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Check Point Remote Access VPN vs SonicWall SMA comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 13, 2025

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

Check Point Remote Access VPN
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
5th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
75
Ranking in other categories
Remote Access (7th)
SonicWall SMA
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
18th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.6
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Universal Access Gateways (2nd), SSL VPN (7th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Check Point Remote Access VPN is 3.9%, up from 3.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall SMA is 1.2%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Check Point Remote Access VPN3.9%
SonicWall SMA1.2%
Other94.9%
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2751156 - PeerSpot reviewer
Centralized user management reduces administrative costs and improves deployment speed
They could make Check Point Remote Access VPN easier to integrate with Entra ID and Azure, so that we can use Azure roles together with the VPN. The documentation on how to integrate is out of date, not maintained, and not really supported from Check Point's side. It's a great and stable VPN service that could benefit from more and better features, such as Active Directory or Entra ID integrations.
Maheshbabu T - PeerSpot reviewer
It allows us to provide CML-based access to any user, but the reporting could be better
I rate SonicWall SMA seven out of 10. If you're planning to implement this solution, I suggest checking the version to ensure it's compatible with your other technology. I say go for it if it's suitable for your use case. Multifactor authentication technologies are built into the product, whereas some products lack multifactor authentication. We need only one or two. They provide authentication, gateway integration, OTP integration, etc.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The clients of the customers have a facility to access the enterprise network."
"The most valuable feature of Check Point Remote Access VPN is its ability to deploy. It follows the same process as their stateful inspection firewall or IPS. If you know how to enable one feature, you can enable and configure others. The learning curve isn't steep."
"The main purpose of the product is for firewall purposes that we are using, and the VPN provides secure access for remote connections."
"Check Point has been perfect for protecting us from any type of attack or data theft during remote management."
"It operates effectively, particularly during challenges like adversities or infrastructure issues."
"The tool is easy to configure and use. We integrated it with Active Directory to manage user authentication. It's intuitive and transparent, making it simple for users to use. It connects automatically to the VPN whenever users turn on the laptop. The product is efficient and offers centralized control."
"I found the MEP feature the most valuable. This has improved users' latency allowing the users to connect to the nearest Azure Check Point VM."
"One of the features that I like most about this software is that it has a very intuitive, simple, and versatile interface that makes it easy to use and configure."
"I like the load balancing capability."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is they have IT consultants that know SonicWall."
"The performance is good."
"It is faster than other security options when using remote connections."
"SonicWall SMA allows us to provide CML-based access to any user."
"Blocklisting and allowlisting are the most beneficial features for network security."
"I am very satisfied with the technical support."
"This solution has many options for remote desktop and access."
 

Cons

"There was complexity in the initial setup."
"A characteristic to improve is the communication service under the SMTP scheme."
"Sometimes we have some small problems with Check Point Remote Access VPN. For example, problems with authentication."
"The interface itself needs improvement. When you need to create something, you have to go through a lot of steps. It needs to be simplified."
"The maximum it is giving us is only 5 licenses and if you need more, they must be purchased separately."
"The main area for improvement is pricing. Another area could be integrating MFA authentication directly into the solution instead of using separate benchmark tools for implementation."
"I cannot see the full effect of the endpoint solution because it relies on having access to the DNF queries, which might not go through the Check Point firewall when you're using it for perimeter networks. Check Point will not identify the actual source of the net queries. This may be related to the architecture, however, and not poor product issues. I don't know if it can be improved on the Check Point side or not."
"One area that could be improved is the complexity of setting up Check Point Remote Access VPN, particularly with features like multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and identity awareness. Deploying these solutions requires higher technical expertise than other solutions."
"The product's technical support services could be improved."
"The solution could integrate better with other platforms."
"Enhancing live tracking capabilities could improve the product, particularly in monitoring user activity and request statuses in real-time on the web interface."
"This is an expensive solution and I think that the price could be improved."
"The product itself is very good, but Dell needs to work on product visibility in their advertising."
"SonicWall SMA is difficult to use and it does not provide easy access to different parts of the network."
"The solution has 2FA, it will generate a token and send it to an email, but multifactor authentication is not available. I would suggest that there should be MFA integration and provided with the appliance."
"The only thing that they could try to improve is the support for enterprise customers. Normally enterprises and SMBs can create a ticket, but for enterprises, SonicWall SMA needs to provide a global view, and this is what's currently missing. It's not even a question of timing. It's a question of the global vision because currently, it's lacking. They concentrate on the topic, but not on the means and not on the global picture. In most cases, there's something wrong with the integration of SonicWall SMA with other products, so that could also be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"My understanding is that the pricing and licensing are very competitive, and it's not one of their more expensive products. We buy licenses for the solution and have licenses for the endpoint servers."
"Organizations that already have the Check Point NGFW need to purchase an additional license to have access to the VPN functionality."
"The price of this product is good."
"Regarding pricing, as a global customer, we get a big discount. For us, it's a good return on investment. We need to pay for additional features we want to enable. It seems cheaper than other vendors, but I can't say what it would cost an average customer."
"The solution is pretty expensive. The rating is an eight."
"I can say that the licensing costs are charged annually."
"The product is expensive. I rate its pricing a ten out of ten. For the cost of one product, we could purchase two or three Fortinet solutions with the same amount of money."
"I give the price of the solution a five out of ten."
"I don't know about the pricing of the SSL-VPN box. I know the SSL-VPN software is free. Global VPN client, by comparison, is licensed for around $150 or something like that. But the SSL-VPN software is free. It is already built-in with the box."
"The cost of the licensing is based on the maximum number of concurrent users, and it costs a lot to add them."
"Our licenses are stackable and can be anywhere from five users to a million users."
"This solution is priced well and we currently have the maximum number of licenses allowed."
"The platform has medium pricing."
"All the costs are included in a bundled license."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Construction Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Retailer
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business34
Midsize Enterprise29
Large Enterprise33
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Check Point Endpoint Remote Access VPN?
I think Check Point Remote Access VPN can be improved as it's more of an annoyance for a good number of the clients because it doesn't save their credentials. Even if it's just timed out, you sort ...
What is your primary use case for Check Point Endpoint Remote Access VPN?
My main use case for Check Point Remote Access VPN is for remote employee access.
What do you like most about SonicWall SMA?
Blocklisting and allowlisting are the most beneficial features for network security.
What needs improvement with SonicWall SMA?
I haven't utilized the high availability and scalability features of SonicWall SMA yet because I've never had a need to. I don't know where they can focus their energy on continuous improvements, a...
 

Also Known As

Check Point Remote Access VPN, Check Point Endpoint Remote Access VPN
SonicWall Aventail, SonicWall SMA SSL-VPN, SonicWall Secure Mobile Access
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Osmose, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
UnitedStack, Newport City Homes, Faith Lutheran College Redlands, PRIME aerostructures GmbH, Celtic Manor Resort
Find out what your peers are saying about Check Point Remote Access VPN vs. SonicWall SMA and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,985 professionals have used our research since 2012.