Check Point Application Control vs WatchGuard Application Control comparison

Check Point Application Control vs. WatchGuard Application Control

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Helped 845,040 peers since 2012

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

Check Point Application Con...

Ranking in Application Control

4th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

WatchGuard Application Control

Ranking in Application Control

8th

Average Rating

8.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Application Control category, the mindshare of Check Point Application Control is 5.7%, down from 9.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WatchGuard Application Control is 3.8%, down from 4.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Control

Featured Reviews

Evans Vs

Engineer at Digitaltrack

Very useful visibility, granular policy enforcement, and application risk assessment

The solution's primary use cases include application visibility and control, enforcement of security policies, risk mitigation, and bandwidth management. It has enhanced security posture, increased visibility and control, policy enforcement, and improved compliance, etc. The…

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ScottEastman

Project Consultant at SEVERN HOSPICE LIMITED

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.

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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

"This solution is stable and we have not had any issues."

"This platform has fully secured our applications with very powerful firewall security upgrades."

"The most valuable feature of Check Point Application Control is VPN access and the ability to lock out sites we do not want users to have access. The reporting monitoring software in Check Point Application Control is fantastic. For example, log filtering is beneficial."

"It has many important features that have greatly helped the company and the IT department."

"We can control bandwidth and high-risk application access from our network using application control."

"Check Point enables us to save internet bandwidth. The administration offers good guidance. We don't want the employees to access social networking on work computers because it will distract them from their jobs, so we can block that. It also helps us to implement changes very quickly and to get people to be more focused on the job."

"The most valuable thing about the solution is that we get real-time visibility into the usage of an application and the granular control of the application."

"It has enhanced security posture."

More Check Point Application Control pros

"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."

"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."

"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."

"We have witnessed an ROI as it has helped with security measures."

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

"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."

"I found several features valuable in WatchGuard Application Control such as the HTTP Proxy, DNSWatch, VPN, and HTTPS Content Inspection."

"The most valuable feature is the category control."

More WatchGuard Application Control pros

Cons

"The blocking characteristics for filtering content currently are not so customizable."

"Custom applications for internal applications must be defined frequently."

"We would like the product to be a bit more user-friendly in general."

"SD-WAN functionality can be added."

"Check Point is a fairly complete security vendor, however we would like to have a better SLA for technical support issues."

"The guides used today are a bit complex, and we need efficient and simple access to them so that any administrative or technical person can solve, analyze, and configure each of the rules and identities seamlessly."

"I would like this layer to be faster to install in the future."

"It's important that there is the option to validate the policies before applying them."

More Check Point Application Control cons

"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."

"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."

"The solution needs to improve the interface. I'm not able to easily find things using it."

"The time they take to classify an application once they find that it is unknown can be better."

"The licensing can be a bit expensive."

"There should be more reports available on different subjects."

"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."

More WatchGuard Application Control cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I think application control has become a basic feature and it should be enabled automatically, without having to purchase a separate license for it."

"The price of Check Point Application Control is high. The support and ecosystem around the solution are expensive."

"Check Point Application Control is expensive. The tool's licensing costs are yearly."

"It's a bit expensive and it could be cheaper, but it's part of business politics."

"The blade has its cost but you can take advantage of the license package to pay less for it."

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

"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 licensing model for WatchGuard Application Control is based on the number of users. WatchGuard Application Control also has licensing models with several features."

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845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

22%

Computer Software Company

10%

Construction Company

Government

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Check Point Application Control?

It has many important features that have greatly helped the company and the IT department.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Check Point Application Control?

Based on the current market, everything looks good.

What needs improvement with Check Point Application Control?

At this time, Check Point Application control is the best on the market.

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.

Comparisons

No data available

Product Reports

Check Point Application Control

Download Check Point Application Control product report

WatchGuard Application Control

Download WatchGuard Application Control product report

Overview

Check Point Application Control provides the industry’s strongest application security and identity control to organizations of all sizes. It enables IT teams to easily create granular policies, based on users or groups, to identify, block or limit usage of thousands of Web applications and widgets.

Learn more about Application control software

Check Point Software Technologies

Organizations of all sizes rely on various applications for daily business operations, but how do you ensure only sanctioned applications are being used on your network? With WatchGuard Application Control, you have the power to limit application usage, and keep unproductive, inappropriate, and dangerous applications off your network.

WatchGuard

Sample Customers

SEB, Luma Arles, Terma, Aerospace, Midwest Rubber

Chester School District, Kensington Close Hotel

Check Point Application Control vs. WatchGuard Application Control