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Fortinet FortiClient vs SonicWall Connect Tunnel comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 6, 2024

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 FortiClient
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
102
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (12th), Endpoint Compliance (1st)
SonicWall Connect Tunnel
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
16th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiClient is 7.8%, down from 14.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall Connect Tunnel is 1.3%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Fortinet FortiClient7.8%
SonicWall Connect Tunnel1.3%
Other90.9%
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
 

Featured Reviews

KL
Senior Technical Manager at Flexaccel
Remote access has become seamless and secure while deployment remains simple for our users
Performance could be improved today. People are now moving toward SASE, which stands for Secure Access, Secure Edge Solution. Fortinet also has that offering, which would be easier since it operates through the cloud, acting as a first line of defense. When the user connects to the internet, they connect to the cloud first for posture assessment and monitoring before connecting to the outside world. The impact is significant because nowadays people are adopting SASE. During COVID time, many users were trying to connect back to their office, causing the performance or CPU utilization of the firewall to increase tremendously, which slowed down performance. I have not worked with endpoint telemetry in Fortinet FortiClient that could have been helpful for threat mitigation.
Raghuram K M - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Technology Officer at Prognosys Medical Systems
Offers advanced security features and is easy to install
The product's feature to secure remote access needs is an area that is looked after by the IT team in our company. I work in a healthcare organization where we need to protect certain private information. My organization does not focus on network or database protection. I know about the VPN encryption in the tool. My company has not faced any problems with the product's performance, speed, and connectivity. Performance-wise, my company is satisfied with the product. I will tell those who plan to purchase the product that they need to look at the level of security or encryption they expect for their environment. If there is a requirement for the different networks in the domain of those who planned to purchase the product to be isolated, then it should be done. I rate the overall tool a nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The service is centralized."
"From Forticlient, the EMS, the central management is easy to use."
"I find it very easy to configure and also very stable."
"It is very powerful."
"The most valuable feature of FortiClient is its high security level."
"What I find valuable in FortiClient is its patch management capabilities, allowing remote updates efficiently."
"The integration of VPN services with endpoint security is valuable."
"You can scale the product."
"The most valuable features of the solution stem from the advanced security features it offers."
"The best features are security and ease of use."
 

Cons

"The pricing is not cheaper compared to competitors. For price satisfaction, it rates at seven out of ten and could be improved."
"Fortinet FortiClient should improve its visibility of the consumption of traffic and end-user action, which is very low."
"The features of Fortinet FortiClient could be improved."
"I would like Fortinet to improve FortiClient's compatibility with macOS."
"Its stability can be improved. It is not as reliable as I would like it to be. There are times when things don't work quite right. Our biggest pain point is not related to Fortinet FortiClient and the whole scheme of things. It is related to one of the additional services called FortiGuard. They are the arm that does all of the updates to definitions, keeps all the signatures updated, and responds to new threats and whatnot. What we have found is that they react quickly, but sometimes their solutions aren't compatible with all of the components of the Fortinet security suite, specifically around FortiSandbox."
"We'd like to be able to properly encrypt the data more effectively."
"The support can be improved. They have room to improve by deploying more support resources."
"While I cannot think of new features to add, it would be nice if the reports were improved, to have these sent automatically."
"The product's configuration, administration, and user interface are areas of concern."
"An improvement would be to update the look and feel of the interface, which is very traditional and doesn't fit the current market trend."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Generally, Fortinet is not cheap. The features that are available for free are only for FortiClient VPN clients, not other solutions. It includes web security, antivirus, and one more feature."
"The cost per port is very less as compared to the other technologies."
"Fortinet FortiClient comes free with the purchase of the FortiGate solution. There is a license required for this solution. You later can upgrade from the free version which will allow more endpoints. The cost of the license subscription is based on how many endpoints you require."
"Licensing was free up to ten users and after that, it was pretty reasonable."
"I don't have the licensing schema for the VPN solution because we just purchased the VPN gateway."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"FortiClient is costly."
"The solution is not expensive. We need more discounted rates in Pakistan. The price of the solution could be reduced to be more affordable for the solution."
"Connect Tunnel is expensive."
"The product is expensive. Two or three years ago, when the solution was purchased for our company, I remember that it was not the cheapest compared to the tools offered by competitors."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Computer Software Company
13%
University
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Construction Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business59
Midsize Enterprise23
Large Enterprise25
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

How does Fortinet FortiClient compare with Open VPN Access Server?
Fortinet FortiClient is a feature-rich solution that is easy to use and deploy without sacrificing safety and security. It has a very fast connection rate and has a built-in VPN. With this solution...
What's the difference between Fortinet's FortiEDR and FortiClient?
I suggest Fortinet’s FortiEDR over FortiClient for several reasons. For starters, FortiEDR guarantees solid protection because it continually scans servers for emerging vulnerabilities, which gives...
What do you like most about SonicWall Connect Tunnel?
The most valuable features of the solution stem from the advanced security features it offers.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall Connect Tunnel?
The product is expensive. Two or three years ago, when the solution was purchased for our company, I remember that it was not the cheapest compared to the tools offered by competitors.
What needs improvement with SonicWall Connect Tunnel?
The product's configuration, administration, and user interface are areas of concern. From an improvement perspective, the configuration, administration, and user interface must be simplified. The ...
 

Also Known As

FortiClient
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiClient vs. SonicWall Connect Tunnel and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.