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 #36 with an average rating of 8.7. Check Point Software Technologies holds a 2.8% 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: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) 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 Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) is 2.8%, down from 2.9% 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%
Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW)	2.8%
Palo Alto Networks K2-Series	0.1%
Other	76.7%

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

"The most useful features in Fortinet FortiGate are the security features, where we can analyze what kind of traffic is inside our network, and we also utilize ZTNA for limiting and managing our network access."

"I have found most of the features to be good with excellent functionality."

"This is an easy solution to deploy."

"UTM/NGFW features and FortiCloud for logs and backups are awesome."

"Scaling-wise, there have been no problems with Fortinet FortiGate."

"The scalability is very good."

"The features that we have found most valuable are the SSL VPN and the User Portal."

"Our security improved from being able to put in rules and close off unwanted traffic."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"Configuration and deploying are easy."

"Advanced logging capabilities: Check Point generates extensive logs which may be very useful to figure out the issues. Its logs also contain too much information which can be used to modify the policy as per user need and organizational security environment. The same can be used to figure out probable attack surface or necessary steps for mitigation."

"As far as I have seen, Check Point NGFW is very stable."

"The solution is scalable."

"We have between five and ten firewalls on-premises, and if we want to configure or push the same configuration to all of the firewalls, then the centralized management system is very helpful."

"The scalability is very good."

"One of the most valuable features is performance improvement, wherewith ClusterXL and CoreXL, you can improve performance."

"Check Point NGFW is a fantastic product, and it is also easy to integrate with third-party devices."

More Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) 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."

"Palo Alto firewalls are scalable enough. We have about 110 employees in our company, and we are about to expand to 130."

"The most valuable features are the intuitive user interface, ease of use, and reporting."

"I like the tool's WildFire feature."

"It is a stable solution."

"Palo Alto's App-ID is what differentiates it from other competitors."

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

"Overall product rating: Nine out of ten."

More Palo Alto Networks K2-Series pros

Cons

"They should make the rule sets more understandable for the end user. When you're trying to explain to somebody how a computer network is secured, sometimes it's difficult for an end user or customer to understand. If there was a way to make the terminology more accessible to the end user, the set up could be easier. They should translate the technical jargon to an easily relatable and understandable conversation for the end user, the customer, that would be brilliant. Particularly in an environment where the IT structure is audited regularly, there's always pressure from the auditor to up the standards and up the security and you get your USCERT's that come out and there's a warning about this and the customer will want to lock out so much and when you apply it they run into issue where they can't search the internet or print to their remote office. Of course they can't print to your remote office, they just locked it up. They should make the language more understandable for the customer. If there's a product out there that made the jargon understandable to John Q. Public, I would buy that."

"The updates Fortinet provides are sometimes unstable."

"The solution lacks multi-language support."

"At the moment, the main concern is the pricing and the type of licensing. Fortinet offers different types of licensing, and my idea is that the best approach is to have only one, two, or a maximum of three types of licensing."

"Scalability is one of the disadvantages. When it comes to scalability, you have to actually change the box. If you want to upgrade it, you need to actually change the existing box and probably you take the system off to other sites."

"Backup can be improved."

"FortiGate NGFW can improve technical support. The engineer who answers the technical support call, email, or phone call, whatever the medium may be. The response time is very bad."

"We also have FortiAnalyzer deployed here, so we want to enable the soft functionality of FortiGate and built-in compression for a firewall VPN use case. We want the ability to deploy a gateway for HTTPS enabled on this firewall. It is currently only for use in our headquarters."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"The pricing for the Check Point products should be reconsidered - we found it to be quite expensive to purchase, and to maintain (the licenses and the support services need to be prolonged regularly)."

"The client for the central tools is very big - maybe using web access in future releases, similar to other vendors should be possible."

"I still don't have access to the reporting service."

"The support team should be faster."

"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."

"I find that the licenses are a bit expensive compared to other vendors, and while the price is justified, at times, renewing them becomes a bit painful, so if it could become a bit more budget-friendly, that would work for me."

"The upgrade process of Check Point could be simplified to match other products."

"It's too expensive for mid-market companies."

More Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) cons

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

"Palo Alto releases a lot of bug fixes for their firewalls, which means it's necessary to do frequent upgrades. They should work on decreasing their bugs so that upgrades aren't needed so often."

"Threat prevention could use improvement. Not just in malware exploits and C2 traffic; enhancing web traffic protection would be a great upgrade."

"There are a lot of bugs in this solution."

"It is recommended that the Palo Alto Networks K2-Series be implemented step by step for the Panorama. Sometimes we can't overwrite the configurations because it fails."

"I'd like to see more data protection on the system."

"They should implement the features that the other firewalls have."

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

More Palo Alto Networks K2-Series cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is very expensive so pricing is rated a one out of ten."

"In the Asian economy in which we operate, FortiGate is expensive."

"I rate the pricing an eight and a half on a scale of one to ten, where one is low, and ten is high."

"Work through partners for the best pricing."

"Fortinet Secure SD-WAN delivered the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) per Mbps among all other vendors."

"When comparing this solution to others, I would rate it a ten out of ten in terms of pricing. However, the issue of requiring a separate license for redundancy is a drawback, and I would rate it a nine out of ten."

"The price of Fortinet FortiGate is better than Cisco, Check Point, and Palo Alto. In terms of pricing, it's probably a better-priced firewall solution overall."

"The price of FortiGate support is too expensive."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"The product's price is on the higher side but I also feel that it is more secure than the other solutions in the market."

"The tool's price is reasonable in case you are not using it in a high-load environment."

"The technology itself is impressive, but I find the pricing a bit on the higher side."

"The pricing and licensing part is something that could be improved. Check Point license and pricing are a bit higher compared to competing firewalls. I think they can work on that."

"You get licensing bundles, so depending on which features you want to activate, your license is going to be more expensive. Some things, like Threat Extraction and Threat Emulation, require subscriptions."

"When comparing the price of Check Point NGFW to other solutions it's difficult to compare because even though everything is included in the Fortinet price, there are large differences between the models. You need to go to a quite expensive Fortinet firewall to receive the same throughput and functionality as in a Check Point firewall. In the end, they are quite similar in price, Fortinet might be a bit cheaper."

"I have done licensing and contracts for multiple firewalls. The license and contract configuration is completely fine, but if it is possible to make them cost a bit less, then this would be better."

"It falls in a moderate price range, not as inexpensive as some alternatives but not as costly as Palo Alto."

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

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

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

"The pricing is expensive."

"We are on an annual license to use Palo Alto Networks K2-Series."

"This solution is expensive compared to other, similar products."

"It would be nice if they lowered their prices for small businesses."

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

"It is an expensive solution."

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

15%

Financial Services Firm

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	350
Midsize Enterprise	130
Large Enterprise	187

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	134
Midsize Enterprise	97
Large Enterprise	195

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...

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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

Palo Alto Networks WildFire vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 2% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

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

Compared 11% of the time

Sophos XG vs Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW)

Compared 8% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW)

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW)

Compared 7% of the time

OPNsense vs Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW)

Compared 7% of the time

More Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) Competitors

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

Compared 54% of the time

Juniper SRX Series Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

Compared 46% of the time

More Palo Alto Networks K2-Series Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

October 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW)

October 2025

Download Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) 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

Check Point NG Firewall, Check Point Next Generation Firewall

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

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

September 2025

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

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