Check Point WAF (formerly CloudGuard WAF) vs HCL AppScan comparison

Check Point WAF (formerly CloudGuard WAF) vs. HCL AppScan

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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

6.3

Check Point WAF increases ROI by reducing costs, improving efficiency, enhancing security, and offering a pay-as-you-use model.

Sentiment score

1.7

HCL AppScan enhances architecture with fewer errors and improved security, achieving 50% return and 20% cost savings.

When we are attacked, we can understand how important the solution is.

For more quotes and insights, download the Check Point WAF (formerly CloudGuard WAF) report

Cyber security manager at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees

When you migrate to the cloud, it feels like saving 90% of your time.

Thanos Constantopoulos

Manager, Managed Security Services at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees

Most of the operations happen in the background, so I do not spend much time on it.

Dialungana Malungo

Principal Cybersecurity Specialist at Unitel S.A.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the HCL AppScan report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.6

Check Point WAF's customer support is praised for responsiveness, though some suggest improvements for complex issue handling and 24/7 availability.

Sentiment score

5.6

HCL AppScan's support is responsive with mixed reviews, facing regional challenges and lagging behind competitors like Veracode.

They need to increase the number of people for 24/7 support.

Dialungana Malungo

Principal Cybersecurity Specialist at Unitel S.A.

They were responsive even before we committed to buying their solution.

Stilian Elenkov

Infrastructure Manager at FPMH

I also received full technical support, especially during the implementation.

For more quotes and insights, download the Check Point WAF (formerly CloudGuard WAF) report

Cyber security manager at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees

Veracode provides excellent assistance and regularly scheduled calls to address customer concerns and updates.

MukeshSaha

Associate Principal, Software Engineering at LTI - Larsen & Toubro Infotech

There is still room for improvement when it comes to the speed of response.

For more quotes and insights, download the HCL AppScan report

Founder Director at Techsa Services

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.3

Check Point WAF excels in scalability, adapting to diverse cloud environments with a flexible licensing model and SaaS deployment.

Sentiment score

3.9

HCL AppScan is scalable yet varies by license, integration issues, infrastructure compatibility, and CI/CD pipeline design effectiveness.

If I need to scale, I open a Whatsapp group with the director and the team, and we quickly proceed to do so.

For more quotes and insights, download the Check Point WAF (formerly CloudGuard WAF) report

Cyber security manager at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees

They have sufficient resources, and there are no challenges from a scalability perspective.

Mantu Shaw

Project Manager at a outsourcing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Check Point CloudGuard WAF's scalability is very good.

Ruben Ruiz

Sr. VP of Creative & Development at a non-tech company with 51-200 employees

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the HCL AppScan report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.2

Check Point WAF is highly stable and reliable, with users praising its consistent performance and minimal issues.

Sentiment score

7.2

HCL AppScan is stable and reliable, with minor hardware issues, improved by recent upgrades enhancing performance and stability.

It is very stable.

RicardoFernandes1

Team Leader, Cloudops & Cloud Architect at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees

It is very stable, never crashing or giving me an error that I can see.

Rui Dias

Sysadmin at a government with 501-1,000 employees

I did not have any issues in the last three years during which I had more than ten critical services running on CloudGuard.

Charalampos Symeou

Information Technology - Infrastructure and Security at Cyprus Development Bank

For more quotes and insights, download the Check Point WAF (formerly CloudGuard WAF) report

Since we've been using HCL AppScan for about three months, we really have not encountered a false positive.

For more quotes and insights, download the HCL AppScan report

Founder Director at Techsa Services

Room For Improvement

Check Point WAF needs UI simplification, better integration, improved documentation, and enhanced AI features for improved user experience.

HCL AppScan requires improvements in vulnerability detection, usability, integration, performance, support, pricing, and language/codebase compatibility to stay competitive.

The provider could improve by providing better guidance and support during the configuration process.

Stilian Elenkov

Infrastructure Manager at FPMH

Future releases should include better bot mitigation, behavioral anomaly detection, compliance templates, advanced threat intel integration, and streamlined multi-cloud support to boost protection and usability.

Kresimir Mikolcevic

Senior Cyber Security Engineer at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees

A machine learning-based adaptive mode could help the WAF learn over time and auto-tune policies.

reviewer2702679

Technical Support Executive at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Check Point WAF (formerly CloudGuard WAF) report

If I'm scanning a web application, it shows me the various components being used. It tells me whether I have Java libraries, .NET frameworks, or other log management libraries such as Log4j, and what versions of those specific components are present.

For more quotes and insights, download the HCL AppScan report

Founder Director at Techsa Services

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers find Check Point WAF pricey but valuable for its features, though pricing complexity varies by company size.

HCL AppScan is considered expensive but cost-effective, with varied pricing opinions influenced by its premium features and discounts.

It is more expensive than f5, where we purchased everything as bundles, and Check Point costs more, but it is worth the money.

For more quotes and insights, download the Check Point WAF (formerly CloudGuard WAF) report

Cyber security manager at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees

It is less costly than Cloudflare, Fortinet, and other vendors.

Mantu Shaw

Project Manager at a outsourcing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

I know that its price is relatively expensive compared to other products but it gives benefits that are worth it.

Baruch Peretz

Ciso at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees

Companies often choose based on budget constraints, with Veracode being on the higher end cost-wise.

MukeshSaha

Associate Principal, Software Engineering at LTI - Larsen & Toubro Infotech

For more quotes and insights, download the HCL AppScan report

Valuable Features

Check Point WAF excels in AI threat detection, seamless cloud integration, user-friendly interface, and minimizing false positives.

HCL AppScan detects vulnerabilities, integrates with agile processes, offers scalability, user-friendly features, and AI-enhanced rapid scanning for security.

Upon implementation and evaluation with third-party penetration testing, it meets rigorous security standards required for dealing with financial institutions.

Stilian Elenkov

Infrastructure Manager at FPMH

It can protect against zero-day attacks and hidden anomalies.

Domenico Cacciari

Security Administrator at Regione Marche

The solution preemptively blocks zero-day attacks and detects hidden anomalies effectively.

Charalampos Symeou

Information Technology - Infrastructure and Security at Cyprus Development Bank

For more quotes and insights, download the Check Point WAF (formerly CloudGuard WAF) report

AppScan's most valuable features include its ability to identify vulnerabilities accurately, provide detailed remediation steps, and the newly introduced AI-powered features that enhance its functionality further.

MukeshSaha

Associate Principal, Software Engineering at LTI - Larsen & Toubro Infotech

I have utilized its interactive application security testing, as well as both static application security testing, dynamic application security testing, and IAST.

For more quotes and insights, download the HCL AppScan report

Founder Director at Techsa Services

Categories and Ranking

Check Point WAF (formerly C...

Ranking in Application Security Tools

5th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (8th), Web Application Firewall (WAF) (5th), DevSecOps (2nd)

HCL AppScan

Ranking in Application Security Tools

23rd

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (18th), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (7th)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Application Security Tools category, the mindshare of Check Point WAF (formerly CloudGuard WAF) is 0.9%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HCL AppScan is 2.3%, down from 2.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Security Tools Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Check Point WAF (formerly CloudGuard WAF)	0.9%
HCL AppScan	2.3%
Other	96.8%

Application Security Tools

Featured Reviews

Krishnakumar Mahadevan

CISO at Spink Solutions Private Limited

Cloud security has strengthened risk posture and improved advanced threat visibility

There are some API gateway and API securities I mentioned. If these are incorporated with AI-related features, particularly those seven key vulnerabilities I mentioned—token theft and tool poisoning—that would be beneficial. AI-related features are not included yet in Check Point CloudGuard WAF. However, they are present in FortiGate. That is the advantage of FortiGate now. FortiGate is stopping all AI-related vulnerabilities now. FortiGate has this capability. It is unfortunate that even Palo Alto also lacks one or two of these features. Check Point Quantum is very good, without a doubt. However, their capabilities are not in comparison with Palo Alto. There are some features, but there are some gaps in comparison with Palo Alto.

Read full review

Has improved identification of encryption and authentication issues across cloud and on-prem applications

Founder Director at Techsa Services

During the learning curve of onboarding HCL AppScan, we learned that HCL has altered the portfolio and now offers HCL AppScan 360, which has a much better look and feel with an improved user interface. However, there is one feature called SCA, which stands for Software Composition Analysis, that could be improved. When I'm doing an application scan, HCL AppScan has the ability to generate information about what components are in use. For example, if I'm scanning a web application, it shows me the various components being used. It tells me whether I have Java libraries, .NET frameworks, or other log management libraries such as Log4j, and what versions of those specific components are present. I would like to see more detailed reports from the tool. Currently, you can find out the components belonging to a specific software, but if detailed reporting became available, you would be in a better position to identify vulnerabilities. For instance, I could identify that I had the Log4j vulnerability and know that I need to fix my application accordingly. If they add the features I'm describing, I would consider giving them a higher rating. However, I've only been experienced with the product for three months.

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911,493 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Outsourcing Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Construction Company

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	56
Midsize Enterprise	23
Large Enterprise	36

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	14
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	31

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CloudGuard for Application Security?

It is a little bit expensive, but the pricing model is acceptable, though a reduction would make it more competitive with leaders such as Palo Alto.

What needs improvement with CloudGuard for Application Security?

The false positive rate is a concern, but I could recommend improvements where false positives have to be minimized better. This all depends on how the rules are customized and configured, and it c...

What is your primary use case for CloudGuard for Application Security?

The main purpose is to have network security through machine learning, which can offer threat detection and intelligence for my endpoints, and I am looking for application security. I am looking fo...

What needs improvement with HCL AppScan?

What is your primary use case for HCL AppScan?

I'm currently working with BigFix and HCL AppScan. At least three people in my company are using HCL AppScan. Since we are a reseller, we run it in both lab environments and live production applica...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HCL AppScan?

AppScan is considered more cost-effective than Veracode, although I have not updated the exact pricing details. Companies often choose based on budget constraints, with Veracode being on the higher...

OpenText Dynamic Application Security Testing vs Check Point WAF (formerly CloudGuard WAF)

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Product Reports

Check Point WAF (formerly CloudGuard WAF)

Download Check Point WAF (formerly CloudGuard WAF) product report

Check Point WAF (formerly CloudGuard WAF) report

HCL AppScan

Download HCL AppScan product report

Also Known As

Check Point CloudGuard Application Security, CloudGuard Application Security, CloudGuard AppSec, Check Point CloudGuard Code Security

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan

Overview

Check Point WAF offers a robust security framework with AI-driven threat detection and seamless integration, protecting applications and APIs in multi-cloud environments.

Effective in preemptively blocking threats through AI and machine learning, Check Point WAF reduces false positives and operational workload. Its integration capabilities and threat intelligence provide comprehensive protection against zero-day attacks, while centralized management facilitates cost-effective and insightful threat reporting.

What are the main features of Check Point WAF?

AI and Machine Learning: Preemptively blocks threats without signature reliance.
Centralized Management: Simplifies oversight and reduces costs.
Threat Intelligence: Enhances security posture against zero-day attacks.
Ease of Deployment: Quick setup with user-friendly interface.
Comprehensive Protection: Guards against SQL injection and DDoS attacks.

What benefits should be considered by users?

Reduced False Positives: Minimizes operational interruptions.
Cost-effectiveness: Reduces management overhead.
Insightful Reporting: Enables swift response to threats.
Seamless Integration: Enhances security processes with existing tools.

Check Point WAF is employed in industries securing web applications and APIs, especially in multi-cloud environments. It effectively protects backend services, prevents unauthorized access, and monitors traffic, making it suitable for businesses with diverse infrastructures. It ensures compliance with security standards and adapts to fluctuating traffic patterns.

Check Point Software Technologies

HCL AppScan offers quick vulnerability detection with effective SDLC integration and is known for its user-friendly interface and seamless security integration.

HCL AppScan provides dynamic and static scanning to identify vulnerabilities like XSS and SQL injection. It integrates well into CI/CD pipelines, supports multiple languages, and offers web and dynamic scanning, helping businesses ensure security across development lifecycles. Users benefit from API coverage, Postman integration, and its ability to function in cloud and on-premise environments, facilitating a shift from DevOps to DevSecOps practices.

What features define HCL AppScan?

User-friendly interface: Simplifies navigation and usage.
Vulnerability detection: Quickly identifies issues like XSS and SQL injection.
Integration with SDLC: Seamlessly blends with development processes.
Dynamic scanning: Offers comprehensive security evaluations.
Multiple language support: Supports diverse programming environments.

What benefits should users consider?

Scalability: Adapts to growing needs and projects.
Low false-positive rates: Delivers accurate and reliable results.
Detailed reporting: Provides comprehensive vulnerability insights.
Effective integration: Enhances CI/CD pipeline security.

HCL AppScan is leveraged in sectors requiring rigorous security checks, such as finance and healthcare, where it conducts comprehensive scans and offers insights into potential vulnerabilities. Its robust scanning capabilities aid companies in maintaining compliance and security standards.

HCLSoftware

Sample Customers

Orange España, Paschoalotto

Essex Technology Group Inc., Cisco, West Virginia University, APIS IT

Check Point WAF (formerly CloudGuard WAF) vs. HCL AppScan