Google Cloud Firewall Policies vs WatchGuard AuthPoint
Google Cloud Firewall Policies
cloud.google.com
WatchGuard AuthPoint
watchguard.comSide by side
| Figure | Google Cloud Firewall Policies | WatchGuard AuthPoint |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.02/mo | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 2 |
| Spec score · Firewall Management Software | 8.0 (#6) | 8.1 (#5) |
| Compliance | Google Cloud states that its services undergo independent verification and achieve security, privacy, and compliance certifications; the Google Cloud Services ISMS has ISO/IEC 27001 certification. | WatchGuard says Identity Security aligns with NIST SP 800-63-4 authenticator assurance levels, with FIDO2 passkeys delivering AAL2 and hardware bound passkeys via YubiKey meeting AAL3. |
| Intended users | The product is designed for organization-wide administrators who need to manage critical firewall rules centrally across folders and their resources. | WatchGuard describes AuthPoint as serving organizations and MSPs, with multi tenant management for MSPs managing multiple customer accounts. |
| Purpose | Hierarchical firewall policies let organizations enforce consistent firewall rules across an organization or individual folders. | AuthPoint is a cloud-based identity security and multi-factor authentication service that protects logins to endpoints, VPNs, Microsoft environments, and cloud applications. |
Plans
Google Cloud Firewall Policies
- Cloud NGFW EssentialsFree
- Hierarchical firewall policies (500 or fewer attributes)Free
- Hierarchical firewall policies (501 or more attributes)Free
- Cloud NGFW Standard$0.02 a month
- Cloud NGFW Enterprise$1.75 a month
WatchGuard AuthPoint
- AuthPoint MFAPriced on request
- AuthPoint Total Identity SecurityPriced on request
In their own words
Google Cloud Firewall Policies
Google Cloud Firewall Policies provide hierarchical firewall rules for organizations that need to apply controls across an organization or selected folders. Rules can allow or deny connections, or pass evaluation onward to lower-level policies or VPC firewall rules. A hierarchical policy becomes active only when associated with an organization or folder; it cannot be assigned directly to a project. Rules can target VPC networks and VM service accounts, but not instance tags. When configured with a security profile group, matching traffic can be sent through a firewall endpoint for Layer 7 inspection, including URL filtering and intrusion detection and prevention. Administrators can manage policies in the Google Cloud console or with gcloud CLI; Google also documents Terraform support for rules with logging enabled. Logs are available in Cloud Logging and can be exported to its supported destinations. Identity and Access Management roles govern policy permissions. Essentials rules based on standard network attributes are free; hierarchical policy charges are listed per covered VM and depend on rule-attribute count.
WatchGuard AuthPoint
WatchGuard AuthPoint is a cloud-based multi-factor authentication service that checks users before they access computers, VPNs, cloud services, and applications. Verification options include push notifications, one-time passcodes, QR codes, hardware tokens, and phishing-resistant FIDO2 passkeys. Access policies can consider device, location, behavior, time, and device DNA. An application portal provides access to SAML and OIDC apps, and WatchGuard lists more than 130 third-party integrations, including VPN, Microsoft Entra ID, and cloud applications. The service is managed through WatchGuard Cloud, which supports multi-tenant administration for service providers. An optional Gateway connects AuthPoint with RADIUS clients, Active Directory or LDAP, and the ADFS agent; it cannot be installed on Windows servers with FIPS mode enabled. AuthPoint is licensed per user, with pricing available from a WatchGuard reseller and no free plan. A 30-day trial for up to 250 users is listed. The mobile app supports Android 7.0 and higher and iOS 14.0 and higher.