Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs Sangfor NGAF comparison

Barracuda Networks and Sangfor are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Barracuda Networks is ranked #24 with an average rating of 8.1, while Sangfor is ranked #21 with an average rating of 8.7. Barracuda Networks holds a 0.9% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to Sangfor’s 1.0% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Barracuda Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Sangfor users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall and Sangfor NGAF compete in the cybersecurity and network protection category. Barracuda appears to have the upper hand with its comprehensive threat management and ease of scalability.

Features: Barracuda CloudGen Firewall offers advanced threat protection, centralized management, and real-time monitoring. Its scalability and TINA VPN ensure robust performance. Sangfor NGAF provides real-time threat detection and application control. It also supports WAN optimization and seamless system integration.

Room for Improvement: Barracuda users highlight the need for a less complex interface and improved reporting tools. Sangfor NGAF needs a more intuitive interface and better hardware capabilities. Enhanced support and logical feature integration are also suggested for both products.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Barracuda offers strong support with a focus on reliability and efficiency in deployment across on-premises and hybrid setups. Sangfor NGAF's technical support satisfaction is lacking in comparison, suggesting improvement in customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Barracuda's ROI is emphasized by its transparent licensing and benefits like free hardware upgrades every four years. It is considered cost-effective for long-term investments. Sangfor NGAF offers competitive upfront pricing, but higher ongoing maintenance costs reduce its cost-effectiveness over time.

To learn more, read our detailed Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs. Sangfor NGAF Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs. Sangfor NGAF

April 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 17.2%, down from 21.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is 0.9%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sangfor NGAF is 1.0%, down from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	17.2%
Sangfor NGAF	1.0%
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall	0.9%
Other	80.9%

Firewalls

Featured Reviews

Abhinandan Yadav

Network Security Engineer at Arrow PC Network Pvt Ltd

Unified security and sd-wan have improved uptime and cut wan costs for multi-site branches

Users report stability issues in certain versions, which requires regular updates. Real-world attacks have also highlighted the need for urgent patching of vulnerabilities.Fortinet FortiGate, while a powerful and feature-rich web firewall, could improve in areas like firmware stability, documentation, and ease of use. The learning curve can be steep for some users. For beginners, support quality can vary, and frequent updates with occasional vulnerabilities call for careful patch management. However, once Fortinet FortiGate is configured, it remains highly reliable and efficient. Customer support needs improvement, as I find it very slow, with reports from other users reflecting that customer support is inadequate.

Read full review

Jennifer Bernice

Dotnet Developer at Kohl's

Centralized firewall management has saved time and improved network security across locations

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall could be improved as it has a very high learning curve. It is definitely not a one and done firewall, as a one and done firewall requires a lot of dedicated time to get the machine running the way you want. To improve Barracuda CloudGen Firewall, there should be a lot of tutorials and videos online to help new users. Multiple ways to configure for the same service or feature takes time to determine your customized build. In addition to previous points, the interface can sometimes be clunky when trying to determine how it is organized or arranged.

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Zaid Farooqui

CIO at Indus Motor Company

Enhanced threat detection with integrated security features and good support

We are using application firewalling, WAF, and SD-WAN. The capabilities are mostly within the box. For example, you will get web application firewall WAF as part and parcel of this. SD-WAN is also bundled. It integrates with their SIEM and SOAR solutions very nicely. Lastly, the pricing point is very cost-efficient as well.

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

"Its administrative panel is very intuitive and simple, and we are able to filter everything on our network and also use the VPN feature, which is important these days when people are working remotely during COVID."

"The price-to-performance ratio for using Fortinet FortiGate is always better compared to any other competitor, so they are rated better than the likes of Check Point or Palo Alto."

"The CLI is robust and powerful, enabling rapid, consistent changes via SSH."

"You don't need to reinvent the wheel, as FortiGate is the best solution."

"By implementing Fortinet FortiGate in our organization, we can control applications and block unauthorized apps, and control security platform features such as policy enforcement and SD-WAN streaming particularly improve our work by reducing manual configuration across multiple devices, allowing faster change implementation, and reducing troubleshooting time."

"The solution is used in my company since its management is very comfortable"

"It is easy to manage, and it doesn't need much knowledge from the team. It is a stable device, and there are many features that are included out of the box."

"What's most important is the ease of use."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"We use Barracuda NG Firewall as a border firewall. We trough it to control all in/out Internet traffic."

"Ability to manage multiple firewalls."

"I would most definitely recommend this solution to other people."

"We enjoy the reduction in terms of labor."

"When you are sending information to an external email address, Barracuda can warn you when you are trying to access a private or personal email, or trying to upload information and not allow you to do that."

"Its stability and SD-WAN features are the most valuable."

"The product is foolproof. It has done everything that we have needed with the amount of email that we receive, and it handles it quite well."

"We enjoy the reduction in terms of labor."

More Barracuda CloudGen Firewall pros

"It offers application control features."

"We can utilize our own network rather than paying for a private one."

"Particularly good in the DPI where we can inspect inbound and outbound traffic."

"You might try Sangfor if you are on a tight budget. The price is affordable, and Sangfor offers a lot of features. We don't have any complaints about Sangfor."

"The most valuable feature of Sangfor NGAF is its integration."

"It offers good value for money and is much cheaper compared to other firewalls."

"The most valuable features are the WAN optimization, the internet access gateway (IAG), and the central console, which allows us to implement on their firewall."

"The solution is quite safe and good, and furthermore, it is very good for different environments."

More Sangfor NGAF pros

Cons

"Difficult to add or define, and not that easy to configure and manage."

"The main aspect of FortiGate that could be improved is load balancing."

"Technical support is not helpful."

"In their IPS Web Security Gateway, the reporting functions need to be a little bit more user-friendly for how to get the reports from it."

"A couple of things I've seen that need improvement, especially in terms of a hard coding. The driver-level active moment really is out-of-the-box and we have to have contact the customer support and sometimes it is difficult to resolve."

"I found that the memory usage for the Fortigate firewall are relatively higher than other firewall brand when compared to same traffic volume."

"The one concern I have with Fortinet FortiGate is the firmware versions, which often have many bugs when upgraded, leading us to revert back to older versions multiple times in my lifecycle."

"I don't really have anything negative to say as far as Fortinet firewalls are concerned. If anything, they can support a user a little bit better. They can stop being so time-sensitive about how much time the support call has taken, and they can help you do it yourself."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"If you have another brand of VPN where you have to put an SSL VPN between two devices, Barracuda doesn't support that at a certain point. You can't actually build the VPN between Barracuda and a different device of a different brand."

"The initial setup is a bit complex."

"The technical manuals, at times, have images that don't match the actual screens and are not always as clear as they could be on the configuration."

"They have a very complicated interface. It's very hard to learn."

"The problem we found was with the issue of configuration."

"The biggest issue that I have with this solution is that it is not super intuitive. Once you know what to do, things make sense, but you can't just open the program and start doing things. It would be great if there was a little bit more guided usage inside the program."

"The stability of the solution isn't ideal. There are bugs and issues with updates occasionally."

"I would like to see a more user-friendly dashboard and an easier interface."

More Barracuda CloudGen Firewall cons

"Sangfor NGAF could improve the policies and default criteria. They could be much better."

"The solution has too many bugs and these slow down the implementation."

"I would be happy if Sangfor developed a firewall designed specifically for home use, as well as for small businesses such as clinics and so on."

"I believe that IAM and NGFW need to merge into a single box, instead of there being two separate box solutions."

"They need to increase the number of ports in the firewall."

"They need to improve their research team and they need to study their data to analyze it and build the product."

"The firewall system needs gradual improvements because there are more threats and challenges in the world every day."

More Sangfor NGAF cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The beauty is the price performance ratio is great with FortiGate. It provides all the features we needed and the price is comparable with others' firewalls. The price is quite competitive with the firewalls with similar features."

"The price is high compared to some of the other solutions."

"Its price is affordable and lesser than Cisco. Cisco is expensive. In terms of licensing, there is only one issue. If a customer's license has expired a month ago and they do the renewal after one month, Fortinet renews the license from the start of the previous month. The activation of the product is done from the previous month, not from the date of renewal. The customers usually shout and complain that because they are paying today, the renewal should start from today. The support contract renewals or licensing should be renewed from the date of renewal, but Fortinet starts from the day it had expired. It is a loss for customers. They might have had some problems because of which they did not take the license one month before. Fortinet should work on this. Cisco doesn't do this. Cisco always starts from the day they apply for the license."

"We saved a bundle by not needing all the past appliances from an NGFW."

"It has been two years. I don't remember the actual price, but it was affordable. We buy the boxes and then use the license for three years."

"It is more affordable than Check Point and Palo Alto. Another thing is that all the features and the OS remain the same irrespective of the size of the device. Pricing-wise, Fortinet typically provides one-year support with the firewall appliance. There is also an option for three years which is how their licensing works."

"FortiGate Next Generation Firewall costs our company around $12000 per year."

"It could be more competitive and cost-effective."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"The pricing is very cheap compared to Cisco ASA, which we used before, and compared to Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet. Barracuda has different solutions for different people. So for my SMB-level infrastructure, Barracuda has given me a proper solution that is half of the price of Palo Alto or Fortinet."

"Pricing is good. Licensing is pretty much automatic if using Control Center."

"The solution costs more than 800 Euros to purchase an F18, which is an entry model, and then another 500 Euros for instant replacement, and 500 Euros for energized updates. The total package would be around 1,900 Euros for five years license and all updates for an entry model."

"It is a product with a very transparent model of licensing. In the sense of hidden expenses, they do not exist with this model. "

"Its licensing is on a yearly basis. There is an upfront purchase price, and there is also an annual maintenance fee. There are no additional fees."

"We evaluated a lot of different options. We concluded that Barracuda NG Firewall provided the most features for an exemplary price. "

"The platform is inexpensive compared to other vendors."

"My advice is to try and evaluate it (Barracuda offers a trial period of one month)."

More Barracuda CloudGen Firewall pricing and cost advice

"I rate the product price as one on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."

"The license of Sangfor NGAF can be purchased at different interval lengths, such as annually or three years. They offer a range of packages to choose from, such as combo or hybrid packages. We are using the complete solution package which includes IM, NGF and SSL VPN, and WAF."

"If you know you have around 200+ computer users on your network, then the Sangfor NGAF 5200-F-I model would be the minimum recommended model for that amount of users. This model includes modules for packet filtering, deep packet inspection, malware scanning, DSCP filtration, and many other features."

"Sangfor is cheaper than competing vendors."

"It is one of the cheapest tools in the market."

"Sangfor NGAF is a cheaply priced product, especially if I consider the previous product that was used in my company."

"It costs about 8 to 10 thousand dollars per year for 500 users, standard licensing fees included."

"For four to five physical appliances for a licensed firewall, it costs approximately $4,000."

More Sangfor NGAF pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

12%

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

Marketing Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	366
Midsize Enterprise	135
Large Enterprise	192

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	32
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	9

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	10

Questions from the Community

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

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Barracuda CloudGen Firewall?

My experience with pricing is that while the licensing cost can be reduced and is somewhat costly, the price is good ...

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What needs improvement with Barracuda CloudGen Firewall?

There is room for improvement in terms of response time and first-level support quality. Barracuda CloudGen Firewall ...

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What is your primary use case for Barracuda CloudGen Firewall?

My main use case for Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is that we purchased it to replace our current Cisco firewall tool. ...

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What do you like most about Sangfor NGAF?

I think Sangfor NGAF is more valuable than Cisco products because of its simplicity and ease of management. If I comp...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sangfor NGAF?

The licensing cost is quite high compared to other available firewalls in the market.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Sangfor NGAF?

The cost of licensing is very high compared to other firewalls available here. There should be improvements in hardwa...

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 18% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 12% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

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Cisco Secure Firewall vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 4% of the time

Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 4% of the time

Sophos Firewall vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 3% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 3% of the time

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Sophos Firewall vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 14% of the time

H3C SecPath Firewalls vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 6% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 6% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 5% of the time

More Sangfor NGAF Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

April 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

April 2026

Download Barracuda CloudGen Firewall product report

Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF

March 2026

Download Sangfor NGAF product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

Barracuda NextGen Firewall, Barracuda CloudGen Firewalls

Sangfor NGAF Firewall Platform

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate is a versatile network security tool offering features like VPN, firewall, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and scalability. It is known for its performance and integration with other Fortinet products, making it a preferred choice for robust cybersecurity.

Fortinet FortiGate stands out as a comprehensive cybersecurity solution with strong performance and ease of configuration. It delivers unified threat management, integrating features such as dynamic routing, SD-WAN support, and centralized management. Despite its strengths, improvements in the web interface's stability, pricing structures, and reporting capabilities are needed. Users seek better integration with third-party tools and automation advancements to enhance the experience further. These enhancements, alongside improvements in bandwidth management and the reduction of licensing costs, are points of interest for users looking to capitalize on FortiGate's extensive capabilities.

What are Fortinet FortiGate's key features?

VPN: Ensures secure remote connections.
Firewall: Protects against unauthorized access.
Web Filtering: Blocks malicious sites and content.
Application Control: Manages and controls applications.
Intrusion Prevention: Detects and prevents vulnerabilities.
SSL Inspection: Enhances security by inspecting encrypted traffic.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating Fortinet FortiGate?

Affordability: Offers cost-effective security solutions.
Reliability: Known for consistent and stable performance.
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other Fortinet products.
Comprehensive Protection: Provides broad threat protection capabilities.

Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries as a primary firewall system for securing internet gateways and safeguarding data centers. It supports businesses in achieving SD-WAN integration and enhances cybersecurity by providing essential features like antivirus, web filtering, and application control. Enterprises utilize FortiGate for securing remote connections and ensuring compliance with security standards, making it adaptable for different network sizes and industries.

Fortinet

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is a comprehensive network security solution that provides advanced protection for organizations of all sizes. It offers next-generation firewall capabilities, including application control, intrusion prevention, and web filtering.

With its integrated VPN functionality, it ensures secure remote access for employees. CloudGen Firewall also includes advanced threat intelligence, leveraging real-time updates to detect and block emerging threats. Its centralized management console simplifies administration and provides visibility into network traffic.

CloudGen Firewall can easily adapt to changing business needs based on its scalable architecture.

Barracuda Networks

Sangfor Next Generation Firewall (also known as NGAF) is a converged security solution providing protection against advanced threat, malware, viruses, ransomware and web-based attacks using integrated security features like firewall, IPS, anti-virus, anti-malware, APT, URL filtering, Cloud Sandbox, and WAF. As the world's first AI-enabled and fully integrated Next Generation Firewall & Web Application Firewall (WAF), NGAF offering the security visibility, real-time detection and response, simplified operation and maintenance and high-performance application layer security needed to operate an enterprise network in total security. Tested and proven to provide cutting-edge network security by ICSA Labs and endorsed by Gartner Inc., NGAF harnesses the power of Sangfor’s Neural-X threat intelligence and analytics platform and Engine Zero’s innovative malware detection to provide next-generation protection for today’s enterprise.

Sangfor

Sample Customers

Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP, Oracle, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Vodafone, Orange, BT Group, Telstra, Deutsche Telekom, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, CenturyLink, NTT Communications, Tata Communications, SoftBank, China Mobile, Singtel, Telus, Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, Telkom Indonesia, Telkom South Africa, Telmex, Telia Company, Telkom Kenya

ARZ, Bauer, CBCX Technologies, Diamant-groep, Eissmann Group Automotive, European Youth Olympics, Exalo Drilling, FineLine Technologies, Geocell, Grimaldi, Infront Sports & Media, Odlo, Schenker Deutschland AG, Tilak, Verbandsgeneinde Zell, Conservas El Cidacos S.A., Institute for Emergency Medicine and Medicine Management, Erwin Muller GmbH, Info-Tech: NGF is Champion, Schoellerbank, IZB Informatik-Zentrum, RHI AG, Berglandmilch, Antenne Bayern, Sanochemia

The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (Indonesia), Lawson, Inc. (Philippines), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (Indonesia), TEK Automotive (Italy), etc.

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs. Sangfor NGAF

April 2026

Free Report: Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs. Sangfor NGAF

Find out what your peers are saying about Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs. Sangfor NGAF and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

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