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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco Secure Firewall

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/ACisco Secure Firewall delivers comprehensive threat protection for modern, distributed networks. Built to support hybrid workforces and multicloud environments, it enables Zero Trust access, application visibility, and secure remote connectivity. With integration across the Cisco Secure portfolio, including SecureX and Talos threat intelligence, the firewall powers organizations to detect and stop more sophisticated threats. Centralized management simplifies policy enforcement, orchestration,…N/A

    SonicWall TZ

    Score8.2 out of 10
    N/ASonicWall TZ is an entry to mid-tier NGFW for small to mid-sized companies. It is a Unified Threat Management solution, with additional native decryption and deep-packet inspection capabilities.

    $399

    one-time fee

    Pricing
    Cisco Secure FirewallSonicWall TZ
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    SonicWall TZ270 High Availability
    $329.60
    SonicWall TZ270 (hardware only)
    $414.04
    SonicWall TZ370 High Availability
    $493.04
    SonicWall TZ270 Wireless-AC (hardware only)
    $502.57
    SonicWall TZ370 (hardware only)
    $618.34
    SonicWall TZ270 TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $689.16
    SonicWall TZ370 Wireless-AC (hardware only)
    $708.23
    SonicWall TZ270 TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $769.52
    SonicWall TZ470 High Availability
    $776.33
    SonicWall TZ270 Wireless-AC TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $796.76
    SonicWall TZ270 Wireless-AC TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $930.24
    SonicWall TZ370 TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $973.82
    SonicWall TZ470 (hardware only)
    $973.82
    SonicWall TZ570 High Availability (HA) Unit
    $988.80
    SonicWall TZ470 Wireless-AC (hardware only)
    $1063.71
    SonicWall TZ370 TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $1085.50
    SonicWall TZ370 Wireless-AC TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $1107.29
    SonicWall TZ370 Wireless-AC TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $1232.60
    SonicWall TZ570
    $1240.77
    SonicWall TZ670 High Availability (HA) Unit
    $1273.46
    SonicWall TZ570 Wireless-AC
    $1356.54
    SonicWall TZ570 with 8x5 Support (1 Year)
    $1450.51
    SonicWall TZ570 Wireless-AC with 8x5 Support (1 Year)
    $1588.07
    SonicWall TZ470 TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $1596.25
    SonicWall TZ670
    $1596.25
    SonicWall TZ470 Wireless-AC TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $1729.72
    SonicWall TZ470 TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $1805.99
    SonicWall TZ670 with 8x5 Support (1 Year)
    $1867.28
    SonicWall TZ470 Wireless-AC TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $1876.82
    SonicWall TZ570 TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $2006.20
    SonicWall TZ570 Wireless-AC TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $2192.80
    SonicWall TZ570 TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $2200.97
    SonicWall TZ570 Wireless-AC TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $2442.04
    SonicWall TZ670 TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $2574.15
    SonicWall TZ670 TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $2868.34
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco Secure FirewallSonicWall TZ
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—See pricing link for TZ Series (Gen6) editions. All prices have been converted from pounds. Conversion rates may change.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Cisco Secure FirewallSonicWall TZ
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    No answer on this topic
    SonicWall
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    93%
    Would buy again
    193 Answers
    93%
    Would buy again
    13 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    90%
    Delivers good value for the price
    160 Answers
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    13 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    191 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    14 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    86%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    140 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    12 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    86%
    Implementation went as expected
    164 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    14 Answers
    Features
    Cisco Secure FirewallSonicWall TZ
    Firewall
    Comparison of Firewall features of Cisco Secure Firewall and SonicWall TZ
    Feature
    Cisco Secure Firewall
    8.2
    197 Ratings
    5% below category average
    SonicWall TZ
    8.4
    15 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Identification Technologies8.1178 Ratings9.215 Ratings
    Visualization Tools7.8176 Ratings8.314 Ratings
    Content Inspection8.3176 Ratings8.815 Ratings
    Policy-based Controls8.5184 Ratings8.415 Ratings
    Active Directory and LDAP7.9157 Ratings7.212 Ratings
    Firewall Management Console8.0183 Ratings7.615 Ratings
    Reporting and Logging7.7185 Ratings7.814 Ratings
    VPN8.8165 Ratings9.015 Ratings
    High Availability8.9178 Ratings9.214 Ratings
    Stateful Inspection8.8172 Ratings8.514 Ratings
    Proxy Server7.794 Ratings8.510 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco Secure FirewallSonicWall TZ
    Small Businesses
    SonicWall NSA Series
    Score8.3 out of 10
    SonicWall NSA Series
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    Score9 out of 10
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    Score9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco Secure FirewallSonicWall TZ
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.3
    (204 ratings)
    9.2
    (21 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.5
    (6 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    7.3
    (6 ratings)
    8.4
    (6 ratings)
    Availability
    9.5
    (6 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.7
    (132 ratings)
    9.1
    (9 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.6
    (6 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    8.4
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.5
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco Secure FirewallSonicWall TZ
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    I can't think of scenarios where it is less appropriate, unless we are talking about real tiny businesses. More businesses will find Cisco Secure Firewall an outstanding tool to use, love, and trust from a reputable Network giant vendor. It is a must for businesses that want to focus on what they are doing, and leaving the network security for the pros.
    Incentivized
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    SonicWall
    Based on my experience, this is a solid platform for a small to mid sized company, especially when there is someone who has IT experience, or can get outsourced IT help. I would not recommend for someone who is a technology novice. Also, this is a competent device for someone who is looking to add VPN services for remote workers.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Cisco
    • Cisco's firewall actually does its job of blocking what it is supposed to block. We had an old Firewall that led to slippages. Cisco catches 97% of malware and vulnerabilities during testing. For Coitiar, that means an engineer who clicks a link with malware is handled quickly.
    • We actually tested if failovers would affect running sessions. We pulled our primary unit during a certification submission period. The firewall just switched, and the connection kept running.
    • The AI assistant in policy management is excellent, and for our lean team, it makes the whole process easy and efficient. I don't have to audit 200 policies manually; the AI steps in and does its thing.
    Incentivized
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    SonicWall
    • If you have multiple sites and you want the connect the sites through secure medium this is best firewall for you.
    • There are very advanced features helps you to connect the device easily and securely.
    • Easy to connect the sites through advanced routing protocols.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Cisco
    • I mean I think a lot of the technology with managing them is getting better. There's a few cons to the new firewall management console. You can't sort through routes or I think you can with interfaces now, but there's a few caveats that they haven't really worked out yet, but they're implementing AI into it, so it's getting to be a lot easier to use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SonicWall
    • There are Service Bundles in SonicWall TZ that are Unlicensed and do not know why they have not be Activated - would need help to further understand benefits
    • Do not know why Standard Support is Unlicensed
    • WiFi range of TZ270W is very limited - need to add Access Points or Extended to obtain adequate coverage
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Cisco
    It works really well. We can do most anything we want or need to with it, and you don’t have to have a doctorate or multiple certs to necessarily figure it out. The thing that would probably have to happen to make us switch would be if we just got priced out - Cisco’s more powerful and higher bandwidth models cost a pretty penny.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SonicWall
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Cisco
    i think overall after ALOT of tac cases it works allright now. But still have alot of issues if you use cloud based mangement. fx, if you open 2 windows of access policys, both of the pages, rules starte to jump form side to side. if you then open one more list, its start to jump even faster. if you close the 2 of them, its back to normal. ALSO the extended access lists for VPN, SUCKS. Its the tiniest window when opening the editor, and you are not able to give the rules names, Which means finding and editing rules SUCKS, its a horrible experience, and eveytime we have to we want to yell :P
    Incentivized
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    SonicWall
    Overall the new interface is very logical and easy to navigate. We did struggle at first coming from the older interface and finding our way around the new. But our new users found it very simple to find what they were looking for. One negative we do all struggle with is packet cpature not always being clear how its set/what is being monitored. this could do with more information on teh intial page instead of having to look for it
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Cisco
    Rationale:


    Strengths:


    High availability (HA) and failover configurations ensure continuous operation during hardware or network issues.


    Minimal unplanned outages reported; system remains responsive under full inspection load.


    Centralized monitoring and proactive alerts help prevent downtime.




    Minor Considerations:


    Occasional maintenance windows or updates may require brief service interruptions.


    Complex integrations with other systems may sometimes require extra attention to maintain uptime.




    Overall, Cisco Secure Firewall is highly available and dependable, supporting business continuity and operational resilience.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SonicWall
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Cisco
    We have not had any performance issues with Cisco Secure Firewall, even with DPI and IPS enabled, we have not seen a performance hit. Emoployes have not complained about any slow network speeds that could have been attributed to the secure firewall it has always been something else within the office network.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SonicWall
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Cisco
    I rarely get the support I need in the time I need it. Often, while they are "looking at packet captures and going to get back to me" I fix the problem on my own. If you were to look at my TAC cases over the past year, you would see some very lengthy cases that usually ended with me contacting the TAC person and telling them to just close the case
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SonicWall
    Once you get to a competent technician the support experience is better. But I have found that the lower tiers of support are very slow to respond (like 1 email per day) and you typically have to re-explain yourself a couple times before they get it. I have not used Phone support, and that may be a better experience.
    Incentivized
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    In-Person Training
    Cisco
    very good
    Incentivized
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    SonicWall
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Cisco
    was a good training but questions was answered not so good. Training was "Fundamentals of Cisco Firewall Threat Defense and Intrusion Prevention (SFWIPF)".
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SonicWall
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Cisco
    Our initial implementation was aided by Cisco's professional services and was excellent. The engineer was very knowledgeable and helped us work through issues while building out our new internet security edge Part of this involved tools to migrate the firewall configuration from old to new.
    Incentivized
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    SonicWall
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    Cisco Secure Firewall works better with the Cisco ecosystem when we can utilize it and feels beefy enough when we utilize it in the data center. The Fortinet we have found are great, small cost boxes for remote offices with a better UI then Cisco Secure Firewalls. The feature set included with the firewalls feels similar from a security point of view.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SonicWall
    SonicWall and WatchGuard are both fine appliances, but I am accustomed to the Barracuda NG. The Barracuda Control Center is so powerful and useful that it beats out the other two. SonicWall does a great job of dividing up firewall rules and NAT policies, but this is a preference among engineers.
    Read full review
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Cisco
    A solid, realistic rating most people give for Cisco Secure Firewall pricing is 7 or 8 out of 10 (because the product is strong but licensing can be a bit complex)
    Incentivized
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    SonicWall
    No answers on this topic
    Scalability
    Cisco
    Cisco Secure Firewall has never given us any trouble, it has stayed up at all times, upgrading the appliance has also become much simpler. We operate the appliance in a HA pair, so 0% downtime within our organisation. During switchover while upgrading, not a single packet seems to get lost, so this has been a very valuable asset to our company.
    Incentivized
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    SonicWall
    No answers on this topic
    Professional Services
    Cisco
    was not involved
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SonicWall
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • Cisco Secure Firewalls help with our segmentation policies and protect our company assets
    • Cisco Secure Firewalls help identify when our policies have changed on or network and troubleshoot network outages
    • Cisco Secure Firewalls help identify threats through Cisco Talos and other threat feeds that they ingest
    Incentivized
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    SonicWall
    • We have three SonicWall TZ devices and they are very helpful in a VPN set up.
    • The subscription costs for the different features has a great return on investment. It is very well worth the money.
    • The antivirus component has been very effective on the computers and servers the SonicWall TZ device protects.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    Cisco Secure Firewall Screenshots

    Screenshot of Cisco Secure 1200 Series Firewall FamilyScreenshot of Cisco Secure 4200 SeriesScreenshot of Cisco Secure 4200 SeriesScreenshot of Cisco Secure Firewall 1200 Stack FamilyScreenshot of Cisco Secure Firewall 200 SeriesScreenshot of Cisco Secure Firewall 200 Series

    SonicWall TZ Screenshots

    Screenshot of the SonicWall TZ 570 applianceScreenshot of the SonicWall TZ 370W appliance