# F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) vs Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls Comparison - What are their main differences? 

At a Glance

Star Rating

**F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)**[

3.9/5(15)

](https://www.g2.com/products/f5-big-ip-advanced-firewall-manager-afm/reviews#reviews)

**Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls** [

4.5/5(170)

](https://www.g2.com/products/palo-alto-networks-next-generation-firewalls/reviews#reviews)

Market Segments

**F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)**
Enterprise (53.3% of reviews)

**Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls**
Mid-Market (47.0% of reviews)

Pros & Cons

**F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)**
Not enough data

**Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls**
[
Firewall Efficiency (14)
](https://www.g2.com/products/palo-alto-networks-next-generation-firewalls/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1472541&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews)[
Ease of Use (13)
](https://www.g2.com/products/palo-alto-networks-next-generation-firewalls/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1472283&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews)[
Expensive (23)
](https://www.g2.com/products/palo-alto-networks-next-generation-firewalls/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1472974&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews)[
Difficult Learning Curve (12)
](https://www.g2.com/products/palo-alto-networks-next-generation-firewalls/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1472691&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews)

Entry-Level Pricing

**F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)**
No pricing available

**Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls**
No pricing available

## F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) vs Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls

When assessing the two solutions, reviewers found them equally easy to use. However, Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls is easier to set up and administer. Reviewers also preferred doing business with Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls overall.

- Reviewers felt that Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls meets the needs of their business better than F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM).
- When comparing quality of ongoing product support, reviewers felt that F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) is the preferred option.
- For feature updates and roadmaps, our reviewers preferred the direction of Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls over F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM).

Pricing

Entry-Level Pricing

**F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)**

F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
No pricing available

**Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls**

Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls
No pricing available

Free Trial

**F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)**

F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
No trial information available

**Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls**

Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls
No trial information available

Ratings

Meets Requirements

8.8

11

8.9

153

Ease of Use

8.3

10

8.3

154

Ease of Setup

7.2

6

8.2

138

Ease of Admin

8.1

6

8.4

107

Quality of Support

8.5

10

8.2

145

Has the product been a good partner in doing business?

8.1

6

8.8

105

Product Direction (% positive)

7.9

11

9.2

149

Features by Category

Network Security[Hide 40 FeaturesShow 40 Features](javascript:void(0);)

Not enough data

Not enough data

Additional Functionality

Penetration Testing

Not enough data

Not enough data

Alerts/Notifications

Not enough data

Not enough data

Audit Trail

Not enough data

Not enough data

Anti Virus

Not enough data

Not enough data

Vulnerability Scanning

Not enough data

Not enough data

Remote Monitoring & Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

VPN

Not enough data

Not enough data

Behavior Analytics

Not enough data

Not enough data

Reporting/Analytics

Not enough data

Not enough data

Real-Time Notifications

Not enough data

Not enough data

Access Controls/Permissions

Not enough data

Not enough data

SSL Security

Not enough data

Not enough data

Patch Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Event Logs

Not enough data

Not enough data

Anomaly/Malware Detection

Not enough data

Not enough data

DNS Leak Protection

Not enough data

Not enough data

Third-Party Integrations

Not enough data

Not enough data

Server Monitoring

Not enough data

Not enough data

Real-Time Monitoring

Not enough data

Not enough data

Compliance Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Network Provisioning

Not enough data

Not enough data

API

Not enough data

Not enough data

Email Alerts

Not enough data

Not enough data

Security Auditing

Not enough data

Not enough data

Intrusion Detection System

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Visualization

Not enough data

Not enough data

Two-Factor Authentication

Not enough data

Not enough data

Generative AI

Not enough data

Not enough data

Firewalls

Not enough data

Not enough data

AI Copilot

Not enough data

Not enough data

Anti Spam

Not enough data

Not enough data

Threat Response

Not enough data

Not enough data

Activity Monitoring

Not enough data

Not enough data

Risk Alerts

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Loss Prevention

Not enough data

Not enough data

Single Sign On

Not enough data

Not enough data

Intrusion Prevention System

Not enough data

Not enough data

Secure Login

Not enough data

Not enough data

Policy Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Activity Dashboard

Not enough data

Not enough data

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS)[Hide 14 FeaturesShow 14 Features](javascript:void(0);)

Not enough data

8.8

68

Prevention

Intrusion Prevention

Not enough data

9.1(won by default)

65

Firewall

Not enough data

9.3(won by default)

64

Encryption

Not enough data

8.9(won by default)

64

Security hardening

Not enough data

9.0(won by default)

64

Cloud Data Protection

Not enough data

8.3(won by default)

60

Detection

Intrusion Detection

Not enough data

9.0(won by default)

65

Security Monitoring

Not enough data

8.9(won by default)

64

Anti-Malware / Malware Detection

Not enough data

8.9(won by default)

64

Administration

Compliance

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

62

Administration Console -

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

64

API / integrations

Not enough data

8.6(won by default)

59

Generative AI

AI Text Summarization

Not enough data

8.2(won by default)

20

Agentic AI - Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS)

Autonomous Task Execution

Not enough data

8.9(won by default)

6

Proactive Assistance

Not enough data

8.6(won by default)

6

Network Security Policy Management (NSPM)[Hide 10 FeaturesShow 10 Features](javascript:void(0);)

Not enough data

Not enough data

Network Maintenance

Policy Optimization

Not enough data

Not enough data

Risk Analysis

Not enough data

Not enough data

Auditing

Not enough data

Not enough data

Network Management

Network Mapping

Not enough data

Not enough data

Compliance

Not enough data

Not enough data

Reporting

Not enough data

Not enough data

Console

Not enough data

Not enough data

Network Monitoring

Network Monitoring

Not enough data

Not enough data

Configuration Monitoring

Not enough data

Not enough data

Change Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Firewall Software[Hide 62 FeaturesShow 62 Features](javascript:void(0);)

Not enough data

8.3

113

Administration

Policy Management

Not enough data

8.7(won by default)

105

Logging and Reporting

Not enough data

8.6(won by default)

105

Application Gateway

Not enough data

8.3(won by default)

97

Concurrent Sessions

Not enough data

8.4(won by default)

97

Uptime Reporting

Not enough data

Not enough data

Web Traffic Reporting

Not enough data

Not enough data

Compliance Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Access Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Incident Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Audit Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Remote Monitoring & Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Agentic AI - Firewall Software

Autonomous Task Execution

Not enough data

8.0(won by default)

10

Adaptive Learning

Not enough data

7.5(won by default)

10

AI/Machine Learning

Not enough data

Not enough data

Functionality

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Not enough data

8.7(won by default)

102

Antivirus

Not enough data

8.4(won by default)

97

URL Filtering

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

99

Availability

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

98

IP Filtering

Not enough data

Not enough data

Content Filtering

Not enough data

Not enough data

Monitoring

Load Balancing

Not enough data

8.4(won by default)

96

Continuous Analysis

Not enough data

8.6(won by default)

97

Intrusion Prevention

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

101

Intrusion Detection

Not enough data

8.7(won by default)

98

Intrusion Detection System

Not enough data

Not enough data

Intrusion Prevention System

Not enough data

Not enough data

Generative AI

AI Text Summarization

Not enough data

7.1(won by default)

29

Generative AI

Not enough data

Not enough data

Artificial Intelligence - Firewall

AI Firewall

Not enough data

7.4(won by default)

17

Additional Functionality

Spam Blocker

Not enough data

Not enough data

Alerts/Escalation

Not enough data

Not enough data

Role-Based Permissions

Not enough data

Not enough data

Network Monitoring

Not enough data

Not enough data

Visual Analytics

Not enough data

Not enough data

Customizable Reports

Not enough data

Not enough data

Real-Time Analytics

Not enough data

Not enough data

Reporting & Statistics

Not enough data

Not enough data

Anti Spam

Not enough data

Not enough data

Activity Dashboard

Not enough data

Not enough data

Real-Time Monitoring

Not enough data

Not enough data

Real-Time Notifications

Not enough data

Not enough data

Activity Tracking

Not enough data

Not enough data

Hardware Integration

Not enough data

Not enough data

Summary Reports

Not enough data

Not enough data

Alerts/Notifications

Not enough data

Not enough data

Access Controls/Permissions

Not enough data

Not enough data

Real-Time Data

Not enough data

Not enough data

Server Monitoring

Not enough data

Not enough data

Two-Factor Authentication

Not enough data

Not enough data

Log Access

Not enough data

Not enough data

Reporting/Analytics

Not enough data

Not enough data

Multi-Location

Not enough data

Not enough data

SSL Security

Not enough data

Not enough data

Behavior Tracking

Not enough data

Not enough data

AI Copilot

Not enough data

Not enough data

API

Not enough data

Not enough data

Event Logs

Not enough data

Not enough data

Vulnerability Scanning

Not enough data

Not enough data

Risk Alerts

Not enough data

Not enough data

Single Sign On

Not enough data

Not enough data

Dashboard Creation

Not enough data

Not enough data

Monitoring

Not enough data

Not enough data

Reviews

Reviewers' Company Size

[![F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/thumb_square/thumb_square_89c84cea1594b462861660c51a9a2c8a/f5-big-ip-advanced-firewall-manager-afm.png "F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)")](https://www.g2.com/products/f5-big-ip-advanced-firewall-manager-afm/reviews)

F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)

Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)

13.3%

Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)

33.3%

Enterprise(\> 1000 emp.)

53.3%

[![Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/f6a3d45d41e697437b84a2340cfee124/palo-alto-networks-next-generation-firewalls.svg "Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls")](https://www.g2.com/products/palo-alto-networks-next-generation-firewalls/reviews)

Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls

Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)

18.3%

Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)

47.0%

Enterprise(\> 1000 emp.)

34.8%

Small-Business

(50 or fewer emp.)

13.3%

18.3%

Mid-Market

(51-1000 emp.)

33.3%

47.0%

Enterprise

(\> 1000 emp.)

53.3%

34.8%

Reviewers' Industry

[![F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/thumb_square/thumb_square_89c84cea1594b462861660c51a9a2c8a/f5-big-ip-advanced-firewall-manager-afm.png "F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)")](https://www.g2.com/products/f5-big-ip-advanced-firewall-manager-afm/reviews)
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)

Computer Networking

13.3%

Translation and Localization

6.7%

Retail

6.7%

Public Relations and Communications

6.7%

Internet

6.7%

Other

60.0%

[![Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/f6a3d45d41e697437b84a2340cfee124/palo-alto-networks-next-generation-firewalls.svg "Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls")](https://www.g2.com/products/palo-alto-networks-next-generation-firewalls/reviews)
Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls

Information Technology and Services

20.2%

Computer & Network Security

13.5%

Banking

6.7%

Computer Software

6.1%

Financial Services

5.5%

Other

47.9%

Alternatives

**F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) Alternatives**

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