FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall comparison

Fortinet and Zscaler are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Fortinet is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.4, while Zscaler is ranked #24 with an average rating of 8.6. Fortinet holds a 0.4% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to Zscaler’s 0.4% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of Zscaler users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Zscaler Cloud Firewall and FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) compete in the firewall market. FortiGate NGFW has an edge with its comprehensive features, even though users value Zscaler for competitive pricing and support.

Features: Zscaler users highlight seamless cloud integration, ease of scalability, and competitive pricing. FortiGate users commend advanced threat protection, extensive VPN capabilities, and robust security features.

Room for Improvement: Zscaler users suggest enhancing granular policy controls, user activity reporting, and software enhancements. FortiGate users recommend improving configuration complexity, reducing hardware dependencies, and simplifying setup processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zscaler is praised for straightforward cloud deployment and responsive support. FortiGate, though more complex to set up, is backed by detailed documentation and reliable support.

Pricing and ROI: Zscaler users find its pricing model cost-effective with favorable ROI. FortiGate users, despite noting a higher initial setup cost, report satisfactory ROI due to extensive features and longevity.

To learn more, read our detailed FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) vs. Zscaler Cloud Firewall Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) vs. Zscaler Cloud Firewall

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 FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) is 0.4%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zscaler Cloud Firewall is 0.4%, up from 0.3% 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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Juan Solano

IT Director at Atlantic Quantum Innovations

Implementation improves efficiency and provides greater visibility over issues

One of the most valuable features of FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) ( /products/fortigate-next-generation-firewall-ngfw-reviews ) is the ease of usability it offers. It is quite easy for me to learn to use. Additionally, FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) has improved our efficiency in setting up security and provided us with more visibility over some issues and incidents we previously faced.

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Bhaskar Rao

Network manager admin at Yamaha

Though it helps deal with web traffic or any malicious traffic, it needs to work on its DC performance issues

The product's initial setup phase is moderate in level, so it is neither very complex nor very easy. For the deployment, my company first needs to gather all the requirements of the users and the domain names and consider how many users there are in the company. In the implementation and planning part, my company needs to consider what kind of policies we will create while ensuring that the policies are created based on the requirements of the users. There is a need to segregate the users' requirements since there are separate departments in the company, like the HR department, sales department, IT department, and manufacturing department, so that our company can create policies depending on their requirements. On-site, if you want a GRE tunnel, our company can handle GRE tunnel traffic routing and Zscaler Cloud Firewall, after which Zscaler will take action based on the policies created by our organization. For the deployments and maintenance, a team of five members consisting of two managers and three engineers is required.

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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 SD-WAN feature of Fortinet FortiGate has been most impactful in maintaining our network's integrity."

"FortiGate firewalls are easy to manage through a user-friendly web interface. They also have advanced features like DDoS and DLP. However, I wouldn't recommend enabling all of these features on one device because it can cause performance issues."

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

"Fortinet FortiGate is stable. It's used across all the countries, this is the way most multinationals run their system."

"The solution is extremely reliable."

"FortiGate's ability to perform as expected and fulfil our needs has been the most compelling feature for network security."

"The response is very quick and they can visually resolve our problems in a short period."

"The most valuable features are the policies, filtering, and configuration."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"The product is easy to configure."

"There are multiple features I have found to be valuable, such as encryption and integrated security features."

"You can integrate certain other services with FortiGate and use additional threat intelligence services because they allow you to combine various solutions, enhancing your overall security."

"FortiGate Next Generation Firewall has a very high ROI"

"The solution is secure."

"The solution has a user-friendly interface."

"The IPS and the application control feature are the most valuable."

"I like the common administration and the possibility of adding Fortinet defense systems."

More FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) pros

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"The scalability is okay. We have around 2200 people using this solution."

"Since it is really customizable, I can use it and avoid enabling access to the full network."

"Once you have Zscaler running you have access to configure it however you want."

"Zscaler is still a very good product."

"Zscaler provides effective protection against various cyber threats ensuring a safe environment"

"Most of the features that Zscaler has to offer, we will deploy."

"Includes advanced tech protection."

More Zscaler Cloud Firewall pros

Cons

"The security of Fortinet FortiGate could improve."

"Fortinet FortiGate could improve the user interface. There should be more functionality and options through the GUI."

"They can do more tests before they release new versions because I would like to be more assured. We had some experiences where they release something new and great, but some of the old features are disabled or they don't work well, which impacts the product satisfaction. The manufacturer should be able to prove that everything works or not only that it might work. This is applicable to most of the other services, software, and hardware companies. They all should work on this. We cannot trust every new release, such as a beta release, on the first day. We wait for some comments on the forums and from other companies that we know. We always wait a few weeks before we use the updated version. They should also extend the VPN client application, especially for Linux versions. Currently, it has an application for Linux devices, but it doesn't work the way we want to connect to the VPN. They use only the old connection, not the new one. They have VPN client applications for Windows and Mac, but they can add more useful features to better manage the devices and monitor the current health of each device. Such features would be helpful for our company."

"The web-cache feature which was previously on the FortiGate device, but was deleted with the recent upgrade should be returned. It was a very valuable feature for us."

"The solution could be more evenly structured."

"In the next release, maybe the documentation on how to use this solution could be improved."

"In my opinion, Fortinet FortiGate could be improved by making the appliance smaller than what we have here, as it is pretty big."

"At this moment, we believe that Fortinet FortiGate should be improved by injecting more AI because the kind of threats we are seeing are more ransomware threats."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"Its technical support could be better."

"Vulnerabilities owing to viruses in the OS need to be reduced in FortiGate Next Generation Firewall from an improvement perspective."

"There's a limitation wherein you can only have about 30 virtual or secondary IPs on a particular interface."

"Updating the software during issues can be quite convoluted, especially if there is an unexpected attack, such as on a Saturday."

"I would like to see improvements in the IPS/IDS feature to enhance protection against attacks from attackers, including ransomware protection."

"The solution needs to integrate VPN features."

"The pricing of the solution is expensive, so it could be cheaper."

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

More FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) cons

"Instead of the standard license, they should certainly provide customers with the visibility to access and view the logs."

"They do not provide a few components that are fundamental to differentiate the products"

"Because it's on cloud, it doesn't allow application of extra settings."

"It would be better if they improved their policy, package visibility, and flexibility while we're creating rules for inspection. It could also be cheaper or more things could be included in the basic package. In the next release, I would like better coverage in the Asia Pacific region and better quality of service."

"The product could improve its integration with some legacy systems."

"The issue right now is probably that Zscaler is not providing web browser isolation. Another solution, Menlo, offers this. For one customer, we had to send traffic to Menlo to do the isolation for us. It was requested by the customer so that they could integrate any iframe. Zscaler needs to add this type of feature in their next release."

"Certain criteria need to be met if you want to scale this solution."

"Its technical support services could be better."

More Zscaler Cloud Firewall cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution requires a license annually, it is not a user license, you can have as many users as your want. I must renew the license regularly per device."

"The licensing costs are very low."

"Its price is reasonable. They have a clear pricing policy. It is not complicated by the number of VPN users at a time. We know what the price is. The yearly subscription for the security license is rather high, but it is all included for whatever number of users you have and the kind of functions you need."

"There is a subscription-based model to use Fortinet FortiGate. We pay annually for the solution along with the support. If you want to have all the updates, and security patches you will need to renew your support."

"The pricing for the product is alright."

"Its pricing is fine. It is on a yearly basis. Other than the licensing fee, there is no extra fee."

"The price of FortiGate is good."

"The Indian market is different than the European and American markets. When you compare they need to be a bit more aggressive on pricing."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"It's an expensive solution"

"The solution's price is average."

"I would rate pricing to be about four or five out of ten, it is reasonable."

"There is a licensing fee; it is on a yearly basis."

"The solution is more expensive than Sophos. It could be cheaper. The licensing is on a yearly basis. We have had it for about three years. We must only pay extra for the license, additional requirements, and the hardware box."

"FortiGate Next Generation Firewall costs our company around $12000 per year."

"I rate the pricing an eight and a half on a scale of one to ten, where one is low, and ten is high."

"FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is a very cheap solution."

More FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) pricing and cost advice

"The product is a bit expensive compared to the solutions offered by its competitors, like Palo Alto. There is a need to make yearly payments towards the license in charges associated with the product."

"Zscaler is priced too high compared to the cost of Fortinet."

"It comes at a significantly reduced cost while ensuring control and effectiveness."

"There are licensing costs, and I would not say that it's a cheap vendor."

"The licensing is on a yearly basis. It is somewhere around 30 or 40 pounds per user for our organization."

"It is not the most budget-friendly solution, but it's important to consider its overall value."

"It is expensive for small businesses."

"There is an annual license required for the use of the Zscaler Cloud Firewall."

More Zscaler Cloud Firewall pricing and cost advice

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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%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

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 FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)?

The tool's most valuable feature is IPS. In my experience, I haven't encountered any issues with integration. It easi...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)?

The pricing of the FortiGate firewall is good. It offers cost savings as it is generally cheaper than the competition.

See all answers

What needs improvement with FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)?

There should be more testing before releasing software since it can be a little buggy sometimes when new features com...

See all answers

Which lesser known firewall product has the best chance at unseating the market leaders?

Netscope, Zscaler if they continue route they are on now. FIrewalls needs great deal of automation on each end, datac...

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What do you like most about Zscaler Cloud Firewall?

The product’s firewall and VPN package are fantastic compared to any other solution.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zscaler Cloud Firewall?

Zscaler Cloud Firewall is quite expensive compared to competitors. However, it offered moderate value for money.

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos XG vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 22% 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

OPNsense vs FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)

Compared 27% of the time

Tailscale vs FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)

Compared 23% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)

Compared 17% of the time

Azure Firewall vs FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)

Compared 8% of the time

Zyxel Unified Security Gateway vs FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)

Compared 5% of the time

More FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) Competitors

Azure Firewall vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall

Compared 16% of the time

OPNsense vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall

Compared 11% of the time

Check Point NGFW vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall

Compared 9% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall

Compared 8% of the time

Cisco Multicloud Defense vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall

Compared 6% of the time

More Zscaler Cloud Firewall Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

May 2025

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Buyer's Guide

FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)

May 2025

FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) report

Download FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) product report

Buyer's Guide

Zscaler Cloud Firewall

April 2025

Download Zscaler Cloud Firewall product report

Also Known As

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

No data available

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

The FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) from Fortinet is a comprehensive cybersecurity solution designed to cater to a wide array of organizational needs. It integrates seamlessly into the Fortinet Security Fabric, offering robust protection against various internal and external threats, including attacks, malware, and vulnerabilities. The NGFW is known for its advanced features such as SSL inspection, application control, visibility enhancements, and an effective intrusion prevention system (IPS). This IPS plays a critical role in identifying and blocking malicious traffic by monitoring and inspecting incoming data.

FortiGate NGFW can be deployed in diverse environments, including on-premises, in the cloud, or hybrid setups. The firewall is equipped with next-generation antivirus capabilities, IPS, web filtering, sandboxing, and intelligent security automation features like threat intelligence integration and automated incident response. Its reporting and analytics tools are comprehensive, aiding in enhancing an organization's security posture.

A notable aspect of the FortiGate NGFW is its diverse and highly rated features, including a powerful VPN, a user-friendly Firewall Management Console, policy-based controls, and advanced reporting and logging capabilities. The system also supports Identification Technologies, Visualization Tools, Content Inspection, and seamless integration with Active Directory and LDAP directories. Its High Availability and the flexibility to deploy in various configurations, such as on-premises or as a Virtual Machine, make it a versatile choice for different business needs.

The FortiGate NGFW also excels in providing secure connectivity. It supports various VPN protocols, offers SD-WAN for intelligent traffic routing, and integrates SASE for unified security and networking solutions. These features contribute to improved security, reduced operational costs, and increased agility for organizations.

When it comes to user experiences and satisfaction, FortiGate NGFW has garnered positive feedback, with an average rating of about 4.26 out of 5 on PeerSpot Reviews. Users from diverse roles, including core network teams, technical officers, and cybersecurity engineers, and from various sectors such as tech services, education, and finance, have found the solution effective. This indicates its versatility and suitability across different company sizes and types.

However, there are areas for improvement. Enhancing the details in Logging Services and making 10 Gigabit Interfaces available for lower models are some suggested enhancements. Simplifying the installation of FortiAP services is also noted as a potential area for improvement.

Fortinet

Zscaler enables the world’s leading organizations to securely transform their networks and applications for a mobile and cloud first world. Its flagship services, Zscaler Internet Access and Zscaler Private Access, create fast, secure connections between users and applications, regardless of device, location, or network. Zscaler services are 100% cloud-delivered and offer the simplicity, enhanced security, and improved user experience that traditional appliances or hybrid solutions are unable to match. Used in more than 185 countries, Zscaler operates the world’s largest cloud security platform, protecting thousands of enterprises and government agencies from cyberattacks and data loss.

Check more details: https://www.zscaler.com/produc...

Zscaler

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

Information Not Available

Zenith Live, Azure, Carlsberg Group

Buyer's Guide

FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) vs. Zscaler Cloud Firewall

April 2025

Free Report: FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) vs. Zscaler Cloud Firewall

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