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Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) vs WatchGuard Firebox comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 24, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.8
Check Point Email Security boosts ROI by reducing phishing incidents, minimizing IT reliance, and enhancing operational efficiency.
Sentiment score
6.1
WatchGuard Firebox delivers reduced incidents, better security, and savings, despite some difficulty quantifying ROI, enhancing productivity and peace of mind.
The time saved during investigations is significant due to the neat dashboard that organizes everything related to alerts.
Pre Sales Consultant at Redington Group
We have gone from three to four successful phishing attacks every year to a maximum of one.
Network Cyber Security Specialist at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
There has been a 70% decrease in phishing emails and data breaches since implementing Check Point Harmony Email Security.
Account Manager at iValue Group
From a security standpoint, preventing even a single major security incident or prolonged outage can represent significant cost savings.
Professional Services Engineer at Next7 IT
I do not see any return on investment after WatchGuard Firebox implementation in terms of cost reductions.
CEO at ajuntament del Prat
Reduced incidents and easier management helped lower operational cost.
Security Engineer at Antina Empleos
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.7
Check Point Email Security offers prompt, knowledgeable support, though some report delays and time-consuming interactions during high-severity issues.
Sentiment score
6.5
WatchGuard Firebox support is praised for expertise and responsiveness, with satisfaction noted despite some regional communication challenges.
Their technical support is proficient at resolving issues within their scope, providing excellent problem-solving assistance and guidance.
Manager, Information Technology at a hospitality company with 201-500 employees
We opted for the 24/7 premium support, which is very responsive and quick whenever we have configuration challenges or other inquiries.
Pre Sales Consultant at Redington Group
We understand that with respect to SLA, but we expect they can go beyond SLA and provide quick support for the client.
Sr. Technical Specialist at Softcell Technologies Limited
On a scale of one to 10, I would rate the technical support of the WatchGuard Firebox a 10.
Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
When comparing WatchGuard Firebox with other vendors such as Fortinet, SonicWall, Palo Alto, and Sophos, WatchGuard Firebox performs competitively.
Cyber Security Engineer at Underdefense
Most of the time, support engineers are knowledgeable and able to assist effectively with firewall configuration issues, VPN troubleshooting, firmware updates, and security-related concerns.
Professional Services Engineer at Next7 IT
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
Check Point Email Security offers seamless scalability for organizations, effortlessly integrating with systems and accommodating growth needs.
Sentiment score
6.6
WatchGuard Firebox offers scalable solutions for small to mid-sized businesses, efficiently managing growth with flexible upgrades and configurations.
I would rate the scalability of Check Point Harmony Email and Collaboration as nine out of ten, indicating high scalability.
Cyber security manager at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
If I want to scale this product to 2,000 users or 5,000 users, it can scale within no time, so that is not an issue.
Cybersecurity And Information Governance Head at Aeren
Scalability is limited, being only integrated with Microsoft Office 365 and G Suite at present.
Technical Specialist at Softcell Technologies Limited
Overall, WatchGuard Firebox offers strong scalability for SMBs, MSPs, branch offices, and hybrid environments while keeping deployment and management relatively straightforward.
Professional Services Engineer at Next7 IT
The user interface and features compared to newer firewalls are not up to the mark, which includes functionalities such as filtering, web filtering, threat protection, user identity, and UTM features that need improvement.
Senior Network Consultant at NETOPS
You can choose different models based on throughput and features, which makes it easy to support growing environments.
Security Engineer at Antina Empleos
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Check Point Email Security is highly stable, reliable, and effectively manages email threats with minimal downtime and quick issue resolution.
Sentiment score
8.0
WatchGuard Firebox is praised for stability, minimal downtime, and excellent performance, with prompt resolutions to occasional hardware issues.
The platform is very stable; we have not encountered any downtime or stability-related issues.
Ingeniero en seguridad informática at Elcatex
Over these eighteen months I have been working with the product, it has been very stable, and I would recommend it to most of my peers who have issues related to the email security piece.
Associate Vice President at Novac Technology Solutions
I have just one WatchGuard Firebox unit that is licensed, and I have no bugs on it, so I am happy with that.
Administrateur Systã¨Mes Et Rã©Seau at Btp Consultants
Once properly configured, the platform handles VPN connectivity, traffic inspection, and security services constantly, even in multi-site environments with remote users.
Professional Services Engineer at Next7 IT
There are issues with traffic hitting the firewall, which could indicate performance problems related to throughput.
Senior Network Consultant at NETOPS
 

Room For Improvement

Check Point Email Security needs better dashboard, deployment, integration, support, reporting, documentation, and more competitive pricing and customization.
WatchGuard Firebox needs better analytics, performance, usability, pricing, support, learning resources, and cloud integration compared to high-end competitors.
Updates based on AI and reduced administrative overhead by adding or bulk adding new users, along with graphical enhancements to the GUI, would also be beneficial.
Technical Specialist at Softcell Technologies Limited
Enhancing reporting capabilities with customizable and advanced analytics features would greatly improve our ability to detect trends and proactively address emerging threats.
Pre Sales Consultant at Redington Group
The current system, being tied directly to the mailbox instead of requiring MX record verification, allows new mailboxes to function immediately after Microsoft activation.
Manager, Information Technology at a hospitality company with 201-500 employees
It gives good visibility and control over the traffic, and the UI makes it easy to manage policies and respond quickly when something comes up.
Manager at Cyvogenix
Some improvements in threat intelligence integrations and SIEM integration as an out-of-the-box context would be beneficial.
SOC L2 Analyst at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The cost for renewal after three years is 75% of the hardware cost, which is a significant problem.
Owner at it logic
 

Setup Cost

Check Point Email Security offers robust features and flexible licensing, making it attractive and valuable despite higher pricing.
WatchGuard Firebox offers affordable pricing and comprehensive security, appealing to small and mid-sized businesses with flexible licensing.
Pricing is a bit expensive, but it is worth it considering the features that Check Point provides.
Technical Specialist at Softcell Technologies Limited
I consider the pricing to be a bit expensive, similar to other solutions.
Technical Director at Geekz Information Technology
The pricing is lower compared to what I used before.
Cyber security manager at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
When we tried to renew the Palo Alto license, the cost was beyond any reasonable range.
Digital Solution Designer at Accenture
Fortinet is more expensive than WatchGuard.
Security Engineer at Antina Empleos
I find WatchGuard Firebox to be cost-effective.
Chief Technology Officer at Falcon Automation
 

Valuable Features

Check Point Email Security offers AI threat intelligence, phishing protection, seamless integration, and enhanced data protection for less manual effort.
WatchGuard Firebox offers robust firewall capabilities, centralized management, and AI-enhanced security, making it ideal for scalable network protection.
I haven't had any users accidentally click on something problematic since implementing the product, which speaks to its efficacy.
Manager, Information Technology at a hospitality company with 201-500 employees
For us, I prefer Check Point before Palo Alto and before other brands because Check Point is most effective in attack mitigation and attack detection.
Cybersecurity & Networking Professional at Quantic Technology
The most valuable feature is spam detection and phishing site prevention, which Microsoft couldn't catch, yet Check Point does.
Head of Operations at DNI
The Firebox offers valuable features such as network security, URL filtering, UTM features, intrusion prevention and detection, and authentication.
Solution Architect at Simvicitsolutions
The features of WatchGuard Firebox are most valuable for maintaining network security.
Cyber Security Engineer at Underdefense
Some of the best features of WatchGuard Firebox in my experience are its ease of management, strong VPN capabilities, and integrated security services.
Professional Services Engineer at Next7 IT
 

Categories and Ranking

Check Point Email Security ...
Ranking in Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
3rd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
99
Ranking in other categories
Email Security (3rd), Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) (7th)
WatchGuard Firebox
Ranking in Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
10th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
143
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (12th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (4th), Anti-Malware Tools (7th), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (10th), Application Control (4th), Unified Threat Management (UTM) (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Data Loss Prevention (DLP) category, the mindshare of Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) is 1.9%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WatchGuard Firebox is 1.2%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration)1.9%
WatchGuard Firebox1.2%
Other96.9%
Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
 

Featured Reviews

Harish (Kumar) - PeerSpot reviewer
Cybersecurity And Information Governance Head at Aeren
Email security has blocked sophisticated phishing and now protects inboxes with AI detection
The only challenge with Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) is that it is an API-based solution. In an API-based solution, the major challenge is that it can read email content and Google Drive content. This presents a data privacy challenge, and we had to mitigate it by signing a Data Processing Agreement and other agreements. Because it is not a traditional in-line solution, Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) connects with Google Workspace using API permission and can access email, attachments, sender, recipient information, links, and all metadata is with Check Point. Data storage and everything else is with Check Point, which is the challenge. This solution has a drawback because of API deployment, while other solutions are traditional secure email gateways that are in-line solutions. In those solutions, we need to change the MX record, but with this solution we do not need to change the MX record, which is a pro of API-based deployment. However, there is also a con in that with API solutions, the email is scanned but after delivery in the mailbox.
Abhishek Saini - PeerSpot reviewer
Professional Services Engineer at Next7 IT
Centralized security management has improved VPN reliability and simplified daily operations
WatchGuard Firebox is a strong and reliable platform overall, but there are a few areas where improvements could make the experience even better. One area is the user interface and navigation in some management tools. While the platform is powerful, certain configurations and troubleshooting workflows can feel less intuitive compared to some newer cloud-native firewall platforms. Another point is reporting and log analysis. Although the logging features are very useful, deeper analytics and more customizable reporting dashboards would make security monitoring much more effective. Firmware upgrades and policy synchronization can sometimes require careful planning to avoid security interruptions. Overall, the core security and VPN functionality are very solid, but improving usability, reporting, and automation would make the platform even stronger. One area that could be improved is the learning curve for new administrators. While experienced engineers can work with the platform effectively, some advanced networking and security configurations can be a bit complex for junior technicians. More guided configuration workflows, smarter recommendations, and simplified troubleshooting tools would make onboarding easier. Another improvement would be more flexible reporting customization for executive-level and client-facing reports.
report
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912,930 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
15%
Computer Software Company
8%
Construction Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Outsourcing Company
13%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Construction Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business73
Midsize Enterprise24
Large Enterprise37
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business104
Midsize Enterprise30
Large Enterprise17
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Check Point Harmony Email & Office?
We are not currently using this product. Six months back, we removed that product due to a few issues. The major issue is naturally the budget, as it is expensive. Our organization is expanding and...
What is your primary use case for Check Point Harmony Email & Office?
The major use case for Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) was Business Email Compromise, CEO fraud, and vendor impersonation. Phishing attacks were also a major...
What needs improvement with Check Point Harmony Email & Office?
The only challenge with Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) is that it is an API-based solution. In an API-based solution, the major challenge is that it can rea...
What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Firebox?
We are providing our services to all WatchGuard customers in the region.
What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Firebox?
We just use it as a secondary WiFi device. We're a small office and we needed to set up a WiFi device for a few of our employees.
What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Firebox?
We're a hospital and we use it for developing our incoming and outgoing policies, and we also use it for VPN.
 

Also Known As

Check Point CloudGuard, Check Point CloudGuard SaaS , Check Point Harmony Email & Office
WatchGuard Threat Detection and Response, WatchGuard Application Control, WatchGuard Data Loss Prevention, WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus, WatchGuard Intrusion Prevention Service
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Helvetia, Denham Capital, Daymark Solutions, Neopharm Group
Ellips, Diecutstickers.com, Clarke Energy, NCR, Wrest Park, Homeslice Pizza, Fortessa Tableware Solutions, The Phoenix Residence
Find out what your peers are saying about Check Point Email Security (formerly Harmony Email & Collaboration) vs. WatchGuard Firebox and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
912,930 professionals have used our research since 2012.