Trend Micro ScanMail vs WatchGuard Firebox comparison

Trend Micro and WatchGuard are both solutions in the Anti-Malware Tools category. Trend Micro is ranked #20 with an average rating of 9.0, while WatchGuard is ranked #12 with an average rating of 7.6. Additionally, 75% of Trend Micro users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of WatchGuard users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 5, 2025

WatchGuard Firebox and Trend Micro ScanMail are both significant players in the cybersecurity category. WatchGuard Firebox appears to have an advantage due to its versatility and ease of integration with various functionalities.

Features: WatchGuard Firebox offers ease of setup and management, a VPN feature, and integration with WiFi access points. Its intuitive management interface, active directory integration, and high throughput are appreciated. Trend Micro ScanMail, however, is recognized for its real-time antivirus and email security, offering protection against email threats and effective mailbox scanning.

Room for Improvement: WatchGuard Firebox could improve its client-based administrative tools and third-party integration. Its user interface and learning curve pose challenges for inexperienced users. Trend Micro ScanMail's management console and reporting engine are outdated and lack integration with other security systems, with further development needed in its spam database reporting and customer support response times.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: WatchGuard Firebox supports flexible deployment across on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments, with its customer service being well-regarded for timely and knowledgeable support. Trend Micro ScanMail provides both on-premises and cloud setups, though its dated management interface impacts user perception. WatchGuard receives higher praise for its responsive customer assistance.

Pricing and ROI: WatchGuard Firebox is competitively priced, offering various licensing options and strong ROI due to its comprehensive features and support. Trend Micro ScanMail falls in the mid-range pricing category, with higher list prices potentially making it less accessible compared to competitors. WatchGuard's pricing and broader feature set make it a more compelling investment in terms of total cost of ownership and returns.

To learn more, read our detailed Trend Micro ScanMail vs. WatchGuard Firebox Report (Updated: August 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Trend Micro ScanMail vs. WatchGuard Firebox

August 2025

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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

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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Jaffar Ali

Director Technical Services at TechnoBIZ

Ensures continuous protection with real-time scanning of emails and mailboxes

ScanMail needs improvement in its reporting, as it is currently weak in some areas. Additionally, the response time of their technical support is slow and needs enhancement. Overall, Trend Micro's technical support has deteriorated, and pricing is another area that requires attention. The list pricing is high, and we lose deals against competitors because of this. Trend Micro should consider reducing their prices, especially for large customers.

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Rajesh Makwana

Regional Pre-Sales Engineer at Roundrobin Tech

Efficient bandwidth management and secure network access with a strong firewall

The primary use case of the Firebox mainly revolves around bandwidth management, unnecessary web blocking, application control, and protection against brute force attacks. It is also implemented for load balancing, SD-WAN, and branch-to-branch connectivity from one location to another. We also use…

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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 user friendly, and has all the features you need."

"Good anti-malware and web filtering features."

"The best features of Fortinet FortiGate are that it does the job effectively and protects our environment."

"We are very happy with the general bandwidth agility we have seen from one website to another website."

"With FortiClient, you can easily connect when you are home, check out what you want to do, and connect to your network when you are not at work. You can switch on servers and you can check what is wrong."

"FortiGate has led to a reduction in our security budget."

"Overall security features and performance routing is good."

"The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is URL filtering."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"I find Trend Micro ScanMail to be a stable solution, and I would rate its stability as nine out of ten."

"The most effective feature of ScanMail is its real-time antivirus behaviors, particularly when it scans URLs."

"Its integration with mail platforms is valuable."

"The most effective feature of ScanMail is its real-time antivirus behaviors, particularly when it scans URLs."

"What I like the most about Trend Micro ScanMail is its easiness."

"It does the job. Even when our clients have a very high rate of emails per second, there has been no problem."

"I like that Trend Micro ScanMail is very effective and quite strong."

"The analysis part is good."

"I could still keep the data rates really high, up near the two gigahertz data speeds, without compromise on the security perimeters being acted simultaneously."

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

"Basically, we have received a good return on investment."

"I like their management features a lot. Their System Manager server as well the System Manager software make managing them, and tracking changes, very easy and complete."

"It is a scalable solution."

"The main features of the solution are the control of the site-to-site network access and the overall features."

"Zero-trust and threat-hunting services are most valuable."

"I haven't a problem with anti-virus stability using WatchGuard for over two years."

More WatchGuard Firebox pros

Cons

"Fortinet FortiGate should improve the VPN tokens."

"The people we are working with are not able to configure MFA. They are having some technical issues. Fortinet needs to ensure that its partners are well-trained."

"Fortinet needs to overhaul its documentation."

"At the moment, the main concern is the pricing and the type of licensing."

"The only issue that I have is with FortiNAC. The firewall is fine, but the FortiNAC interface is a little bit too jumbled or too complicated, not as straightforward as it is on the Fortinet FortiGate firewall and FortiAnalyzer."

"Fortinet FortiGate could be improved in terms of user friendliness at the policy level and assigning URL based and keyword based features."

"The graphical user interface of Fortinet's FortiGate product does not function well with text-based interfaces."

"Price, of course, can always be more competitive or better."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"ScanMail needs improvement in its reporting, as it is currently weak in some areas."

"The sandboxing part can be improved."

"The price could be better. I think it's pretty good compared to other solutions as far as the features are concerned. It basically covers most of the stuff which we require for email security. But it would be better if they made it a little cheaper and more cost-effective. That would make it easier for us to sell it."

"ScanMail was one of the best solutions a few years ago, but it is no longer the best solution because of its old-fashioned management console. Customers associate it with something that is old because there is no change in the management console. It has old icons, and it is not fresh enough. It is also not easy to use or play with. The report engine is also old-fashioned. Customers want something easier, quicker, and cleaner."

"The weaknesses of Trend Micro ScanMail are that it doesn't fully protect ad-based web access and lacks proper security for Outlook, iOS, and web browser access."

"I believe there is room for improvement in better signatures, better reporting features, and more insight into the spam emails database."

"Its user interface is pretty old-fashioned, and sometimes, it's hard to find the features that you are looking for. The user interface definitely needs some improvement."

"ScanMail needs improvement in its reporting, as it is currently weak in some areas."

"I would like to see more training become available for us."

"The software in it could be a bit more friendly for an amateur user. I look at it and don't understand what half the stuff is. Looking at the interface, it is all mumbo-jumbo to me. It's not a simple interface. You have to be an IT guy to understand it. It is not for your average person to use, then walk away from it. It is much more entailed."

"Its documentation could be improved. Sometimes, you need to search a bit longer to find what you are looking for."

"There is a slight learning curve."

"WatchGuard Data Loss Prevention catches so little. When I've implemented it, it just can't look at the traffic in a thorough enough manner to capture as much as it should. And I find that I'm disenchanted with all data loss protection solutions I've tested and looked at."

"Websense is an application that monitors and filters internet traffic. Websense was derived from WatchGuard. But when you go to WatchGuard to actually implement that particular feature, you have to use some type of additional feature and you have to pay for it, unfortunately. I think it should be free or free in the WatchGuard box itself, as an option. It would be nice if they didn't charge us for that."

"The UI is not as user-friendly as the model that I had used before, which was from Check Point. The design of the Firebox UI is restricted and needs an experienced network guy to understand the format and settings."

"Last year, I had an issue with one of the Fireboxes going down. It was overheated, because my server room became overheated and this fried it."

More WatchGuard Firebox cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Fortinet FortiGate is cost-efficient. Palo Alto is expensive, but Fortinet FortiGate is not."

"It is not a very costly product if you compare it with other products. The return on investment is also good. If you compare the return of investment and money that you are spending on this product with Palo Alto, Cisco, Check Point, and other solutions, the investment is very less. We are happy with this solution. The optional licenses are there, and you can choose which one you want and which one to avoid."

"The pricing is justified. It's a little pricey, but what you pay for is what you get."

"The price depends on the size of the company. From the beginning, you just want to know the internet bandwidths, speed, and the number of users to be able to offer the right product and model. They have a lot of products in FortiGate according to the size of the company, like 200D and 300D."

"Fortinet's pricing is more straightforward than other solutions. If Fortinet doesn't stick out when you're searching for a solution, you are a glutton for punishment. You only need to know two things when purchasing a Fortinet solution: your total bandwidth and bandwidth at the site. You need to estimate the future bandwidth with other solutions if your customer plans to upgrade."

"The licensing costs are very low."

"Their licensing costs are annual. The UTM feature license along with their support is called FortiCare. We include that as a part of the annual maintenance cost. Palo Alto or Juniper also have an annual subscription charge for UTM. Price, of course, can always be more competitive, but it is not the most expensive product. The price-performance ratio is quite high for FortiGate."

"Fortinet FortiGate has different licensing models, depending on what you're going to do. Services included would depend on the license model. Licenses can be renewed annually."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"Its price is okay. It is not too high."

"It's a yearly subscription, but the price could be better."

"It is an expensive solution. I rate the pricing a seven out of ten."

"The solution is cheap."

"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."

"The price of the WatchGuard Firebox is reasonable."

"I would rate the pricing at seven out of ten. As for the licensing costs, we typically have yearly licenses for our clients, but there are no additional costs beyond the standard licensing fees."

"Each one, for the primary unit, was $8,600 and the High Availability unit was $2,000. That's with three years of subscription and support and the Total Security Suite."

"It is an entry-level product, so the price is cheap."

"The cheapest configuration, for maybe five people, is approximately $500."

"Over the years, the costs have increased, especially since I cater to very small businesses."

More WatchGuard Firebox pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

10%

Computer Software Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Retailer

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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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 ...

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What do you like most about Trend Micro ScanMail?

What I like the most about Trend Micro ScanMail is its easiness.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Trend Micro ScanMail?

Trend Micro ScanMail is priced in the middle range—not too expensive and not too cheap. In my experience, there are m...

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What needs improvement with Trend Micro ScanMail?

I believe there is room for improvement in better signatures, better reporting features, and more insight into the sp...

See all answers

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...

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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 XG vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 20% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 12% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 11% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs Trend Micro ScanMail

Compared 28% of the time

Trend Micro Email Security vs Trend Micro ScanMail

Compared 20% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Trend Micro ScanMail

Compared 15% of the time

Fortinet FortiMail vs Trend Micro ScanMail

Compared 11% of the time

Barracuda Email Security Gateway vs Trend Micro ScanMail

Compared 9% of the time

More Trend Micro ScanMail Competitors

OPNsense vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 6% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 5% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 5% of the time

Sophos XG vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 5% of the time

Sophos UTM vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 4% of the time

More WatchGuard Firebox Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

August 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Anti-Malware Tools

January 2025

Download Trend Micro ScanMail product report

Buyer's Guide

WatchGuard Firebox

July 2025

Download WatchGuard Firebox product report

Also Known As

FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate, Fortinet Firewall

ScanMail

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

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate offers comprehensive network security and firewall protection across multiple locations. It effectively manages data traffic and secures environments with features like VPN, intrusion prevention, and UTM controls.

Organizations rely on Fortinet FortiGate for its robust integration with advanced security policies, ensuring significant protection for enterprises, cloud environments, and educational sectors. It facilitates network segmentation, application-level security, and authentication management, securing communication within and between locations such as branches and data centers. Its efficient SD-WAN and UTM features enable streamlined data management and enhanced threat protection capabilities. Users appreciate its centralized management, facilitating seamless operations across diverse environments.

What are the key features of Fortinet FortiGate?

VPN Capabilities: Ensure secure remote access for users and seamless site-to-site connections.
Intrusion Prevention System (IPS): Detect and prevent security threats and vulnerabilities.
Advanced Firewall: Offers robust firewalling with application control and web filtering.
SD-WAN: Optimizes application performance and enhances bandwidth management.
SSL VPN: Provides reliable and secure access for remote workers.

What benefits should users expect from Fortinet FortiGate?

High-performance Security: Delivers effective threat mitigation with high availability.
Centralized Management: Simplifies network operations with cloud-based management tools.
Detailed Analytics: Provides comprehensive insights into network activity and security threats.
Load Balancing: Ensures optimal resource distribution and traffic management.

Fortinet FortiGate is crucial in sectors like education, offering robust networks for secure data flow between campuses and facilitating remote learning. In enterprise environments, it allows efficient management of application traffic and security across multiple branches, while in the cloud, it seamlessly integrates with diverse platforms to enhance security infrastructure.

Fortinet

More than 90 percent of targeted attacks begin with a spear phishing email, which means your mail server security is more important than ever. Unfortunately, most mail server security solutions, including the limited set of built-in protections in Microsoft® Exchange™ 2013 and 2016, rely on pattern file updates, which only detect traditional malware. They don’t include specific protections to detect malicious URLs or document exploits commonly used in targeted attacks or advanced persistent threats (APTs).

ScanMail™ Suite for Microsoft® Exchange™ stops highly targeted email attacks and spear phishing by using document exploit detection, enhanced web reputation, and sandboxing as part of a custom APT defense—protection you don’t get with other solutions. In addition, only ScanMail blocks traditional malware with email, file, and web reputation technology and correlated global threat intelligence from Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™ cloud-based security.

Time-saving features like central management, search and destroy, and role-based access have earned ScanMail its reputation as one of the simplest security solutions to setup and operate.

Trend Micro

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

L&T Chiyoda, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates, Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, Bishop Luffa School, Brooks Rehabilitation, CHR de la Citadelle, CHRU de Nancy

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

Buyer's Guide

Trend Micro ScanMail vs. WatchGuard Firebox

August 2025

Free Report: Trend Micro ScanMail vs. WatchGuard Firebox

Find out what your peers are saying about Trend Micro ScanMail vs. WatchGuard Firebox and other solutions. Updated: August 2025.

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