Trellix Intrusion Prevention System vs WatchGuard Firebox comparison

Trellix and WatchGuard are both solutions in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category. Trellix is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.0, while WatchGuard is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.0. Trellix holds a 2.9% mindshare in ID, compared to WatchGuard’s 6.1% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of Trellix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of WatchGuard users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 9, 2025

Trellix Intrusion Prevention System and WatchGuard Firebox are network security products. WatchGuard Firebox stands out due to its comprehensive feature suite and perceived better value.

Features: Trellix Intrusion Prevention System offers advanced threat detection using security analytics, inline prevention, and application control capabilities. WatchGuard Firebox provides extensive firewall capabilities, integrated web filtering, and a user-friendly interface that simplifies setup and management.

Room for Improvement: Trellix could enhance its deployment complexity and user experience, and improve its technical support responsiveness. WatchGuard Firebox could expand on threat detection capabilities, reduce the learning curve for specific advanced features, and enhance integration with other security systems.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Trellix's deployment model is complex and requires technical expertise, while WatchGuard Firebox offers a simpler deployment process and is acknowledged for responsive customer support, making it easier to use for organizations.

Pricing and ROI: Trellix involves higher setup costs but the comprehensive security capabilities justify the investment for some businesses. WatchGuard Firebox has more affordable pricing and a quicker return on investment, appealing to cost-conscious buyers seeking effective security solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed Trellix Intrusion Prevention System vs. WatchGuard Firebox Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Trellix Intrusion Prevention System vs. WatchGuard Firebox

February 2026

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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 February 2026, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 13.2%, down from 19.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Trellix Intrusion Prevention System is 2.9%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WatchGuard Firebox is 6.1%, down from 11.5% 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	13.2%
WatchGuard Firebox	6.1%
Trellix Intrusion Prevention System	2.9%
Other	77.80000000000001%

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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Bhupesh-Sharma

Large account Manager at Softcell Technologies Limited

Has offered reliable threat protection and detailed network insights but could expand features beyond existing capabilities

The best features of Trellix Intrusion Prevention System include advanced ATP (Advanced Threat Protection), which uses signatures, behavior analysis, and machine learning to stop zero-day exploits and malware advanced persistent threats (APTs). They track and collect data from APTs, which allows them to track malicious files entering the environment. The system offers inline prevention and real-time automatic blocking of malicious packets before they reach the network. It integrates with the Trellix ecosystem and provides application visibility and control. The solution provides deep insight into network traffic, applications, and protocols for better information. All packets coming through the application are analyzed and reported. They share intelligence updates regularly to protect from different malicious files and sector-specific threats. It supports both on-premise and cloud environments.

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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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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Simple interface and easy to deploy."

"Fortinet FortiGate provides superior protection compared to other firewalls, with high processing capabilities."

"This solution has helped our organization by having strong functions and a reliable firewall."

"When I survey FortiGate products, I see that they have a good performance, especially in terms of next generation firewalls."

"The solution is very easy to understand. It's not overly complex."

"Layer-3 firewall and routing are the most valuable features."

"The solution has improved my organization significantly, with impactful capabilities such as sandboxing and cloud solutions, such as XDR, MDR, and EDR."

"The most valuable features we found are the SD-WAN, FortiGate SD-WAN, and the standard UTM protection, among others."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"The threat intelligence updates are very accurate."

"It has a lot of functions, such as firewall. We are administrators, and we create some rules to protect our network. We also monitor the traffic in and out and have disk encryption on-premises. When we detect malware, we scan for the virus on the PC. We can then delete or block the malware."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"The solution can scale."

"The most valuable features are the customization of the signature and the unlimited amount of signatures in IPS."

"The best feature of the Trellix Intrusion Prevention System is the rules that Trellix provides, I think that's the best value from IPS."

"Overall the solution is very good. It offers great protection and gives us a good overview of what is on the network."

"The feature I found most valuable is the network threat analyzer in the security platform. It also integrates with GTI, or Global Threat Intelligence. Otherwise, I just use the basic features."

More Trellix Intrusion Prevention System pros

"The most valuable feature for small and medium businesses is the support for various protocol proxies."

"The most valuable features include the ability to raise alarms when there are issues, easier configuration compared to other vendors, centralized update management, and keeping the product updated efficiently."

"I like that this product has very few issues."

"I have found the DNS Watch feature for intrusion and prevention response and APT Locker most valuable to me."

"The most valuable feature is the ease of use of the interface."

"I find that their tech support is excellent. And as a reseller, my relationship with my point of contact is also strong. WatchGuard does a good job of maintaining that."

"Their centralized console simplifies management for organizations with multiple Fireboxes."

"It provides us with Layer 2 and Layer 3 security."

More WatchGuard Firebox pros

Cons

"FortiGate's reporting features could provide a better picture of what is happening in the box."

"I would like some automated custom reporting."

"It would be better if they had a dashboard where we could see what attacks were happening. It would be good to see who's trying to get into our network."

"There should be better customization in the IPS."

"One drawback of Fortinet FortiGate is that they provide two types of models: one with a hard disk and another without. The model without a hard disk has very low ROM where you can store very few logs, after which you need to upload it to the cloud or purchase a firewall with SSD."

"There are a lot of bugs I have found in the solution and it is difficult to upgrade. These areas need improvement."

"Fortinet's support team consists of a huge networking team, because of which there is a delay in response at times."

"It is complicated to manage different kinds of on-premise boxes."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"The platform’s GUI could be the latest."

"The technical support has room for improvement."

"The solution could improve some aspects of detection."

"Integration with Global Thereat Intelligence could be better. Also, I think management solutions are end of life now at McAfee. Network threat analyzer may be used for endpoint quarantines. Integration between these sides, as well as endpoint APO, will help you quarantine the risky endpoints."

"The management console needs to be less complex and easier to navigate."

"The Network Security Managers could be more stable, agile, and work faster. When it comes to instability, there is room for improvement."

"Trellix Intrusion Prevention System does not provide virtual patching."

"The solution needs to improve the graphical interface. And they had a limitation in some of the sensor modems as well."

More Trellix Intrusion Prevention System cons

"It can have a couple of false positives, but after you add them to your allow list, it works fine. It could have better Mac support. I am pretty sure it doesn't have much support for Mac. It can be installed on a Mac, but it is not that good."

"It's sometimes not easy to understand and can require specialist assistance."

"It would be wonderful if the WatchGuard team develops nice products for threat intelligence."

"There are a couple of things I wished that it would do, but I can't think of those off the top of my head."

"The solution can improve by adding a feature to tag a MAC address of a computer system in the policy and more IP configuration settings."

"The area where I think this product can be improved is the user interface and the reporting. It can be quite difficult to find the correct logs and to actually find out what is going on. The digging can be time-consuming."

"There should be better integration and a way to configure multiple vendors into the same data center in order to offer more flexibility."

"WatchGuard Data Loss Prevention needs to improve its support."

More WatchGuard Firebox cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is fair compared to the other competitors."

"Compared to Palo Alto, which we have used in the past, pricing and licensing are okay."

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

"The tool is a bit pricey for small businesses, but it is still bearable in terms of cost."

"Fortinet FortiGate as a less expensive solution than Palo Alto."

"Fortigate's pricing is competitive."

"Fortinet is reasonable in pricing and licensing. Overall, FortiGate is affordable. The licensing fee can be a little high, depending on the budget for your project."

"Fortinet FortiGate is cheaper than Palo Alto. It is about 20% cheaper."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"I rate the product’s pricing an eight out of ten."

"The tool is competitively priced."

"The licensing costs are comparatively lower than other providers, and I would rate the pricing as five out of five."

"The price of the solution is not expensive, it is less than FortiGate."

"It is not expensive. Other products like Fortinet and Check Point are of the same price."

"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."

"The solution is a bit more expensive than other options."

"The licensing can be a one-time purchase unless you need the extra services for example twenty-four seven support."

"WatchGuard Firebox is a cheap solution."

"The solution is not expensive and customers pay for a yearly license."

More WatchGuard Firebox pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

13%

Computer Software Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	357
Midsize Enterprise	133
Large Enterprise	189

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	93
Midsize Enterprise	28
Large Enterprise	15

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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 ...

See all answers

What do you like most about McAfee Network Security Platform?

The threat intelligence updates are very accurate.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for McAfee Network Security Platform?

The tool is competitively priced. I rate the pricing a six out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with McAfee Network Security Platform?

Trellix Intrusion Prevention System does not provide virtual patching. Patching involves updates on the OS side to ad...

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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.

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...

See all answers

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 Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 20% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 14% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

Palo Alto Networks WildFire vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 2% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Trend Micro TippingPoint Threat Protection System vs Trellix Intrusion Prevention System

Compared 17% of the time

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention vs Trellix Intrusion Prevention System

Compared 13% of the time

Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) vs Trellix Intrusion Prevention System

Compared 11% of the time

IBM Security Network IPS vs Trellix Intrusion Prevention System

Compared 8% of the time

Vectra AI vs Trellix Intrusion Prevention System

Compared 7% of the time

More Trellix Intrusion Prevention System Competitors

Sophos Firewall vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 7% of the time

OPNsense vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 6% of the time

Sophos UTM vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 4% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 4% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs WatchGuard Firebox

Compared 3% of the time

More WatchGuard Firebox Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

February 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Trellix Intrusion Prevention System

January 2026

Trellix Intrusion Prevention System report

Download Trellix Intrusion Prevention System product report

Buyer's Guide

WatchGuard Firebox

January 2026

Download WatchGuard Firebox product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

McAfee Network Security Platform, McAfee NSP, IntruShield Network Intrusion Prevention System, IntruShield Network IPS

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

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

Block More Intrusions
Stop new and unknown attacks with signature-based and signature-less intrusion prevention systems. Signature-less intrusion detection finds malicious network traffic and stops attacks where no signatures exist.

Unify Virtual and Physical Security
Support network virtualization across private and public cloud platforms to scale security and evolve with changing IT dynamics.

Maximize Security and Performance
Scale hardware performance to speeds up to 100 Gbps and leverage data from multiple products.

Trellix

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

Desjardins Group, HollyFrontier, Nubia, Agbar, WNS Global Services, INAIL, Universidad de Las Américas Puebla (UDLAP), Cook County, China Pacific Insurance, Bank Central Asia, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, City of Chicago, Macquarie Telecom, Sutherland Global Services, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, United Automotive Electronic Systems

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

Buyer's Guide

Trellix Intrusion Prevention System vs. WatchGuard Firebox

February 2026

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