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Netwrix Change Tracker vs WatchGuard Firebox comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 19, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Netwrix Change Tracker
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
25th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
WatchGuard Firebox
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
143
Ranking in other categories
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (10th), Firewalls (12th), Anti-Malware Tools (7th), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (10th), Application Control (4th), Unified Threat Management (UTM) (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Netwrix Change Tracker is 1.3%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WatchGuard Firebox is 4.0%, down from 9.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
WatchGuard Firebox4.0%
Netwrix Change Tracker1.3%
Other94.7%
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2322963 - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
A stable solution that can be used for secure configuration management and file integrity monitoring
We use Change Tracker Gen7 R2 for secure configuration management and file integrity monitoring Whitelisting services are the most valuable feature of Change Tracker Gen7 R2. The solution could include more integrations. Change Tracker Gen7 R2 is a stable solution. The solution's initial setup…
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I have contacted the support once and the experience was good, I was satisfied."
"Whitelisting services are the most valuable feature of Change Tracker Gen7 R2."
"Change Tracker Gen7 R2 can be used in the health sector for compliance and can secure the patient's information."
"Some of the most valuable features of the Firebox include web blocking, application control, protection against brute force attacks, load balancing, SD-WAN, and VPN support. These features help us manage and secure our network efficiently."
"WatchGuard Firebox has a user-friendly platform that is beginner-friendly, so you do not have to go with the CLI or the Command Line Interface; you just have to click the configuration right there on the dashboard, so you do not really have to have a background in the commands that you have for configuring WatchGuard Firebox itself."
"The initial setup was straightforward and, because we only need intrusion detection and prevention, we needed only about four hours to deploy it."
"Firebox's best feature is the access portal."
"The ease of use is most valuable. You can quickly train someone who hasn't seen a firewall in life. You can get people up to speed, and in a few months, they are able to manage this product very easily. It is a very user-friendly, scalable, and stable product. Its price is also spot-on."
"The controllability is phenomenal; I can control everything with it, anything coming in or out of my network."
"The technical support is very fast - when we raise an incident, we get a solution in no time."
"It works right out of the box. You just have to enable it and you can start working."
 

Cons

"The solution could include more integrations."
"The solution could improve by being more secure and have better integration."
"There were a little bit of problems with the tool's updates, making it an area where improvements are needed."
"This solution needs the option to add an external hard drive."
"The major problem is pricing and licensing loss. In India, the cost for renewal after three years is 75% of the hardware cost, which is a significant problem."
"The pricing could be improved. It is definitely one of the more expensive products, though you can't really compare it to Ubiquiti or SonicWall."
"Setup of this solution is complex, it's not plug and play."
"While the management of interfaces is straightforward, certain advanced configurations can become complex in large deployments, as it mainly targets small to mid-cap industries."
"We were able to take from an older configuration, build a new one quickly, and get it up and running, which didn't take long, but there was some pain around it."
"I believe there is room for improvement in policies, with the potential to enhance the margins further."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a license required for this solution."
"It is kind of expensive. I buy it on the appliance. I always buy three-year total security."
"We only license our corporate one and the one we have at our DR site, we don't worry about the branches. It doesn't pay for us to license the ones at the branches. What they charge for what they call basic maintenance is extremely high for those little fireboxes."
"The price is very good."
"Very competitive pricing regarding throughput compared to other alternatives."
"I usually tell people that it's really affordable as well, particularly compared to Cisco."
"Over the years, the costs have increased, especially since I cater to very small businesses."
"The solution is a bit more expensive than other options."
"The pricing was in line with everyone else; maybe slightly higher."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Comms Service Provider
12%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Construction Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business104
Midsize Enterprise30
Large Enterprise17
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
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

NNT Change Tracker Enterprise
WatchGuard Threat Detection and Response, WatchGuard Application Control, WatchGuard Data Loss Prevention, WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus, WatchGuard Intrusion Prevention Service
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

US Army, Xerox, Hewlett Packard, LiveTV, Universal Studios, Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative, ACAS, Chanel, Live Nation, Union Bank, Ohio Valley Electric Corporation, Bank of China, Cornell University, Jetblue, Royal Albert Hall, Chaparral Energy, RyanAir
Ellips, Diecutstickers.com, Clarke Energy, NCR, Wrest Park, Homeslice Pizza, Fortessa Tableware Solutions, The Phoenix Residence
Find out what your peers are saying about Netwrix Change Tracker vs. WatchGuard Firebox and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
911,493 professionals have used our research since 2012.