Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs SonicWall NSv comparison

Forcepoint and SonicWall are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Forcepoint is ranked #31 with an average rating of 7.0, while SonicWall is ranked #39 with an average rating of 7.8. Forcepoint holds a 0.5% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to SonicWall’s 0.2% mindshare. Additionally, 78% of Forcepoint users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall and SonicWall NSv are two competing products in network security. SonicWall NSv is favored for its features, while Forcepoint is rated higher in pricing and support.

Features: Forcepoint offers centralized management, advanced threat protection, and competitive pricing. SonicWall NSv provides robust security features, high efficiency in virtual environments, and superior overall features.

Room for Improvement: Forcepoint needs better VPN performance, more documentation, and improved reporting tools. SonicWall NSv requires better reporting tools, enhanced performance under heavy traffic, and more responsive customer support.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Forcepoint is straightforward to deploy with responsive customer service. SonicWall NSv is also easy to deploy, but its customer support has mixed reviews.

Pricing and ROI: Forcepoint stands out for its competitive pricing and solid ROI. SonicWall NSv is considered costly, but users find its advanced features justify the price.

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

Buyer's Guide

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs. SonicWall NSv

September 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 October 2025, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 20.4%, up from 19.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall is 0.5%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall NSv is 0.2%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	20.4%
Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall	0.5%
SonicWall NSv	0.2%
Other	78.9%

Firewalls

Featured Reviews

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

A stable solution with an intuitive interface and quick customer service

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

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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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Sileesh Sivadasan

Director at Infosec Infra

Helps small businesses expand branches more easily

The price is a significant factor. Mostly in India, the customer service has many hurdles to get real support. If I want to talk to a customer executive, they ask many trivial questions. Even if I explain that I am asking for a Dell partner, they still ask specific questions, and they will explain many unnecessary questions.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is the interface, which is very user friendly. We are utilizing most of the features, like content filtering. The firewall is powerful."

"The primary feature I appreciate about Fortinet FortiGate is the ease of setup."

"The GUI is good."

"The best features of Fortinet FortiGate are that it does the job effectively and protects our environment."

"FortiGate is on the cheaper end, and it offers good value."

"The best features of Fortinet FortiGate include its easy configuration and user interface."

"We have found the product to be scalable."

"Web filters, particularly web application controls, grant us the ability to regulate user access effectively."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

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

"I found the initial setup process to be very simple and straightforward."

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

"It is a stable solution, and there are no issues so far."

"The most valuable feature is the console management."

"Forcepoint is a complete package because it has network and systems applications. Other firewalls are only for the network."

"The central security management center and the content management center are very good."

"I like the Firewall and the IPS."

More Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall pros

"We are very impressed with it."

"I would rate the overall product a nine out of ten."

"SonicWall excelled in threat management, evident in how users handled it effectively."

"The product helps improve our security."

"SonicWall NSV is easy to use, and you can use it to manage the logs easily."

"The customization of firewall rules provides great value to our customers as it allows them to lock things up in the way that they desire. When it is used for internal access, with a VPN in place for remote workers, the firewalling services provided by Azure, such as the default services that can be turned on, are applied. However, the use of a software-based virtual firewall gives us greater flexibility in introducing security controls for customers who are publishing applications that are publicly accessible from the public cloud. This virtual firewall provides an additional layer of security and more extensive security control options to ensure the protection of our customers' valuable information and assets."

"We purchased the AGSS Bundle (Advanced Gateway Security Suite) for the security services, such as antivirus, intrusion prevention system, and anti-spyware botnet GUI."

"Out of ten, I would rate the solution at an eight."

More SonicWall NSv pros

Cons

"I would like to see improvements in Fortinet FortiGate regarding the active-active scenario. The active-active scenario is supported but not recommended, whereas other vendors are implementing active-active without issues. Perhaps in the future, we could effectively use both firewalls to increase the throughput. If there are two boxes, they both should be able to work."

"Fortinet FortiGate could improve their documentation on forward error correction and failover technologies."

"The main area needing improvement is the user-friendliness of FortiGate's integration with other Fortinet tools like FortiAuthenticator and VPN services."

"I would rate Fortinet support a six out of ten. The immediate response is not that good, particularly when raising a critical or P1 ticket; they lag in the immediate response."

"Fortinet FortiGate needs to improve the logging and reporting. Additionally, the next-generation application's policies should be improved. When they were released they had bugs."

"Sometimes you do need to know some CLI commands, so it's a bit harder for technicians or new people that don't know it."

"The cloud management and automation capability could be improved."

"I would like to see improvements in the product's application rules."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"Its management center should be easier to use. The management interface of Forcepoint is unique and a little bit different from some of the firewall solutions on which people might have worked before. Sometimes, the customers say that it is not very friendly, and we help them with how to use this management interface. It just takes a little bit of time, and after some time, it gets easy to manage or use. It is quite similar to Palo Alto, Fortinet, and legacy Juniper solutions. Their support should be faster. We have received complaints that they are not responding fast, which is not good for the vendor and us."

"The optimization is not really ready. If you want very good optimization, you have to add it to the network."

"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."

"A VPN client feature is missing in our region, which we hope Forcepoint will address in future updates."

"The interface is complicated. It's difficult to locate all the necessary menus and functions."

"This solution would be improved with the inclusion of custom reporting."

"The solution needs to add an antivirus profile and anti-spyware profile, not just policies and VPN."

"The security features need to be improved."

More Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall cons

"We face some challenges when we upgrade the solution."

"SonicWall NSV's SSL VPN could increase its number of users to 100-plus users."

"The engine provided initially was quite heavy, creating a trade-off between software and hardware-based threat management."

"It has been brought to our attention by a few customers that they are dissatisfied with the fact that our virtualized service is only offered as a subscription option on the cloud. However, it is worth noting that many other similar services are also offered through a subscription model on the cloud and not through perpetual licensing. It is unclear why these customers would have an issue with this subscription service when so many others are utilizing similar methods."

"An area that could be improved is the export and import settings functionality."

"I would like to see the reporting opened up and have several more opportunities for automatic reports."

"The engine provided initially was quite heavy, creating a trade-off between software and hardware-based threat management."

"The price is a significant factor."

More SonicWall NSv cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It cost us around $73,000 for three years."

"The pricing depends on the FortiGate model we are using, ranging from $3,000 to $20,000 US dollars."

"It is more expensive than Sophos. Fortinet is overall more expensive than Sophos. The small range of Fortinet, such as 60F and 80F, is more expensive than the small range of Sophos. Sophos is cheaper. In addition, if you jump from 80F Series to 100F Series, the price doubles."

"The pricing is based on a licensing model for each IPS in your environment."

"The pricing is comprehensive and clear. You can easily understand what you are purchasing, including which features correspond to each license and maintenance contract. Overall, the information is straightforward. Additionally, compared to other vendors, their prices are competitive."

"We pay $500 per year for the license."

"When you look at these end security systems and firewalls, these firewalls even five years ago were $50,000 or perhaps $25,000 to implement in some types of customer sites. Now we're talking about tools that are $1,000. In this case, it might have been $500 or something like that."

"Fortinet FortiGate IPS is cheaper than other solutions like Cisco or Check Point."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

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

"The training that they offer to their end-customers. It's quite expensive, I believe it costs roughly $11,000"

"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."

"The solution is expensive."

"It could be cheaper like Fortinet."

"We have just a subscription for the cloud, and this license is great. The license is so good."

"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."

"The pricing should be more competitive against other vendors in the market."

More Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall pricing and cost advice

"The solution's pricing is good for the technology it offers."

"We are currently using the trial version."

"SonicWall NSV is not very costly."

"The solution’s pricing is less compared to other products."

"Our initial purchase, which included a three-year term of support, was about $25,000 USD."

"The tool is moderately priced."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

26%

Educational Organization

Performing Arts

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	350
Midsize Enterprise	130
Large Enterprise	187

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	26
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	11

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	3

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?

At this moment, nothing specific comes to mind regarding improvements for Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall. The ma...

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What do you like most about SonicWall NSV?

The product helps improve our security.

See all answers

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

I am somewhat satisfied with the price for SonicWall NSv, rating it as eight because, compared to other products, the...

See all answers

What needs improvement with SonicWall NSV?

Currently, we are getting challenges with user-wise reports and other reporting details. At present, they do not prov...

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos XG vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 17% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 11% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 9% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% 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 Quantum Force (NGFW) vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 11% of the time

Rapid7 InsightIDR vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 6% of the time

Sophos XG vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 5% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 4% of the time

More Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall Competitors

SonicWall NSa vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 24% of the time

Azure Firewall vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 22% of the time

Stormshield Network Security vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 21% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 12% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 10% of the time

More SonicWall NSv Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

October 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

October 2025

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall report

Download Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall product report

Buyer's Guide

Firewalls

September 2025

Download SonicWall NSv product report

Also Known As

No data available

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

SonicWall Network Security Virtual

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate excels in providing integrated VPN, firewalling, and Unified Threat Management (UTM) with centralized management and high availability. It supports remote access and comprehensive threat protection, making it a preferred choice for securing networks.

Fortinet FortiGate offers a robust security platform with features such as strong intrusion prevention, application control, and web filtering. Its integration with Active Directory and SD-WAN functionality provides scalable solutions for large networks. Users appreciate its ease of use through centralized management interfaces, ensuring robust security with flexible configurations. However, FortiGate could enhance its graphical interface and technical support responsiveness, address firmware bugs and costly licensing, improve logging, integrate better with third-party tools, and strengthen scalability and memory for log storage. Complexity in configuration and the need for intuitive features are noted challenges, and there's a demand for advanced security, zero-trust capabilities, and AI integration.

What are the key features of Fortinet FortiGate?

VPN: Secure remote access and connectivity.
Firewalling: Protects networks from unauthorized access and attacks.
UTM: Offers a comprehensive approach to threat management.
SD-WAN: Optimizes traffic routing for efficient network performance.
Web Filtering: Controls and monitors web access and ensures Internet security.

What benefits or ROI should be considered?

Centralized Management: Simplifies administration and monitoring.
High Availability: Ensures consistent security and network availability.
Scalability: Adapts to the needs of growing networks.
Comprehensive Threat Protection: Provides robust security measures.
Ease of Use: Minimizes the complexity of security management.

Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries like education, finance, and government. Companies use it for firewall protection, VPN, and SD-WAN capabilities, ensuring secure perimeter and data center security. It facilitates remote access management and traffic routing optimization, offering reliable security and connectivity solutions.

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

SonicWall NSV is a software-based virtual firewall that provides additional security for customers with public-facing servers or services on Microsoft Azure. The AGSS Bundle is considered the most valuable feature, providing security services such as antivirus, intrusion prevention system, and anti-spyware botnet GUI.

Additionally, customization of firewall rules provides great value to customers, allowing them to lock things up in the way they desire. SonicWall NSV offers extensive security control options to protect customers' valuable information and assets.

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 NSv

September 2025

Free Report: Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs. SonicWall NSv

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