Darktrace vs Fortinet FortiMail comparison

Darktrace and Fortinet are both solutions in the Email Security category. Darktrace is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.1, while Fortinet is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.6. Darktrace holds a 2.0% mindshare in Email Security, compared to Fortinet’s 2.9% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Darktrace users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Fortinet users who would recommend it.

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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: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Darktrace vs. Fortinet FortiMail

June 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

Cloudflare One

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Cloudflare One is 1.7%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Darktrace is 2.0%, down from 3.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiMail is 2.9%, down from 4.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Security Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiMail	2.9%
Darktrace	2.0%
Cloudflare One	1.7%
Other	93.4%

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.

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Pasan Jayarathna

Network Security Engineer at Cyberwell Solution

Monitoring has improved data loss detection and now spots abnormal internal file transfers quickly

In my understanding, the best feature Darktrace offers is the identification of copying files, which acts as a DLP, and it is a main concern for companies because users sometimes copy data outside without knowing, especially those without a technical background. When I mention the DLP-like feature and file copying detection, the alerts have been very timely, as we get an alert within a couple of minutes, which is excellent. Even if some developers are working after hours and copying files, our SOC team detects this, and most of the time they call us so we can identify the users. The alerts are quite accurate and proactive.

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Abhimanyu Das

Senior Cybersecurity Engineer at Kyndryl

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.

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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

"It's the endpoint exposition. We don't need to expose our VPN server to the internet and need a zero-test solution. I can apply some conditional access to the endpoint that's connecting to our network to check their security policies or the security condition of their workstation. Once the workstation is trying to connect to my internal network, then I would like to check the discrete condition of these endpoints that are trying to access my internal network. We created some conditional access. We have CrowdStrike, to check if the CrowdStrike is installed, to check if it's updated, and to check for Windows updates. We created some conditional policies to check it."

"The simplicity of the solution is its valuable features as almost no effort was needed to learn the configurations. It is also one of the cheapest firewalls available in this category."

"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 One has assisted in securing my remote workforce through a SASE solution with Cloudflare One and the Workers part, although I am not currently using the Workers component."

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

"Cloudflare Access is part of the Zero Trust philosophy."

"Clover is the best product globally."

"The tool also offers good scalability, and the dashboard, along with real-time analytics, is very good."

More Cloudflare One pros

"The solution automatically monitors everything on the network to prevent anti-phishing by monitoring, responding, and restoring the system."

"The most valuable feature is the endpoint protection."

"The solution is outstanding from a monitoring perspective."

"The autonomous mode, which is the Antigena AI response, is particularly valuable."

"While it is complex, and difficult to use, once you understand the correct way to use it, it's a very good platform."

"It has helped the organization to detect any malware affecting the machines...The network monitoring and the email monitoring features are very valuable for us."

"The ability to detect activity on the network is very useful to us. Even if it's not necessarily an illegal activity, if it is abnormal activity, it is able to detect it and notify us."

"The most valuable part of the product is the whole package, as the features included in the Enterprise Immune System are complete and effective and its detection engine is ridiculously good."

More Darktrace pros

"The most valuable aspects of this solution are that it protects us from spam and phishing attacks. We had a lot of attacks coming in and then we deployed this solution and they stopped. We no longer have any spam or phishing issues."

"Clean user interface and good sandbox."

"The solution can scale."

"As Fortinet FortiMail is a stable product that runs without big issues, it has a bigger chance of getting chosen by customers over its competitors, even if its price may be a little higher."

"These days, the threats by email are very high, and this solution provides our security."

"FortiMail possesses notable strengths, and one key feature is its store-and-forward concept."

"Fortinet’s support services are good."

"The filtering is really effective to protect any mail environment of any company."

More Fortinet FortiMail pros

Cons

"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."

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

"The pricing is an area that can be improved. Pricing, as far as I recall, was the source of our problems."

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

"Operating and tuning the product is difficult."

"Automation could be improved where you can easily add a TLS and SSL certificate to an application or web app if the developer did not include it."

"The initial onboarding was causing us some confusion."

"Cloudflare One is not very powerful, but for what we require, it is basic and sufficient."

More Cloudflare One cons

"It's quite expensive to have."

"With Darktrace, at the moment, I have to almost put in a date and tell them that I want you to give me data from this date to this date."

"It is expensive, but everything else has been great so far."

"Darktrace should have more automation and integrations with other security monitoring tools."

"I would like to see more protection in the endpoint. Especially because we have a lot of people using VPNs. If they would improve end point security, it would give more control there."

"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."

"I feel that Darktrace could be improved, particularly in the support aspect which is currently very poor. We need to chase Darktrace instead of them being proactive with us."

"It takes time to go through the interface and pick up things. If it were a more straightforward interface, then it would free up time."

More Darktrace cons

"Sometimes, the tool flags legitimate incoming traffic as spam."

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

"The Ui isn't that intuitive."

"I think the security of the product could improve."

"For example, there was malware in some emails that weren't detected in some of the Fortinet FortiMail sessions, but it should have been configured from my company's end to better catch scam emails, but overall, the solution is okay."

"They should add a lot of threat-intelligence feeds from different sources - not only from one source (FortiGuard)."

"The security products stop their operations once the subscription period expires. It is a wrong policy. If I trust a product, it has to continue working even after expiry. It should have a grace period of 30, 40, or 60 days. We can extend the subscription during those days. In some places, subscription extensions can take up to six weeks. During the renewal process, the support offered by the company is very poor. It also reduces security. We pay for the expired period but do not get protection during those times. The user of Fortinet FortiMail should have a feature to see spam names."

"Fortinet FortiMail's technical support team has shortcomings and needs improvement."

More Fortinet FortiMail cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution's pricing lacks transparency."

"The solution is not that expensive."

"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."

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

"The prices are slightly expensive."

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

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

"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 product is expensive."

"This solution is expensive."

"The cost of the solution is expensive for smaller businesses. They will not be able to afford it or might not need this type of security solution."

"I am using a demo of Darktrace for deployment and testing which is free."

"The pricing is subscription-based and it is high."

"We've budgeted about 50,000 Kuwaiti dinars for the solution. That is a yearly operating cost."

"The cost of the solution can be reduced to make it more appealing to customers."

"Darktrace is pricey, but the price is reasonable for what the solution does, and it's comparable to other products."

More Darktrace pricing and cost advice

"I have no information on pricing for the competition because right now, my company is working only with Fortinet, but I can say that in general, the price for Fortinet FortiMail was accepted by the customers easily. The POC is also important when a customer is buying a solution. The customer wants to see how the product runs, and as Fortinet FortiMail is a stable product that runs without big issues, it has a bigger chance of getting chosen by customers over its competitors, even if its price may be a little higher. Pricing for the solution is competitive. Sometimes it's less, sometimes it's a little bit higher, but it isn't far from what other solutions charge."

"The product's licensing part depends on the number of mailboxes and the hard disk needed by customers. The cost of the license depends on the number of mailboxes and the number of emails."

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

"There is a license required for this solution and it is on an annual basis. I am satisfied with the price."

"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."

"I find Fortinet FortiMail pricing reasonable. There's no additional cost apart from its standard licensing fees."

"You need to pay additional fees for premium support."

"The solution is reasonably priced compared to one of its competitors."

More Fortinet FortiMail pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

18%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Financial Services Firm

Outsourcing Company

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software 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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform?

Pricing is competitive. Akamai is more expensive, in my view.

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What needs improvement with Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform?

In my opinion, Cloudflare One can be improved mainly through compatibility, as the integration should be much simpler...

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What is your primary use case for Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform?

Cloudflare One's primary use case for my organization is to protect servers and to provide remote access with the VPN...

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How does Crowdstrike Falcon compare with Darktrace?

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

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Which is better - SentinelOne or Darktrace?

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

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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

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Compared 8% of the time

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Microsoft Defender for Office 365 vs Fortinet FortiMail

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cloudflare One

July 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Darktrace

July 2026

Download Darktrace product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiMail

July 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

June 2026

Free Report: Darktrace vs. Fortinet FortiMail

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

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