The current buying decision
For a small team with a defined VPN or private-gateway need, start by pricing NordLayer's published plans. For application-level private access, branch connectivity or a wider secure-access program, ask Check Point to scope its current SASE offering. The product once known as Perimeter 81 became part of Check Point's SASE line after the acquisition. Check Point's present product page calls the offering Check Point SASE and describes it as formerly Harmony SASE. Treat “Perimeter 81” as a historical search term, not a current price sheet.
There is no defensible winner on total cost without a Check Point quote for the exact users, gateways, capabilities and support. The older $10–$20/user and $50/gateway figures previously shown on this page have been removed because they could not be verified against a current Check Point purchase offer. If you only need managed internet access, first ask whether your existing identity and device controls already solve the problem.
| Decision factor | NordLayer | Check Point SASE |
|---|---|---|
| Published buying route | Self-service Lite, Core and Premium plan matrix | Scope with sales and obtain an itemized quote |
| Entry use case | Managed VPN access through shared gateways on Lite | Confirm the exact Internet Access or Private Access package |
| Private access | Core adds a dedicated-IP gateway; its server charge is required | Check Point describes identity-centric Private Access across users, sites and resources; validate the quoted entitlement |
| Broader platform | Premium lists additional site and segmentation controls | Current platform also describes Internet Access, SaaS security and SD-WAN components; quote only what you need |
| Cost certainty | Published seat and server baseline before tax and add-ons | No current public US price was verified for the proposed configuration |
| Work to operate | Identity, gateway, device and access policy administration | Scope identity, connector, site, inspection and support responsibilities |
These are vendor-documented capabilities, not a measured deployment comparison. Product names, editions and packaged features can change; insist that the written proposal name the current SKU and term.
NordLayer's published baseline
The NordLayer plan matrix, checked September 24, 2026, lists annual-billing USD monthly equivalents of $8/user for Lite, $11/user for Core and $14/user for Premium, with a five-user minimum. Core and Premium each require a $40/month dedicated-IP server. Lite includes managed VPN access, SSO and activity reports but does not include a private gateway, dedicated IP or category-based DNS filtering. Automated user provisioning is listed as an add-on.
For 10, 25 and 50 users, Core with one required server works out to $150, $315 and $590 per month, or $1,800, $3,780 and $7,080 for 12 months, before tax, implementation or additional servers. The quoted server count matters if different sites or groups need separate gateways. See the NordLayer review for the Lite/Core plan boundary and pilot.
Ready to verify a NordLayer quote? Check NordLayer plans (affiliate link). Valydex may earn a commission from a qualifying purchase. Confirm the selected edition, server count and checkout total against the official plan matrix; partner-account eligibility has not been verified.
Do not assume that NordLayer Premium's broader features are bundled into Lite or that a vendor's compliance marketing certifies your own organization. Have the vendor demonstrate the exact logging, access policy, device-posture and support entitlements in the proposed plan.
What Check Point now sells
Check Point's current SASE page describes a suite covering Private Access, Internet Access, SaaS Security and SD-WAN. Its Private Access overview describes identity-centric access for employees, third parties and branch offices. Those capabilities make it a candidate when the project includes more than a managed VPN client, but the page does not establish that every module is included in one small-business license.
The official Check Point sales page offers business-specific pricing. The old Perimeter 81 pricing page still exists on a legacy domain, yet its plan labels and figures are not a substitute for a present Check Point quote. Request these lines in writing:
- Current product and SKU, Private Access versus Internet Access entitlements, and any SaaS or SD-WAN modules.
- Licensed users, contractors, sites, gateways, static IPs, connectors and any minimum quantities.
- Monthly or annual term, introductory and renewal rates, implementation services, support tier and tax.
- Supported identity provider, MFA, provisioning, device posture, log export and retention for the selected package.
- Exit process, policy export, cancellation window and what happens to access if the subscription ends.
Without those figures, a claimed dollar difference between NordLayer and Check Point would be invented. Use the budget worksheet to compare the actual offers, including the staff time to run either system.
Which should your team pilot?
Pilot NordLayer first when the requirement is a shared business VPN or one private gateway, at least five seats are needed, and the published plan matrix covers your controls. Test an employee, administrator and former-user workflow; verify SSO, MFA, access revocation, fixed-IP behavior if purchased, and connection records.
Scope Check Point first when multiple private applications, branch sites or security modules are in scope and you have someone who can own policy design. Ask the sales engineer to demonstrate the exact quoted edition with your identity provider, one representative application, a contractor role and the log output your team must retain.
Delay both purchases if the problem is really missing MFA, unpatched devices or unmanaged SaaS permissions. A network-access platform will not fix those controls for you. The free assessment can help identify which action has the clearest owner and verification step. The business-versus-consumer VPN guide helps determine whether team administration is required at all.
Evidence and disclosure
This comparison is documentation-based; no hands-on throughput, support or setup-time testing is claimed. Sources checked September 24, 2026: NordLayer plans, Check Point SASE product, Check Point sales, and Check Point's Perimeter 81 acquisition context.
Use the official pricing and sales pages to verify current terms. The tracked NordLayer link above may earn a commission; the direct vendor-source links are not presented as commission-earning offers. See our affiliate disclosure and research methodology.