Cradlepoint NetCloud vs Juniper Contrail SD-WAN comparison

Ericsson and Juniper are both solutions in the Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions category. Ericsson is ranked #14, while Juniper is ranked #15 with an average rating of 6.5. Ericsson holds a 3.0% mindshare in SDW, compared to Juniper’s 1.0% mindshare. Additionally, 50% of Ericsson users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of Juniper users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Cradlepoint NetCloud and Juniper Contrail SD-WAN are popular solutions in the SD-WAN market. Based on user reviews, Juniper Contrail SD-WAN holds an advantage in feature richness, whereas Cradlepoint NetCloud excels in deployment and support.

Features: Cradlepoint NetCloud users value its strong connectivity management, comprehensive analytics, and ease of configuration. Juniper Contrail SD-WAN users value its advanced security features, seamless integration capabilities, and superior flexibility. Juniper's feature set is viewed as more robust and versatile.

Room for Improvement: Cradlepoint NetCloud users often mention the need for enhanced scalability, more customization options, and improved user interface. Juniper Contrail SD-WAN users suggest improvements in documentation, a more intuitive management experience, and faster issue resolution. Cradlepoint's shortcomings in growth potential are more critical, whereas Juniper focuses on refining user guidance and usability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cradlepoint NetCloud is praised for its straightforward deployment process, responsive customer support, and low learning curve. Juniper Contrail SD-WAN has a complex setup but benefits from a knowledgeable support team that assists through the process. Cradlepoint’s simplified deployment gives it an edge in this section.

Pricing and ROI: Cradlepoint NetCloud is valued for its competitive pricing model, quick return on investment, and financial accessibility. Juniper Contrail SD-WAN, while more expensive, offers a strong return on investment due to its extensive features, long-term benefits, and enterprise-level capabilities. Cradlepoint’s cost-effectiveness contrasts with Juniper’s strong ROI justification based on feature set.

To learn more, read our detailed Cradlepoint NetCloud vs. Juniper Contrail SD-WAN Report (Updated: May 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cradlepoint NetCloud vs. Juniper Contrail SD-WAN

May 2025

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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 July 2025, in the Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 20.6%, down from 21.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cradlepoint NetCloud is 3.0%, up from 2.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper Contrail SD-WAN is 1.0%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions

Featured Reviews

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

A stable solution with an intuitive interface and quick customer service

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate, WatchGuard, Sophos, and SonicWall. I'm not as comfortable with SonicWall because of their UI and limitations. I prefer Fortinet above all other options. When it comes to configuration, I am confident in my ability to handle various tasks, including creating policies such as firewall rules, web policies, and application policies. Additionally, I can configure VPNs and implement load balancing, among other tasks. Overall, I feel much more comfortable working with Fortinet. Fortinet has made significant improvements by integrating AI with firewalls for threat analysis and prevention. In the past 2-3 years, they have launched FortiSASE and SIEM, and they also provide SOC services. Both Palo Alto and Fortinet FortiGate are excellent. While Fortinet FortiGate comes at higher prices, the functionality and support justify the cost. They promptly resolve firmware issues and inform all support providers about configuration changes.

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Robert-Gardner

Senior IT Analyst - Telecommunications at Coates Hire

An easy to setup solution, but it is missing useful configuration options

I use this solution to manage Cradlepoint wireless routers It lets us know whether it is online or not, and lets us do a speed test to see how quick the speed is. These are valuable features. They should change some of the configuration settings to enable it to act more as an SD-WAN box to view…

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Luis Corrochano

Presales Manager and Co-founder at Kaizen Networks

A stable and scalable solution that helps to cut cost by reducing MPLs

My customers use the solution to have better control and knowledge about the applications inside ONE Access. It also helps them cut costs by reducing MPLs and using better internet access from FTTH. The solution is expensive. Its support can be better. The tool is stable. The solution is more…

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is load balancing. It can provide central management and VPNA. Additionally, it has enhanced our security environment."

"The feature I like most is the SD-WAN. It allows you to manage more than one ISP at the same time. And there is a high-availability mode, so if one of your ISPs is down, you still have a backup."

"Customers want to load balance more than eight lines or six internet lines. FortiGate is the only solution that can accomplish this."

"Our project needs to link two sides through the internet. One of these was in Cairo and the other in another city. We used FortiGate as the integrating solution between the two locations, i.e. the Fortinet 30E & 100E."

"They are very affordable compared to Palo Alto and other vendors, offering a great solution for networking and SD-WAN with extremely good protection."

"The features that I have found most valuable are the SD-WAN and their IP4 policy."

"Using this product makes the VPN seamless and almost invisible to me in the sense that I don't have to think about it."

"The ability to set up remote systems is the most valuable feature."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"I rate the overall solution as ten out of ten."

"Cradlepoint NetCloud is very stable."

"Cradlepoint provides real value in its focus on wireless WAN connectivity."

"It is easy to set up and requires a single administrator to maintain it."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is the automatic failover."

"I've worked with several SD-WAN solutions over the past few years, and the product felt more like an automated provisioning tool. Unlike solutions from Palo Alto or other SD-WANs orchestrated by a SaaS solution, Juniper Contrail SD-WAN already had the files and built their SaaS to orchestrate the configuration. Initially, you didn't do much, but then it started adding some routing capabilities."

"My customers use the solution to have better control and knowledge about the applications inside ONE Access. It also helps them cut costs by reducing MPLs and using better internet access from FTTH."

"The solution is more specific about what's happening since it explains where the problem may lie and points out areas where there is a problem. So, we like that it provides more visibility."

"The support is very good from Juniper and from the local distributors."

"It supports desktop management, network management, and SD-WAN policies."

"It gives you that level of visibility to understand what's going on between layer four and layer seven."

Cons

"I would like to see more advanced developments of a wireless controller in the future."

"Price, of course, can always be more competitive or better."

"If I had any criticism that I would give FortiGate, it would be that they need to stop changing their logging format. Every time we do a firmware upgrade, it is a massive issue on the SIM. Parsers have to be rebuilt. Even the FortiGate guys came in and said that they don't play well in the sandbox."

"There could be more integration between the logging and analytical platforms to make it more seamless and integrated."

"They can do more tests before they release new versions because I would like to be more assured. We had some experiences where they release something new and great, but some of the old features are disabled or they don't work well, which impacts the product satisfaction. The manufacturer should be able to prove that everything works or not only that it might work. This is applicable to most of the other services, software, and hardware companies. They all should work on this. We cannot trust every new release, such as a beta release, on the first day. We wait for some comments on the forums and from other companies that we know. We always wait a few weeks before we use the updated version. They should also extend the VPN client application, especially for Linux versions. Currently, it has an application for Linux devices, but it doesn't work the way we want to connect to the VPN. They use only the old connection, not the new one. They have VPN client applications for Windows and Mac, but they can add more useful features to better manage the devices and monitor the current health of each device. Such features would be helpful for our company."

"My only complaint about FortiGate is a lack of QinQ VLAN tunneling. I haven't found this feature in any Fortinet product. You can do this on all Cisco routers, including the smaller models. However, QinQ isn't available on the biggest, most expensive Fortinet units. They still don't have that. I think now we're on software version 6.0, and they still haven't found a solution for QinQ. It isn't a dealbreaker, but that's my main complaint."

"With the reports, you can see it, and you can get good feelings so upper management can go, "Oh, wow. That looks pretty." However, it's very basic."

"They are doing good, but they can improve the distributor assignment. The availability of the product and the timeline of delivery are the main things. The distribution should be swift, and the distributor should not reach out to end customers directly. They should work as a distributor. There should also be one more local distributor. Currently, there is only one distributor in Pakistan, and the rest of them are in UAE. It is difficult to work with only one distributor. Sometimes, you don't get along with the same distributor, and that's why they should have one more distributor. Their licensing should also be improved. The activation or renewal of the product should be done from the date of renewal, not from the date on which the license expired."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"It is missing important settings options."

"There are areas for improvement, particularly at the lower end of the medium enterprise market."

"In our situation, the initial setup was complex."

"Cradlepoint's portfolio is lacking budget-friendly options."

"The performance of group-based clouds should be enhanced."

"Areas for improvement in the Juniper Contrail SD-WAN solution include the on-premises deployment process."

"Implementing new branches or changing existing ones in Juniper Contrail SD-WAN wasn't as straightforward as with other solutions like Meraki SD-WAN, which is almost plug-and-play with its zero-touch provisioning. In Juniper Contrail SD-WAN, it was more challenging."

"The training could be better. When it comes to the demo dashboard capability, I feel like it could be much easier for our customers to use. Our last customer complained about this."

"The solution is expensive. Its support can be better."

"The only issue was the switch we got, which was a little problematic because it was PoC equipment, and we had a little problem with that."

"The solution installs similarly to competitors. It is not more difficult or easier. However, it could be easier and take less time for the installation."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"If the price of the license in Fortinet FortiGate was less expensive it would be better."

"I had to pay for the license for the firewall, but it is guaranteed to have updates. I expect a good service for it. It was about €1000 for a year, and there was no additional cost."

"The price is okay."

"The price of Fortinet FortiGate is affordable. Most of our customers are on a three-year license to use the solution. All the features and support are included in the price."

"Fortinet costs are 25% lower than the high-cost provider. There is an equipment cost and a recurring monthly cost for licenses and technical support."

"Fortinet prices are around $600 for the small 40F model, and for licenses, the simplest option is about $300 for a year. They sell licenses that can last for 1, 2, 3, or 5 years."

"The pricing is justified. It's a little pricey, but what you pay for is what you get."

"Its pricing is good. The advantages of Fortinet FortiGate over its competitors include good pricing and meeting our requirements at a lower cost."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"Cradlepoint's prices are on par with similar solutions."

"Yearly licenses are available."

"The annual cost is less than $200,000 yet more than $150,000.00."

"The cost of the solution is a little expensive. The hardware is a one-time purchase fee and the software is purchased on an annual basis. There are additional costs for other software features that are available which are on an annual basis, such as extra capacity."

"The licensing structure is very flexible."

"They are neither very expensive nor cheap. So, we can consider its pricing somewhere in the middle."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Educational Organization

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Government

Construction Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

20%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Real Estate/Law Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

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...

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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...

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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 ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cradlepoint NetCloud?

Cradlepoint's pricing is viewed as market competitive, offering good value for the money invested. While some custome...

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What needs improvement with Cradlepoint NetCloud?

There are areas for improvement, particularly at the lower end of the medium enterprise market. Cradlepoint's portfol...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cradlepoint NetCloud?

I use Ericsson, the parent company of Cradlepoint, to provide solutions for wireless WAN technology. Customers are se...

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What do you like most about Juniper Contrail SD-WAN?

I've worked with several SD-WAN solutions over the past few years, and the product felt more like an automated provis...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Juniper Contrail SD-WAN?

My advice regarding setup costs, pricing, and licensing for Juniper Contrail SD-WAN would be to carefully evaluate an...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Juniper Contrail SD-WAN?

Implementing new branches or changing existing ones in Juniper Contrail SD-WAN wasn't as straightforward as with othe...

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos XG vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 20% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 12% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 12% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

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Peplink SpeedFusion vs Cradlepoint NetCloud

Compared 53% of the time

Meraki SD-WAN vs Cradlepoint NetCloud

Compared 22% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Cradlepoint NetCloud

Compared 7% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Cradlepoint NetCloud

Compared 7% of the time

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Juniper Mist Edge vs Juniper Contrail SD-WAN

Compared 18% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Juniper Contrail SD-WAN

Compared 18% of the time

More Juniper Contrail SD-WAN Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

June 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions

May 2025

Download Cradlepoint NetCloud product report

Buyer's Guide

Juniper Contrail SD-WAN

June 2025

Download Juniper Contrail SD-WAN product report

Also Known As

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

No data available

Contrail SD-WAN

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate offers comprehensive network security and firewall protection across multiple locations. It effectively manages data traffic and secures environments with features like VPN, intrusion prevention, and UTM controls.

Organizations rely on Fortinet FortiGate for its robust integration with advanced security policies, ensuring significant protection for enterprises, cloud environments, and educational sectors. It facilitates network segmentation, application-level security, and authentication management, securing communication within and between locations such as branches and data centers. Its efficient SD-WAN and UTM features enable streamlined data management and enhanced threat protection capabilities. Users appreciate its centralized management, facilitating seamless operations across diverse environments.

What are the key features of Fortinet FortiGate?

VPN Capabilities: Ensure secure remote access for users and seamless site-to-site connections.
Intrusion Prevention System (IPS): Detect and prevent security threats and vulnerabilities.
Advanced Firewall: Offers robust firewalling with application control and web filtering.
SD-WAN: Optimizes application performance and enhances bandwidth management.
SSL VPN: Provides reliable and secure access for remote workers.

What benefits should users expect from Fortinet FortiGate?

High-performance Security: Delivers effective threat mitigation with high availability.
Centralized Management: Simplifies network operations with cloud-based management tools.
Detailed Analytics: Provides comprehensive insights into network activity and security threats.
Load Balancing: Ensures optimal resource distribution and traffic management.

Fortinet FortiGate is crucial in sectors like education, offering robust networks for secure data flow between campuses and facilitating remote learning. In enterprise environments, it allows efficient management of application traffic and security across multiple branches, while in the cloud, it seamlessly integrates with diverse platforms to enhance security infrastructure.

Fortinet

Cradlepoint’s NetCloud is an integrated platform that connects modern enterprises from the Edge to the cloud to ensure pervasive connectivity and greater availability. It combines advanced Enterprise Software-Defined Network (SDN) and Software-Defined Perimeter (SD-P) technologies that enable dynamic connectivity and network management of fixed branch locations, vehicles, and M2M/IoT deployments within one pane of glass platform.

Ericsson

Contrail SD-WAN delivers a simple, automated multicloud SD-WAN. It enables you to create an evolvable architecture to simplify growth, from secure routers to SD-WAN, SD-Branch, and beyond. It automates the WAN edge across Juniper virtual cloud endpoints and on-premises next-generation firewall or universal CPE platforms. And it provisions and enforces multilevel security policy at scale, across multiple clouds and enterprise sites with diverse topologies.

Juniper

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

City of San Antonio, Statue Cruises, Tour Dubai, St. David's Foundation, JBT, DSC Dredge

Allied Pinnacle

Buyer's Guide

Cradlepoint NetCloud vs. Juniper Contrail SD-WAN

May 2025

Free Report: Cradlepoint NetCloud vs. Juniper Contrail SD-WAN

Find out what your peers are saying about Cradlepoint NetCloud vs. Juniper Contrail SD-WAN and other solutions. Updated: May 2025.

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