Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs WatchGuard XTM [EOL] comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Palo Alto Networks and WatchGuard are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Additionally, 96% of Palo Alto Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of WatchGuard users who would recommend it.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firew...

Read 200 Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls reviews

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96% willing to recommend

WatchGuard XTM [EOL]

Read 34 WatchGuard XTM [EOL] reviews

90% willing to recommend

Palo Alto Networks NG Firew...

WatchGuard XTM [EOL]

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 19, 2025

WatchGuard XTM [EOL] and Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are competing in the firewall technology space. While WatchGuard XTM [EOL] offers simple configurations and appeal to budget-conscious businesses, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls provide more advanced security features, making them preferable for enterprises prioritizing comprehensive protection despite higher costs.

Features: WatchGuard XTM [EOL] provides basic security features, ease of use in small environments, and straightforward rule configuration. It is known for robust VPN capabilities. Meanwhile, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls offer advanced threat prevention, application visibility, and cloud integration. These features emphasize Palo Alto’s focus on delivering a comprehensive security package with robust application control and detailed traffic visibility.

Room for Improvement: WatchGuard XTM [EOL] could enhance its feature set by integrating more advanced threat prevention tools and improving scalability for larger enterprises. Its application visibility and cloud integration also need enhancement. Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls, on the other hand, might improve in simplifying their deployment process and reducing the technical expertise required, as well as enhancing their initial cost-effectiveness.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: WatchGuard XTM [EOL] is praised for its straightforward deployment, appealing to businesses seeking quick and simple implementations. It is suitable for administrators with varying experience levels, offering intuitive management interfaces. Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls offer extensive support services, crucial for facilitating complex and large-scale deployments, despite requiring more technical know-how initially. Their customer service is comprehensive, helping users navigate through advanced configurations.

Pricing and ROI: WatchGuard XTM [EOL]'s lower cost attracts cost-sensitive organizations aiming for immediate savings. However, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls justify their higher prices through long-term security benefits and advanced features, leading to potentially higher ROI. Businesses prioritizing robust security over initial expenditures might find Palo Alto’s offerings more valuable despite their costly nature.

To learn more, read our detailed Firewalls Report (Updated: September 2026).

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Firewalls

September 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

Palo Alto Networks NG Firew...

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

200

Ranking in other categories

Firewalls (5th)

WatchGuard XTM [EOL]

Average Rating

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Nitin Yadav

Network & Security Engineer at Arrow PC Network Pvt.Ltd.

Strong threat prevention has reduced phishing and malware while I monitor traffic in depth

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls offers application and user awareness, which allow me to control traffic based on threats. The product includes threat prevention, advanced threat prevention, and deep packet inspection that really helps prevent issues in our network. Deep packet inspection inspects full traffic content, even inside applications and encrypted sessions. Deep packet inspection makes a very practical difference day to day because it lets me see and control what is actually inside the traffic, not just the open port or IP. I have real visibility of which application is running instead of just seeing HTTPS. Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls WildFire sandboxing is really good at detecting and blocking zero-day malware automatically, along with its GlobalProtect and DNS security features. Using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls positively impacts my organization by providing strong security, better visibility, faster response, and simplified operations. After deploying Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls in our network, it blocks malicious traffic and prevents compromises that occurred before Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. I can now block outside IPs to prevent issues. After Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls installation, I reduced 60 to 70 percent of malware and phishing attacks. Its threat prevention and DNS security features detect these attacks, block malicious domains, and reduce manual efforts for the security team.

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Generalm4545

General Manager- IT & Automation - Serum at a pharma/biotech company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Protects from attack software and hacking but it doesn't provide the reports in a readable format

In my opinion, image clarity is very important, because I don't get the proper image product on reports. This means that functionality is not there. My engineer does not know how he can replace an order. We attach a log after any kind of keys using a utility instead. For the internet policies that we are implementing, the policy should be based on proper protocols. We use the default policies and there are a number of third-party protocols that appear here. Management with WatchGuard XTM means that out of policy is the problem from our side. In this way, we can not do effective services for people with this one. The policy definition with WatchGuard XTM is not proper for all use case requirements. I've got weekly business reports that I am expecting attachments with from WatchGuard XTM that display data for all kinds of consideration which should be required. Main User Functionality Level Order must adhere to using the admin functionality on the registry, or else our users publish their own name. Maybe these recommendations are irrelevant, but I say that the issue to improve most with WatchGuard XTM is the Main User Function.

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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

"Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls offer a comprehensive suite of security features, with Intrusion Prevention System and certificate inspection being among the most valuable."

"Other firewalls should actually copy Palo Alto so that they can provide better stability, performance, and protection - at levels that are at least at Palo-Alto's."

"The Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls excel in their integration capabilities."

"Everything is easy in Palo Alto Networks NG Firewall. It is very stable, easy to configure, and easy to upgrade. It is also very easy to create custom policies and applications. Everything can be done with the click of a button. It is also good for the protection of web services. Nowadays, they have a rather new DNS security feature, which is pretty good and functional. We did a one-month trial, and it is the best product for the firewall network."

"The packet level inspection is the most valuable feature. The traffic restriction features allow us to restrict the sub-features of any platform."

"The most valuable features are the power of the threat prevention and the WildFire service. Its strength comes from the huge number of sensors all over the world. The firewalls have a rich library of signatures."

"The solution does a great job of identifying malicious items and vulnerabilities with URL filtering."

"Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls saves us time."

More Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls pros

"This product has helped in securing my SQL database and web applications from DDoS attacks and SQL injections, improved my network speed, and helped me to set specific policies for specific applications which I couldn't do with other products."

"Today, however, with the 11.9.4 version, our environment is very stable."

"The multi-WAN feature allows us to configure multiple external interfaces."

"Monitoring of network activity is included in the box."

"Reputation Enabled Defense indicates that some websites are so infested that it's not even worth visiting them, and therefore saving the bandwidth of going through the detection process."

"Setup and configuration is straightforward with excellent management interface."

"There is a site-to-site VPN configuration between others people."

"It configures in all-in-one place."

More WatchGuard XTM [EOL] pros

Cons

"Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls should be more flexible and user-friendly. There should be more comprehensive documentation, case histories, and technical training on new technologies available on their portal."

"Lacks mobility between on-prem and cloud based."

"We would like to see improvement in the web interface for this solution, so that it can handle updates without manual intervention to put the data in order."

"The functionalities are limited."

"It's too expensive."

"The support could be improved. Palo Alto does not have a support team located in Bangladesh, and their support team operates from another location. Therefore, when we raise a ticket, it takes some time for them to respond, which can be problematic for us."

"The initial configuration is complicated to set up."

"Palo Alto's various products need better integration to ensure they work harmoniously."

More Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls cons

"Initially WatchGuard assured us regarding endpoint security, but we are not sure that the product provides endpoint security features to its full extent."

"The setting policies need improvement. It needs an easier way to do static NAT and check on what policy is being used for that specific traffic."

"We had some problems of instability with older versions of the software."

"The technical support is very bad. The price is very high, the response time is very long, and technical support does not provide a general solution."

"The issue that we had was that the integration with Active Directory was a bit of a hassle."

"Unfortunately, I could not disable the default Outgoing policy and if I do all clients could not access the internet even if I created another Outgoing Policy to replace the default one."

"Wireless throughput needs to be improved."

"We still haven't got the Terminal Service agent to work in our Citrix environment Application Signature also doesn't work well especially in SSL traffic"

More WatchGuard XTM [EOL] cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are overpriced."

"Palo Alto is like Mercedes-Benz. It is quite expensive, but the price is definitely justified."

"The pricing is straightforward with no hidden costs."

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

"The price of this product should be reduced."

"I would assume that it's still within mid-range given its company structure and everything else. My guess is it's still okay."

"Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are expensive."

"The pricing for Palo Alto is very high. The price difference with other vendors is huge because Palo Alto has been the market leader for the last five or six years, and they have a reliable product."

More Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls pricing and cost advice

"Get at least a maintenance contract for the updates and take a larger WatchGuard than you need. A WatchGuard creates new ways to secure your network."

"Like all other manufacturers, there are a lot of features and different pricing. The best is to talk to a representative."

"The licensing and renewal is very expensive."

"It costs less than the SO works and others (like SonicWall, Cisco, and Barracuda) without increasing so much CPU use."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Construction Company

14%

Outsourcing Company

12%

Marketing Services Firm

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	77
Midsize Enterprise	56
Large Enterprise	89

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	24
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	3

Questions from the Community

What is a better choice, Azure Firewall or Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls?

Azure Firewall Vs. Palo Alto Network NG Firewalls Both solutions provide stellar stability and security. Azure Firewall is easy to use and provides excellent support. Valuable features include int...

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Features comparison between Palo Alto and Fortinet firewalls

In the best tradition of these questions, Feature-wise both are quite similar, but each has things it's better at, it kind of depends what you value most. PA is good at app control, web filtering a...

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Which is better - Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls or Sophos XG?

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have both great features and performance. I like that Palo Alto has regular threat signatures and updates. I also appreciate that I can just import addresses and URL...

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

September 2026

Download Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls product report

Buyer's Guide

WatchGuard XTM [EOL]

August 2026

Download WatchGuard XTM [EOL] product report

Also Known As

Palo Alto NGFW, Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall

No data available

Overview

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls deliver advanced threat protection with machine learning, enhancing security through real-time attack prevention. Known for application visibility and a user-friendly interface, they offer robust network protection and flexibility in rule creation.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are designed to secure environments with features like GlobalProtect VPN, WildFire malware detection, and unified platform integration. Their strong firewall capabilities and high-performance throughput make them suitable for perimeter and data center protection, VPN configurations, application control, and network segmentation. Users consistently highlight the ease of managing network security policies and integrating third-party tools, ensuring a comprehensive protection strategy. While enhancements in support, training resources, and configuration simplicity are needed, these firewalls are integral for securing both on-prem and cloud environments, aligning with platforms like Azure and AWS.

What are the key features of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls?

Application Visibility: Provides insight into network traffic for better control.
Threat Prevention: Uses machine learning for real-time attack prevention.
GlobalProtect VPN: Secures remote access efficiently.
WildFire Malware Detection: Detects and prevents advanced threats.
Unified Platform Integration: Enhances network security through seamless integration with other tools.

What benefits should be evaluated when considering Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls?

Flexibility in Rule Creation: Allows customized security policies to meet specific needs.
High-Performance Throughput: Ensures efficient network operations under high load.
Comprehensive Policy Management: Simplifies overseeing and adjusting security policies.
Robust Endpoint Security: Protects endpoints against sophisticated threats.
Seamless Integration: Works well with third-party tools for a comprehensive solution.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are commonly implemented across industries for securing LAN environments, URL filtering, and ensuring Zero Trust security. They secure both on-premises and cloud infrastructures, often becoming integral parts of security frameworks within enterprises. Leveraging these firewalls in conjunction with Azure or AWS enhances the overall network protection strategies employed by organizations.

Palo Alto Networks

Small businesses need big security, too, and the WatchGuard XTM Series firewall/VPN appliances deliver that strong protection, but without the hefty price tag. Enterprise-grade security includes full HTTPS content inspection, VoIP support, and optional security subscriptions like Application Control and Intrusion Prevention Service.

WatchGuard

Sample Customers

SkiStar AB, Ada County, Global IT Services PSF, Southern Cross Hospitals, Verge Health, University of Portsmouth, Austrian Airlines, The Heinz Endowments

AVG, Cyren, Kaspersky Lab, Lastline, NCP engineering, Trend Micro, Websense

Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet, Netgate, Cisco and others in Firewalls. Updated: September 2026.

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