We performed a comparison between Fortinet FortiGate and OPNsense based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Features: Fortinet FortiGate is highly regarded for its all-inclusive package, intuitive interface, strong security features, expandability, and centralized administration. OPNsense is appreciated for its scalability, user-friendly nature, adaptability, reliability, and availability of a free version.
Fortinet FortiGate could be enhanced in areas such as SSL VPN capabilities, multi-factor authentication, filtering accuracy, support system, reporting capabilities, antivirus and IPS functionality, delivery reliability, logging information, security features, scalability, navigation, container security, and WAF functionality. OPNsense could improve its interface, bandwidth management, protection across multiple internet providers, high availability, logging, management of different groups, integration, reporting, SSL inspection, and learning curve.
Service and Support: Fortinet FortiGate and OPNsense products have varied reviews. Certain customers have expressed satisfaction with Fortinet, while some have criticized the support provided by OPNsense.
Ease of Deployment: The setup process for Fortinet FortiGate is generally straightforward and can take anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days or even up to two months. OPNsense's initial setup is described as easy and not too difficult, typically taking a few hours for installation and configuration. However, certain environments like Azure may require additional setup and adaptation, which can extend the implementation process.
Pricing: Fortinet FortiGate offers different packages and pricing options for setup, which are considered reasonable and competitive. However, the renewal prices might be higher. OPNsense is an open-source solution with affordable pricing, mainly determined by hardware expenses. Although a paid version is available, the free version is widely utilized.
ROI: Fortinet FortiGate is a worthwhile investment that delivers positive outcomes by reducing costs in data communications. It offers efficient protection against threats and allows for centralized management. OPNsense has experienced notable progress, achieving a return on investment in under three months and eliminating the need for recurring fees.
Comparison Results: Fortinet FortiGate is highly recommended by users due to its extensive package solution, user-friendly interface, stable performance, strong security capabilities, and ease of use. It offers additional features such as SSL VPN, load balancing, and multi-tenancy. Fortinet FortiGate also excels in customer service and support, with users appreciating their quick response times and helpful assistance.
"We are using the FortiGate 100D series. VPN, firewall, anti-malware, OTM, and intrusion prevention are useful features."
"We've found the solution to be pretty stable."
"Fortinet FortiGate is a scalable solution."
"The pricing is excellent. It's much less expensive than Cisco."
"We can use our devices to check all of the perimeters. It secures email websites."
"We have been able to offer several services to customers in a single box."
"It does a lot for you for intrusion protection and as an antivirus. The threat management bundle is worth the money. You don't need another company to monitor your web traffic for you. You can do everything yourself on the firewall. You restrict your own black list for people on the firewall. You don't need to pay some other company for another product to do that for you. The firewall can do that for you. So, it's an easy-to-use product for people to be independent. They don't need to rely on other vendors to do what the firewall can do. They can do everything."
"The most valuable features are that it is very simple to configure and to manage."
"The most valuable features of OPNsense are the GUI and frequent updates."
"The solution is good for a basic firewall for a small business or for home use."
"The solution is user-friendly and easy to configure."
"The feature I find most valuable, is that the program helped me to realize all the requested functionality that was needed."
"The initial setup is easy. It only takes 15-30 minutes to deploy."
"It's more secure and more reliable."
"It's open source."
"We can open a new VPN connection easily. It's much easier than with Fortinet in our experience."
"The improvement is related to logs. Instead of the CLI, we should be able to have more insights into the logs of the firewall in the GUI."
"The support system could be improved."
"Technical support for this solution can be improved."
"It claims it does DLP, but the degree and level of controls are very basic."
"Technical support is good but the response time could be faster."
"Pricing for it is a bit high. It could be cheaper."
"The reports are very basic."
"Sometimes you do need to know some CLI commands, so it's a bit harder for technicians or new people that don't know it."
"We did not like the fact that you have to configure everything with the graphic user interface. We have used other firewalls, such as FortiGate, that you can configure via code. OPNsense is not easy to integrate. When you are deploying via GitHub or another source repository, this is not possible. That's one thing we didn't like much."
"The solution could be more secure."
"The interface of the solution is an area with shortcomings."
"There are a few weaknesses. For example, there is a lack of some features that I have in certain commercial products."
"The scalability needs improvement."
"OPNsense could improve by making the configuration more web-based rather than shell or command-line-based."
"I think the most important thing is that it should be easily accessible, but currently, that doesn't seem to be the case. We need a hardware platform that's based on common standards and open computing principles, which would be like a commodity and benefit us greatly."
"The logging could improve in OPNsense."
Fortinet FortiGate is ranked 2nd in Firewalls with 306 reviews while OPNsense is ranked 3rd in Firewalls with 36 reviews. Fortinet FortiGate is rated 8.4, while OPNsense is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of Fortinet FortiGate writes "It's a reliable solution that's easy to install and cheaper than competitors ". On the other hand, the top reviewer of OPNsense writes "Robust network security and management offering a user-friendly interface, open-source flexibility, and cost-effectiveness, with challenges regarding initial setup and the absence of official support". Fortinet FortiGate is most compared with Sophos XG, Cisco Secure Firewall, Netgate pfSense, Meraki MX and Juniper SRX Series Firewall, whereas OPNsense is most compared with Netgate pfSense, Sophos XG, Untangle NG Firewall, Sophos UTM and IPFire. See our Fortinet FortiGate vs. OPNsense report.
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