WatchGuard Firebox vs Zscaler Cloud IPS comparison

WatchGuard and Zscaler are both solutions in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category. WatchGuard is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.0, while Zscaler is ranked #21. WatchGuard holds a 6.8% mindshare in ID, compared to Zscaler’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of WatchGuard users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Zscaler users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 9, 2025

WatchGuard Firebox and Zscaler Cloud IPS compete in network security, with Zscaler having an edge due to its comprehensive feature set.

Features: WatchGuard Firebox provides versatile deployment options, customizable security policies, and a holistic approach to protection. Zscaler Cloud IPS stands out with cloud-native security features, advanced threat protection, and seamless cloud integration.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: WatchGuard Firebox offers an easy deployment process and strong customer support, suitable for those with limited IT resources. Zscaler Cloud IPS provides a quicker setup with a cloud-based architecture, requiring adjustment to a digital-first model.

Pricing and ROI: WatchGuard Firebox is known for cost-effective setup and notable ROI, appealing to budget-conscious businesses. Zscaler Cloud IPS may have higher initial costs but offers long-term savings with its scalable infrastructure. Pricing details may vary according to business needs.

To learn more, read our detailed WatchGuard Firebox vs. Zscaler Cloud IPS Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

WatchGuard Firebox vs. Zscaler Cloud IPS

December 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

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 13.9%, down from 19.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WatchGuard Firebox is 6.8%, down from 11.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zscaler Cloud IPS is 1.5%, up from 0.8% 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	13.9%
WatchGuard Firebox	6.8%
Zscaler Cloud IPS	1.5%
Other	77.8%

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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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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Utpal Sinha

Sr Network Engineer at Momentive

Stable product with valuable SSL inspection features

We use Zscaler Cloud IPS for threat protection, full SSL inspection, and data center scalability. It integrates with multiple products, including cloud firewalls, cloud sandboxing, Cloud Security Broker (CSB), and Data Loss Prevention (DLP). It helps us allow or block specific TCP or UDP ports…

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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

"FortiGate Next Generation Firewall has a very high ROI"

"The technical support in our region is excellent."

"The most valuable feature of FortiGate is FortiView which provides proactive monitoring."

"FortiGate is more feature-rich and has a broader range of hardware. T"

"The simplicity of the product is great. It's very easy to use, which is a compliment we get all the time in terms of feedback."

"There are lots of features and most of them are deployed for internet security. Users are protected if they accidentally go to some malicious sites."

"The performance is good."

"By utilizing features such as dynamic path selection and application-aware routing, we've been able to reduce latency for critical applications such as VoIP and video by 20-30% during peak times."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"This product offers great protection using the default settings."

"The most valuable feature, in my opinion, is the dimension logging platform and the network traffic filtering."

"I like WatchGuard's network segmentation features. It's easy to configure user policies."

"The most important feature of this solution is the SLAs."

"[A] valuable feature would be the branch office. We have five offices throughout the United States, and it coordinates the connections of those offices."

"Firebox's best feature is the access portal."

"One of the most valuable features is that when we send emails and it gives a warning, you can configure those email addresses so that they can only send outside the email."

"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."

More WatchGuard Firebox pros

"Cloud IPS integration is seamless, and it uses a Zero Trust model. It also simplifies overall user access management."

"The initial setup is straightforward and easy in comparison with other solutions."

"The initial setup process is easy."

"The product's most valuable feature is complete SSL inspection."

"The best feature is that Zscaler allows for a separation between cloud applications and URL filtering. For example, under the cloud application segment, I can bypass Microsoft Office 365 without the need to add URLs manually. It's one click, so that's handy."

Cons

"More SD-WAN features can be integrated into the FortiGate Next Generation Firewall"

"They should consider making some improvements regarding the pricing."

"FortiGate can only retain logs for 24 hours or 7 days. I'm not sure if it holds them for a longer period, such as for a month. It will be useful for assessing our strategy and monitoring our environment without investing in FortiGate Analyzer. It would be beneficial if Fortinet could enhance the FortiGate by providing more statistical and monitoring views for a longer timeframe, rather than requiring access to FortiGate Analyzer."

"The big license options have web filtering, IDS, and a lot of other things, but it's not like they are all good."

"The IPS monitoring can be improved."

"The setup is pretty complex and not easy to implement."

"The product keeps hanging."

"The tool is expensive for small businesses, making it an area where the tool can improve the product by making it available at a cheaper rate."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"The website must provide more information on the product."

"I would like to have a little more control over access points and the ability to see the bandwidth that is passing through a specific access point. We are not able to see that. We can see what traffic is passing through the Firebox itself, but we can't identify if it is coming from a particular access point or not."

"The main trouble is the price of the product."

"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."

"I would like to see more simplified management of the firewall... It's a complicated system to use."

"When implementing a rule using a group of IPs, it is not possible to do that directly."

"It is also difficult to diagnose issues if any devices get compromised; for example, if someone hacks our system, it becomes hard to trace who made changes or accessed the firewall."

"The ease of detecting where an issue is should be improved."

More WatchGuard Firebox cons

"There is always room for improvement."

"We recently had a significant issue with Zscaler. I think they have too many customers and some of their connection edge nodes went down because there were too many requests. I think they aren't scaling enough to keep up with the demand in some areas. That's one thing they should improve."

"They have given limited free access for a year. Instead, they should increase the file size and give limited free access for around two months. It will allow engineers to evaluate the product."

"When it comes to scalability, the IPsec could be improved."

"We encounter issues sharing IP addresses with other companies using the software."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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 price is highly competitive when compared to other brands that offer similar functionality."

"Licensing is usually on a three-year period."

"The price of FortiGate support is too expensive."

"It is expensive. You need to pay for the subscription every year, which is very expensive. The subscription includes technical support and hardware exchange in case of failure."

"When comparing the price of Fortinet FortiGate SWG to other solutions it is expensive. The price could be better."

"The Fortinet FortiGate security features cost approximately $1,500 a year. The firewall itself doesn't have a recurring cost. It's the security features on top of that that you pay for."

"Some of our customers are using Sophos and SonicWall due to price concerns, as they can't manage the pricing of Fortinet FortiGate."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"They license it. When we buy it, we buy it with a three-year license. That's the most cost-effective way to do it. So, if you're going to buy it, then buy it with the three-year licensing."

"The price is very good."

"The primary reason that we went with Firebox was its cost. It is very economical and it provided us with all the security functions that we were looking for at the time. And the throughput was more than what we required, so it was a very cost-effective device to deploy on our network."

"I usually tell people that it's really affordable as well, particularly compared to Cisco."

"I spent $600 or $800 on this product and I'm paying a couple of hundred dollars a year in a subscription service to keep the lights on, on it... It works out to $100 or $200 a year if you buy several years at once. It's fair."

"There is an additional cost for support on top of licensing. When I bought my new unit, I received additional time added to my support."

"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."

"The pricing was in line with everyone else; maybe slightly higher."

More WatchGuard Firebox pricing and cost advice

"Zscaler has so far been solely responsible for all the sales we have done with it, so it would be more suited than us to address any issues concerning the pricing."

"The product is not affordable for small and medium enterprises."

"The software has become more expensive at present."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Manufacturing Company

Retailer

Manufacturing Company

13%

Healthcare Company

11%

University

10%

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	357
Midsize Enterprise	133
Large Enterprise	188

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	92
Midsize Enterprise	27
Large Enterprise	15

No data available

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 ...

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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.

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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

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Comparisons

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 20% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 6% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

Palo Alto Networks WildFire vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 2% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Sophos Firewall vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 7% of the time

OPNsense vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 7% of the time

Sophos UTM vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 4% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 4% of the time

SonicWall NSa vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 4% of the time

More WatchGuard Firebox Competitors

Claroty Platform vs Zscaler Cloud IPS

Compared 18% of the time

Cisco Sourcefire SNORT vs Zscaler Cloud IPS

Compared 16% of the time

Trend Micro Deep Discovery vs Zscaler Cloud IPS

Compared 13% of the time

Darktrace vs Zscaler Cloud IPS

Compared 12% of the time

Splunk User Behavior Analytics vs Zscaler Cloud IPS

Compared 10% of the time

More Zscaler Cloud IPS Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

January 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

WatchGuard Firebox

January 2026

Download WatchGuard Firebox product report

Buyer's Guide

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

January 2026

Download Zscaler Cloud IPS product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

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

No data available

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

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

Zscaler Cloud IPS enables you to have all threat and alert data in one place. Full user, file and app context is available. Streaming to a SIEM allows further integration into the SOC ecosystem.

The Zscaler Threat Library allows administrators and SOC personnel to drill down on IPS alerts to perform in-depth analysis of threat data within their installation. Search by vulnerability, category or keyword

For more details: https://www.zscaler.com/produc...

Zscaler

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

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

Zenith Live, Azure, Carlsberg Group

Buyer's Guide

WatchGuard Firebox vs. Zscaler Cloud IPS

December 2025

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