Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs Palo Alto Networks K2-Series comparison

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Fortinet FortiGate-VM and Palo Alto Networks K2-Series based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Firewalls solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series Report (Updated: May 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

May 2024

Download the complete report

Helped 787,779 peers since 2012

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate

Q&A Highlights

Donny Lee

Works at KLA

Mar 23, 2021

Features comparison between Palo Alto and Fortinet firewalls

Hi PaloAlto is better when working on app control feature and special virtual wire links. Execpt that specific point, Fortinet is above. Best Regards, Damien

See all answers

Featured Reviews

reviewer1779540

Security Presales Consultant at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees

Feb 22, 2022

Straightforward implementation, priced well, and effective proxy mode

The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the ability to work in proxy mode, which other solutions, such as Palo Alto cannot. There are some features that are better that come at no extra license or subscriptions cost, such as basic SD-WAN. The DLT is useful, other solutions have the same feature too, such as Palo Alto. Fortinet FortiGate can be deployed in the cloud, they have a full portfolio for security. You are able to integrate other Fortinet solutions together to take full advantage of their security portfolio. The Fortinet FortiGate documentation library and full resources can be reached easily. You can search and find a solution to a problem you might have. Additionally, the overall solution is highly user-friendly.

Read full review

reviewer1691751

Principal Network Engineer at a computer software company with 201-500 employees

Nov 29, 2021

Intuitive solution with comprehensive features and an extensive threat database

My primary use case of this solution is for advanced security in the cloud, as well as SD-WAN and branch connectivity. We use version 6.4 and are just now moving to 7.0. FortiGate-VM has many valuable features: it's easy to use, it's intuitive, it's got very good traffic inspection features, it's…

Read full review

Joao Dias

Network Support at Bravantic

May 9, 2024

Offers good support and GUI makes it easy and faster to make the changes we need

I support the Palo Alto firewall that is already installed. We have the Palo Alto in the data center, and we just have to put access within most various VLANs and permit some type of service or access It is graphical. With the GUI, it's faster to make the changes we need. This is the main…

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"It is quite easy to handle."

"FortiGate firewalls are easy to manage through a user-friendly web interface. They also have advanced features like DDoS and DLP. However, I wouldn't recommend enabling all of these features on one device because it can cause performance issues."

"The reporting and monitoring are very good."

"The most valuable features of the solution are SD-WAN, filtering testing applications, web filtering, and the new VPN."

"You can purchase switches and you don't need to do anything with them. You just put in the firewall and the switches get all the policies and rules that you already have in the firewall. With Fortinet, you just connect the FortiSwitch to the Fortinet and that's it."

"A strong point of FortiGate is the graphical interface is complete and easy to use."

"The most valuable features are SD-WAN, application control, IPS control, and FortiSandbox."

"This solution made it very easy to manage our bandwidth."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"The customer care center of Fortinet is good. For all the requests that we have done, they work as fast as possible, so this is a good point for Fortinet."

"The product's initial setup phase was easy."

"In terms of specific features, I like FortiGate's load balancing, interface, and priority on the network."

"Fortinet-VM is more scalable than the hardware version. If you're using an appliance, there are limitations in terms of hardware specs. So if you want a more scalable firewall, you can get a VM and install it on a high-end server."

"The tool's most valuable feature is its ability to deploy it on live physical hardware. Specifically, when providing firewall services for clients, we can leverage such hardware appliances to support multiple customers on the same hardware."

"The ease of access and user-friendly setup is a valuable feature. Fortinet proves to be particularly straightforward to configure, offering simplicity without complexity. Moreover, visibility is easily attainable due to certain factors. Price, implementation, and budget considerations play a role. When it comes to Cisco implementation, the process tends to be more intricate, which many customers find unfavourable for their business needs."

"It handles our current load with ease, and I think it can handle a bit more. It definitely can handle a lot more capacity than we currently use."

"It offers the same robust features and functionality in virtual, on-premise, and traditional data center environments."

More Fortinet FortiGate-VM pros

"I have found the threat profile feature valuable."

"I like the tool's WildFire feature."

"Palo Alto firewalls are scalable enough. We have about 110 employees in our company, and we are about to expand to 130."

"The customer service and support are really good."

"The scalability of the product is quite high."

"This is a very reliable firewall and we have never had problems with it."

"Palo Alto has a unique solution for DNS security, which is very good."

"The most valuable feature of Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is the configuration, it is very clear."

More Palo Alto Networks K2-Series pros

Cons

"There is a lot of improvement needed with SSL-VPN."

"There are problems with the custom reporting of the unique traffic. The data is there, but it is too difficult for us to extract."

"I would like to see improvements with the antivirus and IPS as they are not working properly all the time."

"The logging details need to be improved."

"The scalability could be better."

"Usually, we sell the bundle with the UTM or threat management piece with IPS, IDS. Other providers, such as Palo Alto, are ahead in terms of safe functionality. So, for me, delivering truly safe service is probably something that still needs to be improved."

"The support from Fortinet FortiGate could improve. They are not easily accessible when we need them. They could improve their response time."

"The solution is very expensive."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"The pricing is expensive."

"The interface needs to be updated and simplified."

"The price is problematic."

"Not a ten because I think that Cisco is better."

"It needs an Application Inspection."

"The log settings and filters could use some improvement."

"Technical support could be improved."

"Fortinet could improve the availability and delivery of its products. It takes four to six weeks for every purchase to arrive."

More Fortinet FortiGate-VM cons

"Palo Alto releases a lot of bug fixes for their firewalls, which means it's necessary to do frequent upgrades. They should work on decreasing their bugs so that upgrades aren't needed so often."

"When it comes to renewing the solution, they tend to try to jack up the pricing."

"I'd like to see more data protection on the system."

"In the past, we've had trouble with Palo Alto's application filtering not getting it right. I would not be recommending layer 7 application filtering yet."

"It would be nice if it could easily be integrated with Elasticsearch or Nagios."

"The URL Filtering module needs to have more categories added to it."

"The password function of the solution could be improved. Additionally, some of the processes take too long to complete."

"The product should get frequent updates allowing us to add new signatures."

More Palo Alto Networks K2-Series cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pricing is lower than Cisco."

"We purchased a five-year bundle package, which worked out cheaper than competing solutions."

"It is not a very costly product if you compare it with other products. The return on investment is also good. If you compare the return of investment and money that you are spending on this product with Palo Alto, Cisco, Check Point, and other solutions, the investment is very less. We are happy with this solution. The optional licenses are there, and you can choose which one you want and which one to avoid."

"The pricing of the solution is very competitive."

"Fortinet FortiGate's price can be reduced."

"Fortinet FortiGate is expensive."

"The value is the capability of having multiple services with one unique license, not having the limitation per user licensing schema, like other vendors."

"Licensing is usually on a three-year period."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"The cost of this product is too high."

"Of all the firewalls that we compared, FortiGate is the cheapest and most affordable, so we are satisfied with the pricing."

"Installation does not require another license making it an inexpensive solution."

"It would be nice to have the ability to extend FortiGuard subscriptions at a reasonable yearly cost versus a bulk three year pricing."

"The basic pricing in Austria is OK, but asking for special offers, e.g., NPOs, NGOs, trade up, and/or trade in, is always useful."

"There is a benefit in terms of the cost of using this solution because the price is very good."

"It is on par with what you receive. It can be expensive upfront."

"There is a need to make payments towards the licensing costs attached to the solution."

More Fortinet FortiGate-VM pricing and cost advice

"When comparing Palo Alto Networks K2-Series with other solutions it is on the higher end of the price scale."

"Palo Alto firewalls are very expensive."

"It is an expensive solution."

"It would be nice if they lowered their prices for small businesses."

"The pricing is expensive."

"The price of the solution is expensive."

"This product is designed for large companies. The price would not be suitable for a small or medium size company."

"Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is an expensive solution, the price could be reduced. They are more expensive than some of their competitors."

More Palo Alto Networks K2-Series pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Firewalls solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

787,779 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Answers from the Community

Donny Lee

Works at KLA

Mar 23, 2021

Features comparison between Palo Alto and Fortinet firewalls

In the best tradition of these questions, Feature-wise both are quite similar, but each has things it's better at, it kind of depends what you value most. PA is good at app control, web filtering and such like, they have always been top of the pile there. The GUI is very good, and their product is very user-focused. Fortinet is good for scalability and predictable high throughput (ASICs in the...

2 out of 4 answers

ABHILASH TH

Managing Director at FOX DATA

Mar 20, 2021

Hi, Both FT and PA have compelling features for large Enterprises. I would like to add a few good points about Fortinetwhich might be helpful ( from my 13 years of engagement with them as Distributor and Partner) Fortinet: Have higher throughput; which comes with competitive rates Wide range of models to select to meet your requirement, without spending heavliy Outstanding customer support and very active customer care team Easly available skilled resources from the channel for deployment and post-implementation support Regards Abhilash

Read full answer

Lucas Damien

CTO & co-Founder at Anevia

Mar 22, 2021

Hi PaloAlto is better when working on app control feature and special virtual wire links. Execpt that specific point, Fortinet is above. Best Regards, Damien

Read full answer

See all 4 answers

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

21%

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

22%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

27%

Energy/Utilities Company

11%

Real Estate/Law Firm

Non Profit

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

Which is the better NGFW: Fortinet Fortigate or Cisco Firepower?

When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage a...

See all answers

What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?

From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know...

See all answers

What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?

As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite ...

See all answers

Features comparison between Palo Alto and Fortinet firewalls

In the best tradition of these questions, Feature-wise both are quite similar, but each has things it's better at, it...

See all answers

Which would you recommend - FortiGate VM or Azure Firewall?

Both of these solutions are excellent options that provide flexible scalability and solid security. Fortinet Fortigat...

See all answers

What do you like most about Fortinet FortiGate-VM?

An enhanced security solution for any kind of alert that we have configured.

See all answers

What do you like most about Palo Alto Networks K2-Series?

It is a stable solution.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Palo Alto Networks K2-Series?

The pricing is more expensive, but they have a vast range of products. I just saw some products that are more afforda...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks K2-Series?

The prices are not affordable for small companies.

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos XG vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 19% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 12% of the time

Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 7% of the time

Palo Alto Networks WildFire vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 2% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Azure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 38% of the time

Palo Alto Networks VM-Series vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 7% of the time

Fortinet FortiOS vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 5% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate-VM Competitors

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

Compared 100% of the time

More Palo Alto Networks K2-Series Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

June 2024

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate-VM

June 2024

Download Fortinet FortiGate-VM product report

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

June 2024

Download Palo Alto Networks K2-Series product report

Also Known As

FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate

FortiGate Virtual Appliance, FortiGate-VM

No data available

Learn More

Fortinet

Palo Alto Networks

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate enhances network security, prevents unauthorized access, and offers robust firewall protection. Valued features include advanced threat protection, reliable performance, and a user-friendly interface. It improves efficiency, streamlines processes, and boosts collaboration, providing valuable insights for informed decision-making and growth.

FortiGate Virtual Appliances allow you to mitigate blind spots by implementing critical security controls within your virtual infrastructure. They also allow you to rapidly provision security infrastructure whenever and wherever it is needed. FortiGate virtual appliances feature all of the security and networking services common to traditional hardware-based FortiGate appliances. With the addition of virtual appliances from Fortinet, you can deploy a mix of hardware and virtual appliances, operating together and managed from a common centralized management platform.

Designed to handle growing throughput needs due to increasing amounts of application-, user-, and device-generated data, the K2-Series offers amazing performance and threat prevention capabilities to stop advanced cyberattacks and secure mobile network infrastructure, subscribers, and services.

Sample Customers

1. Amazon Web Services 2. Microsoft 3. IBM 4. Cisco 5. Dell 6. HP 7. Oracle 8. Verizon 9. AT&T 10. T-Mobile 11. Sprint 12. Vodafone 13. Orange 14. BT Group 15. Telstra 16. Deutsche Telekom 17. Comcast 18. Time Warner Cable 19. CenturyLink 20. NTT Communications 21. Tata Communications 22. SoftBank 23. China Mobile 24. Singtel 25. Telus 26. Rogers Communications 27. Bell Canada 28. Telkom Indonesia 29. Telkom South Africa 30. Telmex 31. Telia Company 32. Telkom Kenya

Security7 Networks, COOPENAE

State of North Dakota, SEGA, Alameda County Office of Education, Temple University, VERGE, CAME

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

May 2024

Free Report: Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.

DOWNLOAD NOW

787,779 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. Palo Alto Networks K2-Series report.

See our list of best Firewalls vendors.

We monitor all Firewalls reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.