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Check Point SandBlast Network vs Palo Alto Networks VM-Series comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 2024

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
7.1
Check Point SandBlast Network improved security, reduced costs, enhanced incident handling, and allowed users to focus on responsibilities efficiently.
Sentiment score
5.7
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series delivers strong ROI through enhanced security, rapid deployment, and significant time savings despite high pricing.
Protecting around 2,000 users from cyber threats, including ransomware, has positively impacted the organization's growth by reducing disruptions and business loss.
Technical Specialist at Softcell Technologies Limited
We have seen a good return on investment since implementing Check Point SandBlast Network, as we are spending less time on forensics and it is also preventing us from potential breaches, which itself justifies the cost.
Deputy Manager at a retailer with 501-1,000 employees
Check Point SandBlast Network has saved our money because we don't need to be concerned about security or invest in any sandboxing.
Network Security Engineer at Digitaltrack
Customers can see data within a week, indicating a quick return on investment.
Senior Manager Technical Security at Hitachi Systems, Ltd.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.9
Mixed reviews for Check Point SandBlast Network support highlight slow responses, long resolution times, but commend knowledgeable representatives.
Sentiment score
7.5
Customers appreciate Palo Alto Networks VM-Series support for responsiveness and expertise, despite occasional delays and high premium service costs.
In troubleshooting, they are very helpful and knowledgeable.
Network Security Engineer at Digitaltrack
The customer support for Check Point SandBlast Network is great, as the security team has extensive knowledge and provides proper solutions.
Penetration Tester at Digitaltrack
I did get the best from Check Point SandBlast Network's support team; they were very helpful while troubleshooting any kind of issues we faced.
Business Development Manager at Digitaltrack
The support quality could be improved.
Senior Manager Technical Security at Hitachi Systems, Ltd.
Resolving issues promptly.
Head of Sales at Omgea Exim Ltd
They are responsive and provide high-quality assistance.
Cyber security consultant at L&T Technology Services
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Check Point SandBlast Network is scalable, offering cloud and on-premises options, though large organizations may face resource challenges.
Sentiment score
7.4
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is scalable, easy to deploy, and suits businesses with positive feedback on flexibility and growth.
The scalability of Check Point SandBlast Network meets our organization's needs as we grow.
Technical Specialist at Softcell Technologies Limited
The scalability of Check Point SandBlast Network is very nice.
Security Engineer at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
It is scalable but requires growing the box itself because it is a resource-intensive solution.
Cybersecurity Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
They are easy to upgrade, and with credit licensing, they scale effectively according to demand.
Security Technical Lead at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The solution is scalable and can easily handle an increase in the number of users.
Cyber security consultant at L&T Technology Services
It is easy to use with an excellent graphical user interface and extensive documentation, which contributes to its high scalability.
Senior Security Consultant at Netsecurity.no
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Check Point SandBlast Network is highly stable with minimal downtimes and excellent performance when properly configured and resourced.
Sentiment score
8.2
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is highly regarded for stability, reliable performance, and consistent uptime, despite minor navigation delays.
When configured correctly with adequate resources, it functions properly.
Cybersecurity Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
In my experience, Check Point SandBlast Network is stable and I have not encountered any downtime or reliability issues.
Deputy Manager at a retailer with 501-1,000 employees
Check Point SandBlast Network is stable in my experience, providing proper security to our organization.
Penetration Tester at Digitaltrack
Hardware is generally very stable.
Security Technical Lead at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
I have not experienced any major problems or downtime.
Senior IT Infrastructure Specialist at contemi
Perfection is unlikely as the dynamic nature of traffic and constant changes can result in occasional bugs despite regular updates.
Senior Security Consultant at Netsecurity.no
 

Room For Improvement

Check Point SandBlast Network needs improved third-party integration, performance, support, file handling, and more intuitive management features.
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series needs UI updates, better platform integration, scalability, user-friendliness, and improved documentation for broader efficiency.
Simplification of granular tuning for false positive reduction and bypassing benign files would benefit non-expert users.
Technical Specialist at Softcell Technologies Limited
The customer support for Check Point SandBlast Network could be improved as they are sometimes late with their responses.
Security Engineer at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
Sometimes when we enable a feature in our security gateway, the CPU of the device goes high, so that can be improved.
Network Security Engineer at Digitaltrack
Integration with CSIRT across all use levels would make it easier for administrators to stay updated on the blocked entities without manual intervention.
Cyber security consultant at L&T Technology Services
Most customers go for partner-enabled support, which involves multiple layers, leading to delays.
Security Technical Lead at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Having those features missing, we are not proposing Palo Alto Networks VM-Series to all customers.
Sr. Network Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
 

Setup Cost

Users find Check Point SandBlast Network pricing high yet necessary for security, with potential savings when integrated with existing systems.
Palo Alto VM-Series is costly but reliable, with complex licensing; AWS Marketplace offers scalable subscription options.
My experience with pricing and setup cost is that pricing was a bit high.
Deputy Manager at a retailer with 501-1,000 employees
Pricing is a bit costly, but considering the features and security offered by Check Point SandBlast Network, it is reasonable.
Technical Specialist at Softcell Technologies Limited
Palo Alto is expensive in terms of pricing, particularly when comparing features to cost.
Security Technical Lead at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The cost involves purchasing through a vendor, which might mark up due to the supply chain.
Senior IT Infrastructure Specialist at contemi
Pricing for Palo Alto Networks is higher than other OEMs, but considering the robustness and features, it gains customer trust.
Head of Sales at Omgea Exim Ltd
 

Valuable Features

Check Point SandBlast Network provides zero-day threat prevention with real-time analysis and AI-powered detection for comprehensive security.
The VM-Series provides scalable, flexible security with advanced threat management, visibility, and integration features, enhancing network protection.
The key features of Check Point SandBlast Network include its ability to detect zero-day attacks, provide sandboxing capabilities, and offer real-time protection with threat extraction.
Technical Specialist at Softcell Technologies Limited
Check Point SandBlast Network has positively impacted my organization as it's very accurate and gives almost no false positives, providing excellent threat prevention and protecting against server zero-day attacks.
Security Engineer at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
It detects zero-day exploits in suspicious and normal files, and includes forensic and reporting features that provide detailed incident analysis, malware behavior reports, and indicators of compromise.
Cybersecurity Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
We use these tools to prevent all known and unknown threats using Palo Alto Networks' Wildfire and other data filtering tools to gather information, analyze traffic, manage malicious traffic, and offer visibility, control, and attack prevention.
Senior Manager Technical Security at Hitachi Systems, Ltd.
Palo Alto's robust threat intelligence supports new updates, and I can open cases directly with their Threat Intelligence team.
Security Technical Lead at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The DNS security significantly enhances security through visibility and detection, allowing control over crucial traffic like DNS, which is often exploited by ransomware.
Senior Security Consultant at Netsecurity.no
 

Categories and Ranking

Check Point SandBlast Network
Ranking in Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
44
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series
Ranking in Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
11th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
66
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (12th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) category, the mindshare of Check Point SandBlast Network is 3.3%, down from 4.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is 2.2%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Check Point SandBlast Network3.3%
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series2.2%
Other94.5%
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
 

Featured Reviews

MW
Technical Specialist at Softcell Technologies Limited
Comprehensive security solution mitigates advanced threats
Improvements for Check Point SandBlast Network can be seen in dashboard usability; the threat emulation logs and analysis reports could be made more intuitive and visually appealing. Enhancing the system for granular tuning to reduce false positives and allowing benign files to bypass checks more simply for non-expert users would be beneficial. Additionally, faster emulation times could be achieved by increasing file scanning speed through hardware productivity enhancements. A specific instance where file scanning speed posed an issue was when the time taken depended on the file size. Scanning can take less than a minute or up to 2 minutes for larger files. Enhancing the file scanning time would be a significant improvement to the system.
AV
Cyber security consultant at L&T Technology Services
Enhance cybersecurity for large enterprises using advanced threat management
An improvement could be the integration of security intelligence with Palo Alto cloud via APIs. This would allow IOCs, domains, and hash values to be automatically entered, reducing manual entry. Integration with CSIRT across all use levels would make it easier for administrators to stay updated on the blocked entities without manual intervention.
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) solutions are best for your needs.
881,821 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
10%
Marketing Services Firm
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Outsourcing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
University
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business31
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise13
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business29
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise24
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Check Point SandBlast Network?
My experience with pricing and setup cost is that pricing was a bit high, but the setup cost was initially justified.
What needs improvement with Check Point SandBlast Network?
I feel that Check Point SandBlast Network could be improved with slight delays in cleaning the file delivery. Additionally, I think it requires proper tuning to avoid unnecessary notifications.
What is your primary use case for Check Point SandBlast Network?
My main use case for Check Point SandBlast Network is advanced threat protection, especially for scanning emails, attachments, web downloads, and incoming files through a sandbox environment. A qui...
Features comparison between Palo Alto and Fortinet firewalls
In the best tradition of these questions, Feature-wise both are quite similar, but each has things it's better at, it kind of depends what you value most. PA is good at app control, web filtering a...
How does Azure Firewall compare with Palo Alto Networks VM Series?
Both products are very stable and easily scalable. The setup of Azure Firewall is easy and very user-friendly and the overall cost is reasonable. Azure Firewall offers a solid threat awareness, can...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Edenred, State Transport Leasing Company (STLC), Edel AG, Laurenty, Conseil Départemental du Val de Marne, Koch Media
Warren Rogers Associates
Find out what your peers are saying about Check Point SandBlast Network vs. Palo Alto Networks VM-Series and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
881,821 professionals have used our research since 2012.