# Palo Alto Networks PA-Series alternatives: what AI models name instead, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition. 234 of the 252 answers in the 1 category where Palo Alto Networks PA-Series 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/palo-alto-networks-pa-series/alternatives/

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

- Fortinet FortiGate: 96
- Palo Alto Networks NGFW: 42
- WatchGuard Firebox: 16
- Sophos Firewall: 15
- Check Point Quantum: 5
- Cisco Secure Firewall: 3

## Next-generation firewalls

**Small business**: 82 of 84 answers did not name Palo Alto Networks PA-Series.

- Fortinet FortiGate: first choice in 38 of those 82
- WatchGuard Firebox: first choice in 16 of those 82
- Sophos Firewall: first choice in 13 of those 82
- Cisco Meraki MX: first choice in 2 of those 82
- Cisco Meraki: first choice in 1 of those 82
- Firewalla: first choice in 1 of those 82
- FortiGate 50G: first choice in 1 of those 82
- FortiGate 90G: first choice in 1 of those 82

**Mid-market**: 73 of 84 answers did not name Palo Alto Networks PA-Series (Palo Alto Networks PA-Series is #6 of 8 at 0%).

- Fortinet FortiGate: first choice in 37 of those 73
- Palo Alto Networks NGFW: first choice in 10 of those 73
- Check Point Quantum: first choice in 3 of those 73
- Sophos Firewall: first choice in 2 of those 73
- Cisco Secure Firewall: first choice in 1 of those 73
- FortiGate 50G: first choice in 1 of those 73
- FortiGate VM: first choice in 1 of those 73
- FortiGate-100F/200F: first choice in 1 of those 73

**Enterprise**: 79 of 84 answers did not name Palo Alto Networks PA-Series.

- Palo Alto Networks NGFW: first choice in 32 of those 79
- Fortinet FortiGate: first choice in 21 of those 79
- Check Point Quantum: first choice in 2 of those 79
- Cisco Secure Firewall: first choice in 2 of those 79
- Palo Alto Networks VM-Series: first choice in 2 of those 79
- FortiGate: first choice in 1 of those 79
- FortiGate-VM NGFW: first choice in 1 of those 79
- Fortinet FortiSASE: first choice in 1 of those 79

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