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ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform vs WatchGuard Application Control comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 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

ThreatLocker Zero Trust End...
Ranking in Application Control
1st
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
39
Ranking in other categories
Network Access Control (NAC) (5th), Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (7th), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (6th), ZTNA (3rd), Ransomware Protection (1st)
WatchGuard Application Control
Ranking in Application Control
8th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Application Control category, the mindshare of ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform is 21.0%, up from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WatchGuard Application Control is 3.0%, down from 4.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Control
 

Featured Reviews

Johnathan Bodily - PeerSpot reviewer
Ensures ransomware protection and reduces phishing chaos
The application control has been great so far, and while I am still exploring the network access controls, I unfortunately don't have access to one module I would love to have due to licensing restrictions. It's easy to use in regard to reducing attack surfaces. For me, it's a piece of cake. We can have something approved within 30 seconds, thanks to the mobile app. We haven't eliminated security solutions. We just add to it, and ThreatLocker has been a great addition. We also have Kaseya and ThreatLocker as a supplement to that. It's useful. They have overlap, and we look at the overlap as a good thing. It's helped your organization save on operational costs or expenses by ensuring that many fewer hours are spent dealing with ransomware nonsense. I cannot count the amount of hours that I personally have not had to put in to recovering an environment from a ransomware event. The last big one took us about three weeks to completely recover from. Since we've grouped ThreatLocker in, the management of that whole setup has gone down to just daily help desk tasks and general server maintenance instead of having the whole system on fire. There are probably thousands of hours of saved time between our teams. It's been great so far. ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform's ability to block access to unauthorized applications is great. It's my biggest protection, the blocked applications. In a lot of cases, you go to install something yourself that you need for management, and it comes in and says, nope. And then I have to log into the portal and approve it. I get our other guys saying, hey, why are you trying to approve something? Any of the tools that I'm using on a day-to-day basis that haven't been in the environment during the whole learning mode initially, I could go through and set extensions and all that. So, while it's a headache on that end, the amount of saved time I can't even count. It is a little frustrating on my end since I like to go as quickly as I possibly can, and it slows me down. However, that's a really good thing. Depending on the site, it can save a lot of time and cut down headaches. It's likely saved a week's worth of time. It's cut down the amount of sever help desk tickets. Those have become minimal.
ScottEastman - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable with good blocking capabilities for enhanced security
We like the blocking capabilities on offer. I like the brand, and I know the product really well, which is what keeps me using it. I have a good knowledge of the solution. It is stable and reliable. The solution can scale well. Technical support has been helpful. We have witnessed an ROI as it has helped with security measures.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"ThreatLocker saves me a couple of hours per day dealing with threats and encrypting efforts elsewhere."
"ThreatLocker provides visibility into user activity and application usage, empowering organizations to define acceptable applications and web browsers."
"ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform provides no-sweat security that we can easily deploy."
"What sets ThreatLocker apart from competitors offering similar solutions is ringfencing. The ringfencing controls, along with the application elevation features, keep it out of the user's line of sight while still protecting them."
"ThreatLocker stands out because they understand application whitelisting and elevation controls deeply, addressing real issues effectively."
"The most valuable feature is selective elevation, which allows elevating an individual process to admin privilege without granting admin privilege to that user, which has been by far the most useful feature outside of the overall solution itself."
"It's easy to use in regards to reducing attack surfaces."
"ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform provides no-sweat security that we can easily deploy. We do not worry about our habitual clickers because we receive an alert if they try to do something, and we know ThreatLocker has already taken care of it."
"Centralization is a crucial feature for me as it allows me to have all sites and customers accessible under a single click, not limited to just one."
"It's user-friendly. And if you are using a WatchGuard device and you want to test that side of the software, it's quite easy to get the license to test it."
"The most valuable feature is the category control."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is traffic management."
"I found several features valuable in WatchGuard Application Control such as the HTTP Proxy, DNSWatch, VPN, and HTTPS Content Inspection."
"It does the job of what it says it does. We set it to what we want it to block and then it blocks it."
"Zero-trust and threat-hunting services are most valuable."
"The solution is very stable. We've never had any problems with stability. Once a year we do a reboot just as a precaution. The solution never stops running otherwise."
 

Cons

"It is not easy to use. I am still learning."
"It has not reduced helpdesk tickets. It has probably increased them by blocking applications and doing its job, resulting in people raising more tickets to know why they cannot use certain things."
"Scalability is challenging, not due to the platform. Scaling ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform usage requires dedicated resources for maintenance."
"ThreatLocker could offer more flexible training, like online or offline classes after hours. The fact that they even provide weekly training makes it seem silly to suggest, but some people can't do it during the day, so they want to train after work. They could also start a podcast about issues they see frequently and what requires attention. A podcast would be helpful to keep us all apprised about what's going on and/or offline training for those people who can't train during the week."
"From my point of view, logging could be improved. Logging should be easier."
"The company should strive to stay ahead of all the developments happening externally. If their progress accelerates more rapidly than the ongoing changes outside, it would prove advantageous."
"This is my first Zero Trust conference, and so far, it has been good. The only thing I have noticed is that sometimes they encounter technical issues. For example, in one of the demo labs, the laptop trying to connect to the projector was not working, which affected the demonstration of the victim versus attacker laptop scenarios. It would be helpful to fix these issues."
"ThreatLocker Allowlisting needs to improve its user interface and overall workflow."
"The time they take to classify an application once they find that it is unknown can be better."
"There should be more reports available on different subjects."
"There is no message displayed for the user on the desktop informing them that access to a web page has been blocked by Application Control."
"The licensing can be a bit expensive."
"The solution needs to improve the interface. I'm not able to easily find things using it."
"The control software is currently only available for Windows, which can be a little annoying for Linux users."
"They could expand the amount of applications that are on the list, but it's pretty intensive anyway, so it's pretty good."
"What could be improved in WatchGuard Application Control is its price. It could be cheaper. You always want the best price for any solution, but for security products, pricing is usually on the higher side."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Although the pricing seems good, there have been inconsistencies in contract negotiations."
"The pricing is pretty fair, considering other solutions. Licensing-wise, it did not take long."
"The price is very reasonable, and we have been able to integrate ThreatLocker with all of our clients."
"I do not know about the licensing and price as it comes bundled from our MSP. However, it seems fairly reasonable for us, which is why we chose it."
"I find ThreatLocker's pricing to be reasonable for the services it provides."
"I believe ThreatLocker's pricing model is fair and flexible, allowing account managers to offer customized deals based on our specific needs."
"So far, it has been great. I have no complaints. Of course, everybody wishes it was cheaper."
"We have not had any real issues with the pricing. As they have added more features, due to the way our contracts are structured with our customers, we have had to hold off on adopting the new features because they do add costs."
"The licensing model for WatchGuard Application Control is based on the number of users. WatchGuard Application Control also has licensing models with several features."
"Its cost is okay. It is not too expensive, not too low. I would rate it a nine out of ten in terms of pricing."
"Over the years, the costs have increased, especially since I cater to very small businesses."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
35%
Retailer
8%
Manufacturing Company
5%
Financial Services Firm
5%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about ThreatLocker Allowlisting?
The interface is clean and well-organized, making it simple to navigate and find what we need.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ThreatLocker Allowlisting?
Pricing, setup costs, and licensing have been pretty accessible and manageable. It was not too expensive to get started, especially at a small scale for a smaller MSP. It is very accessible, easy t...
What needs improvement with ThreatLocker Allowlisting?
For the space that it's in, it's already there. I don't know of another product that compares to its level. Even recently, with the addition of the detect module is a very nice add-on to the packet...
What do you like most about WatchGuard Application Control?
Centralization is a crucial feature for me as it allows me to have all sites and customers accessible under a single click, not limited to just one.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for WatchGuard Application Control?
Over the years, the costs have increased, especially since I cater to very small businesses. While they comprehend the necessity of investing in network protection, these features have become relat...
What needs improvement with WatchGuard Application Control?
I believe there is room for improvement in policies, with the potential to enhance the margins further.
 

Also Known As

Protect, Allowlisting, Network Control, Ringfencing
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Chester School District, Kensington Close Hotel
Find out what your peers are saying about ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform vs. WatchGuard Application Control and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
860,168 professionals have used our research since 2012.