What users are saying about
Top Rated
147 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 9.3 out of 100
Based on 147 reviews and ratings
33 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 8.6 out of 100
Based on 33 reviews and ratings
Feature Set Ratings
- Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series ranks higher in 1 feature set: Firewall
Firewall
9.7
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
97%
8.5
Sophos XG Firewall
85%
Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series ranks higher in 11/11 features
Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series ranks higher in 11/11 features
Identification Technologies
9.9
99%
21 Ratings
8.0
80%
7 Ratings
Visualization Tools
9.2
92%
21 Ratings
7.7
77%
7 Ratings
Content Inspection
9.9
99%
21 Ratings
8.9
89%
7 Ratings
Policy-based Controls
10.0
100%
21 Ratings
9.0
90%
7 Ratings
Active Directory and LDAP
9.8
98%
20 Ratings
8.3
83%
6 Ratings
Firewall Management Console
9.9
99%
21 Ratings
9.0
90%
7 Ratings
Reporting and Logging
9.4
94%
21 Ratings
8.6
86%
7 Ratings
VPN
9.5
95%
21 Ratings
9.1
91%
7 Ratings
High Availability
10.0
100%
20 Ratings
9.2
92%
7 Ratings
Stateful Inspection
10.0
100%
20 Ratings
8.0
80%
7 Ratings
Proxy Server
9.3
93%
10 Ratings
7.8
78%
6 Ratings
Attribute Ratings
- Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series is rated higher in 2 areas: Likelihood to Recommend, Usability
- Sophos XG Firewall is rated higher in 1 area: Support Rating
Likelihood to Recommend
9.7
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
97%
37 Ratings
9.0
Sophos XG Firewall
90%
7 Ratings
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
100%
1 Rating
Sophos XG Firewall
N/A
0 Ratings
Usability
10.0
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
100%
2 Ratings
9.0
Sophos XG Firewall
90%
1 Rating
Support Rating
8.4
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
84%
18 Ratings
9.1
Sophos XG Firewall
91%
2 Ratings
Likelihood to Recommend
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
Palo Alto firewall only affords by Large level infrastructure having a budget for Security Prospect. I will recommend it for the Card information industry & Confidential data solutions. Because it provides a bucket of security features that are not easily vulnerable.
Network Administrator
InfosysInformation Technology & Services, 10,001+ employees
Sophos XG Firewall
This is the best product for small-size organizations with a low budget that want advanced and deep-level security features. Sandboxing and advanced malware protection are the most valuable features available on Sophos devices. Other features like applications and web content make your organization more secure, and you can put more restrictions on users.
Network Consultant
UpworkInformation Technology & Services, 1-10 employees
Pros
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
- The PA handles VPN connectivity without missing a beat. We have multiple VPN tunnels in use for redundancy to cloud-based services.
- The PA has great functionality in supporting failover internet connections, again with the ability to have multiple paths out to our cloud-based services.
- The PA is updated on the regular with various security updates, we are not concerned with the firewall's ability to see what packets are really flowing across the network. Being able to see beyond just IP and port requests lets you know things are locked down better than traditional firewalls.
- It is a great overall kit, with URL filtering and other services that fill in the gaps between other solutions without breaking the bank.

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Higher Education Company, 201-500 employeesSophos XG Firewall
- You can scan every packet deeply through sandboxing.
- Control the user traffic through content filtering.
- Put the restrictions on user web traffic through web filtering.
- Control any type of malware through anti virus.
Executive System Admin
MattsenKumar LLCInformation Technology & Services, 501-1000 employees
Cons
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
- Our specific model is a bit slow and outdated and takes up to 10 minutes to commit a configuration change.
- Nested security rules would be helpful instead of a linear approach. But rule creation in general is very simple.
- Documentation gives a very straight forward answer to some items but is very vague in others.
- Support could be a little better. An issue we had a tech was insistent it was the "other guy" and it ended up being the very latest PAN OS upgrade.
Senior Network Security Engineer
PeoplesBankBanking, 201-500 employees
Sophos XG Firewall
- If using Endpoint security and the Firewall it would be nice to have an easier back and forth between the portals rather than have two separate tabs open. Especially if using more than one in multiple locations.
- If dealing with different revisions options are moved around and sometimes in places that doesn't normally seem like they should be there.
IT Technician
Briarpatch Food CoopRetail, 51-200 employees
Pricing Details
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—Sophos XG Firewall
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—Likelihood to Renew
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series 10.0
Based on 1 answer
The PA5220s have far exceeded what we have expected out of them. It was a bit of a learning curve coming from another vendor, but everything falls into place now with ease. The capabilities of the solution still surprise us, allowing us to remove other costly hardware and providing a single point of management needed

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Higher Education Company, 201-500 employeesSophos XG Firewall
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Usability
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series 10.0
Based on 2 answers
In my opinion, the Palo Alto Firewall is the simplest firewall in terms of management interfaces; though it has more advanced options that apply to more advanced use cases. Configuring basic features on the firewall is nearly self-explanatory; configuring more advanced features can be met with very thorough vendor documentation.

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Government Administration Company, 1001-5000 employeesSophos XG Firewall
Sophos XG Firewall 9.0
Based on 1 answer
It is a good and pleasant experience to use Sophos XG firewall and it offers more then what we expect and the price is ok in the current market level
Network Engineer
Alshalawi International HoldingsTransportation/Trucking/Railroad, 201-500 employees
Support Rating
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series 8.4
Based on 18 answers
We've run into a couple undocumented bugs, but that seems to happen with every brand and technology. Any time we've had to engage Palo Alto support they've always been professional, knowledgeable and prompt. In almost all cases we've been able to resolve our issues without having to escalate our tickets.
Network Engineer
Kentucky Administrative Office of the CourtsGovernment Administration, 1001-5000 employees
Sophos XG Firewall
Sophos XG Firewall 9.1
Based on 2 answers
Honestly we didn't get the premium support from them, but our partner has been supportive. Online forums are also a good place to learn things from.

Verified User
Manager in Information Technology
Chemicals Company, 501-1000 employeesAlternatives Considered
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
No one can say any other companies in this time is better than Palo Alto Networks Next-Generatoin Firewalls. Palo Alto offers very advanced features which protect you[r] organization. Advanced malware protection, anti spam, lots of other threats.
Executive System Admin
FreelancerInformation Technology & Services, 1-10 employees
Sophos XG Firewall
We have been a Sophos customer for the most part but i have seen some other offerings from SonicWall, Barracuda, and Cisco. While they all offer nice products, we've always been content with our Sophos XG firewalls, especially as they release more and more features/etc.

Verified User
Technician in Information Technology
Education Management Company, 201-500 employeesReturn on Investment
Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
- Overall, even though the device is very expensive (both hardware and licensing), the product does produce a decent ROI, given that one (or HA pair) of devices can do so many things, such as anti-virus, anti-malware, URL filtering, SSL decryption, SSL VPN, routing, etc.
- There will definitely be sticker shock when you're renewal comes up annually (or after 3 years), so be sure to look very carefully at the recurring costs of this product, with respect to licensing and hardware/software maintenance.

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Financial Services Company, 201-500 employeesSophos XG Firewall
- Easy to integrate with Active Directory & LDAP
- We don't need to purchase any additional 2FA & VPN Tools so the cost is saved for us
- High Availability
IT Executive
MattsenKumar LLCInformation Technology & Services, 501-1000 employees