SRX Series Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

Compared 44% of the time

More Palo Alto Networks K2-Series Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

August 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW)

August 2025

Download Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) product report

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

August 2025

Download Palo Alto Networks K2-Series product report

Also Known As

FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate, Fortinet Firewall

Check Point NG Firewall, Check Point Next Generation Firewall

No data available

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate offers comprehensive network security and firewall protection across multiple locations. It effectively manages data traffic and secures environments with features like VPN, intrusion prevention, and UTM controls.

Organizations rely on Fortinet FortiGate for its robust integration with advanced security policies, ensuring significant protection for enterprises, cloud environments, and educational sectors. It facilitates network segmentation, application-level security, and authentication management, securing communication within and between locations such as branches and data centers. Its efficient SD-WAN and UTM features enable streamlined data management and enhanced threat protection capabilities. Users appreciate its centralized management, facilitating seamless operations across diverse environments.

What are the key features of Fortinet FortiGate?

VPN Capabilities: Ensure secure remote access for users and seamless site-to-site connections.
Intrusion Prevention System (IPS): Detect and prevent security threats and vulnerabilities.
Advanced Firewall: Offers robust firewalling with application control and web filtering.
SD-WAN: Optimizes application performance and enhances bandwidth management.
SSL VPN: Provides reliable and secure access for remote workers.

What benefits should users expect from Fortinet FortiGate?

High-performance Security: Delivers effective threat mitigation with high availability.
Centralized Management: Simplifies network operations with cloud-based management tools.
Detailed Analytics: Provides comprehensive insights into network activity and security threats.
Load Balancing: Ensures optimal resource distribution and traffic management.

Fortinet FortiGate is crucial in sectors like education, offering robust networks for secure data flow between campuses and facilitating remote learning. In enterprise environments, it allows efficient management of application traffic and security across multiple branches, while in the cloud, it seamlessly integrates with diverse platforms to enhance security infrastructure.

Fortinet

Check Point Quantum Force NGFW provides centralized management with scalable security for network perimeters. As a reliable firewall, it ensures advanced threat prevention and offers seamless integration, making it suitable for various network environments.

Offering comprehensive security, Check Point Quantum Force NGFW helps control ingress and egress traffic, secures data center firewalls, and integrates seamlessly with cloud and on-premises setups. Users appreciate its application control, deep packet inspection, and identity awareness features for enhanced protection against cyber threats. Despite pricing issues and interface complexity, its IPsec VPN and robust logging provide valuable insights into network activities.

What are the key features of Check Point Quantum Force NGFW?

Centralized Management: Simplifies administrative tasks across different environments.
Advanced Threat Prevention: Shields against evolving cyber threats with real-time protection.
Deep Packet Inspection: Analyzes traffic to prevent intrusions without impacting performance.
Application Control: Manages access to applications, enhancing security policies.
IPsec VPN: Secures remote connections with encrypted tunnels.

What benefits should users consider for Check Point Quantum Force NGFW?

Scalability: Adapts to the changing needs of organizations of different sizes.
Integration Capabilities: Works alongside existing systems for a comprehensive defense strategy.
Logging and Reporting: Offers detailed insights into network activity and threats.
User-Friendly Interface: Streamlines management with intuitive controls despite initial complexity.

Check Point Quantum Force NGFW is deployed across industries for securing network boundaries, supporting critical data center operations, and enabling secure VPN connections. In finance, it helps meet stringent compliance standards, while in healthcare, it's crucial for protecting sensitive patient data through robust security protocols.

Check Point Software Technologies

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

Control Southern, Optimal Media

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

Buyer's Guide

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

July 2025

Free Report: Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

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