Darktrace vs Fortinet FortiMail comparison

Darktrace and Fortinet are both solutions in the Email Security category. Darktrace is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.1, while Fortinet is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.7. Darktrace holds a 2.0% mindshare in Email Security, compared to Fortinet’s 3.2% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Darktrace users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Fortinet users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2026

Fortinet FortiMail and Darktrace compete in the cybersecurity market, focusing on email protection and network security. Fortinet FortiMail appears to hold the upper hand with its comprehensive integration capabilities and cost-effectiveness for mid-sized enterprises, while Darktrace excels in advanced AI features for threat detection.

Features: Fortinet FortiMail is known for anti-spam, antivirus, and sandboxing capabilities, seamlessly integrating with FortiSandbox. It's praised for ease of configuration and strong reporting features. Darktrace stands out for its AI-driven anomaly detection and autonomous threat response, offering detailed network activity views and significant threat insights.

Room for Improvement: Fortinet FortiMail users seek an enhanced user interface and more intuitive configuration. There's a need for better threat detection and third-party solution integration. Darktrace users mention simplifying false positive reports, improving integration capabilities, and addressing dashboard complexity alongside pricing concerns.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortinet FortiMail is primarily on-premises, with public and hybrid cloud options but criticized for difficult configuration. Support is inconsistent, with varied feedback on service speed. Darktrace offers flexible deployment across environments, praised for ease of use and generally positive support feedback, though premium costs are noted.

Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiMail provides competitive pricing appealing to mid-sized enterprises, with annual or multi-year options. It's seen as cost-effective with significant ROI in email management. Darktrace is described as expensive, potentially prohibitive for smaller businesses, yet its high effectiveness in threat detection justifies the investment for larger enterprises.

To learn more, read our detailed Darktrace vs. Fortinet FortiMail Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Darktrace vs. Fortinet FortiMail

April 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 893,311 peers since 2012

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

Cloudflare One

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Cloudflare One is 1.7%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Darktrace is 2.0%, down from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiMail is 3.2%, down from 4.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Security Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiMail	3.2%
Darktrace	2.0%
Cloudflare One	1.7%
Other	93.1%

Email Security

Featured Reviews

Cobe Van Coller

Network Architect at IP Dimension

Cloud security has improved remote access and has reduced costs for smaller client sites

I have used Cloudflare One's Identity-Aware Proxy, and it is quite straightforward from what I have seen so far. The app registration on the Azure side integrates fully into Cloudflare, and I am very satisfied with that part because it is easy to set up. The integration of Cloudflare One's Secure Web Gateway and Zero Trust Network Access works without any issues. That part is pretty automatic, and if you complete the rest of the setup, it comes together by itself with no issues from my side. What makes it nice is that we can actually start replacing on-site firewalls at this stage for the smaller clients because it does not matter if they go to a coffee shop or work from home; they are still secured by the same connection. The hops get shorter and you get better latency. We have done testing to see if it is better. One thing that we did notice with our proof of concept with our current client is that they have people connecting from the UK. When they used their previous VPN solution, uploading CAD drawings and other files to the server took a long time. They mentioned that it is much quicker on Cloudflare One's solution. I definitely believe that is part of the improved performance, and I am satisfied with that as well. What is nice about Cloudflare One is that it makes the setup easier and also easier to train technicians to maintain it. Compared to legacy systems, we do not need to get fancy firewalls in place that are costly. That is definitely also a cost-saver with Cloudflare One.

Read full review

Anil M

Technical Consultant - Unix Platform Services at BITS AND BYTE IT CONSULTING PVT LTD

Consistent threat hunting and anomaly detection deliver valuable insights for network security management

In terms of improvement for Darktrace, pricing is the main concern. Pricing bothers me and this is one of the major factors when choosing a solution. When we get feedback from customers, that's the only felt need. When we factor in Darktrace, we do it only limited. We put it on where the perimeters and connections are, but still, some gray areas are left out, especially if we have multiple branches. We need Darktrace on each branch to get the data out, and I suggest having some kind of a centralized product that gets data from multiple sources to aggregate and provide the data.

Read full review

Abhimanyu Das

Senior Associate at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Targeted email filtering has reduced spam and phishing and now saves significant investigation time

The best features of Fortinet FortiMail include its techniques and tactics, which are highly effective compared to other solutions such as Microsoft 365. Although Fortinet FortiMail may not be as advanced in some aspects, it is well recognized for its strong performance in handling spam and phishing. It performs thorough mail scanning and also offers a sandboxing feature that enhances protection. Fortinet FortiMail has had a positive impact on my organization by significantly reducing unwanted email activities such as spam and phishing. It provides accurate detection and generates results that often exceed what can be achieved through manual analysis. Since deploying Fortinet FortiMail, I have observed a reduction in investigation time by at least 20 to 30 percent.

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

"The solution has different options that can be used to differentiate DDoS attacks."

"It's a perfect solution from my perspective; it's easy to understand and easy to configure."

"It will take the blow rather than our applications should an attack occur."

"Cloudflare is simple to use."

"What makes it nice is that we can actually start replacing on-site firewalls at this stage for the smaller clients because it does not matter if they go to a coffee shop or work from home; they are still secured by the same connection."

"Cloudflare Access is a stable solution."

"Cloudflare, in my opinion, was easy to implement."

"The capabilities of the software are strong enough for me to do what it's supposed to do. For me, we don't need to do a lot of configuration on our site. We just enable it and monitor it."

More Cloudflare One pros

"The NDR is good in their solution and they have NTG for email."

"The main valuable feature is that we don't need a lot of analysts. With few analysts, we have all the network monitored, 24/7."

"The product offers us a very good user interface and we've found the network visibility to be very good so far."

"We liked their approach to identifying intrusions or network anomalies using AI."

"I particularly like Antigena and the analytics around the real-time monitoring of our network. I also like its reporting because it has got a seven-day reporting period within the system. Every time you run the reports, it gives you the data about the previous seven days. I like that because it is in real-time. I enjoy reading those reports and getting a very clear and decisive idea of what's happening on my network on a real-time basis. I like the actual real-time monitoring of spoofing and things like that. I also like the user monitoring as well as the network logging capabilities."

"The most valuable feature is the solution's ability to trim out the false positives and point your attention to the real important stuff."

"The most valuable feature of Darktrace and the most valuable feature is the artificial intelligence module because that is the tool that determines automatically if there is any risk or not in the network."

"The most valuable feature is that it gives us visibility of rogue traffic that is on the network."

More Darktrace pros

"Technical support is great. They're available 24/7 and their response time is typically within the hour."

"The technical support is excellent."

"It is a very reliable program and it works great."

"It has a very high level of security through special licensing with solutions like FortiGuard, sandboxing solutions in the cloud, and URL rewriting solutions."

"Its performance is very good and it is stable."

"This solution has protected us from email spam and from phishing."

"Fortinet FortiMail has a lot of valuable features. It works great. It also has an antivirus feature. Support for Fortinet FortiMail was also great when my team wanted to block some geographic IPs, but couldn't figure out how to do it. The support team provided clear communication on how to resolve that issue. Another valuable feature of Fortinet FortiMail is SPAM filtering which tells you how many spammy emails you've received. Based on my current use cases, I'm happy with Fortinet FortiMail."

"Fortinet FortiMail positively impacts my organization by reducing mail activities such as spam and phishing, and I have noticed specific outcomes since deploying it, such as reducing my time by a minimum of 20 to 30 percent."

More Fortinet FortiMail pros

Cons

"The tool should provide on-premise versions. Currently, all versions are cloud-based."

"Lacks a VPN feature to provide a secure connection to the data center."

"From a logging perspective, it is still a bit difficult to see exactly what users are being blocked with the current views."

"Feedback could be enhanced. While I work efficiently with Clover as a partner in Mexico City, sometimes the information and requests are easier to manage with more concrete solutions."

"Our subscription plan for the solution has a limitation of bot signatures."

"Our customers no longer use Cloudflare because its service is subpar."

"They don't have a person to provide support for customers using the solution under their free plan."

"There are premium tier live service and lower tier live service, so we opted for the lower tier. But there is no medium tier where we pay a little extra and get a bit more service. So if that can be improved."

More Cloudflare One cons

"The technical support is not very good."

"A reporting portal could be a great addition to help customize reports."

"The pricing is based on the number of endpoints, so the program is rather expensive."

"I'd love them to see maybe covering the cloud a bit more."

"In terms of improvements, fine-tuning is the area where we have to spend some time because it works on unsupervised machine learning."

"This product needs more in terms of prevention. The detection capabilities work well but once a threat has been detected, Darktrace should work to prevent it from doing anything malicious."

"Darktrace does not have any capabilities to configure. So I would like to see supervised machines and capabilities in the next version."

"The cost of the solution is quite high."

More Darktrace cons

"The biggest room for improvement would be the deployment. It will be hard for someone who doesn't understand the interface to deploy. If you understand it, you can find your way around the problems."

"My customers frequently ask to have detailed documentation for FortiMail and FortiWeb as they have in FortiGate. What they currently have is not enough."

"In the Latin America market, some spam messages use Portuguese language. Some clearly spam messages would be better identified by the anti-spam if not for the language."

"The solution lacks to provide more visibility when there is a problem, and it needs to be tracked."

"The solution could improve by making the UI more user-friendly and increasing spam and threat detection capabilities."

"In the future, I would like it if there's a possibility to lower the price of the bandwidth and UTM. It is quite expensive."

"It's difficult for me to talk about areas for improvement in Fortinet FortiMail because I'm the general manager of the company and I'm an engineer with knowledge about the solution, but I'm not deeply involved in its implementation. As I mentioned previously, Fortinet FortiMail is also being used within the company, and I'm happy with its functionality, but sometimes, attacks pass and avoid the Fortinet FortiMail filters, but those could be very sophisticated attacks. There could still be an improvement in the filtering feature of the solution, though the security of Fortinet FortiMail is okay for me because I believe you can't implement one hundred percent security in any solution. The initial setup for the solution also needs improvement. The setup is supposed to be simple, but then the customer starts to complain that some of the false positive emails are reaching quarantine, so my team has to configure it again. There have been instances when Fortinet FortiMail rejects valid emails because some of the service partners of the customer have not been configured accurately, so the system considered valid mails as attacks to be quarantined, so aside from improving the filters, there should also be an improvement in the categorization of emails in the server. My team has to modify the configuration so that valid emails could pass and for Fortinet FortiMail to correctly filter the SPAM traffic. A feature that could be added to Fortinet FortiMail in its next release is advanced AI, so it can analyze and decide accurately on which mail is valid and which mail is SPAM."

"The solution's pricing is flexible and can be adjusted for African utility companies. Microsoft often offers special pricing formulas for African governments and organizations and it is similar to Fortinet FortiMail. In my country, government institutions receive discounted pricing from Fortinet FortiMail."

More Fortinet FortiMail cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"My company has to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the solution. There are no hidden charges apart from the licensing costs of the solution."

"The solution is not that expensive."

"The price tag is no longer $200,000, but rather $300,000 to $400,000. It's twice."

"The prices are slightly expensive."

"The pricing is somewhere in the middle. I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten."

"The solution's pricing lacks transparency."

"Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform's pricing is good."

"The pricing of the solution is cheap. The licensing cost is also very low. I rate the cost and pricing a three out of ten."

"It's an expensive solution."

"The product is expensive."

"It is pretty expensive, but it is worth it. Its licensing is yearly."

"The tool's pricing is costly."

"When it comes to large installations, it can be expensive, but for small accounts it's fine."

"I'm unfamiliar with the exact cost, but we have a yearly license and had to pay for Darktrace's services before the deployment. The product is very expensive, so some organizations can't afford to pay the total amount directly, meaning they often seek a partner or pay in installments, which increases the price more."

"The price of the solution is not cheap. It is not a one-time purchase, there is a subscription that needs to be paid every one to five years depending on your choice. It is expensive but you can reduce the price by only using the services that you want."

"It is a very expensive product."

More Darktrace pricing and cost advice

"The fees for Fortinet FortiMail can be complicated. However, overall the pricing is fair."

"Price-wise, you get what you pay for in Fortinet FortiMail. Apart from the licensing costs, no additional expenses are attached to the solution's pricing."

"There is either an annual or six-month charge to use this solution. Fortinet FortiMail is cheaper than Proofpoint or Cisco Security, or other email security appliances."

"Fortinet FortiMail is inexpensive."

"Price-wise, the solution is not far from Microsoft ATP. So, it is affordable."

"Compared to its competitors, Fortinet's products are available at a higher price range."

"In terms of licensing, we are using a virtual machine license for the single virtual server which it runs on. Doing it this way enables us to cut costs by only licensing FortiMail for our exact use case. If you need to expand in future, you can later buy extra licenses per virtual machine."

"It is reasonable."

More Fortinet FortiMail pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

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

See recommendations

893,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

20%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Government

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	12

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	44
Midsize Enterprise	20
Large Enterprise	29

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	32
Midsize Enterprise	23
Large Enterprise	15

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access has strong integration with Microsoft, among other platforms. However, when it comes to Kaspersky, ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access provides secure access to internal applications for employees, external members of the organization...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access is one of the best integrations available. While about two hundred vendors offer similar services, ...

See all answers

How does Crowdstrike Falcon compare with Darktrace?

Both of these products perform similarly and have many outstanding attributes. CrowdStrike Falcon offers an amazing u...

See all answers

Which is better - SentinelOne or Darktrace?

Which solution is better depends on which is more suitable specifically for your company. Darktrace, for example, is ...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Darktrace?

Concerning pricing for the product, I would say it is somewhat expensive.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiMail?

The setup cost is a little bit costly.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiMail?

I think they should improve Fortinet FortiMail on-premises by enhancing its user interface. Additional features they ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiMail?

I do have a partnership with Fortinet. I have been both a partner and reseller.

See all answers

Comparisons

Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Cloudflare One

Compared 5% of the time

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

FortiSASE vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

Twingate vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

More Cloudflare One Competitors

Vectra AI vs Darktrace

Compared 6% of the time

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Darktrace

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs Darktrace

Compared 3% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint vs Darktrace

Compared 2% of the time

ExtraHop Reveal(x) vs Darktrace

Compared 2% of the time

More Darktrace Competitors

Cisco Secure Email vs Fortinet FortiMail

Compared 8% of the time

Proofpoint Email Protection vs Fortinet FortiMail

Compared 7% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP) vs Fortinet FortiMail

Compared 6% of the time

Perception Point Advanced Email Security vs Fortinet FortiMail

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Fortinet FortiMail

Compared 5% of the time

More Fortinet FortiMail Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cloudflare One

May 2026

Download Cloudflare One product report

Buyer's Guide

Darktrace

May 2026

Download Darktrace product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiMail

May 2026

Download Fortinet FortiMail product report

Also Known As

Cloudflare Area 1 Email Security, Cloudflare Bot Management, Cloudflare Gateway, Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform, Cloudflare DDoS, Cloudflare SASE & SSE Platform

No data available

FortiMail

Overview

Cloudflare One is a comprehensive platform for security, performance, and connectivity. It provides features like rate limiting, DDoS protection, and application access, tailored to enhance user experience while securing internet access and accelerating communications.

Designed to integrate security measures with ease of use and scalability, Cloudflare One offers a secure web gateway and zero trust network access. These features ensure seamless setup and operation, making connectivity reliable and protected. Users appreciate its integrated console, intuitive interface, and the ability to manage risk effectively. It offers straightforward deployment, improves latency, and boasts cost-effectiveness. While its onboarding process and documentation need enhancement, its value in content delivery and application shielding is notable. Despite challenges in integrating Cloudflare Access with existing VPNs and the need for better automation and support, it remains vital for DNS and infrastructure protection.

What features make Cloudflare One stand out?

Rate Limiting: Controls the traffic rate to prevent abuse.
DDoS Protection: Shields applications from distributed denial-of-service attacks.
Secure Web Gateway: Provides secure internet access with seamless operation.
Zero Trust Network Access: Ensures secure, application-based connectivity without relying on traditional VPNs.
Access for Connectivity: Facilitates access to internal applications securely.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Security: Robust measures for DNS and browsing protection.
Performance: Enhanced site accessibility and communication speed.
Cost-Effectiveness: Offers competitive pricing for its features.
Ease of Deployment: Straightforward and efficient setup process.

In industries like finance, retail, and technology, Cloudflare One is crucial for enabling secure remote access and protecting web applications against dynamic threats. It supports compliance access policies and enhances content delivery, playing a key role in safeguarding digital infrastructure.

Cloudflare

Darktrace revolutionizes network security with AI-driven alerts, anomaly detection, and robust visibility across networks. It autonomously detects threats, minimizing the need for human oversight, and offers efficient IP identification with minimal false positives.

Darktrace uses advanced AI analytics to enhance network protection. Its powerful real-time threat response capabilities and self-learning enable thorough monitoring and insightful analysis of network activities. While providing scalable and reliable security, users seek improvements in false positive reduction, user-friendly interfaces, and pricing. Enhanced third-party integration, more effective dashboards, and centralized automation features remain top priorities. Users benefit greatly from its Antigena feature, offering automated responses like blocking suspicious connections for robust network defense.

What Are Darktrace's Key Features?

AI-Driven Alerts: Provides real-time alerts for threat detection.
Anomaly Detection: Identifies unusual network activities with precision.
Real-Time Threat Response: Autonomously counteracts potential threats.
Comprehensive Monitoring: Offers detailed network activity insights.
Scalability: Adapts to expanding network environments effectively.

Which Benefits Should Users Consider in Reviews?

Stability: Reliable performance ensures constant protection.
Efficient Cloud Protection: Safeguards data across cloud infrastructures.
Intuitive Interface: Facilitates easy navigation and efficient operations.
Network Visibility: Enhances understanding of network traffic and activities.
Automated Threat Blocking: Quick response to potential network breaches.

In industries employing Darktrace, it is pivotal in securing LAN networks, analyzing behavioral patterns, and detecting internal and external threats. Adoption alongside platforms like F5 and SAP enhances incident response, traffic analysis, and threat identification, utilizing Antigena for proactive security measures.

Darktrace

Fortinet FortiMail is a robust email security platform offering anti-spam, antivirus, and anti-phishing capabilities. It integrates with Fortinet products to ensure seamless protection against email threats in on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, enhancing secure communication for businesses.

Fortinet FortiMail is designed to protect against a range of email threats including spam, phishing, and malware, ensuring email safety for organizations. It operates as both a gateway and server, allowing for secure filtering of incoming and outgoing emails. The integration with Fortinet’s suite of security tools provides a comprehensive approach to managing threats effectively, while user-friendly interfaces and detailed reporting systems aid in threat monitoring and management. Frequent updates are implemented, though scalability and web console enhancements are necessary for improved performance.

What are the key features of Fortinet FortiMail?

Anti-Spam: Provides reliable filtering to block unwanted emails.
Antivirus: Ensures protection against harmful viruses.
Anti-Phishing: Prevents phishing attempts through advanced detection.
Sandboxing: Enhances threat detection to manage email security efficiently.
Integration: Seamlessly works with other Fortinet products for unified security.

What benefits should users expect from Fortinet FortiMail?

Comprehensive Security: Offers robust protection against multiple email threats.
Ease of Use: Features a user-friendly interface for better accessibility.
Detailed Reporting: Provides insights into threat management activities.
Reliable Performance: Delivers consistent updates for maintaining email protection.

Fortinet FortiMail is implemented by companies across industries seeking to secure their email communications. In healthcare, it protects sensitive patient information, while in finance, it safeguards transactional data against phishing attacks. Retailers utilize FortiMail to prevent data breaches from fraudulent emails, demonstrating its versatility in diverse sectors.

Fortinet

Sample Customers

23andMe

Irwin Mitchell, Open Energi, Wellcome Trust, FirstGroup plc, Virgin Trains, Drax, QUI! Group, DNK, CreaCard, Macrosynergy, Sisley, William Hill plc, Toyota Canada, Royal British Legion, Vitol, Allianz, KKR, AIRBUS, dpd, Billabong, Mclaren Group.

Magromer Cueros y Pieles S.A.

Buyer's Guide

Darktrace vs. Fortinet FortiMail

April 2026

Free Report: Darktrace vs. Fortinet FortiMail

Find out what your peers are saying about Darktrace vs. Fortinet FortiMail and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

893,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Darktrace vs. Fortinet FortiMail report.

See our list of best Email Security vendors.

We monitor all Email Security 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.