Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Best Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall Alternatives in 2026

#1 of 36 in Network Firewall SoftwareNext Generation Firewall Software

The top Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall alternatives are FortiGate, Check Point Quantum Security Gateway and WatchGuard Firebox: 15 network firewall software our editors would look at instead of Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall, in our ranking order.

9.4/10Editor score
Visit site
Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall9.4 Visit site

Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall: An enterprise firewall family combining application control, threat prevention and centralized management. Where it falls short: pricing requires contact with sales.

Switching from Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall? For most network firewall software buyers the best Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall alternative is FortiGate, built for hybrid enterprises needing broad security integration. Arista NG Firewall has a free plan. AWS Network Firewall offers the most firewall throughput (100 Gbps).

Why People Look for a Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall Alternative

  • Pricing requires contact with sales
  • The product family spans multiple deployment models and offerings
  • Advanced security subscriptions add scope to product selection

Quick Picks by What You Need

All 15 Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall Alternatives, Ranked

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

  1. FortiGate

    Best forHybrid enterprises needing broad security integration

    A broad hybrid firewall platform for enterprises that need integrated network security and automation.

    • SSL inspection
    • Site-to-site VPN
    • Intrusion prevention
    Pricing on request · 30-day trial Our FortiGate verdict → Visit FortiGate
    9.3/10★★★★★
    Visit FortiGate
  2. Check Point Quantum Security Gateway

    Best forMature enterprises needing clustered firewalls

    A broad network security platform for enterprises that need clustered, policy-driven gateways.

    • SSL inspection
    • Site-to-site VPN
    • Intrusion prevention
    Pricing on request Our Check Point Quantum Security Gateway verdict → Visit Check Point
    9.2/10★★★★★
    Visit Check Point
  3. WatchGuard Firebox

    Best forDistributed teams using cloud-managed appliances

    A broad hybrid firewall family for distributed teams that need centralized cloud management.

    • SSL inspection
    • Site-to-site VPN
    • Intrusion prevention
    Pricing on request Our WatchGuard Firebox verdict → Visit WatchGuard
    9.1/10★★★★★
    Visit WatchGuard
  4. Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

    Best forHybrid networks needing SD-WAN and sandboxing

    A broad firewall platform for hybrid networks that need SD-WAN, VPN, and sandboxing.

    • SSL inspection
    • Site-to-site VPN
    • Intrusion prevention
    Pricing on request Our Barracuda CloudGen Firewall verdict → Visit Barracuda
    9.0/10★★★★☆
    Visit Barracuda
  5. Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

    Best forHybrid enterprises needing SD-WAN and sandboxing

    A hybrid NGFW for enterprises that need SD-WAN, inspection, VPN, and sandboxing.

    • SSL inspection
    • Site-to-site VPN
    • Intrusion prevention
    Pricing on request Our Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall verdict → Visit Forcepoint
    9.0/10★★★★☆
    Visit Forcepoint
  6. Zscaler Cloud Firewall

    Best forCloud-first teams needing secure internet access

    A cloud-native firewall for distributed teams that need centralized inspection and policy control.

    • SSL inspection
    • Intrusion prevention
    Pricing on request Our Zscaler Cloud Firewall verdict → Visit Zscaler
    9.0/10★★★★☆
    Visit Zscaler
  7. Arista NG Firewall

    Best forBudget-conscious teams needing a full NGFW

    A flexible NGFW with a free tier and broad controls for small and midsize organizations.

    • SSL inspection
    • Site-to-site VPN
    • Intrusion prevention
    Free plan · 30-day trial Our Arista NG Firewall verdict → Visit site
    9.0/10★★★★☆
    Visit site
  8. OPNsense

    Best forOrganizations wanting a free, extensible firewall

    A free, extensible firewall with VPN, IPS, high availability, and centralized management.

    • SSL inspection
    • Site-to-site VPN
    • Intrusion prevention
    Free plan Our OPNsense verdict → Visit OPNsense
    9.0/10★★★★☆
    Visit OPNsense
  9. pfSense

    Best forFree firewalling with broad VPN options

    A free, open-source firewall with routing, three VPN technologies, and optional IPS packages.

    • Site-to-site VPN
    • Intrusion prevention
    Free plan · 30-day trial Our pfSense verdict → Visit pfSense
    9.0/10★★★★☆
    Visit pfSense
  10. AWS Network Firewall

    Best forAWS-native network security at elastic scale

    A cloud-managed firewall for inspecting and filtering traffic across Amazon VPC environments.

    • SSL inspection
    • Site-to-site VPN
    • Intrusion prevention
    Our AWS Network Firewall verdict → Visit AWS Firewall
    9.0/10★★★★☆
    Visit AWS Firewall
  11. Azure Firewall Premium

    Best forAzure environments needing premium inspection

    Premium Azure inspection with TLS filtering, IPS, and centralized management.

    • SSL inspection
    • Intrusion prevention
    Our Azure Firewall Premium verdict → Visit Azure Firewall
    9.0/10★★★★☆
    Visit Azure Firewall
  12. Stormshield Network Security

    Best forHybrid networks needing HA and SD-WAN

    A broad hybrid firewall platform for segmented networks, VPN, SD-WAN, and high availability.

    • SSL inspection
    • Site-to-site VPN
    • Intrusion prevention
    Pricing on request Our Stormshield Network Security verdict → Visit Stormshield
    8.9/10★★★★☆
    Visit Stormshield
  13. Cloudflare Magic Firewall

    Best forCloud-native L3/L4 perimeter filtering

    A focused cloud firewall for global L3/L4 filtering, automation, and analytics.

    Pricing on request Our Cloudflare Magic Firewall verdict → Visit Cloudflare
    8.9/10★★★★☆
    Visit Cloudflare
  14. Juniper Security Director

    Best forTeams managing Juniper firewall policies centrally

    A centralized policy and operations layer for teams managing Juniper SRX firewalls.

    Pricing on request Our Juniper Security Director verdict → Visit Juniper
    8.9/10★★★★☆
    Visit Juniper
  15. Forcepoint Network Security Platform

    Best forEnterprises needing deep traffic inspection and response

    Deep inspection and centralized response for distributed enterprise networks.

    • SSL inspection
    • Intrusion prevention
    Pricing on request Our Forcepoint Network Security Platform verdict → Visit Forcepoint
    8.9/10★★★★☆
    Visit Forcepoint

Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall Alternatives: Common Questions

What is the best alternative to Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall?

FortiGate: #2 in our Network Firewall Software ranking, with an editor score of 9.3 out of 10. A broad hybrid firewall platform for enterprises that need integrated network security and automation.

Is there a free alternative to Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall?

Yes. Arista NG Firewall, OPNsense and pfSense have a free plan or a free tier.

Why do people look for Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall alternatives?

Pricing requires contact with sales; The product family spans multiple deployment models and offerings; Advanced security subscriptions add scope to product selection.

Which Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall alternative has the most firewall throughput?

AWS Network Firewall, with 100 Gbps.

How do I switch from Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall?

Export your data from Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall (most tools have an export in their settings). Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall.

How to Switch from Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall

  1. Export your data from Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall (most tools have an export in their settings).
  2. Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one.
  3. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on.
  4. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall.

Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall vs Each Alternative

#ToolFree planPaid fromDeployment modelIntrusion preventionSSL inspectionSite-to-site VPNScore
1Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation FirewallHybridYesYesYes9.4
1FortiGateNoHybridYesYesYes9.3
2Check Point Quantum Security GatewayHybridYesYesYes9.2
3WatchGuard FireboxHybridYesYesYes9.1
4Barracuda CloudGen FirewallHybridYesYesYes9.0
5Forcepoint Next Generation FirewallHybridYesYesYes9.0
6Zscaler Cloud FirewallCloudYesYes9.0
7Arista NG FirewallYes$270/yrHybridYesYesYes9.0
8OPNsenseYesHybridYesYesYes9.0
9pfSenseYesHybridYesYes9.0
10AWS Network FirewallNo$0.07/GB usage-basedCloudYesYesYes9.0
11Azure Firewall PremiumNoCloudYesYesNo9.0
12Stormshield Network SecurityHybridYesYesYes8.9
13Cloudflare Magic FirewallNoCloud8.9
14Juniper Security DirectorHybrid8.9
15Forcepoint Network Security PlatformNoHybridYesYes8.9

Head-to-Head

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update