Untangle NG Firewall vs. WatchGuard Network Security

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Untangle NG Firewall
Score 7.0 out of 10
N/A
Untangle NG Firewall is an open-source firewall and gateway security platform. It offers a free core firewall platform with paid add-ons, and a cloud-based management platform with a variety of deployment options for smaller teams.
$0
free under the GNU General Public License (GPL)
WatchGuard Network Security
Score 8.8 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
Untangle NG FirewallWatchGuard Network Security
Editions & Modules
Open Source Firewall
$0.00
free under the GNU General Public License (GPL)
NG Firewall Complete
$25.00
per month
z4 appliance
$299
one-time purchase
z4w appliance
$329
one-time purchase
z4 Plus appliance
$399.00
one-time purchase
z6 appliance
$1199.00
one-time purchase
z12 appliance
$1999.00
one-time purchase
z20 appliance
$3499.00
one-time purchase
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
Untangle NG FirewallWatchGuard Network Security
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Untangle NG FirewallWatchGuard Network Security
Considered Both Products
Untangle NG Firewall
Chose Untangle NG Firewall
Untangle is easier to use and a bit more reliable. Plus the support is very good.
Chose Untangle NG Firewall
I could never come close with these two products to the level of functionality and security I have with Untangle. Simply put, there is absolutely no contest. In addition, the cost of these other solutions was many thousands more than the academic cost for Untangle.
Many times …
Chose Untangle NG Firewall
pfSense and Fortinet FortiGate
Chose Untangle NG Firewall
Simple GUI interface and can run on your hardware a.k.a. old servers with 2 or more NIC's.
Chose Untangle NG Firewall
Untangle NG Firewall has a partnership with third parties to provide an amazing suite of applications. You pay for those. With free software, you have to wait for it to be updated. With Unifi, the hardware was too underpowered to do anything meaningful. I don't mind the monthly …
Chose Untangle NG Firewall
NG Firewall was much more friendly in terms of layout and ease of use, the apps section is familiar to anyone and the config while in a sort of odd order is very clearly laid out. I also appreciate Untangle's endless educational videos and the support can't be beat. Overall …
Chose Untangle NG Firewall
We selected untangle NG due to the flexibility, and the rack based architecture. Period.
Chose Untangle NG Firewall
The Untangle NG Firewall is way more intuitive but the last barracuda I used was almost 8 years ago.
Chose Untangle NG Firewall
We looked at Sonicwall Web Content Filtering Services that can be added to our SonicWall firewall by purchasing a license. Untangle offered more functionality that solved a few of our problems at a cheaper price. Untangle offers a non-profit discount for 501c3 organizations …
WatchGuard Network Security
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
WatchGuard's firewall is easier to set up and maintain but they are not quite up to level of protection that Sophos MDR is at.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Our company has been reviewing multiple filters but have been satisfied with WatchGuard Firebox.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Fortinet also has impressive software but WatchGuard support has been better. MFA being integrated with Active Directory allows for ease of management through the local AD server. The aesthetics of WatchGuard Network Security with it being red allow for a nice look on the rack …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
The real pluses that WatchGaurd offers is both price and usability. While some products have excelled at one, finding one that offers both has been consistently Watchguard. We have used Watchguard for 20 years now and over that time we have been able to rely on the fact that …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
If my clients need a higher level of protection I go with WatchGuard do to my 20+ years of experience with WatchGuard products and the support options WG provides. I don't see me wanting to learn or implement other products.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
I was not involved with the decision making for WatchGuard versus another product. However, I know WatchGuard is significantly less expensive than other brands. My overall preference would be Ubiquiti due to their continuous improvement of the product with tons of great …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
WatchGuard has a slightly better and more intuitive user interface than SonicWall's OS. WatchGuard support is also better and more consistent in their answers.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
WatchGuard Network Security has a more palatable licensing model and comes at a much more reasonable price for comparable security features. I find the WatchGuard Network Security firewalls in particular to be much easier to configure and manage as well. The service is top …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
WatchGuard Network Security stacks up very well against them and is the preferred option due to a variety of factors. First, you have the pricing and availability to work with our preferred vendors like TD Synnex. Then, we have the ease of use that makes the product simple to …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Better complete package
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
I looked at the products and the Critical Vulnerabilities list. WatchGuard Network Security had the least Critical and Least vulnerabilities when I checked.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Sonicwall offered weaker security and integration
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
WatchGuard Network Security was already in place when I came onboard but overall I have not had any serious issues with it over Sonicwall.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Watchguard certainly wins against all the above for SMBs/distributed orgs and MSPs. No "heavy" agents and easier policy troubleshooting much better MFA
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Meraki is a very good tool to use, however the billing model can be hard, especially cost wise.

Fortinet is outdated and does not seem to have a central management portal.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
WatchGuard Network Security and Fortinet are very similar. In my opinion Fortinet is a bit better, but it is more expensive. We originally went with WatchGuard Network Security due to the pricing they offered over Fortinet. They both over very similar products and neither is a …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
WatchGuard is what I use exclusively now. I have removed all other firewalls. WatchGuard is easier to maintain and easier to set up, PLUS WatchGuard Tech Support is very responsive and helpful. I am very familiar with both the System Management software and the Web-based access …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Our HPE Aruba networks were very difficult to manage in our environment. They were an older generation that fell short of functionality. That is not to say that HPE Aruba is an inferior product, but WatchGuard Network Security provides a much better value overall.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Although we still use Upiquity for WiFi or internet use, we still often rely on WatchGuard Network Security. We find the two very integrable and easy to use with each other. We selected WatchGuard Network Security because it delivers enterprise-grade protection to small to …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Very comparable. Functionality is pretty much the same with some minor difference. Interfacing is slightly better on the Watchguard and overall setup and ease of use seems to be better on the watchguard suite compared to Fortinet. Product offering is also better on the …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Watchguard Network Security made it easy to add on capabilities as our need for complexity grew.
If we were to start over from scratch, we may go elsewhere. But vendor inertia has favored WatchGuard Network Security and its capabilities have been satisfactory enough to prevent …
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
they implemented AI features to their services and devices, but they lack of options to act as a backup appliance that have less complicated functions and setup progress
so WatchGuard Network Security have these as advantages
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
i did not, i feel like watchguard is budget firewall but better than home firewall
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
Too costly to transition compared with renewal of WatchGuard Network Security, no demand for the stacked switch options, reduced network footprint after COVID lockdown.
Chose WatchGuard Network Security
I think the solutions are comparable, but the cloud management piece is critical for MSPs these days. We need to be able to schedule and push out updates as soon as they are stable and ready. Insurance companies and government regulations mandate this.
Features
Untangle NG FirewallWatchGuard Network Security
Firewall
Comparison of Firewall features of Product A and Product B
Untangle NG Firewall
8.2
Ratings
5% below category average
WatchGuard Network Security
8.2
Ratings
5% below category average
Identification Technologies8.00 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Visualization Tools7.00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Content Inspection8.00 Ratings8.30 Ratings
Policy-based Controls8.00 Ratings8.90 Ratings
Active Directory and LDAP9.00 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Firewall Management Console9.00 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Reporting and Logging7.00 Ratings6.90 Ratings
VPN9.00 Ratings8.90 Ratings
High Availability9.00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Stateful Inspection8.00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Proxy Server8.00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Untangle NG FirewallWatchGuard Network Security
Small Businesses
pfSense
pfSense
Score 8.5 out of 10
pfSense
pfSense
Score 8.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Score 9.1 out of 10
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
Score 9.1 out of 10
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Untangle NG FirewallWatchGuard Network Security
Likelihood to Recommend
7.0
(0 ratings)
8.7
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(0 ratings)
7.9
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.0
(0 ratings)
7.9
(0 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(0 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
7.8
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.5
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(0 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
8.1
(0 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
8.8
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
8.5
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Untangle NG FirewallWatchGuard Network Security
Likelihood to Recommend
Midsized business is where I have used it. Have used it to connect to other Untangle boxes across town and in other countries with NO issues and works with MS Domains across these VPN connections. Probably less appropriate for small home networks or large businesses.
Read full review
One scenario where WatchGuard Network Security is well-suited for a task is when a site needs to be whitelisted. For example, if a site is whitelisted and hosted in a country blocked by geolocation, we can bypass the block and route traffic to the site. This is particularly helpful with CDN's.
Read full review
Pros
  • The firewall is easy to set up and manage.
  • The open VPN while not as feature rich as some other options is rock solid and consistently needs nothing
  • The web filter app is great, it's easy to block broad categories or specific things as well as white list whatever is needed.
  • Support is responsive and accurate.
Read full review
  • 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
  • The UI could be a little flashier.
  • Getting your license file moved from one firewall to another can be tough at times... but support is great if you need it.
  • Ability to upload reports to a portal versus getting them emailed would be best (some reports can get 100+ Mb depending on all the bells and whistles).
Read full review
  • Better integration with VoIP services, such as templates for policies handling traffic for Bria or Asterisk endponts and servers.
  • Get webblocker to work without breaking secure websites.
  • Lower cost on endpoint agents for antivirus and include application control and webblocker with the agents.
  • Make the cost per endpoint with TDR and Netowrk access control lower than the cost of Antivirus licensing that is not integrated.
  • Make it easier to set up network access control and VLAN assignment by device, perhaps with templates.
  • Get webblocker and application control working with QUIC.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Service renewal is in Feb 2021. We will be renewing!
Read full review
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
Generally works well but seeing more and more bugs with the OpenVPN app.
Read full review
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
No answers on this topic
Availability has always been a strong point of this product, it is rare that watchguard does not have a solution for customers' network monitoring needs.
Read full review
Performance
No answers on this topic
The performance of WatchGuard Network Security is very good, in the years that we have used the solution we have only had a single error and Watchguard itself was able to solve it. Furthermore, when purchasing any product, the partner always evaluates the capacity of the solution to recommend the most appropriate product for our needs.
Read full review
Support Rating
The phone support reps are highly competent and native-English speakers. big plus vs some other vendors with difficult to understand or less knowledgable support engineers.
Read full review
For something that is considered business critical they should be far more responsive. Security isn't something to take lightly in today's work environment and so long as its working you are happy. But when it doesn't and you need that professional assistance, they weren't always there and I ultimately resolved my issues with the help of Google.
Read full review
In-Person Training
No answers on this topic
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
No answers on this topic
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
No answers on this topic
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
I could never come close with these two products to the level of functionality and security I have with Untangle. Simply put, there is absolutely no contest. In addition, the cost of these other solutions was many thousands more than the academic cost for Untangle. Many times have I experienced threats and inappropriate content passing through these other products. All of that was stopped the moment I implemented Untangle, even before I started to customize the settings.
Read full review
The real pluses that WatchGaurd offers is both price and usability. While some products have excelled at one, finding one that offers both has been consistently Watchguard. We have used Watchguard for 20 years now and over that time we have been able to rely on the fact that the experience gets better overtime and does not stagnate. Further, we have not had any issues with the security as opposed to products such as Fortinet.
Read full review
Scalability
No answers on this topic
This product is very scalable since previously everything related to Watchguard was on premises but that has now changed with the inclusion of watchguard cloud. Now the product has evolved to have full control of firewalls at the cloud level.
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • Easy setup and implementation made ROI easy to achieve. An Untangle HA solution is 1/2-1/3 the cost of a comparable Cisco/Checkpoint/Palo Alto solution.
  • non-business internet usage has nearly ground to a halt.
  • SD-WAN integration made it easy to connect branch offices quickly without complicated IPSEC configuration.
Read full review
  • WatchGuard provides the features we need at a great price point.
  • Good technical support saves time by preventing unnecessary time taken up managing the product and resolving issues.
  • The appliance helps us meet minimum cybersecurity requirements for doing business with our clients.
Read full review
ScreenShots

WatchGuard Network Security Screenshots

Screenshot of WatchGuard Cloud Customizable DashboardScreenshot of Threat Monitoring SummaryScreenshot of Device Security SummaryScreenshot of Automated ReportingScreenshot of User Authentication SummaryScreenshot of Endpoint Protection Summary