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KerioControl vs Palo Alto Networks PA-Series comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.8
KerioControl delivered significant financial benefits through bandwidth optimization, VPN efficiency, and reduced support, maintenance, and security expenses.
Sentiment score
6.5
Palo Alto Networks PA-Series offers cost-effective security solutions with advanced features, providing significant ROI within three to five years.
Palo Alto Networks PA-Series will be more reliable and will save money, time, and multiple resources.
Project Engineer at IT Solution
The return on investment with this product is a hard question because security tends to be a cost center rather than a profit center.
Global Network Engineering Technical Lead at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Palo Alto Networks PA-Series is definitely worth the investment a company is paying to use it.
Senior Network Security Engineer at UNITE HERE HEALTH
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.3
KerioControl support receives mixed reviews, with some praise but many report slow responses and reliance on online communities.
Sentiment score
6.2
Palo Alto Networks PA-Series customer service is praised for knowledge but criticized for slower response times compared to Cisco.
I have never needed to contact customer support as the product is easy to use.
Product manger at Asbis Mediteranean
They're constantly following up after a case has been opened to ensure that it has been resolved properly.
Global Network Engineering Technical Lead at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Cisco TAC support comes within five to ten minutes on the call.
Cloud Network Engineer at a insurance company with 5,001-10,000 employees
I am happy with the technical support from Palo Alto.
Asisstant Manager at Yaskawa America, Inc
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.7
KerioControl suits small to medium businesses but faces scalability issues in larger enterprises, requiring hardware upgrades for increased capacity.
Sentiment score
6.9
The PA-Series provides excellent scalability for enterprises, with virtual models offering adaptability for thousands of users and devices.
KerioControl has met some of the network infrastructure needs yet could improve in terms of scalability.
Product manger at Asbis Mediteranean
If you talk about virtual firewall, it is easy to autoscale.
Cloud Network Engineer at a insurance company with 5,001-10,000 employees
The solution can handle more than ten thousand users in my organization.
Operations Specialist - MX Operations at Bank Alfalah Limited
There are no restrictions in scalability.
Asisstant Manager at Yaskawa America, Inc
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
KerioControl is stable and reliable, with minor hardware or update challenges, and performs well according to user assessments.
Sentiment score
8.2
Palo Alto Networks PA-Series is praised for stability due to consistent updates, high availability, and reliable long-term operation.
I am giving stability a rating of 10 out of 10 because since implementation, we have not observed any issues with Palo Alto Networks PA-Series related to version, vulnerabilities, or anything else.
Cloud Network Engineer at a insurance company with 5,001-10,000 employees
If the data plane hangs or gets stuck, then we can troubleshoot using the management plane.
Project Engineer at IT Solution
 

Room For Improvement

KerioControl requires improvements in VPN, user interface, support, security, performance, and customization features for large networks.
Palo Alto Networks PA-Series faces high costs, complex setup, slow support, and demands for better integration, UI, and features.
You can buy cheaper products, but I believe in the value they're giving us.
Global Network Engineering Technical Lead at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees
The interface of Palo Alto Networks PA-Series should be made much more user-friendly.
IT Coordinator at CSA Makati
As I compare with Check Point or other OEM, the licenses are too much more costly and they should work on bundled licenses.
Cloud Network Engineer at a insurance company with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

KerioControl offers affordable pricing with complex licensing, appreciated features, but high annual fees can be challenging for small offices.
Palo Alto Networks PA-Series provides high-end security and support valued by enterprises, despite its higher price compared to competitors.
The price for the product is rated as ten out of ten.
Product manger at Asbis Mediteranean
The firewall is expensive for every company, but the cost is worth it to ensure maximum security.
Operations Specialist - MX Operations at Bank Alfalah Limited
The price of Palo Alto Networks PA-Series is expensive.
IT Coordinator at CSA Makati
Overall, the pricing is good, but if they included GlobalProtect, it would be more valuable.
Project Engineer at IT Solution
 

Valuable Features

KerioControl provides user-friendly navigation, robust security features, VPN support, and efficient network management with positive feedback on ease of use.
Palo Alto Networks PA-Series offers advanced security features and simplified management for organizations prioritizing data security and flexibility.
The most valuable features include geo-tagging, which blocks all other IPs except for the specified accounts, and web filtering.
Product manger at Asbis Mediteranean
One thing I have seen in Palo Alto Networks PA-Series is the network DLP feature, which we have not seen in any other firewall.
Project Engineer at IT Solution
Integrated threat intelligence has empowered my organization to adapt to threats by taking a lot of the burden off us; there's just no way we would see the same breadth of knowledge that a vendor or manufacturer would have.
Global Network Engineering Technical Lead at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees
The most effective features of the solution are its Magic Quadrant positioning, making it a leading firewall on perimeter areas and internet edges.
Operations Specialist - MX Operations at Bank Alfalah Limited
 

Categories and Ranking

KerioControl
Ranking in Firewalls
27th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
58
Ranking in other categories
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (13th), Unified Threat Management (UTM) (8th)
Palo Alto Networks PA-Series
Ranking in Firewalls
19th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
37
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of KerioControl is 1.2%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks PA-Series is 1.1%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Palo Alto Networks PA-Series1.1%
KerioControl1.2%
Other97.7%
Firewalls
 

Featured Reviews

Constantnos Achilleos - PeerSpot reviewer
Product manger at Asbis Mediteranean
Leveraging geo-tagging and web filtering for enhanced network security
The solution is used for site-to-site VPN connections and it is valued for its cost efficiency and easy connectivity. It is especially beneficial for multi-site VPNs and is used in about fifteen different components KerioControl has provided a financial benefit as it allows purchasing one license…
Rohit Ghorpade - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Network Engineer at a insurance company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Identity-based perimeter control has improved security and supports reliable remote access
Currently, we are working with vendors such as Palo Alto Networks PA-Series, Cisco, Check Point, and Citrix. Palo Alto Networks PA-Series is a better firewall. Deep packet inspection and threat prevention basically comply with whatever traffic is incoming and outgoing through the firewall. I do not think anything improvement is required. The thing is that Palo Alto Networks PA-Series works mostly on a license-based model. If you want to utilize any feature, you have to purchase the license. For example, URL filtering requires a license purchase. It simplifies the implementation because LDAP server profile can be integrated. Basically, that simplifies the implementation of access rule or security policy.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business44
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise17
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for KerioControl?
KerioControl offers good pricing as one license covers all features needed without extra payment. The price for the product is rated as ten out of ten.
What needs improvement with KerioControl?
Regarding KerioControl's application awareness and control feature, I have not used it much.
What is your primary use case for KerioControl?
With KerioControl, we usually use them for site-to-site VPNs for most of our clients. With multiple offices, we use KerioControl as our solution.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Palo Alto Networks PA-Series?
If we look at the features, then the price is good, but they do charge for the GlobalProtect VPNs. Overall, the pricing is good, but if they included GlobalProtect, it would be more valuable.
What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks PA-Series?
There is room for improvement in Palo Alto Networks PA-Series in the areas where they can minimize applications and implement features that can be useful for us.
What is your primary use case for Palo Alto Networks PA-Series?
I am using Palo Alto Networks PA-Series to ensure protection and cybersecurity by preventing and implementing network security features to safeguard networks against threats and malware. I have to ...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Triton Technical, McDonald's
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about KerioControl vs. Palo Alto Networks PA-Series and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,948 professionals have used our research since 2012.