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

Check Point Software Technologies and Cisco are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Additionally, 84% 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 UTM-1 [EOL] and Cisco Secure Firewall are competing products in the network security space. Check Point UTM-1 [EOL] offers advantages in pricing and deployment ease, while Cisco Secure Firewall holds the upper hand with its advanced features, offering a comprehensive security solution.

Features: Check Point UTM-1 [EOL] includes integrated security management, robust intrusion prevention capabilities, and centralized policy creation. Cisco Secure Firewall features advanced threat defense, enhanced visibility across networks, and Firepower threat management for superior protection.

Room for Improvement: Check Point UTM-1 [EOL] could improve its feature set and user interface. Cisco Secure Firewall could benefit from a simpler setup process, reduced complexity in configuration, and better out-of-the-box integration with third-party solutions.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Check Point UTM-1 [EOL] is noted for its straightforward deployment and strong customer support, making implementation smoother. Cisco Secure Firewall, while offering comprehensive support options, requires a more complex setup, which may pose challenges for some users.

Pricing and ROI: Check Point UTM-1 [EOL] offers a lower upfront cost, making it an attractive option for businesses prioritizing budget control. Cisco Secure Firewall, despite a higher initial investment, justifies the cost with enhanced security features and promises long-term value, particularly for those seeking robust security capabilities.

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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

Abhinandan Yadav

Network Security Engineer at Arrow PC Network Pvt Ltd

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

Great firewalls, VPN, and Intrusion prevention capabilities

Some features that could be improved are advanced threat protection, sandboxing, and vulnerability management. Another point is to improve the technical support provided by Check Point UTM-1. Although the company offers different standards, including basic and premium, by mail and by telephone, they present a very large deficiency in the time it takes to comply with the provisions of the SLA. Coordinating a meeting is complicated by the schedules. The documentation should also be improved by having it unified.

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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

"The solution is pretty expensive, but it provides great value to our organization."

"The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate SWG are IPS and scanning."

"Initial setup is straightforward. There weren't too many issues with setting it up. It takes one hour or so."

"It is a stable solution compared to other vendors."

"The product has lived up to its expectation with no issues whatsoever."

"Fortinet FortiGate has many valuable features, such as IDS, and intrusion detection. It has security features that are in part with the technologies that are available in the market."

"It has improved our organization with control data."

"New users should be aware that this solution offers very good security."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"Check Point has been in the security industry for so long that it has evolved different solutions and technologies."

"As a security information analyst, it helps me to see information in a very clear way."

"Firewalls help us a lot in controlling traffic on our network and preventing unauthorized access."

"The solution is very robust."

"This is my favorite product that I use, and I think it's one of the best in the world."

"The pricing is reasonable for the performance and support we are getting."

"The most important features are performance and ease of management."

"It's pricey, but it provides 100% satisfaction for the money you spend."

More Check Point UTM-1 [EOL] pros

"The feature I find most valuable is the Cisco VPN Interconnection."

"We use the solution for deep packet inspection, Internet Edge functionality, IDS, and IDP."

"Once you get the ASA set up properly, it can run for a whole year without any major issues, apart from the normal daily administration."

"Cisco products are on the pricier side; that said, they're worth it."

"The most important feature is its categorization because on the site and social media you are unified in the way they are there."

"Cisco ASA firewall is most reliable to protect the network, therefore I switched."

"The most valuable feature is the access control list (ACL)."

"Cybersecurity resilience has helped us be able to react and respond in a quick fashion to anything that may be happening or any anomalies within the environment."

More Cisco Secure Firewall pros

Cons

"This product needs to have an analysis feature, rather than having the analysis done through the integration of a different product."

"The cloud management should improve."

"More SD-WAN features can be integrated into the FortiGate Next Generation Firewall"

"Sometimes, we open a ticket, and it is very difficult to get a solution."

"The support structure needs to be improved because every time we contact them, there is a delay in the response."

"The cloud management and automation capability could be improved."

"The license renewal process, annual renewal price, and the web application firewall features should be improved."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"Yes, about once a year we have a catastrophic failure. It's pretty random."

"I would like to see improvements in the report area. Some features should be integrated and not licensed separately."

"The solution could be improved if there was a better way to report. The reporting functionality is not really good. Even though it's not the major function. Maybe adding a way to make a custom report."

"What has been the issue of firewalls is they ask me for policies and content filtering application control and all these features that are now part of Harmony."

"Customer service is definitely degrading, according to me."

"As we don't have a representative of Check Point in Mozambique, this makes it very difficult when we have some issues to resolve."

"Technical support was very bad because the supplier who sold it to us wasn't very supportive, and he wouldn't giving us direct links to the OEM."

More Check Point UTM-1 [EOL] cons

"The usability of Cisco Firepower Threat Defense is an issue. The product is still under development, and the user interface is very difficult to deal with."

"It was mainly issues regarding the management and VPN setup."

"Licensing is expensive compared to other solutions, especially in other regions because people are very careful when it comes to spending on IT infrastructure."

"I would say the pricing could be improved. It's quite expensive, especially for the economy."

"Licensing is complex, and I'd like it to be simplified. This is an area for improvement."

"The down side of ASDM is that it is build with JAVA and that means a lot vulnerabilities and it does not always work with the latest JAVA version and/or patches."

"The security features in the URL category need more improvement."

"The performance and the level of throughput need to be improved."

More Cisco Secure Firewall cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is affordable. Palo Alto is much more expensive than Fortinet."

"I would rate the pricing a five out of ten"

"The solution is offered as an annual license."

"For our organization, the licensing costs are approximately $7,000 per year."

"Pricing is good. They offer a lot of things, the most important is the support. Every time you upgrade your license, you also get insurance for the equipment. If you have any problem with equipment, they send in new equipment."

"Compared to other firewall products, it's a little cheaper in terms of pricing."

"At the time we bought them, I was satisfied with their pricing; I don't know how the new pricing will be."

"The license is too expensive to renew. The license renewal process is also complex."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"This cost is between 3,000 and 5,000 euros per year, so some other solutions are cheaper and the pricing should be improved."

"The pricing is too high."

"Always consider what you might need to reduce your wasted time and invest it in other solutions."

"It was pretty good and not expensive on the subscription side. Cisco is doing a good job on this."

"I am happy with the product in general, including the pricing."

"When we are fighting against other competitors for customers, whether it is a small or big business, we feel very comfortable with the price that Firepower has today."

"Watch out for hidden licensing and incredibly high annual maintenance costs."

"We are partners with Cisco. They are always one call away, which is good. They know how to keep their customers happy."

"The licensing package is good, but the licensing fee should be decreased."

"The pricing and licensing structure of the firewall is fair and reasonable."

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…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

No data available

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

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	10
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	190
Midsize Enterprise	129
Large Enterprise	231

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Comparisons

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 18% 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

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Netgate pfSense vs Check Point UTM-1 [EOL]

Compared 30% of the time

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs Check Point UTM-1 [EOL]

Compared 18% of the time

Sophos UTM vs Check Point UTM-1 [EOL]

Compared 16% of the time

More Check Point UTM-1 [EOL] Competitors

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

Check Point UTM-1 [EOL]

May 2026

Download Check Point UTM-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 UTM-1 delivers proven, best-in-class security ideal for use in industrial Ethernet and SCADA environments. Robust performance and central management provide unmatched value in a simple, all-in-one solution.

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

AccessIT Group Inc., Accuvant, Cadre Computer Resources Inc., Compuquip Technologies Inc, Dimension Data North America Inc., Forsythe Solutions Group, Gotham Technology Group LLC, GuidePoint Security LLC, Iovations, IPS

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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