We performed a comparison between Check Point CloudGuard Network Security and pfSense based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Features: Check Point CloudGuard Network Security provides valuable features like VPN Blade, IPS Blade, URL filtering, and Applications Control Blade. pfSense is appreciated for its capacity to block IP addresses, user-friendly dashboards, and open-source nature.
Check Point could enhance its support system, cluster creation on AWS, data protection visibility, DLP feature, user interface, integration with other security solutions, cost reduction, documentation, and on-prem deployment flexibility. pfSense could improve instructional videos, stability, mobile application, GUI usability, updates, threat handling, FIPs compliance, log analysis, VPN capacity, documentation, user-friendliness, configuration processes, and SD-WAN integration.
Service and Support: Some customers appreciate the technical support provided by Check Point, while others express dissatisfaction with response time and global support. pfSense's customer service garners both positive and negative reviews. Some users commend the technical support they receive, while others rely on community resources for assistance.
Ease of Deployment: Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is praised for its easy, simple, and straightforward initial setup. Users find it interactive, user-friendly, and effortless to configure. However, it may require technical expertise and proper guidelines from customer support. pfSense is generally regarded as easy and straightforward to set up, with a simple installation process. The timeframe for completion varies from as little as 15 minutes to a few days, depending on the user's familiarity with firewall and network concepts.
Pricing: Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is recognized for its high price, however, it provides strong security measures and good value. pfSense is an open-source option that offers reasonable pricing and no extra expenses. However, there is a lack of available information concerning the exact costs associated with pfSense's licensing.
ROI: Check Point CloudGuard Network Security provides improved performance and benefits for organizations, resulting in a higher ROI range of 80% to 85%. pfSense is highly regarded for its cost-effectiveness and affordability, enabling substantial savings.
Comparison Results: Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is the preferred option when compared to pfSense. Users find the initial setup of Check Point CloudGuard Network Security to be straightforward, and user-friendly. Check Point CloudGuard Network Security offers more valuable features including VPN, IPS, URL filtering, and Applications Control Blade, which are highly appreciated for their compliance, intrusion protection, and productivity enhancement.
"I like that you are able to manage FortiGate from the FortiManager to create a more centralized environment."
"The Intrusion Prevention System and the web filtering are both working well."
"Overall security features and performance routing is good."
"The reporting you receive out of this appliance is excellent. You will not need an external management system."
"It blocks the vulnerabilities that can negatively impact us."
"We use a lot of function on the IPS and it works well for us."
"The VPN is the most valuable feature."
"The scalability is good in Fortinet FortiGate."
"Auto Scaling is one of the features that make me want to choose CloudGuard over actual HW."
"I like the tool's ability to manage cloud traffic locally without routing it through our data centers."
"The product offers an easy and nice way to manage the gateways, similar to on-prem hardware. It has packet filtering features. Our security operations are faster and less prone to errors. We selected CloudGuard Network Security due to its visibility."
"Check Point CloudGuard is quick to deploy and easy for the customer to use."
"The most valuable feature is the centralized dashboard, which is used for managing all of the Check Point Security Gateways."
"The query feature is going to be a game-changer for us as we move forward."
"A unique architecture makes this product stand out from other solutions."
"The most valuable feature of Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is the ease of use. It was not difficult to learn."
"It is very easy to use. The interface is quite understandable. There is a good community, and I can take over at any time I want. If there is anything wrong with it, I could just reinstall the whole thing and start all over again, and I'll be up again in less than a few minutes"
"I handle the scanning for the finance department. I recently encountered an issue with the PCL bills, our company bills. I resolved the matter, cleared the bill, and received calls regarding it using pfsense.The user interface is extremely user-friendly, which is why we use it across various plant sites. Our IT representatives at the plants find it easy to use and manage because of its straightforward interface."
"The concurrent users are perfect for us."
"pfSense helped us during COVID-19 because we used OpenVPN to connect from home."
"The firewall sensor is highly effective, and it's easy to deploy. You can deploy pfSense with limited hardware resources. It's not necessary to have an appliance with much RAM to make it work. It's cost-effective and performs well."
"A very stable product that lasts over time, easy to understand, and administer."
"I like the connectivity to the open VPN. It's very smooth."
"Centralized administration with multiple services, which allows for execution in several important functionalities of information security."
"The cloud features and integration could be improved."
"Fortinet FortiGate can improve the integration with Active Directory. Additionally, I would like to have a Cloud Controller, such as they do in the Cisco Meraki solution."
"There are a lot of bugs I have found in the solution and it is difficult to upgrade. These areas need improvement."
"Lacks training for new features."
"Fortinet FortiGate can be integrated with different platforms. They have integrations in place, but I can't say they're 100%."
"There could be more integration between the logging and analytical platforms to make it more seamless and integrated."
"Monitoring and reporting could be better."
"To some degree, it's almost a question as to why some of this stuff isn't simpler. For example, for an AP deployment, while it's integrated, the number of steps that you have to go through in order to get the AP up, seems like a lot."
"CloudGuard Network Security could be improved in the area of upgrading in place."
"The solution needs to support more hypervisors."
"The solution's integration with cloud providers has seen significant development in the past months, but there is room for improvement for better integration."
"It is somewhat problematic in the area of the cloud."
"Check Point has a history of moving fast with software release and upgrade cycles which are difficult to keep up with at times."
"It is a very expensive program and there are additional costs despite the standard licensing fees."
"Improvements needed include better integration with Azure features to match on-premises capabilities."
"The solution’s technical support, DNS security and training could be improved."
"pfSense could improve by having a sandboxing feature that I have seen in SonicWall. However, maybe it is available I am not aware of it."
"The interface is not very shiny and attractive."
"The configuration of the solution is a bit difficult."
"It's just not listed as FIPS compliant for where we're at now in government, which is an issue."
"I would like to see different graphs available in the reporting."
"The GUI. There are TONS of plugins for pfSense, as such, if a user wants to add quite a bit of functionality, the GUI will feel a little congested."
"There are several levels of firewall configuration such as beginner, advanced, and expert configurations. At each level, it becomes more complex and more tricky to set up the firewall. For example, if you want to install the firewall on your computer system, it would be a lot easier if it just tells you that this is the internet NIC and this is the Wi-Fi NIC."
"Layer 7 advanced firewall features are not included in the solution."
More Check Point CloudGuard Network Security Pricing and Cost Advice →
Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is ranked 8th in Firewalls with 119 reviews while Netgate pfSense is ranked 1st in Firewalls with 128 reviews. Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is rated 8.6, while Netgate pfSense is rated 8.6. The top reviewer of Check Point CloudGuard Network Security writes "The solution has good threat emulation, threat extraction, and reporting features". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Netgate pfSense writes "User-friendly, easy to manage the firewall, rule-wise and interface-wise". Check Point CloudGuard Network Security is most compared with Azure Firewall, VMware NSX, Cisco Secure Firewall, Akamai Guardicore Segmentation and Cisco Secure Workload, whereas Netgate pfSense is most compared with OPNsense, Sophos XG, Sophos UTM, KerioControl and Cisco Secure Firewall. See our Check Point CloudGuard Network Security vs. Netgate pfSense report.
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