# Cisco Secure Firewall alternatives: what AI models name instead, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition. 192 of the 252 answers in the 1 category where Cisco Secure Firewall holds a standing named it neither first nor as an alternative; these are the first choices those answers made. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/vendors/cisco-secure-firewall/alternatives/

## Named instead, most often (every category and segment added)

- Fortinet FortiGate: 86
- Sophos Firewall: 16
- WatchGuard Firebox: 15
- Palo Alto Networks NGFW: 12
- Check Point Quantum: 3
- FortiGate-VM NGFW: 3

## Next-generation firewalls

**Small business**: 76 of 84 answers did not name Cisco Secure Firewall (Cisco Secure Firewall is #8 of 8 at 0%).

- Fortinet FortiGate: first choice in 34 of those 76
- WatchGuard Firebox: first choice in 15 of those 76
- Sophos Firewall: first choice in 14 of those 76
- Cisco Meraki MX: first choice in 2 of those 76
- FortiGate 50G: first choice in 1 of those 76
- FortiGate 90G: first choice in 1 of those 76
- FortiGate-VM NGFW: first choice in 1 of those 76
- Fortinet FortiGate 40F or 60F: first choice in 1 of those 76

**Mid-market**: 66 of 84 answers did not name Cisco Secure Firewall (Cisco Secure Firewall is #4 of 8 at 2%).

- Fortinet FortiGate: first choice in 35 of those 66
- Palo Alto Networks NGFW: first choice in 2 of those 66
- Sophos Firewall: first choice in 2 of those 66
- Check Point Quantum: first choice in 1 of those 66
- FortiGate 50G: first choice in 1 of those 66
- FortiGate-80F: first choice in 1 of those 66
- FortiGate-VM NGFW: first choice in 1 of those 66
- Fortinet FortiGate 60E / 60F: first choice in 1 of those 66

**Enterprise**: 50 of 84 answers did not name Cisco Secure Firewall (Cisco Secure Firewall is #4 of 5 at 4%).

- Fortinet FortiGate: first choice in 17 of those 50
- Palo Alto Networks NGFW: first choice in 10 of those 50
- Check Point Quantum: first choice in 2 of those 50
- Palo Alto Networks VM-Series: first choice in 2 of those 50
- FortiGate-VM NGFW: first choice in 1 of those 50
- Fortinet FortiSASE: first choice in 1 of those 50
- Palo Alto Networks PA-5400 Series or PA-7000 Series: first choice in 1 of those 50
- Palo Alto Networks PA-Series: first choice in 1 of those 50

Published under CC BY 4.0. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.