WatchGuard Network Security vs. Zscaler Internet Access

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
WatchGuard Network Security
Score 8.6 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
Zscaler Internet Access
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
Zscaler Internet Access™ (ZIA) is a secure web gateway (SWG), delivering cloud native cyberthreat protection and zero trust access to the internet and SaaS apps.N/A
Pricing
WatchGuard Network SecurityZscaler Internet Access
Editions & Modules
Support
Contact sales team
Contact sales team
Basic Security
Contact sales team
Contact sales team
Total Security
Contact sales team
Contact sales team
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
WatchGuard Network SecurityZscaler Internet Access
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
WatchGuard Network SecurityZscaler Internet Access
Features
WatchGuard Network SecurityZscaler Internet Access
Firewall
Comparison of Firewall features of Product A and Product B
WatchGuard Network Security
8.8
460 Ratings
2% above category average
Zscaler Internet Access
-
Ratings
Identification Technologies8.6419 Ratings00 Ratings
Visualization Tools8.1417 Ratings00 Ratings
Content Inspection8.8444 Ratings00 Ratings
Policy-based Controls9.0457 Ratings00 Ratings
Active Directory and LDAP8.5388 Ratings00 Ratings
Firewall Management Console8.3450 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting and Logging8.8446 Ratings00 Ratings
VPN9.3441 Ratings00 Ratings
High Availability9.4399 Ratings00 Ratings
Stateful Inspection9.1413 Ratings00 Ratings
Proxy Server9.1298 Ratings00 Ratings
Identity Management
Comparison of Identity Management features of Product A and Product B
WatchGuard Network Security
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
5.0
2 Ratings
56% below category average
Multi-Factor Authentication00 Ratings5.02 Ratings
Endpoint Security
Comparison of Endpoint Security features of Product A and Product B
WatchGuard Network Security
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
10.0
2 Ratings
6% above category average
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Threat Intelligence
Comparison of Threat Intelligence features of Product A and Product B
WatchGuard Network Security
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
9.5
5 Ratings
7% above category average
Network Analytics00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
Threat Recognition00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
Vulnerability Classification00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
Automated Alerts and Reporting00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
Threat Analysis00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
Threat Intelligence Reporting00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
Automated Threat Identification00 Ratings9.15 Ratings
Zero Trust Security
Comparison of Zero Trust Security features of Product A and Product B
WatchGuard Network Security
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
9.7
5 Ratings
4% above category average
Continuous Verification00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
Secure Web Gateways00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
Network Flow Control00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
Network Traffic Analysis00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
Segmentation Leveraging00 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Admin Access Control00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
Network Data Encryption00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
Network Topology Mapping00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Best Alternatives
WatchGuard Network SecurityZscaler Internet Access
Small Businesses
pfSense
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Score 9.9 out of 10
ThreatLocker
ThreatLocker
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Score 9.6 out of 10
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
Score 8.8 out of 10
Enterprises
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
Score 10.0 out of 10
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
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Score 8.8 out of 10
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User Ratings
WatchGuard Network SecurityZscaler Internet Access
Likelihood to Recommend
8.3
(475 ratings)
8.7
(22 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.8
(37 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.1
(118 ratings)
8.4
(6 ratings)
Availability
9.3
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.1
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.5
(29 ratings)
8.1
(5 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.1
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.2
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.2
(264 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
9.1
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.1
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.3
(3 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.3
(3 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
WatchGuard Network SecurityZscaler Internet Access
Likelihood to Recommend
WatchGuard Technologies
Watchguard is well suited for small businesses without significantly complex networks and infrastructure. WatchGuard firewalls perform well on IPv4 networks and offer basic security features that match other vendors that target the small business market. WatchGuard firewalls are less appropriate for mid-sized business and larger. There is limited IPv6 support, and the firmware often lacks some or all of more advanced features that businesses that size often need.
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Zscaler
It's best suited for a distributed remote workforce, securing internet access for users from anywhere. Suitable for highly regulated industries, such as banking and Healthcare. Not a good fit for an organisation where most of its legacy is in an on-premises environment. Bandwidth-intensive industries like media/entertainment firms.
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Pros
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.
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Zscaler
  • Single Pane of Glass Management - Everything is very easy to access and monitor the entire environment from an internet security perspective.
  • Install Flexibility - We can and do install Zscaler Internet Access on both our client devices as well as our SD-WAN appliances and servers. This allows us to control internet security even on devices without an agent in our networks.
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Cons
WatchGuard Technologies
  • 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.
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Zscaler
  • The logs feel kind of lack luster
  • When issues are arising with SSL Inspection, logs show everything working despite end user experience
  • Could use some kind of global find functionality or something that would allow you to search the entire configuration for matching URLs and the like
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Likelihood to Renew
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
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Zscaler
While Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) delivers critical value in cloud security and RBI compliance, I rate renewal likelihood 7/10 due to evolving needs versus platform limitations. Below is my rationale:
Key Gaps:
1. Advanced Threat Costs:
ZIA’s add-ons (e.g., Advanced DLP, Sandboxing) incur 35%+ cost premiums – straining budgets as transaction volumes (UPI/iMobile) grow 50% YoY.
2. API Banking Scalability:
ZIA’s API rate limits throttle real-time policy sync during UPI peaks (10K+ TPS), forcing workarounds for finacle integrations.
3. RBI Future-Proofing:
Limited native support for upcoming digital rupee (CBDC) security rules requires custom development, increasing compliance overhead.
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Usability
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.
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Zscaler
The application is easy to install and configure on all Windows devices. To troubleshoot any internet issue, we can easily collect all the relevant logs from Zscaler and check the exact issue. The only problem is with the uninstall, as a dedicated crew needs to provide the password.
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Reliability and Availability
WatchGuard Technologies
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.
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Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Performance
WatchGuard Technologies
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.
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Zscaler
There are often performance issues reported
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Support Rating
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
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Zscaler
Zscaler's ZIA support is quick and knowledgable. They respond within 1-2 hours of you submitting your ticket. They are very thorough and are typically ready to jump on a live troubleshooting session. Our ZIA platform and how we use is it unique so at times tickets can be open for weeks but we alway get quality support compared to other unrelated product support in our enterprise
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In-Person Training
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.
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Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Online Training
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.
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Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
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.
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Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
WatchGuard Technologies
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.
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Zscaler
Zscaler Intenet Access outperformed the competition due to its lightning-fast policy delivery and cross-compatibility. It is easy to track employee usage and block unnecessary websites, reducing company internet usage. Zscalar installed on every system increases cloud-based software bandwidth, decreasing user turnaround time and increasing efficiency.
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Scalability
WatchGuard Technologies
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.
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Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
WatchGuard Technologies
  • at least 3-5X a year (that I know of), this device has single-handedly prevented members of our staff from inadvertently connecting to services they did not intend and could have resulted in security disruption
  • although you can never rule out human-behaviour-engineered threat, it's helpful to know that our network has a higher level, enterprise-class control and monitoring behind it
  • any time our network might be showing signs of abnormal performance, the WatchGuard control panel is the first place I turn to help identify the level of concern. It can quickly set my mind at ease and help to identify the specific device that might be out of compliance
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Zscaler
  • Has allowed us to remove other products that were suboptimal
  • Saved us money overall by stacking it with other Zscaler products
  • Created a more secure work environment for our users through intelligent internet policies that are not needlessly restrictive while still maintaining security best practices
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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

Zscaler Internet Access Screenshots

Screenshot of an overview of Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA), a cloud native security service edge (SSE) solution that builds on a decade of secure web gateway leadership. Offered as a scalable SaaS platform through Zscaler's security cloud, it replaces legacy network security solutions, preventing advanced attacks and data loss with a comprehensive zero trust approach. ZIA is integrated into the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ to provide superior defense-in-depth, secure connectivity, end user experience, and administrative visibility and control.