Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs Fortinet FortiClient comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco IOS SSL VPN and Fortinet FortiClient based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Enterprise Infrastructure VPN solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. Fortinet FortiClient Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The solution has good performance.""It's an ideal gateway solution for small and medium businesses, i.e., around 300 devices can be easily handled."

More Netgate TNSR Pros →

"It helps us access networks from anywhere.""It's a stable solution.""The solution is pretty fast.""The solution is very stable.""The user interface is user-friendly.""The customer service and support are the best. When it comes to support, Cisco is the best vendor ever.""The setup and installation was easy.""It's a very stable solution and I'd say it works perfectly."

More Cisco IOS SSL VPN Pros →

"It is a scalable product.""Installation was easy.""From my perspective as an end user, it's consistently stable, and I would rate the stability as a nine out of ten.""It is a feature-rich product that is easy to use and install without sacrificing security.""The stability is pretty good.""This is a solid and stable solution.""Overall Fortinet FortiClient has good functionality.""It's got a very friendly user interface."

More Fortinet FortiClient Pros →

Cons
"There must be a more easy-to-use GUI."

More Netgate TNSR Cons →

"The configuration is critical and complex.""The administration should be improved.""The solution's configuration could be made easier.""Cisco IOS SSL VPN should add a sensor that can authenticate with a fingerprint instead of having to type the username and password every time.""The solution takes some time to log in because of some unavoidable security barriers, but it would be better if that could happen faster.""The solution does not give us options if the connectivity to one server is not available.""I think the administration can be improved to include web interfaces.""It can be difficult to find service and at times we cannot connect with the internet easily."

More Cisco IOS SSL VPN Cons →

"FortiClient is not communicating with the new version of the firewall.""One area that could be improved is cost, but you've got to pay for what you get.""An area of improvement could be better integration with the active directory. I did not find it easy to configure.""It would be nice to see more in hand features in terms of the DLP, so that the solution can be integrated with the DLP, as well as more reporting features on the end point.""Sometimes there are issues when we are trying to connect.""More integration would be beneficial.""There isn't much to improve in terms of features and comparison with other vendors. It just needs to stay more up to date in catching the malware. The user interface may be improved, which would be a minor enhancement. Unlike central management, in endpoint security, the end users don't need to keep looking at the endpoint user interface. The technology is the most important thing in endpoint security.""Fortinet needs to cover more areas where threats can come from."

More Fortinet FortiClient Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "There is not a license required for this solution but the price should be less expensive."
  • More Netgate TNSR Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "I would say it is a bit expensive, but I think it is worth the price."
  • "The pricing of the solution is reasonable"
  • "There are no pricing programs for non-profit organizations and the product is otherwise expensive by comparison."
  • "FortiGate does not charge the client a licensing fee, although Cisco charges clients a couple of dollars per year for each license."
  • "The licensing fee is expensive."
  • "Cisco IOS SSL VPN comes with a cost-effective subscription."
  • "The licensing cost of the solution is on a yearly basis, and it is expensive compared to other solutions in the market."
  • "The product costs less."
  • More Cisco IOS SSL VPN Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Licensing was free up to ten users and after that, it was pretty reasonable."
  • "Anyone can download this product for free, but you have to have a FortiGate gateway that you are connecting to."
  • "An annual license costs about 1.5 to 3,000 US dollars. There are no additional costs."
  • "The price is okay and competitive."
  • "Fortinet requires you to buy a lot of product in order for you to have proper protection."
  • "FortiClient is quite reasonably priced."
  • "The pricing is reasonable."
  • "The pricing is good because you get and end-to-end security solution in one package price."
  • More Fortinet FortiClient Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:It's an ideal gateway solution for small and medium businesses, i.e., around 300 devices can be easily handled.
    Top Answer:The product is very cost-effective and has no requirement for additional licenses. The setup is not easy. Users need… more »
    Top Answer:THe solution is used as a primary gateway with two lease lines of 450 Mbps total. Around 200 users are under it. There… more »
    Top Answer:The solution's environment is stable and doesn't get disconnected every now and then.
    Top Answer:Users have to pay a yearly licensing fee for Cisco IOS SSL VPN.
    Top Answer:The solution takes some time to log in because of some unavoidable security barriers, but it would be better if that… more »
    Top Answer:Fortinet FortiClient is a feature-rich solution that is easy to use and deploy without sacrificing safety and security… more »
    Top Answer:I suggest Fortinet’s FortiEDR over FortiClient for several reasons. For starters, FortiEDR guarantees solid protection… more »
    Top Answer:What I find valuable in FortiClient is its patch management capabilities, allowing remote updates efficiently.
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    TNSR
    Cisco SSL VPN
    FortiClient
    Learn More
    Overview

    TNSR is an advanced open source-based secure networking software platform with highly-scalable packet processing, manageability, and service expansion capabilities. This video provides a high-level introduction. that address a number of commonly asked new product questions - in just a couple of minutes.

    Cisco SSL VPN solutions help you easily and securely extend the network to users who have access to the Internet and a web browser. You can customize access and extend the reach of your corporate network to individuals based on their roles, including teleworker contractors and business partners.

    FortiClient is a fabric agent that delivers endpoint protection, endpoint compliance, and secure access in a single, lightweight, lightweight client, providing visibility, information, and control to your endpoints. In addition, it enables secure, remote connectivity to the security fabric. It also integrates network and endpoint with segmentation and automation. FortiClient enables unified endpoint awareness by sharing endpoint telemetry with the security fabric. It is compatible with third-party EDR (endpoint detection and response and anti-malware solutions.

    The FortiClient fabric agent can:

    • Report on the status of a device, including firmware version and applications running.
    • Send all suspicious files to a fabric sandbox.
    • Enforce USB control, application control, URL filtering, and firmware upgrade policies.
    • Provide application firewall service and malware protection.
    • Enable devices to connect securely to the security fabric over either ZTNA tunnels or VPN (IPsec or SSL), both encrypted. The connection to the security fabric can be either a SASE service or a FortiGate next-generation firewall.

    You can purchase FortiClient with one of three levels of capability:

    Zero Trust security - The ZTNA edition enables both VPN and ZTNA encrypted tunnels, as well as USB device control and URL filtering.
    Endpoint security - The EPP/APT edition adds AI-based NGAV (next-generation antivirus), application firewall, endpoint quarantine, and support for cloud sandbox.
    Cloud-based endpoint security

    Benefits and Features

    • Fabric agent leverages integrations and provides telemetry information to the rest of the Fortinet security fabric.
    • SAAS control and web/content filtering
    • Dynamic access control helps with automation and simplifies compliance.
    • Software inventory management enables visibility as well as management of licenses.
    • Automated response detects and isolates any endpoints that may be compromised.
    • ZTNA delivers better remote access and consistent application access policies
    • Managed endpoint security services remotely assist with setup, configuration, deployment, vulnerability monitoring, and overall monitoring of endpoint security.

    Reviews from Real Users:

    PeerSpot users like that FortiClient is easy to use and integrates well with other solutions. They also appreciate the richness of its features and find it to be inexpensive in comparison to other products that require separate purchases for separate features.

    Sample Customers
    UCLA, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, shopify
    MST Systems
    Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
    Top Industries
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company16%
    Comms Service Provider12%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Government6%
    REVIEWERS
    Energy/Utilities Company16%
    Computer Software Company16%
    Comms Service Provider16%
    Financial Services Firm12%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company18%
    Financial Services Firm11%
    Educational Organization9%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company23%
    Financial Services Firm15%
    Comms Service Provider15%
    Retailer6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization35%
    Computer Software Company12%
    Comms Service Provider7%
    Government5%
    Company Size
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business27%
    Midsize Enterprise16%
    Large Enterprise56%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business49%
    Midsize Enterprise9%
    Large Enterprise43%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise21%
    Large Enterprise54%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business52%
    Midsize Enterprise22%
    Large Enterprise26%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business22%
    Midsize Enterprise45%
    Large Enterprise33%
    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. Fortinet FortiClient
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. Fortinet FortiClient and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Cisco IOS SSL VPN is ranked 10th in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN with 47 reviews while Fortinet FortiClient is ranked 2nd in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN with 84 reviews. Cisco IOS SSL VPN is rated 8.6, while Fortinet FortiClient is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Cisco IOS SSL VPN writes "The solution is very stable and scalable, but it is expensive, and the configuration is complicated". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Fortinet FortiClient writes "Easy to set up and user-friendly with good support ". Cisco IOS SSL VPN is most compared with F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM), Zyxel VPN Client, Ivanti Connect Secure, Citrix Gateway and SonicWall Netextender, whereas Fortinet FortiClient is most compared with OpenVPN Access Server, Fortinet FortiEDR, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway and Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business. See our Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. Fortinet FortiClient report.

    See our list of best Enterprise Infrastructure VPN vendors.

    We monitor all Enterprise Infrastructure VPN 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.