Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs SonicWall NSSP comparison

Forcepoint and SonicWall are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Forcepoint is ranked #25 with an average rating of 7.2, while SonicWall is ranked #39 with an average rating of 7.3. Forcepoint holds a 0.4% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to SonicWall’s 0.1% mindshare. Additionally, 78% of Forcepoint users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall and SonicWall NSSP compete in the robust security solutions category. SonicWall NSSP appears to have the upper hand in user satisfaction with features, while Forcepoint is noted for its better pricing and support.

Features: Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall is praised for its advanced threat protection, easy integration, and cost-efficiency. SonicWall NSSP is noted for its high-performance throughput, comprehensive security services, and effective features. SonicWall NSSP leads in feature satisfaction due to its broad range of features.

Room for Improvement: Forcepoint needs enhancements in reporting tools, usability, and overall user experience. SonicWall NSSP requires improvements in technical support, system stability, and user interface. SonicWall's support-related issues are mentioned more frequently.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Deployment is straightforward for both products, but Forcepoint has faster installation and better customer service. SonicWall's deployment may require more time, and users express minor dissatisfaction with customer support. Forcepoint stands out in this category.

Pricing and ROI: Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall users find setup costs reasonable and satisfactory ROI. SonicWall NSSP users feel the setup cost is higher but justified by enhanced features. SonicWall delivers better ROI despite higher initial costs.

To learn more, read our detailed Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs. SonicWall NSSP Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs. SonicWall NSSP

April 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 May 2025, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 21.4%, up from 17.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall is 0.4%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall NSSP is 0.1%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls

Featured Reviews

EhabAli

Sr. Cybersecurity Solutions Architect at BMB

Efficient, user-friendly, and affordable

In the past, NSS Labs was utilized to test files and verify the numbers and datasheets. It would be beneficial to have an organization or testing lab that can verify the numbers in our datasheets since changes are frequently made, which can be inconvenient for review. For instance, when comparing different competitors such as Forcepoint, Palo Alto, and Check Point, the throughput or numbers in the datasheet may be lower than the actual numbers. Conversely, Fortinet typically reports very high numbers, but they cannot be replicated in the real world. Therefore, it would be advantageous for them to partner with a neutral testing organization such as NSS Labs to validate these numbers, thus providing more credibility and comfort to everyone regarding the accuracy of the datasheets. For the migration, everyone has a firewall in use and I am selling Fortinet. Typically, I am replacing another firewall. Previously, there was a tool available to convert configurations from one firewall, such as Palo Alto, to Fortinet, but this tool is no longer free. If it could be made free again, it would be very beneficial. This tool shows a lot of promise and is very good. Making it free would help many companies deliver their products in a more efficient and integrated way. It would also be more valuable to include the tool with the firewall package or license instead of having to pay extra for it. Paying extra puts more pressure on small companies to deliver the firewall and complete the configuration, especially if they have hundreds or thousands of policies. It's very painful to move through these policies line by line. The stability has room for improvement. When it comes to Secure SD-WAN, everything is fine. They are going the right way. SD-WAN is very promising. They can provide the SD-WAN solution separately, but they will not take this approach because even the smallest firewall can support the features, so there is no need to have a separate service or appliance. They are following the right steps, and there is nothing to be improved. Feature-wise, I'm really satisfied with the new release, and the features they have added. For now, it's fine.

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OusaidAbaz

Security Network Architect at Inmac

Provides decent protection for the LAN but complicated interface

We had some licensing issues with its web filtering capabilities. That's why we migrated our web filtering to Cisco Umbrella. Moreover, the interface is complicated. It's difficult to locate all the necessary menus and functions. For example, one of the many issues is with SSH. Even now, we haven't successfully opened the port to connect using SSH mode when we want to change the configuration. It's like a black box—not very open to changes and customization. It's simply not easy to configure. There are other problems, too. For example regarding Forcepoint's Websense component. We had a lot of problems managing the web settings within Websense. That's why we migrated to Cisco Umbrella for cloud-based web filtering. It's not that Forcepoint is inherently bad. The issue is that it's not user-friendly. It is not easy to use. The developers need to redesign the interface (GUI) for better management. It is very difficult to manage. For example, simple actions require too many clicks compared to FortiGate or Palo Alto. That's the main problem.

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Lenin Christopher

Director at Techfruits

Enhanced security with advanced threat protection and superior support

We serve as an integrator for SonicWall, deploying this solution for customers in the media and entertainment, banking, and finance sectors. We use SonicWall to protect their environments against digital attacks SonicWall has helped us deliver security solutions effectively, particularly in…

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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

"I am "headache free" that I don't have to categorize all the websites and that security has been pre categorized by the people, and that the services are getting updated. At least one part of my problem is over."

"Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution."

"It has a good UI and overall integration, including FortiGate Manager for controlling all firewalls from a single place."

"It is useful for protecting and segregating the internal networks from the internet. Most of our customers also use the FortiGate client to connect to their offices by using the VPN client, and of course, they usually activate the antivirus, deep inspection, and intrusion prevention services. They are also using it for web filtering and implementing various policies dealing with forwardings, NAT, etc."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"The customization potential is quite impressive."

"The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is URL filtering."

"UTM/NGFW features and FortiCloud for logs and backups are awesome."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"It is stable and scalable. In addition, their support is great. When you ask them for something, they provide support, and if required, they also involve the R&D team to help you to resolve the issues in your configuration."

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

"Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall is very simple, easy to use, and flexible."

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

"The most valuable feature is the console management."

"The most valuable features of Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall are the advanced threat protection, including features like IPS and DDoS prevention, which help avoid internal DDoS attacks."

"Next Generation Firewall's best feature is that it can be managed on one platform."

"We're trying to use all the firewall's features. Most of the features were effective, but the usability is a huge concern."

More Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall pros

"SonicWall has helped us deliver security solutions effectively, particularly in threat prevention and content filtering."

"SonicWall NSSP is stable and scalable too."

"I like the filtering feature, which provides easy access. The SSL certification feature is also nice. The solution enhanced our security posture."

"The VPN functionality is really good. Overall, the whole device is very easy to manage. The software that comes with it is also good."

"The product's most valuable features are simplicity and comprehensive protection capabilities, including load balancing, IPS, antivirus, and web filtering."

"The solution's pricing is good."

"It has been delivering results efficiently. Its configurations and updates have been easy. It is also user-friendly."

Cons

"They could improve the response time and quality of support."

"Web security solutions can be improved."

"NGN, reporting and controls."

"Scalability is one of the disadvantages. When it comes to scalability, you have to actually change the box. If you want to upgrade it, you need to actually change the existing box and probably you take the system off to other sites."

"Fortinet technical support is lacking, as OEM support is slightly better."

"I would like to see better pricing in the next release, as well as a simplification of the installation."

"I mostly do administration, and I found Cisco to be the hardest major firewall manufacturer to deal with, with Fortinet FortiGate being the second hardest for me."

"The room for improvement is about the global delivery time period. Usually I need to wait for almost one month to deliver it overseas. So if you can shorten the deliver time it'd be great."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"They should have a local vendor who can provide support. Most of the support is overseas, so the time zones can be a problem."

"It's a complicated firewall. Until you come to know the firewall inducers, most people don't like the firewall because the components for the firewall are a little bit complex. User-friendliness is a little bit tough. It needs to be user-friendly when creating policies, and pushing policies. Committing takes more time compared to Palo Alto."

"The company should update the URL filtering database. They need to enhance the URL filtering and make it easier to customize."

"The security features need to be improved."

"When it comes to a complex deployment, the rules, firewall features, SD-WAN core features, and auto-scaling can cause the device to be not quite stable."

"They should have a GUI on the product itself, not a separate management tool to be used on the management server or on a server to be used to manage the file. It should be all in one device. The device should be controlled through its own GUI. They also have to improve the learning center and the documents as the documents don't really help."

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

"Forcepoint would be improved if there were more training available."

More Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall cons

"Its reporting functions can be improved. It has decent reporting, but you got to pay a lot more money for it. That's where it begins to fall apart. It comes with minimal zero reporting unless you buy some extra modules. With those extra modules, you can get all the data, but it takes a while to put together what you need for your customer. It is for technical people, but there is no executive summary of the reporting."

"No security product is foolproof against hackers, intruders, and other such things. As a security product, they have to keep pace in terms of protection from new hackers and intruders."

"The solution's stability and scalability also need improvement."

"The EDR and XDR capabilities of SonicWall need to be improved."

"The platform could benefit from an improved marketing strategy."

"The product needs improvement for phishing emails."

"The user interface, the GUI, could be improved."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's very competitive."

"Its price is normal. If I compare it with other vendors, such as Palo Alto, it's normal. Palo Alto is expensive."

"Work through partners for the best pricing."

"Other firewalls are more expensive than Fortinet FortiGate, such as the Azure firewall."

"The pricing is very reasonable."

"The license is yearly. We pay for the top end. It's called 360."

"When I look around at other products, such as Sophos, Fortinet FortiGate is 20% to 30% more expensive with our current cost."

"The price for the device and software is high. However, the solution is of good quality and has a lot of features."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"Next Generation Firewall is moderately priced."

"It requires a yearly subscription."

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

"It could be cheaper like Fortinet."

"There is a license required to use this solution and we can purchase it for one, two, three, or five years."

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

"The pricing of the solution is normally competitive with other products."

"The big advantage of this solution is that we can select the right model for our requirements, which is not too expensive."

More Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall pricing and cost advice

"You got to buy some VPN licenses, and there might be a $40 to $50 one-time license fee per current user. There are different layers. They have several different levels of event security software and depending on the model, it seems to come out to be $1 to $2 a day. So, if you bought a three-year license, it is going to be anywhere from $900 to $1800 depending on the bundle and model that you buy."

"I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten."

"The pricing is cheap, and that's where, you know, the some of the organization goes for the SonicWall."

"For SonicWall NSSP high availability, active/passive, you need to buy one license, and so you get much more value for money."

"The setup costs and licensing are reasonable, and the solution provides good value for its features."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

20%

Computer Software Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

19%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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 do you like most about Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall?

The product's initial setup phase is easy.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall?

The licensing model is dependent on negotiation skills, but there is room for improvement. The costs can be high sinc...

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What needs improvement with Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall?

The licensing model should be more flexible. I recommend that additional features be included in a single license to ...

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What do you like most about SonicWall NSSP?

The solution's pricing is good.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall NSSP?

SonicWall is a rather expensive solution with a rating of eight out of ten regarding its pricing. Despite being expen...

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What needs improvement with SonicWall NSSP?

The EDR and XDR capabilities of SonicWall need to be improved. When compared to a brand like SentinelOne, SonicWall s...

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Comparisons

Sophos XG vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 21% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 11% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 19% of the time

Check Point NGFW vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 12% of the time

Sophos XG vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 6% of the time

OPNsense vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 4% of the time

Arista NDR vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 3% of the time

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SonicWall NSa vs SonicWall NSSP

Compared 48% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

May 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

May 2025

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall report

Download Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall product report

Buyer's Guide

Firewalls

April 2025

Download SonicWall NSSP product report

Also Known As

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

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

SonicWall Network Security Services Platform

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

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall is a versatile and comprehensive solution for perimeter security, offering features such as SD-WAN, IPS, VPN, and cloud or on-premises subscription keys. It is preferred by many clients over Cisco and is used for obligation redundancy, VPN access, and as the main point of security in infrastructure.

The product is praised for its simplicity, flexibility, complete feature set, scalability, and central management capabilities. Other valuable features include IPS, firewall, sandbox, application control, filtering, security management center, connectivity, and integration capabilities.

Forcepoint

The SonicWall Network Security services platform (NSsp) 12000 series takes a modern approach to threat detection and prevention by combining cloud intelligence with appliance-based protection in a scalable, high-speed platform.

SonicWall

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)

Comlogic, Depaul, Hutt City Council

Buyer's Guide

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs. SonicWall NSSP

April 2025

Free Report: Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs. SonicWall NSSP

Find out what your peers are saying about Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs. SonicWall NSSP and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

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