Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus vs WatchGuard Firebox comparison

Cybereason and WatchGuard are both solutions in the Anti-Malware Tools category. Cybereason is ranked #21 with an average rating of 9.0, while WatchGuard is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.0. Additionally, 100% of Cybereason users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of WatchGuard users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 9, 2025

WatchGuard Firebox and Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus are competing in cybersecurity solutions. Cybereason seems to have the upper hand with advanced features and robust protection, while WatchGuard offers competitive pricing and support options.

Features: WatchGuard Firebox offers strong firewall capabilities, comprehensive threat management, and VPN support. Cybereason focuses on enhanced threat detection, behavior monitoring, and real-time analysis. WatchGuard is more comprehensive in network security, whereas Cybereason excels in endpoint protection.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: WatchGuard Firebox provides straightforward deployment with strong customer support, which benefits organizations without specialized IT teams. Cybereason's deployment is more complex but offers detailed guidance and responsive support for a smooth integration. WatchGuard's easier deployment suits smaller teams, while Cybereason's service appeals to those needing extensive setup support.

Pricing and ROI: WatchGuard Firebox has a lower initial setup cost, presenting reasonable ROI through cost-effective security management. Cybereason, despite potentially higher costs, delivers high ROI with its sophisticated features and proactive threat intelligence. WatchGuard is budget-friendly, while Cybereason is considered worth the investment for its advanced capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus vs. WatchGuard Firebox Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus vs. WatchGuard Firebox

December 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

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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Peter Nowak

Business Development Manager for Cybereason at Bechtle

Cross-platform capability enhances security integration

The single agent, combined with the EDR system, delivers additional information and data for the EDR. Regarding the use cases, or maybe it fits better into another question about the motivation of the customers, I can see two approaches. The first approach is where the customer has an existing EDR system running, and their contract comes to an end. They are looking to either prolong it, renew it, continue with the current system, or look for something cheaper or better. When they reevaluate the contract, it's a sales approach to suggest that for a similar amount of money, not very much more, they can get something much better. It's not only a plain EDR or plain antivirus system - it's antivirus plus EDR. The difference in price is not much. Especially for the antivirus, the cross-platform capability is significant, as it's for Windows and Linux workstations and servers. Having one system for all platforms is essential. This has helped in two ways. The majority of customers want one thing for all, however, some customers definitely want two systems, servers separated from workstations. I have a big data center for banks, and they separate Windows Servers from Linux Servers. It is important for them to have two different systems. By providing this multi-operating system capability, I have engaged with customers via the Linux servers because the Windows servers are handled differently, so they were looking for a second different system, which opened the door for us.

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Pedro Soteras

CEO at ajuntament del Prat

Network protection has improved with stronger VPN connectivity but administration remains complex

Deploying WatchGuard Firebox was quite easy, but we have had some problems regarding the VPN and the administration of the tool and the two firewalls that we have. When comparing WatchGuard Firebox with our previous solution, Palo Alto, we have had some problems in administration because of the tools. I think that they have some aspects in their system that are cloud-provided, but they also have an on-premise solution, which makes this combination good. Although I should say that when compared to Palo Alto, we have taken a step backwards. In general, I would rate WatchGuard Firebox around 6-7; it is a good firewall, but they lack good administration tools. We experience many problems with the performance and administration tools on the web, including several issues with VPNs.

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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

"I found the upgrades valuable."

"The best feature of Fortinet FortiGate is value for money. It is very easy to deploy and scale. It saves us costs and increases bandwidth throughput."

"We use the filtering feature the most. It has filtering and inbuilt securities. We can create customized rules to define which users can access a particular type of site. We can create policies inside the firewall."

"The best features of Fortinet FortiGate are UTM, web filtering, and IPS."

"The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the ease of use and the UI. It has always provided me with what I needed. I have no need for additional costs that other solutions have, such as Sophos."

"The most valuable feature is the VDOM, which allows the customer to have multiple firewalls in a single campus."

"The user interface is intuitive. Anyone can configure the firewall with little knowledge of the product. The back-end is robust with good security."

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

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"The solution's most valuable feature is its AI detection algorithm part, which helps and is Cybereason's way of detecting the unknown, not just the signature-based threats."

"I would rate the overall product as an eight out of ten."

"Especially for the antivirus, the cross-platform capability is significant, as it's for Windows and Linux workstations and servers."

"The tool's detection range works fine. Its most valuable features are its ease of employment and lightweightness. It's not heavy on resources. We focus on malware and ransomware detection."

"I like that this product has very few issues."

"Firebox operates effectively in the background, blocking potential threats without a need for constant monitoring."

"The set up was quite straightforward and we handled it in-house. It took a few hours to deploy the product."

"Simple to move settings between WatchGuard boxes."

"The basic functionality is fantastic. It has been performing well. I generated a report on one machine, using that as the deployment machine. When scanning the network, it discovered machines on the network and deployed the same endpoint protection from that one machine I have on my network."

"The solution simplifies my business. Normally, for administration, we are using NetApp System Manager on Window since it's easy to create new policies. In a short amount of time, you can create new policies based on new requirements. For example, in the last few months, many requirements changed due to the coronavirus, adding the use of new services, like Office 365, and eLearning tools, like Zoom."

"WatchGuard Firebox is easy to configure and has a nice user interface."

"WatchGuard is easy to implement and inexpensive. When we get a bulk-off license, we get a very discounted price that is competitive with alternative or competitor solutions."

More WatchGuard Firebox pros

Cons

"I believe there is room for improvement in machine learning and AI in Fortinet FortiGate."

"It claims it does DLP, but the degree and level of controls are very basic."

"The licensing model and pricing need improvement."

"The pricing could be reduced or include the first year warranty."

"They should provide us with a CSV number for patch updates. It will help us block specific signatures as well."

"I find the management console not very straightforward, so that's an area where Fortinet FortiGate can improve. They should simplify it and make it more user-friendly."

"The solution's stability should be improved because it is extremely unstable."

"I think they need to improve more in order to be a competitor with the leaders of the field."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"I have been told several times that the stability of the sensor, not the back end, is an issue."

"Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus is not available in the local language, which can be inconvenient."

"Integrating other tools is sometimes an issue when using Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus."

"I have been told several times that the stability of the sensor, not the back end, is an issue."

"Some of the configuration options are somewhat confusing."

"It is also difficult to diagnose issues if any devices get compromised; for example, if someone hacks our system, it becomes hard to trace who made changes or accessed the firewall."

"The solution needs to improve its accessibility."

"I'm not really impressed with the reporting side of it. It may be something I just haven't figured out very well, but it's hard to filter down on reporting of the actual valuable information that you would want. There is a lot of information out there so you have to have some kind of tool capture it and then filter through. So far, I haven't found the reporting side of the WatchGuard to be that user-friendly."

"The data loss protection works well, but it could be easier to configure. The complexity of data loss protection makes it a more difficult feature to fully leverage. Better integration with third-party, two-factor authentication would be advantageous."

"The only downside is that it is missing an API, that you can use to easily collect information from it."

"Once you start getting into proxy actions and setting up: "Okay, cool. Once this rule gets triggered, what actions have to happen?" I do know a few people who use WatchGuard and they still have to get assistance when they look at that. So I would file that as a con for WatchGuard. Proxy actions can be a little bit complicated."

"Regarding technical support, they could use more engineers."

More WatchGuard Firebox cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"FortiGate Next Generation Firewall costs our company around $12000 per year."

"The price of FortiGate is average and I would say that based on the top five products available on the market, it is in the affordable range."

"The price could be lower."

"When I look around at other products, such as Sophos, Fortinet FortiGate is 20% to 30% more expensive with our current cost."

"The license for Fortinet FortiGate is affordable in my country."

"This is not a cheap solution but it isn't expensive, either. It's a good solution for the right price."

"While Fortinet FortiGate has a higher price point compared to Sophos XG, its user-friendly interface justifies the cost."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"I rate the solution's pricing a four out of ten. Its pricing is justified."

"I rate the solution's pricing a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."

"I think the larger firewall packages are much better because a normal firewall is not enough for these times. You need IPS, APT, and all the security features of a firewall that you can buy."

"I usually tell people that it's really affordable as well, particularly compared to Cisco."

"We pay about $3,500 every three years."

"It has a very good price. It is not the most expensive one, and it is also not the cheapest one. It is just spot-on in terms of price."

"We are utilizing an MSP licensing model and are content with the minimal amount spent on the devices rather than committing to long-term licensing."

"They have an annual subscription license. Initially, we had opted for three years. After that, we went for another three years, and after that, we have been doing it yearly. They also have a license for five years."

"The price of WatchGuard is very good."

"The cost was somewhere in the vicinity of $2,000 to $3,000 for each one..."

More WatchGuard Firebox pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Performing Arts

14%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Manufacturing Company

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	357
Midsize Enterprise	133
Large Enterprise	188

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	92
Midsize Enterprise	27
Large Enterprise	15

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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What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?

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 ...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus?

I rate the solution's pricing a four out of ten. Its pricing is justified.

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What needs improvement with Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus?

I have been told several times that the stability of the sensor, not the back end, is an issue. After certain updates...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus?

My use case involves providing endpoint security. When I introduce the EDR system, in many cases, it replaces the cur...

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What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Firebox?

We are providing our services to all WatchGuard customers in the region.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Firebox?

We just use it as a secondary WiFi device. We're a small office and we needed to set up a WiFi device for a few of ou...

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What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Firebox?

We're a hospital and we use it for developing our incoming and outgoing policies, and we also use it for VPN.

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 20% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 6% 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

Check Point Harmony Endpoint vs Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus

Compared 40% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus

Compared 33% of the time

ESET PROTECT Enterprise vs Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus

Compared 26% of the time

More Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus Competitors

Sophos Firewall vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 7% of the time

OPNsense vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 7% of the time

Sophos UTM vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 4% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 4% of the time

SonicWall NSa vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 4% of the time

More WatchGuard Firebox Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

January 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Anti-Malware Tools

January 2026

Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus report

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Buyer's Guide

WatchGuard Firebox

January 2026

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Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

Cybereason NGAV

WatchGuard Threat Detection and Response, WatchGuard Application Control, WatchGuard Data Loss Prevention, WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus, WatchGuard Intrusion Prevention Service

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

Next-generation antivirus (NGAV) is a new breed of software that was created to bridge the gap left by traditional antivirus.

What exactly constitutes NGAV in the cybersecurity industry is still unclear since there’s not a widely-accepted definition for the term. At a minimum, next-generation antivirus products need to go beyond performing signature-based detection while also incorporating some type of advanced technology.

Most NGAVs go beyond the use of indicators of compromise (IOCs) and metadata such as virus signatures, IP addresses, file hashes, and URLs. Using technologies like advanced data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence and data analytics, next-generation antivirus solutions look for patterns of behavior used by attackers to discover tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).

Cybereason

WatchGuard Firebox is a high-performance firewall known for its ease of setup, offering robust security with layered protection and centralized management capabilities.

WatchGuard Firebox stands out for its intuitive management and high throughput, addressing security needs with features like VPN, web filtering, and threat detection. Its centralized control and reporting abilities, along with Active Directory integration, make it popular among varied organizations. Its user-friendly interface and ongoing updates enhance usability and reliability. However, there's a call for better cloud-based administration, scalability, and improved integration with third-party vendors.

What are the key features of WatchGuard Firebox?

Ease of Setup: Quick and straightforward installation process.
GUI: User-friendly graphical interface for simplified navigation.
VPN Features: Secure and efficient virtual private network management.
Web Filtering: Advanced filtering for safer browsing experiences.
Threat Detection: Proactive monitoring and detection of cyber threats.

What benefits or ROI should be evaluated?

Centralized Control: Streamlined management from a single point.
High Throughput: Efficient data handling and processing capacity.
Stable Performance: Consistent and reliable operational functionality.
Active Directory Integration: Seamless connection with user directories.
Customer Service: Strong support service for customer inquiries.

WatchGuard Firebox is implemented across industries to secure internet gateways and protect data in multi-site businesses. Its applications span from Unified Threat Management (UTM) and intrusion prevention to compliance support in business environments requiring secure connectivity through VPNs.

WatchGuard

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

CONNECTICUT WATER, BEAM SUNTORY, CADWALADER, WICKERSHAM & TAFT, RTI Surgical, HOSPITAL REVENUE CYCLE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, MCBEE ASSOCIATES, FORTUNE 500 BANK

Ellips, Diecutstickers.com, Clarke Energy, NCR, Wrest Park, Homeslice Pizza, Fortessa Tableware Solutions, The Phoenix Residence

Buyer's Guide

Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus vs. WatchGuard Firebox

December 2025

Free Report: Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus vs. WatchGuard Firebox

Find out what your peers are saying about Cybereason Next-Generation Antivirus vs. WatchGuard Firebox and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

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