Trellix Intrusion Prevention System vs WatchGuard Firebox comparison

Trellix and WatchGuard are both solutions in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category. Trellix is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.0, while WatchGuard is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.0. Trellix holds a 2.9% mindshare in ID, compared to WatchGuard’s 6.1% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of Trellix 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

Trellix Intrusion Prevention System and WatchGuard Firebox are network security products. WatchGuard Firebox stands out due to its comprehensive feature suite and perceived better value.

Features: Trellix Intrusion Prevention System offers advanced threat detection using security analytics, inline prevention, and application control capabilities. WatchGuard Firebox provides extensive firewall capabilities, integrated web filtering, and a user-friendly interface that simplifies setup and management.

Room for Improvement: Trellix could enhance its deployment complexity and user experience, and improve its technical support responsiveness. WatchGuard Firebox could expand on threat detection capabilities, reduce the learning curve for specific advanced features, and enhance integration with other security systems.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Trellix's deployment model is complex and requires technical expertise, while WatchGuard Firebox offers a simpler deployment process and is acknowledged for responsive customer support, making it easier to use for organizations.

Pricing and ROI: Trellix involves higher setup costs but the comprehensive security capabilities justify the investment for some businesses. WatchGuard Firebox has more affordable pricing and a quicker return on investment, appealing to cost-conscious buyers seeking effective security solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed Trellix Intrusion Prevention System vs. WatchGuard Firebox Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Trellix Intrusion Prevention System vs. WatchGuard Firebox

February 2026

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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 February 2026, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 13.2%, down from 19.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Trellix Intrusion Prevention System is 2.9%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WatchGuard Firebox is 6.1%, down from 11.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	13.2%
WatchGuard Firebox	6.1%
Trellix Intrusion Prevention System	2.9%
Other	77.80000000000001%

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

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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Bhupesh-Sharma

Large account Manager at Softcell Technologies Limited

Has offered reliable threat protection and detailed network insights but could expand features beyond existing capabilities

The best features of Trellix Intrusion Prevention System include advanced ATP (Advanced Threat Protection), which uses signatures, behavior analysis, and machine learning to stop zero-day exploits and malware advanced persistent threats (APTs). They track and collect data from APTs, which allows them to track malicious files entering the environment. The system offers inline prevention and real-time automatic blocking of malicious packets before they reach the network. It integrates with the Trellix ecosystem and provides application visibility and control. The solution provides deep insight into network traffic, applications, and protocols for better information. All packets coming through the application are analyzed and reported. They share intelligence updates regularly to protect from different malicious files and sector-specific threats. It supports both on-premise and cloud environments.

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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

"It is a good product. It does what we want it to do so. I didn't find many false-positives or things like that. We mainly use the IPS and URL filtering features, and they are pretty good."

"Fortinet FortiGate is a security device. It can optimize security on the networks of a company. It actually protects the company from attacks from outside. With FortiGate, you can categorize the users. You can create a group of users that can access all of the websites for their work. You can limit other users' access."

"SD-WAN has had a positive impact by reducing the operational costs in terms of headcount and management."

"Having IPS helps in ensuring that our network is protected from potential threats, which is crucial as we implement our payment gateway."

"We receive substantial help from Fortinet, which is very valuable as they assist us in choosing the right solutions. If we need configuration assistance, they can send specialists who help design the solution."

"It's comprehensive and time-saving. It covers several areas regarding security."

"It's a user-friendly firewall. Most of the tasks are very simple. It's simple to configure and troubleshoot this firewall."

"You can create multiple Virtual Domains (VDOMs), which are treated as separate firewall instances."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"The threat intelligence updates are very accurate."

"The most valuable features in Trellix for me are the automated signature updates. It is a great and convenient feature."

"The ability to centrally manage all the IPS sensors, track the different security events generated by it, and customize the different policies, depending on their location."

"McAfee NSP is much more stable than Cisco."

"Great monitoring feature."

"The feature I found most valuable is the network threat analyzer in the security platform. It also integrates with GTI, or Global Threat Intelligence. Otherwise, I just use the basic features."

"The solution can scale."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

More Trellix Intrusion Prevention System pros

"The throughput is great. It's perfect. We have no issues whatsoever. The management features are very powerful..."

"The client is easy to use and stable"

"The most valuable feature of WatchGuard Firebox is the VPN. It's easy to connect to the VPN."

"It's very easy to use, especially compared to similar products. A lot more users use the WatchGuard appliance now than use the SonicWall appliance because of the ease of usability."

"I like the High Availability features of the newest ones I'm using because they allow a firewall to fail and still be up and running."

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

"The reports are detailed."

"The product's usability is good. It is straightforward and simple. One of the benefits is that it is easy to navigate and intuitive."

More WatchGuard Firebox pros

Cons

"The software is a bit expensive to renew."

"Its filtering is sometimes too precise or strict. We sometimes have to bypass and authorize some of the sites, but they get blocked. We know that they are trusted sites, but they are blocked, and we don't know why."

"We can't identify which users are causing challenges when we have issues."

"One issue is that they have retired SSL VPN for existing devices. This causes significant effort for us to change customer setups."

"FortiGate IPS is somewhat pricey compared to other solutions. There is also room for improvement in terms of the radio signals. The FortiGate WiFi has a relatively short range. I've found there is a lag in its zero-day malware response that could be better, and FortiGate could integrate better with other brands of equipment or identity management solutions."

"Areas that have room for improvement in Fortinet FortiGate include support and GUI enhancement."

"In the past six to seven years with the Fortinet FortiGate, we've had two major downtimes, both caused by firmware upgrades."

"The room for improvement is about the global delivery time period. Usually I need to wait for almost one month to deliver it overseas. So if you can shorten the deliver time it'd be great."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"The management component could be simplified."

"The solution needs to improve the graphical interface. And they had a limitation in some of the sensor modems as well."

"The pricing could be improved."

"The solution could improve some aspects of detection."

"Some of the documentation is not as straightforward as it could be."

"Integration with Global Thereat Intelligence could be better. Also, I think management solutions are end of life now at McAfee. Network threat analyzer may be used for endpoint quarantines. Integration between these sides, as well as endpoint APO, will help you quarantine the risky endpoints."

"The management console needs to be less complex and easier to navigate."

"The technical support must be improved."

More Trellix Intrusion Prevention System cons

"The solution is lacking a professional website, they should be updated more often."

"Some of the configuration options are somewhat confusing."

"They are working on cloud-based options. However, they do not have the options fully functional in their solution at this time."

"The time they take to classify an application once they find that it is unknown can be better."

"The scalability of the solution needs improvement."

"The next release should have better software and configuration systems that can also be used on Linux."

"Multi properties could be added to the solution in the future to make it better."

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

More WatchGuard Firebox cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Work through partners for the best pricing."

"It cost us around $73,000 for three years."

"Here in Brazil, we're going through difficult economic times and the tax on the dollar is high. All the solutions from minor competitors are growing in the market. The prices have come more competitive."

"On a scale of one being cheap and ten being expensive, I rate the tool's price as an eight."

"Cost-wise, there is not much difference from Sophos, but feature-wise, we get more features."

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

"It has been two years. I don't remember the actual price, but it was affordable. We buy the boxes and then use the license for three years."

"Fortinet has one or two license types, and the VPN numbers are only limited by the hardware chassis make."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"The tool is competitively priced."

"I rate the product’s pricing an eight out of ten."

"Very competitive pricing regarding throughput compared to other alternatives."

"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."

"The subscription that was purchased is for three years, but it is usually for one year at a time."

"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."

"WatchGuard offers competitive pricing with attractive margins, benefiting both the company and its partners."

"The solution's most valuable feature is its pricing."

"It's fair pricing, but it could always be reduced."

"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

Manufacturing Company

12%

Computer Software Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

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	189

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	94
Midsize Enterprise	28
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 do you like most about McAfee Network Security Platform?

The threat intelligence updates are very accurate.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for McAfee Network Security Platform?

The tool is competitively priced. I rate the pricing a six out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with McAfee Network Security Platform?

Trellix Intrusion Prevention System does not provide virtual patching. Patching involves updates on the OS side to ad...

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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...

See all answers

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 14% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

Palo Alto Networks WildFire vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 2% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Trend Micro TippingPoint Threat Protection System vs Trellix Intrusion Prevention System

Compared 16% of the time

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention vs Trellix Intrusion Prevention System

Compared 13% of the time

Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) vs Trellix Intrusion Prevention System

Compared 11% of the time

IBM Security Network IPS vs Trellix Intrusion Prevention System

Compared 7% of the time

Vectra AI vs Trellix Intrusion Prevention System

Compared 7% of the time

More Trellix Intrusion Prevention System Competitors

Sophos Firewall vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 6% of the time

OPNsense vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 6% of the time

Sophos UTM vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 4% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 4% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 3% of the time

More WatchGuard Firebox Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

February 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Trellix Intrusion Prevention System

January 2026

Trellix Intrusion Prevention System report

Download Trellix Intrusion Prevention System product report

Buyer's Guide

WatchGuard Firebox

January 2026

Download WatchGuard Firebox product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

McAfee Network Security Platform, McAfee NSP, IntruShield Network Intrusion Prevention System, IntruShield Network IPS

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

Block More Intrusions
Stop new and unknown attacks with signature-based and signature-less intrusion prevention systems. Signature-less intrusion detection finds malicious network traffic and stops attacks where no signatures exist.

Unify Virtual and Physical Security
Support network virtualization across private and public cloud platforms to scale security and evolve with changing IT dynamics.

Maximize Security and Performance
Scale hardware performance to speeds up to 100 Gbps and leverage data from multiple products.

Trellix

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

Desjardins Group, HollyFrontier, Nubia, Agbar, WNS Global Services, INAIL, Universidad de Las Américas Puebla (UDLAP), Cook County, China Pacific Insurance, Bank Central Asia, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, City of Chicago, Macquarie Telecom, Sutherland Global Services, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, United Automotive Electronic Systems

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

Buyer's Guide

Trellix Intrusion Prevention System vs. WatchGuard Firebox

February 2026

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