Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Fortinet FortiGate IPS vs Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 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 FortiGate IPS
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
64
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Palo Alto Networks URL Filt...
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
6th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate IPS is 7.1%, up from 6.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB is 2.4%, down from 4.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
 

Featured Reviews

Taha Turkestani - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced threat prevention with very good support and valuable behavior reports
We use FortiGate as a firewall. We have a FortiGate 201 model It's good that we didn't get hacked or attacked, indicating strong threat prevention. The reporting on employee behavior and the prevention of new viruses are essential features. Additionally, we have found it convenient for…
Abdul  Basit - PeerSpot reviewer
Advanced features and robust support elevate overall network management experience
I think URL filtering could be better to some extent. Improvements could be made in Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB compared to Sophos. The URL filtering option in Palo Alto gives a very clear vision of the network and the applications using URL filtering. If you assign a user in a group not to access certain URLs, that user should only be allowed to access LinkedIn without running videos. However, deep URL filtering in Palo Alto is not configurable. One user can have access to LinkedIn with video running, while another cannot. They should improve this deep analysis of URL filtering options.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This solution has a unique range of features that are not available with any other product."
"I appreciate FortiGate for its reliable, powerful, and flexible setups."
"The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate IPS are firewall and filtering."
"I like its ability to prevent external intrusion into our database. It's so fun."
"We like FortiGate's website change feature."
"The solution provides an easy way to filter information and Fortinet lab is a great place to discover new things."
"The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate IPS is its efficiency."
"The ease of use, concise reports, and threat identification are very user-friendly and valuable."
"The initial setup is easy."
"The Palo Alto solution has improved our organization by providing threat protection across a variety of internet connections. Our company also gets valuable insights regarding threat analysis."
"The URL categories are updated by Palo Alto Networks itself."
"I do not have to use additional security solutions to block the URLs, as PAN-DB and URL filtering are both powerful tools when it comes to security."
"Being able to manage blacklists and whitelists easily is very useful, especially for internal access and limiting outbound access."
"I would rate Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB a perfect 10 out of 10."
"The stability of the solution is perfect and totally useful."
"It provides visibility and control over where people are web browsing and protects them from going to malicious sites."
 

Cons

"I have used technical support and they could improve."
"Fortinet FortiGate can improve performance. There was a huge challenge in terms of CPU and memory where the IPS engine would keep triggering. There were random spikes of overutilization in the CPU and memory resources. They have to work on CPU and memory stability considering these IPS engines. A few versions were very unstable."
"To stay ahead of the competition Fortinet FortiGate IPS needs to think about how to adjust pricing."
"Fortinet can add some Machine Learning and AI to improve its accuracy and give it an edge on IPS detection and protection."
"FortGate's IPS reporting could be made better by giving more details regarding the source and destination of network traffic when it comes to the overview section. This would allow me to more easily follow the flow of traffic based on IP addresses, without having to integrate the IPS with other products that perform more sophisticated traffic analysis."
"They can probably improve the reporting feature. Reporting and report alerting are the main key features of this solution. They can always find ways to improve these."
"Fortinet FortiGate IPS could improve the configuration. In some use cases, there can be some configuration conflicts."
"There could be improvements in the mathematical algorithms used for behavior analytics of traffic."
"An area for improvement would be the technical support, which can be slow."
"It is an expensive solution and not everyone has the budget for it."
"Customer service is sometimes inconsistent. Some engineers are very knowledgeable, while others cannot answer questions and delay solutions."
"The solution is a bit expensive."
"Some software management-wise scalability features need improvement."
"The licensing costs and setup costs are very expensive for us. The price is significantly higher compared to other competitive products."
"For hosting sites like Blogspot, they host sites that should be in different categories, but get lumped together in general. There needs to be more granularity or multiple categorizations."
"We have had some challenges with making Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB work with ELK stack."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is offered as an annual license."
"They are more expensive than others."
"The product is expensive. I rate its pricing a six out of ten."
"The licensing costs are very competitive."
"There is only a standard license cost to use the solution."
"The tool is a bit pricey for small businesses, but it is still bearable in terms of cost."
"The platform offers a reasonable price point compared to its competitors."
"There is an annual license to use this solution. The prices have been increasing over the years."
"It is more expensive than ASA but is far cheaper than Checkpoint. So, pricing wise, it is right in the middle."
"Expensive, but that's because it provides everything."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) solutions are best for your needs.
860,745 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
15%
University
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Fortinet FortiGate IPS?
The most significant aspect of IPS is self-explanatory as it primarily focuses on intrusion prevention, which is crucial for Fortinet's internal outbreak prevention efforts and ensuring compliance ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiGate IPS?
I rate the pricing with an eight out of ten. They could always improve the pricing.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiGate IPS?
The pricing of Fortinet FortiGate IPS ( /products/fortinet-fortigate-ips-reviews ) could always be improved.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB?
The licensing costs and setup costs are very expensive for us. The price is significantly higher compared to other competitive products.
What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB?
I think URL filtering could be better to some extent. Improvements could be made in Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB compared to Sophos. The URL filtering option in Palo Alto gives a ve...
What is your primary use case for Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB?
We previously discussed Palo Alto Networks WildFire, and we are currently using it for our firewalls with the WildFire subscription included. We have micro-segmentation using the VMware environment...
 

Also Known As

FortiGate IPS
Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering PAN-DB
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Riverside Healthcare, Salt Lake City, Dell SecureWorks, Credit Bank Zagreb
TRI-AD, Telkom Indonesia
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiGate IPS vs. Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
860,745 professionals have used our research since 2012.