Check Point Power-1 [EOL] vs Cisco Secure Firewall comparison

Check Point Software Technologies and Cisco are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Additionally, 100% of Check Point Software Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 30, 2025

Check Point Power-1 [EOL] and Cisco Secure Firewall are key competitors in the network security space. Cisco Secure Firewall has the upper hand due to its extensive features and robust security capabilities.

Features: Check Point Power-1 [EOL] is known for efficient throughput, robust threat prevention, and competitive pricing. Cisco Secure Firewall offers comprehensive threat intelligence, advanced traffic analysis, and adaptability to evolving threats, which make for a superior security posture.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Check Point Power-1 [EOL] provided straightforward deployment and reliable support. Cisco Secure Firewall involves more initial setup but benefits from detailed guidance and responsive support, with an emphasis on integration within complex environments.

Pricing and ROI: Check Point Power-1 [EOL] was cost-effective, offering a quicker ROI with lower setup costs. Cisco Secure Firewall, despite its higher price point, provides long-term ROI through enhanced security measures and scalability, making its investment worthwhile for advanced protection.

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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

Featured Reviews

reviewer2751102

Network Security Engineer at a retailer with 11-50 employees

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.

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William Cambronero

Consultant at ITQS

Good intrusion prevention, firewall, and VPN capabilities

Check Point Power-1 (EOL) has reached the end of its useful life, yet at the time, they could to make some changes such as: * Integration in the cloud. It is the new trend, however, Check Point has already contemplated this and already has its own cloud device. * Automation. As the automatic creation and application of policies, this would have been very beneficial. * Multi-factor authentication would have been a plus in security at the time. They must also make some improvements in their support departments since they do not comply with the SLAs that they provide.

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Phil Shiflett

Senior Manager, Network Engineering at TTi Power Equipment

Unified policies streamline network management but complex licensing requires attention

Cisco Secure Firewall has some growth opportunities in terms of visibility and control capabilities regarding managing encrypted traffic. It has the ability to analyze encrypted traffic, and there is potential for more integration with APIs and AI to enhance these capabilities. Cisco Secure Firewall needs improvement in deployment time and the capability to access the CLI during support calls. I often encounter issues when technical support uses a CLI that is not familiar to me while troubleshooting through the GUI. My ongoing complaint for the last six years has been the lack of CLI functionality, which hinders my ability to work on the firewall, alongside concerns regarding deployment time. For the next release, they should look at the features offered by competitors such as Fortinet, including the ability to perform packet capture directly from the interface. If they enhanced their troubleshooting efficiency related to packet capture for each specific rule, it would simplify the process significantly.

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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

"One of the valuable features is a standardized OS."

"The best features of Fortinet FortiGate include its easy configuration and user interface."

"The inspection and web security features are most valuable."

"The most useful feature of FortiGate IPS for me is Application Control."

"The interface is very user-friendly and I like it very much."

"FortiGate SWG has helped us control what employees do on the internet because people waste a lot of time using social networks, watching videos, etc."

"The solution is very easy to understand. It's not overly complex."

"The solution is very stable; it doesn't have bugs or glitches, it doesn't crash or freeze, and it's reliable."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"The VPN allows users to connect remotely and securely."

"In my opinion it is right product at enterprise level network to protect the user and server from external and internal threats and attacks"

"With FirePOWER services, we have been able to have more insight of our network, something that we never had before, now we can see all the applications that our users are using the most and we can see if there is malware on our network."

"Beats sophisticated cyber attacks with a superior security appliance."

"VPN and firewall are good features."

"The features I've found most valuable are the packet captures and packet traces because they help me debug connections. I like the logs because they help me see what's going on."

"At this point, we find that this product has high productivity and high availability and there is no need for improvement."

"Your investments are protected because of the innovations over time and the fact that you're able to migrate to the latest and greatest technology, through Cisco."

"We are using the Cisco AnyConnect for our end-user VPN with the ASA."

"Its in-depth monitoring and analysis help us to make better decisions and policies."

More Cisco Secure Firewall pros

Cons

"IPs are not handled well and the process is unnecessarily complicated."

"Its pricing can be better."

"Their support can be better, and there should be better policies for immediate replacement in critical situations."

"The solution could be more secure and stable."

"Fortinet FortiGate has started implementing AI, however, it hasn't reached full maturity."

"The solution needs to integrate VPN features."

"There should be more testing before releasing software since it can be a little buggy sometimes when new features come out after updates."

"Currently, without the additional reporting module, we only have access to basic reporting."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"Multi-factor authentication would have been a plus in security at the time."

"I have to pay Check Point for every new service I integrate in the firewall and it also has license related issue which needs to renew every years."

"Cisco wasn't first-to-market with NGFWs. They should look at what other vendors are doing and try not only to be on the same wavelength but a little bit better."

"The annual subscription cost is a bit high."

"Most of the features don't work well, and some features are missing as well."

"It would be good if Cisco made sure that the solution supports all routing protocols. Sometimes it doesn't."

"I have found that Cisco reporting capabilities are not as rich as other products, so the reporting could be improved."

"The ease of use needs improvement. It is complex to operate the solution. The user interface is not friendly."

"They need to do an overhaul of the management console."

More Cisco Secure Firewall cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"I rate the product's pricing a seven out of ten. The additional cost depends on the extra feature requirements."

"Here in Brazil, we're going through difficult economic times and the tax on the dollar is high. All the solutions from minor competitors are growing in the market. The prices have come more competitive."

"I would rate pricing to be about four or five out of ten, it is reasonable."

"It's one of the more expensive brands. The 100 series costs around $4,000. They are similar in pricing to what you might get from Cisco solutions and probably other similar ones. They're not more expensive than other similar solutions, but they're certainly not cheaper either."

"The price of Fortinet FortiGate is the lowest in the market."

"When comparing the price of Fortinet FortiGate SWG to other solutions it is expensive. The price could be better."

"Setup cost may be not so low, as you expect, because it depends on different factors, but TCO for 5 years may pleasantly surprise you."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

Information not available

"Licensing with Cisco Secure Firewall isn't too difficult. However, pricing seems high. We had been using a Meraki solution, and Cisco Secure Firewall seems more expensive than Meraki, even though Meraki is also cloud-based."

"There are licensing costs."

"Cisco pricing is premium. However, they gave us a 50 to 60 percent discount."

"When it comes to Cisco, the price of everything is higher. Cisco firewalls are expensive, but we get support from Cisco, and that support is very active."

"Cisco, as we all know, is expensive, but for the money you are paying, you know that you are also getting top-notch documentation as well as support if needed."

"The licensing is not good, it's confusing. I'm an engineer so I don't care about the actual price that much but the licensing part is confusing."

"I think Cisco's price is in the right space now. They have discounts for customers at various levels. I think they're in the right spot. However, Cisco can be expensive when you factor in these additional features."

"In the past, I encountered several difficulties and misunderstandings with Cisco licensing, but now the situation has improved. The Cisco Smart Software portal is an excellent resource for keeping track of, upgrading, and researching information related to Smart Licensing and other relevant topics. It is extremely helpful. Unfortunately, since it is not my money and there is only one vendor, I am unable to provide any comments on the prices. Nevertheless, the system, along with its provision through the Cisco Smart Software portal, as well as the traditional license and subscription models, are excellent and highly beneficial."

More Cisco Secure Firewall pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user206346

Security Consultant at Webernetz.net - Network Security Consulting

Mar 11, 2015

Cisco ASA vs. Palo Alto Networks

Cisco ASA vs. Palo Alto: Management Goodies You often have comparisons of both firewalls concerning security components. Of course, a firewall must block attacks, scan for viruses, build VPNs, etc. However, in this post I am discussing the advantages and disadvantages from both vendors concerning…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

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Computer Software Company

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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	8
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	4

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	191
Midsize Enterprise	130
Large Enterprise	233

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Comparisons

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 17% 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

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

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Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs Check Point Power-1 [EOL]

Compared 15% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs Check Point Power-1 [EOL]

Compared 14% of the time

SonicWall NSa vs Check Point Power-1 [EOL]

Compared 11% of the time

Juniper SRX Series Firewall vs Check Point Power-1 [EOL]

Compared 8% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs Check Point Power-1 [EOL]

Compared 8% of the time

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Palo Alto Networks WildFire vs Cisco Secure Firewall

Compared 10% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Cisco Secure Firewall

Compared 9% of the time

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs Cisco Secure Firewall

Compared 4% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Cisco Secure Firewall

Compared 3% of the time

Palo Alto Networks VM-Series vs Cisco Secure Firewall

Compared 2% of the time

More Cisco Secure Firewall Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

May 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Firewalls

April 2026

Download Check Point Power-1 [EOL] product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Firewall

May 2026

Download Cisco Secure Firewall product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

No data available

Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Firewall, Cisco ASA NGFW, Adaptive Security Appliance, Cisco Sourcefire Firewalls, Cisco ASAv, Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewall, Cisco Secure Firewall ASA Virtual - BYOL

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

Check Point Power-1 is the first security appliance to provide simple and flexible field performance upgradability. It has world class performance up to 25 Gbps in convenient 2-U form factor and flexible multi-function security appliance provides expandability and investment protection.

Check Point Software Technologies

Cisco Secure Firewall provides comprehensive network security with advanced features such as application visibility, URL filtering, and malware protection. It combines a user-friendly interface with robust VPN capabilities, making it a reliable choice for varying network environments and industry applications.

Cisco Secure Firewall offers exceptional protection with its integration into Cisco's broader ecosystem, ensuring enhanced threat detection and policy unification. Despite its complexity in command-line interfaces and management, Cisco Secure Firewall remains a potent tool for safeguarding data. It is widely adopted for edge security, VPN services, perimeter defense, and traffic segmentation, especially in hybrid settings. Essential sectors like banking and telecom benefit from its stable connectivity and centralized security management. Though there are challenges with costs and support for third-party APIs, the firewall's scalability and high availability provide comprehensive support for protecting network assets.

What are the key features of Cisco Secure Firewall?

Application Visibility: Offers in-depth visibility of application traffic to monitor and protect against threats.
Advanced Malware Protection: Protects against known and emerging malware threats with powerful detection capabilities.
URL Filtering: Manages and restricts access to websites, enhancing organizational data security.
VPN Capabilities: Ensures secure remote access and encrypted communication through strong VPN features.
Integration with Cisco Ecosystem: Enhances security measures with seamless integration with Cisco's suite of security tools.

What benefits and ROI should be expected from Cisco Secure Firewall?

Comprehensive Protection: Offers multi-layered security for diverse network environments, increasing overall data protection.
Performance Efficiency: High availability and scalability lead to improved network performance and resource management.
Management Simplification: Centralized security management streamlines policy deployment across networks.
Enhanced Threat Detection: Integration capabilities improve threat detection and mitigation for better security posture.

Cisco Secure Firewall is widely implemented across sectors like banking, education, ISPs, and telecoms. It fortifies data centers and network edge security, delivering strong protection for client access, hybrid environments, and intrusion prevention. In these industries, firewall solutions ensure secure connectivity and manage RTU traffic effectively, leveraging centralized management and integration with Cisco's security tools.

Cisco

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

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Independence Care System, Hotel Nikko, Courtagen Life Sciences, Carmel Partners

There are more than one million Adaptive Security Appliances deployed globally. Top customers include First American Financial Corp., Genzyme, Frankfurt Airport, Hansgrohe SE, Rio Olympics, The French Laundry, Rackspace, and City of Tomorrow.

Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet, Netgate, Sophos and others in Firewalls. Updated: April 2026.

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