Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software vs. WatchGuard Network Security

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) software is the core OS for the ASA suite. It provides firewall functionality, as well as integration with context-specific Cisco security modules. It is scaled for enterprise-level traffic and connections.N/A
WatchGuard Network Security
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
WatchGuard Network Security is a network security and firewall software. WatchGuard includes secure Wi-Fi, multi-factor authentication, and network intelligence products and services designed for SMB’s.N/A
Pricing
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) SoftwareWatchGuard Network Security
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Support
Contact sales team
Contact sales team
Basic Security
Contact sales team
Contact sales team
Total Security
Contact sales team
Contact sales team
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) SoftwareWatchGuard Network Security
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) SoftwareWatchGuard Network Security
Considered Both Products
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
Chose Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
I am a CCNP and will always go with Cisco because they are more affordable than Palo Altos and yet they do the same job and easy to deploy.
Chose Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
Cisco ASA seems to be more reliable to me. However, Watchguard has multi-wan routing built-in natively to the appliance. Outside of the multi-wan functionality; however, I find the Cisco ASA to be more reliable and dependable. The Cisco ASA is more focused on security, whereas …
Chose Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
These are similar products but the Cisco had a model for each of our sites. Watchguard at the time of selection did not scale in the way that Cisco ASA did.
WatchGuard Network Security
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
WatchGuard was day and night better then the Cisco ASA we replaced. So much easier to manage and support.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
I find the WatchGuard products easier to configure than the similar SonicWall and Cisco products. I would rather spend time securing the rest of my network, than trying to get a network setup with the non-WatchGuard devices. SonicWall is not that complex either, but I trust …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Overall, the WatchGuard offers more capabilities, is faster, is easier to configure, and protects better. No other firewall is proactive and works to block based on unhandled packets, which is normally some sort of port scan or probing.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
WatchGuard Network Security offers equal or better security, and is substantially less expensive than these other solutions, especially when looking at a 3 year to 5 year period.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Trying to connect a Cisco device to anything other than a Cisco device is extremely complicated. We were able to get it working with Watchguard -> Cisco, and then slowly replaced all of our Cisco ASA Firewalls with WatchGuard. Cheaper, simpler, and it works great!
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Amongst others, these are the most common devices we come across and WatchGuard is by far the fullest offering whilst also giving the best experience in managing and setting up. The training level required for some higher enterprise devices is usually much higher so we find …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
I find that WatchGuard really shines against the competition in three areas. First, out of all the firewall appliances I have used, they are the easiest to set up and get running. Second, they perform just as well or better than comparable appliances, and third, they can't be …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Ease of use and cost of licensing. I feel the protections are similar, even though I like WatchGuard's better. The price made it an easy sell to the other executives. I liked WatchGuard over the others in every category: price, reliability (same in all), ease of use, …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
I find Watchguard much easier to deploy and maintain than Sonicwall devices. I find they offer a comparable range of products and features, however, I liked the deployment process of Watchguards much more. The Cisco ASA is a great firewall as well, however, can require more …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
WatchGuard, compared to the two vendors listed, is a lot easier to configure and deploy. Tech support is second to none.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
For our company, it was the ability to have a partner relationship with WatchGuard for our growing company. We have had a good relationship both with technical support and their sales team. They also make a lot of training available through their partner program.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
i3 Business Solutions evaluated both Fortinet and Cisco before choosing WatchGuard as its preferred UTM - Firewall vendor. The WatchGuard Firebox won out based on our selection criteria.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Only Cisco has a system like TDR, and it requires a server be set up (where WatchGuard has cloud servers in place).
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
SonicWall is insecure and horrible to manage. Cisco ASA is terrible to manage. 98% of breaches occur due to a misconfiguration. Therefore, any device that makes visibility and management difficult inherently results in misconfigurations and insecure configurations. I don't …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
After using ASAs, Sonicwalls, and pfSense; and then also evaluating FortiGates I would have to say that WatchGuard as a nextGen/UTM device with all the services enabled including deep packet inspection is comparatively faster. Also, the ease of use, support, and traffic …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
None of the other next-generation firewall appliances competed on ease of use/setup, feature set, and price as well as WatchGuard. WatchGuard uses best-in-breed technologies from expert vendors to run their individual security services where other vendors create inferior …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
I currently use both WatchGuard and Cisco ASA's. WatchGuard is easier.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Cisco ASA is tough to manage and provides limited functionality without expensive licensing. Sophos SG was missing some of the more advanced functionality of WatchGuard.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Price and ease of use are huge factors in our small business and we felt Watchguard was far and above a better value because of those 2 issues. The appliances we settled on offer equally effective service and features at a better price.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
I have used both the Cisco ASA and a Palo Alto virtual firewall and both do great jobs. But both of these firewall solutions are more expensive and more complicated to use for a smaller business and most of the features they offer are not needed at our level. WatchGuard was …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
I prefer WatchGuard over Cisco due to the ease of deployment and integrated security features. I consider Cisco to be as reliable as WatchGuard. WatchGuard can be deployed much more rapidly than Cisco. WatchGuard is a much better value overall.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) SoftwareWatchGuard Network Security
Firewall
Comparison of Firewall features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
8.1
49 Ratings
5% below category average
WatchGuard Network Security
8.6
402 Ratings
1% above category average
Identification Technologies8.632 Ratings8.6367 Ratings
Visualization Tools7.030 Ratings7.7364 Ratings
Content Inspection7.932 Ratings8.6387 Ratings
Policy-based Controls8.645 Ratings8.7400 Ratings
Active Directory and LDAP8.347 Ratings8.5337 Ratings
Firewall Management Console8.547 Ratings8.6394 Ratings
Reporting and Logging5.948 Ratings8.1391 Ratings
VPN9.048 Ratings8.9384 Ratings
High Availability9.047 Ratings8.6346 Ratings
Stateful Inspection8.046 Ratings9.0361 Ratings
Proxy Server8.032 Ratings9.0258 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) SoftwareWatchGuard Network Security
Small Businesses
pfSense
pfSense
Score 9.2 out of 10
pfSense
pfSense
Score 9.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
Score 9.3 out of 10
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
Score 9.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
Score 9.3 out of 10
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
Score 9.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) SoftwareWatchGuard Network Security
Likelihood to Recommend
8.6
(87 ratings)
8.8
(416 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.1
(4 ratings)
9.7
(32 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(114 ratings)
Availability
7.5
(2 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
8.7
(8 ratings)
2.6
(26 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.2
(4 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(3 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(2 ratings)
9.4
(263 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.5
(2 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) SoftwareWatchGuard Network Security
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
Cisco ASA's are great for internal network connected access between a firewall and the central management server. And, for complex networks where high security requirements with overly strict compliance are necessary. For networks with limited connectivity to the core or for poor network connectivity these are not the best solution. There are other more stand-alone firewall's that do this better. These firewall's are a little more complex to set up to start with so significant knowledge of these devices is required to set them up and ensure they are best practice installed.
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
I can't think of any place where WatchGuard isn't well suited, unless the customer is cheap. I have used WatchGuard devices in a two person office up to enterprise environments. Because they are not overly complicated to use, I prefer them to a name brand I'm not willing to mention, but most will know.
Read full review
Pros
Cisco
  • ASA is our VPN concentrator. The client and server are very stable and very easy to use
  • ASA also offers Intrusion Prevention, to an extent. This is also very useful for an improved security posture for a small company
  • ASA allowed us to scale very quickly. We could onboard clients, partners, and consultants and give them a great onboarding experience as well
  • Administrative costs with ASA are low. It's very easy to administer.
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
  • Incoming Torrent attempts were blocked, but outgoing (by a user) were permitted. Similarly, other direct attempts were summarily blocked.
  • provides full administrative support for analysis of usage and scope.
  • strong Wi-Fi support and security - area wi-fi maps
  • They think of all the things secure and I don't have to worry about it.
  • I have not identified anything else that needs improvement - I am well satisfied.
Read full review
Cons
Cisco
  • The ASDM software is at times a nightmare to install because of different java versions[.]
  • [The firewall] could do with a power button, just to be able to do a hard reboot when needed[.]
  • It would be nice to manage the firewall via the web on port 443[.]
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
  • Help with a better solution for working with MS Exchange on-prem so that we can secure the ECP and OWA from the outside without losing functionality for active sync for cell phones and such.
  • Even more affordable smaller boxes for home use.
  • Built-in ways to handle the newer network protocols/features such as QUIC protocols that services like google are using so that we don't have to block all of that type of traffic just to be able to block youtube from loading for users that we don't want using it.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Cisco
To be honest there has been now great products out in the market compared to Cisco ASA. I beleieve Cisco has to do a lot of improvement in this area. The other defeiniete factors is the cost when it comes to renewals which is always a premium on Cisco products
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
I'm giving this note to WatchGuard Network Security due to its ease of daily support (after acquiring necessary knowledge in the solution), which allows agility in configuration changes, its integration of several reliable security features (such as SSL VPN, VPN Virtual Interfaces between companies, and others) and functional and stability in operation, with no downtime in the equipment due to problems or malfunctions
Read full review
Usability
Cisco
No answers on this topic
WatchGuard Technologies
Although it might take some time to figure out, we have been able to use WatchGuard's online reference library and tech support to create/implement/modify all of our filtering rules and exceptions needed. There really has not been a shortcoming other than perhaps a learning curve.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Cisco
I generally have not noticed the outages, however since it's a machine it can malfunction, we need to implement the firewall infrastructure in such a way that it is highly available with device failure, region failure etc. Else any solution will be having the issues if they are not build with resiliency.
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
Applications errors should always be expected in any kind of technology. What matters most is the way you find to resolve it.
Read full review
Performance
Cisco
No answers on this topic
WatchGuard Technologies
WatchGuard works seemlessly and so in the background you don't realize it's there until you need it!
Read full review
Support Rating
Cisco
The support is usually very good and gets back to you very quickly. However I had some instances of when two engineers will give me wildly different answers to what I thought was a simple question. Overall however I do rate the support highly and they are generally always very good.
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
We have only had to contact them once during the initial set up to help bring the internet back on line. After that for the most part our systems have been automated, and could easily be checked form their online FAQ and Knowledge base that they provide. Everything else is easily handled from their browser based interface
Read full review
In-Person Training
Cisco
No answers on this topic
WatchGuard Technologies
We participate to a in person training and the three days of learning was really useful and complete to gain skill to solve the major part of the problem we encounter during our life. And more the in person training give us the opportunity to create a network with other WatchGuard partner.
Read full review
Online Training
Cisco
No answers on this topic
WatchGuard Technologies
Online training is good for learning how to use the product. It does not teach security strategy because that is not its intent.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Cisco
It was quite a good one, how ever requires an expertise to deploy hence the SMB segment would be finding it difficult to implement this product. The one good reason is that there are lot of ASA certified engineers in compared to the other certified engineers. Hence this resembles positively on the deployment as you have quite a lot of experienced engineer on your deployment
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
I had my key information for setting up the firewall, and they assisted me in finding the settings and appropriate places to enter data. They also helped troubleshoot when I didn't understand some of their feature concepts, and we got it running.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Cisco
We were using [pfSense] before in our environment but we regularly facing difficulties over it due to software bugs & downtime. After implementing Cisco ASA, it resolved our availability issue & provides us a reliable solution with the best security features & easy to understand GUI.
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
At 3 of my locations I use both a Sonic Wall and a watch guard. In my experience, the sonic wall has a much better interface. I feel it was much easier for someone that has never accessed a fire wall to be able to make changes and learn very quickly. I feel the Watchguard has better built in applications and the VPN was easier to use and access.
Read full review
Scalability
Cisco
No answers on this topic
WatchGuard Technologies
We scaled it exactly as we needed it to be! Easy, money-saving, and we didn't end up with features or options that we'd never use or worry about.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Cisco
  • Most network engineers have worked with ASA, so there is no need for re-training when adding or turning over staff
  • Current configs from older devices plug in easily, and are operational on larger devices if an upgrade is required
  • Many support options available
Read full review
WatchGuard Technologies
  • The VPNs are very easy to configure, less time to loose at new implementation.
  • The traffic monitor can be improved, I can't see the ISO layers to do a faster diagnosis.
  • Having an ADDS authentication is a plus, can use it with rules and vpn for remote access. Very useful.
  • The dimension feature can be developed as a website + database for NGINX, Apache2, IIS, etc., I feel traped on that linux vm only.
  • Most of the customers doesn't like to pay for a solution like this. They will accept only after beign attacked. WatchGuard can improve the sales with a demo (hacking, active security, etc.).
Read full review
ScreenShots

WatchGuard Network Security Screenshots

Screenshot of Subscription DashboardScreenshot of Subscriber Device SummaryScreenshot of Subscription DashboardScreenshot of Executive Dashboard