Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs Hillstone E-Series comparison

Forcepoint and Hillstone Networks are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Forcepoint is ranked #18 with an average rating of 7.7, while Hillstone Networks is ranked #38 with an average rating of 8.0. Forcepoint holds a 0.9% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to Hillstone Networks’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 79% of Forcepoint users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Hillstone Networks users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall and Hillstone E-Series compete in network security solutions. Hillstone E-Series is favored for its higher perceived value despite its pricing.

Features: Forcepoint's advanced threat protection, application control, and centralized management are valuable features. Hillstone E-Series is praised for its robust threat detection, flexible deployment options, and comprehensive reporting capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Feedback on Forcepoint suggests improvements in the complexity of initial setup and the learning curve for new users. For Hillstone E-Series, users mention enhanced documentation and better customer support response times as areas needing attention.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Forcepoint is appreciated for its straightforward deployment process and responsive customer service. Hillstone E-Series is noted for its flexible deployment options but faces criticism for slower customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Users find Forcepoint's setup costs to be higher but see a good return on investment due to its effectiveness in maintaining network security. Hillstone E-Series is perceived as cost-effective with competitive pricing and satisfactory ROI, making it appealing for budget-conscious buyers.

To learn more, read our detailed Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs. Hillstone E-Series Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs. Hillstone E-Series

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 May 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 16.0%, down from 21.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall is 0.9%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Hillstone E-Series is 0.6%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	16.0%
Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall	0.9%
Hillstone E-Series	0.6%
Other	82.5%

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.

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Ajit Pratap Kundan

Pre Sales Lead Government & Defense at Accops Systems Pvt Ltd

Unified security management has improved traffic control and simplified remote workforce access

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall does help in vulnerability identification and response by providing a single unified console through which I am able to monitor and manage infrastructure. The URL filtering capability of Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall helps in blocking malicious sites. We have to take care of both known threats and unknown threats. The firewall takes care of known threats, and we protect ourselves from unknown threats such as malicious code and malware that we cannot create firewall rules for. With these routing capabilities and policies, only whitelisted things get processed or passed. The biggest advantages of Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall, especially as a partner, service provider, and integrator, are that it is very easy to integrate these APIs with our solution, and most of the features I am getting in the clientless mode. Even with the client mode, it is easy to integrate with our client, allowing the customer to get a single client to address all the features of the firewall as well as the GTNA perspective. The flexibility of deployment, especially for the government and defense sectors, is that they want an on-premises solution, while the rest of the PSUs or enterprise segment are comfortable with the cloud offering, which is the SaaS offering and the way to go in the future.

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TahirMahmood

IT Manager at Zubair Feeds

Offers good features like URL filtering, IPS, and IDS to users

We received an update for the tool in July. The update was provided for the tool as there was a problem with the firewall, where too much memory was consumed, and the firewall was hanging a lot. When we updated the tool's features, everything became okay. The tool only had some memory-related problems. It took the tool a month to fix the issues.

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

"It is an excellent product and works extremely well."

"The combined license for the network, the next-generation firewall, and the integration with SD-WAN for all branches are what I consider to be the best features. It's effective for multi-branch customers."

"I like Fortinet's cloud management. It allows me to manage all my devices in different branches for three cloud accounts. Even though I use on-prem devices, I can manage everything on the cloud."

"Reliability and performance, those are key factors."

"I only deal with it from a security analyst's point of view. I don't really get into the features of the actual FortiGate. From the security point of view, it works, and it does its job."

"Fortigate 300c is a very robust product, unlike Cisco ASA Firewall, you have already the web gui interface inside the device."

"Fortinet FortiGate brings numerous benefits to my company."

"It is a one box solution, which covers most of the edge device’s requirements."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"The most valuable feature of this solution is the support."

"When comparing this solution to others this one has better reporting, user management, and is easy to use."

"It is a scalable solution."

"One of the most valuable features is having the ability to cluster multiple firewalls even if they are different versions."

"The feature that we like the most about Forcepoint is that we know the technology and have confidence in it. We can have several functionalities to simplify operations and management. We can combine functionalities like log ownership to review the number of devices in the infrastructure."

"It provides decent protection for the LAN, especially in run mode."

"This is a good product and I have already recommended it to one of my friends that is now implementing it in the educational sector."

"Previously, it was very difficult to handle all traffic because multiple locations experienced downtime, firewalls went down, and internet connectivity issues occurred, but after Forcepoint SD-WAN solutions were deployed across different locations, all traffic goes through Wi-Fi solutions, which are directly connected to Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall, making it very easy, time-saving, and improving security."

More Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall pros

"Working with the Hillstone E-Series has, from a remote perspective, allowed me to give my clients a secure connectivity."

"This solution has two main features that we find very valuable; a threat-intelligence option, and a web/application filtering option. The technical support team are very good and very quick."

"This solution has two main features that we find very valuable; a threat-intelligence option, and a web/application filtering option."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is the ransomware protection that the tool offers."

"If an organization is not looking for a web proxy, it's a very, very good product."

"With Hillstone, TCO and ROI are very good, it's an easy sale."

"The most valuable feature of the Hillstone E-Series is its user-friendliness."

"Very reliable solution with good scalability and straightforward implementation."

More Hillstone E-Series pros

Cons

"The learning curve is a bit higher."

"The web filtering categories could improve in Fortinet FortiGate IPS. There are too many websites under the category of Unknown and the other categories are not featuring all the necessary sites."

"I would like to see improvements with the antivirus and IPS as they are not working properly all the time."

"It is essential to leverage its capabilities more professionally to achieve an even higher level of security."

"There is a need for enhancement with the signature management, improving the datasheet numbers, and scalability issues."

"The captive portal could be improved."

"Web security solutions can be improved."

"I would like reporting to be improved and should offer a lot more tools to monitor the products."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"My team is looking for more throughput and better integration with our security framework."

"The initial setup of the Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall has areas that are difficult."

"The solution's support could use improvement."

"Configuration is not easy because it has an old-fashioned interface. The configuration interface is highly complex, and it's been the same for years. They have to change the interface."

"Forcepoint is very expensive but it's really secure."

"I found one problem with Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall. They still do not have any VPN clients for Windows computers with ARM processors."

"Their support should be faster. We have received complaints that they are not responding fast, which is not good for the vendor and us."

More Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall cons

"The tool provides just a general report. It does not provide a granular report. Hence, the tool should work on its reporting feature."

"The current usage reporting is very basic. I would like to be able to access more granular data."

"Support from Hillstone E-Series has a shortcoming that needs improvement."

"The solution doesn't have a web proxy built into the system like Sophos. This is something they should work to change."

"SSL VPN license cost is not cheap."

"The room for improvement would be the SSL VPN license cost."

"The tool needs to improve its price."

"The solution doesn't have a web proxy built into the system like Sophos. This is something they should work to change."

More Hillstone E-Series cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"FortiGate SWG is reasonably priced."

"By default, they give SD-WAN along with the firewall. They don't have separate licensing for the SD-WAN functionality. However, they have security licenses that are sold separately on a subscription basis. Customers can consume these security features to protect their users from internet traffic."

"If the customer is looking for SD-WAN, it comes free with FortiGate."

"Its price is good."

"At the time we bought them, I was satisfied with their pricing; I don't know how the new pricing will be."

"I rate the product's pricing a seven out of ten. The additional cost depends on the extra feature requirements."

"It is a good product from a price perspective versus functionality."

"Although the solution's pricing is high, compared with other products, it may be cheap."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"The cost is fair, but it could be improved."

"The solution is expensive."

"I believe the licensing fee is for one year, three years, and five years, or something like that. If you wants to increase the support level from a simpler level to platinum, I think that there's a cost. There are differences between every kind of support, but I don't know the numbers."

"Forcepoint is very expensive but it's really secure."

"It is expensive."

"Next Generation Firewall is moderately priced."

"Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall is reasonable, it is priced the same as other firewalls."

"Everything in Forcepoint comes with an individual license, which is kind of a problem. In our last meeting, they said that it may change at the beginning of 2021, and they will try to merge some licenses together. Customers will get more features than what they got previously. We will wait and see."

More Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall pricing and cost advice

"The cost per year for licensing, and hardware, is approximately $850 for the basic plan."

"The tool's pricing is reasonable. It depends on the model. The product's pricing is around 600 USD. You need to buy a software license to activate the features. You need to pay around 150 USD for that."

"The licensing model is very complex with many subcategories of licenses you can purchase. They could make it more simplified for customers to understand."

"Hillstone's pricing is economical and neither very high nor very low."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Construction Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

14%

Construction Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	367
Midsize Enterprise	135
Large Enterprise	193

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	29
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	14

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	1

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 Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall?

In terms of price, I would say Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall is not expensive. It is very much comparable to ot...

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What needs improvement with Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall?

The negative side of Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall is that the ZTNA part is missing. For that, we have to integ...

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What is your primary use case for Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall?

The major use cases for Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall are in government turnkey projects where we require a lot...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Hillstone E-Series?

We received an update for the tool in July. The update was provided for the tool as there was a problem with the fire...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Hillstone E-Series?

I use the solution in my company for site-to-site VPN, SSL VPNs, URL filtering, IPS, IDS and all the other features w...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Hillstone E-Series?

Our company did not use the tool's micro-segmentation features. There were no issues while integrating the tool. I ha...

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 18% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

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Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 6% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 6% of the time

Fortinet FortiOS vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 5% of the time

Sophos Firewall vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 4% of the time

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OpenVPN Access Server vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 16% of the time

Sangfor SSL VPN vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 8% of the time

Sophos Firewall vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 6% of the time

Hillstone A-Series vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 6% of the time

More Hillstone E-Series Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

May 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

May 2026

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall report

Download Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall product report

Buyer's Guide

Firewalls

April 2026

Download Hillstone E-Series product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

Forcepoint NGFW, Stonesoft Next Generation Firewall, McAfee Network Security Platform, Intel Security Network Security Platform

No data available

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

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall offers robust network protection with features like URL filtering and advanced threat protection, ensuring comprehensive security and operational efficiency across various infrastructures.

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall integrates URL filtering and advanced threat protection, including intrusion prevention and DDoS prevention. The centralized management console provides application awareness, strong network segmentation, and SD-WAN capabilities. Its graphical interface enhances user experience, while efficient technical support and seamless integration offer stability and scalability. Companies use it for perimeter security, VPNs, and threat prevention, optimizing performance in diverse sectors.

What are the key features of Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall?

URL Filtering: Provides robust protection against malicious sites.
Advanced Threat Protection: Includes IPS and DDoS prevention.
Centralized Management: Simplifies control across multiple devices.
Application Awareness: Enhances security policies.
Network Segmentation: Ensures strong internal security structures.
SD-WAN Capabilities: Optimizes wide area network configurations.

What benefits should users expect when evaluating?

Operational Efficiency: Streamlined management with a centralized console.
Enhanced Security: Comprehensive threat protection and VPN solutions.
Scalability: Easily adapts to infrastructure growth.
Integration: Seamlessly works with existing architectures.

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall is widely implemented in sectors including finance, education, and government, offering security for data centers and managing remote access with IPsec VPN tunnels, SSL VPNs, and site-to-site connectivity. Companies appreciate its use for Unified Threat Management and automatic optimization, ensuring data security and efficient network performance.

Forcepoint

Hillstone E-Series is known for user-friendliness and advanced security features, offering high-performance threat protection with virtual switching and routing to support significant data volumes without third-party hardware. It provides top-notch firewall capabilities tailored to educational and energy sectors.

Hillstone E-Series delivers comprehensive network security with threat intelligence, ransomware protection, and state-of-the-art hardware innovation. Its 64-bit call processor facilitates handling large data volumes efficiently. Capabilities such as SSL VPN, integrated IPS, and application filtering make it a valuable choice for network protection. While further integration with a web proxy and enhanced usage reporting can enhance its offerings, enhancements in pricing models, support systems, and updates align with evolving user expectations for improved regional support and detailed analytics.

What are the standout features of Hillstone E-Series?

User-Friendliness: Intuitive setup and management for all users.
Threat Intelligence: Advanced protection against modern cyber threats.
Ransomware Protection: Strong defenses to mitigate ransomware attacks.
Hardware Innovation: Virtual switching/routing for seamless operations.
64-Bit Call Processor: Efficient performance with high data volumes.

What benefits should users expect when evaluating Hillstone E-Series?

Comprehensive Capability: Addresses complex network security needs.
Impressive Throughput: Maintains high performance under load.
Easy Policy Management: Simplifies network security rule application.
Robust Security Features: Offers extensive filtering and blocking options.

The Hillstone E-Series is implemented extensively across industries like educational institutions and energy companies to safeguard local networks against gateway-level threats. Many organizations benefit from features such as antivirus, integrated IPS, site-to-site VPN, SSL VPN, and policy management, enhancing remote work security and simplifying network management tasks.

Hillstone Networks

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

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR)

Bank of China Macao, Instituto Tecnológico Bolivariano, Ministry of Labor in San Salvador, FEDCO

Buyer's Guide

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs. Hillstone E-Series

April 2026

Free Report: Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs. Hillstone E-Series

Find out what your peers are saying about Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs. Hillstone E-Series and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

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