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Norton Security Premium [EOL] vs WatchGuard Firebox comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 9, 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

Norton Security Premium [EOL]
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
WatchGuard Firebox
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
143
Ranking in other categories
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (12th), Firewalls (11th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (4th), Anti-Malware Tools (7th), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (11th), Application Control (4th), Unified Threat Management (UTM) (3rd)
 

Featured Reviews

RC
Project Manager at Amdocs
User-friendly solution with good blocking
I mainly use Security Premium as an antivirus.  Security Premium's best features are blocking, notifications, and the user interface. Security Premium's cost could be lower. I've been using Security Premium for a year. Security Premium is stable - I haven't faced any issues or bugs while using…
reviewer2805000 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior System Administrator at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
Centralized security management has improved VPN reliability and simplified daily operations
WatchGuard Firebox is a strong and reliable platform overall, but there are a few areas where improvements could make the experience even better. One area is the user interface and navigation in some management tools. While the platform is powerful, certain configurations and troubleshooting workflows can feel less intuitive compared to some newer cloud-native firewall platforms. Another point is reporting and log analysis. Although the logging features are very useful, deeper analytics and more customizable reporting dashboards would make security monitoring much more effective. Firmware upgrades and policy synchronization can sometimes require careful planning to avoid security interruptions. Overall, the core security and VPN functionality are very solid, but improving usability, reporting, and automation would make the platform even stronger. One area that could be improved is the learning curve for new administrators. While experienced engineers can work with the platform effectively, some advanced networking and security configurations can be a bit complex for junior technicians. More guided configuration workflows, smarter recommendations, and simplified troubleshooting tools would make onboarding easier. Another improvement would be more flexible reporting customization for executive-level and client-facing reports.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Security Premium's best features are blocking, notifications, and the user interface."
"Protects me from internet vulnerability."
"We tried a few: Kaspersky, Trend Micro, we used McAfee, we used Norton; we tried them all on our entire fleet of computers, and we realized that in terms of ease of use and resource consumption, Norton is something that is acceptable to us."
"The ransomware protection that they have now is worth considering."
"The dashboard is good."
"The licensing fee for this solution is not expensive."
"The antivirus aspect of the solution is very good, and the support we receive from Norton is excellent."
"We like how it can check for issues, including files and web browsers, as it is a full-stack solution for antivirus for personal use and it is pretty effective."
"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."
"The most valuable feature is the NAT-ing, the IP addresses... We can direct the traffic where it needs to go. We can control the traffic."
"WebBlocker has the best URL category database ever."
"WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus has VPN access for all systems; it's a firewall and an anti-virus agent that is fully complete for my company."
"WatchGuard Firebox has improved our organization one hundred percent from before we started using it."
"Its price is pretty good considering the functions and add-ons that are used."
"Initial setup is straightforward; they make the integrations simple and easy to understand, and it is fast, only a day or two."
"We used to have an MPLS network which was a cloud-based firewall system and it cost us a small fortune every month, but when we implemented all these firewalls and got it all configured, up and running, we literally saved ourselves $10,000 a month."
 

Cons

"Occasionally when you open a ticket, there's a lack of understanding that prevents the solution from being resolved directly."
"The product could always be more secure."
"The solution can improve the security modules."
"As far as improvement to the product, perhaps the price could be better."
"The product is an antivirus, it should be updated automatically when needed."
"I don't like the password manager of Norton Security Premium. I really dislike it."
"Sometimes the program is too complex, and simplifying it might be an improvement."
"Security Premium's cost could be lower."
"In WatchGuard Firebox, the antivirus and malware detection systems are areas with shortcomings that require improvement since they are the most important elements of a cybersecurity tool."
"There is room for improvement in WatchGuard Firebox regarding customization and AI functionality."
"While the GUI version we are using is good, it still needs some upgrades compared to leader companies or firewall models like Palo Alto or FortiGate."
"Reporting is something you've got to set up separately. It's one of those things that you've got to put some time into. One of the options is to set up a local report server, which is what I did. It's not great. It's okay... Some of the stuff is a little complicated to get up and running. Once you do, it becomes very user-friendly and easy to work with, but I find there are some implementation headaches with some of their stuff."
"WatchGuard Data Loss Prevention needs to improve its support."
"What could use some significant improvement in WatchGuard Firebox would be its interface and policy management. An additional feature I'd like to see in the next release of WatchGuard Firebox is the ability to modify an existing policy instead of having to recreate a policy when changes are necessary. At the moment, there's no possibility to modify the policy. You have to delete the policy and recreate it."
"The main problem that WatchGuard Threat Detection and Response has is that they use several tools to do the same tasks, and they are sometimes very complicated to use and very slow."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I don't pay for a license."
"Security Premium is highly-priced."
"We have a yearly license, and each license is around 20 or 30 Jordanian Dinars plus taxes."
"If they could come down in price that would be good. It's not exactly the lowest."
"The solution gives the value for the money."
"The licensing fee for this solution is not expensive."
"Security Premium costs around US$100 for three years, which is a little expensive."
"As I have been a long-time customer, I was given a fair price of $49.95 per month for the first four to six months."
"The licensing can be a one-time purchase unless you need the extra services for example twenty-four seven support."
"We only license our corporate one and the one we have at our DR site, we don't worry about the branches. It doesn't pay for us to license the ones at the branches. What they charge for what they call basic maintenance is extremely high for those little fireboxes."
"We pay about $3,500 every three years."
"It is not expensive. Other products like Fortinet and Check Point are of the same price."
"Very competitive pricing regarding throughput compared to other alternatives."
"The pricing of WatchGuard is probably a little higher than the SonicWall, but it makes up for it in dependability. It's worth it to me, especially since it's not much higher. For just a little bit higher price you get the dependability of the firewall with the WatchGuard brand."
"The cost was somewhere in the vicinity of $2,000 to $3,000 for each one..."
"The cheapest configuration, for maybe five people, is approximately $500."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Outsourcing Company
13%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise6
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business104
Midsize Enterprise30
Large Enterprise17
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Firebox?
We are providing our services to all WatchGuard customers in the region.
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 our employees.
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.
 

Also Known As

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

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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