Fortinet FortiGate SWG vs Fortinet FortiProxy comparison

Fortinet FortiGate SWG and Fortinet FortiProxy are both solutions in the Secure Web Gateways (SWG) category. Fortinet FortiGate SWG is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.7, while Fortinet FortiProxy is ranked #10 with an average rating of 7.8. Fortinet FortiGate SWG holds a 6.1% mindshare in WSG, compared to Fortinet FortiProxy’s 5.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Fortinet FortiGate SWG users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Fortinet FortiProxy users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 2025

Fortinet FortiGate SWG and Fortinet FortiProxy are players in the secure web access market, each catering to distinct user needs. Based on user preferences, Fortinet FortiGate SWG seems to have the upper hand due to its integration capabilities and scalability, which appeal to those looking for comprehensive security management.

Features: Fortinet FortiGate SWG offers simplicity, ease of configuration, and scalability, making it a versatile option for broad security management. The stability and robustness of its security features are often highlighted, especially its integration capabilities in diverse setups. On the other hand, Fortinet FortiProxy is praised for its granular web access control, reporting features, and performance in monitoring detailed user activity. Its web filtering capability is particularly beneficial for environments needing precise user activity tracking.

Room for Improvement: Fortinet FortiGate SWG could improve its cloud-based transition, support response times, and pricing structure. Enhancements in reporting and monitoring to provide clear insights, alongside a more user-friendly GUI, are also suggested. Fortinet FortiProxy users express the need for better documentation, a refined pricing structure, and improved intrusion prevention capabilities. Incorporating AI/ML technologies and enhancing web filtering accuracy could further improve the FortiProxy experience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortinet FortiGate SWG is typically deployed on-premises and in hybrid cloud environments, appreciated for its straightforward deployment. It often receives high marks for support effectiveness. Fortinet FortiProxy supports hybrid deployments as well and benefits from a knowledgeable back-end team, though further improvements in support speed and responsiveness are desired.

Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiGate SWG is viewed as cost-effective for larger enterprises, despite higher prices compared to competitors, delivering good ROI through cloud-based deployments. Its perceived high cost is justified by its features and long-term ROI. Fortinet FortiProxy is recognized for reasonable pricing, providing a balanced cost-benefit ratio. However, its pricing model could be improved to better serve organizational needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiGate SWG vs. Fortinet FortiProxy Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate SWG vs. Fortinet FortiProxy

July 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

iboss

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Secure Web Gateways (SWG) category, the mindshare of iboss is 2.1%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate SWG is 6.1%, down from 7.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiProxy is 5.5%, up from 4.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Secure Web Gateways (SWG)

Featured Reviews

Matt Crockford

Head of Cybersecurity at SES Water

It's easy to roll out, and their understanding of our business made it seamless

One aspect we value about iboss is its simplicity. Their customer service is brilliant, and they are super responsive and knowledgeable. It's easy to roll out, and their understanding of our business made it seamless. We were impressed by the solution's mental health function, which can detect if someone needs help. It scans what users are browsing and flags warning signs so we can check to see if they are okay. We've had to use it a couple of times. The user interface is highly intuitive. Our IT team picked it up with minimal training. It's arranged so that it's easy to find where things are. Another advantage is the single pane of glass console, which gives you visibility into what's happening. We're not fully there yet because we haven't implemented zero trust, but we're excited about the possibilities from the demos we've seen. We launched a POC of iboss' ChatGPT Risk Protection feature two weeks ago. AI is a great tool, but you need to be careful what you put into it. My biggest fear is employees inputting sensitive corporate information or customer PII data into one of these chatbots. I was impressed by our trial of the feature. It's exactly what we wanted. Now, when a user goes to ChatGPT, there's a banner warning them not to share information, and we can block conversations containing customer data like bank details and email addresses. I don't want to stop people from using it, but we need visibility. We've only tried it on a test group of 15 people. You can configure it to look for specific keywords or integrate it with your DLP policy if you have that configured

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Ayman Said

Infrastructure System's Manager at ICAPP (Americana Group)

Enables seamless traffic handling and effective network protection

We are using Fortinet FortiGate SWG for web filtering, application control, and IDPS. Additionally, we utilize it for VPN and the main features of a firewall Web filtering is very good, as well as IDPS. SD-WAN is a perfect feature. Additionally, the VPN is stable and very good. These features…

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Emmanuel Dasho

Cyber Security Engineer | Network/Security at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

Ease of configuration and seamless integration enhance operational efficiency

The App Control feature in the Fortinet FortiProx * Deep Packet Inspection (DPI): FortiProxy analyzes traffic at the application layer to detect applications even if they use non-standard ports or are encrypted. * Application Signatures: Uses FortiGuard’s application signature database (constantly updated) to recognize thousands of applications. * Policy Enforcement: You can create policies to Allow, Block, Monitor, or Shape (QoS) based on application type, category, or specific apps.

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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 console is cloud-based, which is something I really appreciate."

"First of all, the security policies are essential. I do not have to rely solely on Active Directory for our users."

"Because of iboss, I did not have to assign web filtering tasks to my techs on a daily basis."

"I would definitely recommend iboss for web filtering purposes to other organizations or individuals."

"Valuable features: Within the filter: Controls (Web categories, applications, and Allow/Block list) and Network (local Subnets). Within the reporter: Logs (Event Log) and Reports."

"Its initial setup was straightforward."

"Technical support is pretty sharp and very responsive."

"iboss is pretty scalable. They provide good support. The case managers you work with to coordinate what you need are pretty good."

More iboss pros

"FortiGate also makes GRE tunneling possible."

"Customers keep on improving their licenses. The solution remains scalable and flexible. On-premises deployments may have some limitations. However, cloud deployments offer a high degree of flexibility."

"The most useful features are application control, web filtering, and SD-WAN."

"I would rate the scalability of this product a nine out of ten because it is highly scalable. We have not had problems with customers in terms of scalability."

"It offers web filtering capabilities at a more affordable price compared to other solutions like PSMs or NETGEAR."

"Web filtering is the most useful feature."

"The security for endpoints is the most valuable. It is very secure for our workers. It allows us to secure a transaction and enable security for a specific segment in the workflow."

"FortiGate SWG's most valuable feature is integration with vulnerability management."

More Fortinet FortiGate SWG pros

"The most valuable feature is intrusion prevention (IPS) and antivirus profiles. These features help control user activity, ensuring that they access only permitted websites and protects from downloading viruses."

"The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiProxy are its simplicity and performance."

"It seamlessly integrates with various security products, enhancing threat intelligence and improving indicators of compromise."

"The tool's most valuable feature is traffic inspections."

"The tool's most valuable feature is its granular access control. For example, users can browse the main site if you allow access to Amazon, but it stops them from visiting secondary Amazon websites without specific permission. This granular control is really helpful."

"The solution's stability is good."

"It helps to secure the networks at the DNA level and ensure proper identification and filtering of DNS traffic."

"I liked the tool's ability to provide detailed access control. For example, we could allow users to watch YouTube videos but not post comments. This level of control wasn't available in FortiGate."

More Fortinet FortiProxy pros

Cons

"SSL decryption: We had issues with learners using apps instead of using web browsers. This type of encryption is tough for any appliance in a BYOD environment."

"Our biggest problem with their service was it did not recognize the device and filtering did not always work correctly."

"To scale up, a new iboss Node Blade Chassis must be purchased."

"One thing I would like to see differently with their Zero Trust platform is that some of the AI aspects related to high-risk activities have more false positives."

"Sometimes, obviously, there are bugs."

"Its pricing could be better."

"I'd like to see them accelerate development on the security side, particularly around data loss prevention."

"Our iboss subscription access should be more secure with an OTP or VPN etc. It is easy to gain access if, for example, hackers obtain my username and password."

More iboss cons

"We have experienced a number of failures when trying to upgrade firmware and the process takes a long time. We only experienced this when doing major upgrades between versions."

"The price could be improved."

"We also have FortiAnalyzer deployed here, so we want to enable the soft functionality of FortiGate and built-in compression for a firewall VPN use case. We want the ability to deploy a gateway for HTTPS enabled on this firewall. It is currently only for use in our headquarters."

"The solution is expensive."

"The UI/UX experience can be a little better."

"It is complicated to manage different kinds of on-premise boxes."

"I would rate the technical support of Fortinet a six or seven out of ten. It is not very helpful. I would like to see improvements in their support."

"The product needs to drastically improve its reporting capability."

More Fortinet FortiGate SWG cons

"For IT administrators and managers, the reporting features are the main issues that should be addressed in order to improve the performance, security, and effective utilization of the product."

"Integration with existing infrastructure was generally easy, especially if you had tools like LDAP. However, I had to go through a lot of documentation as it was my first time working with a proxy server. We did experience some issues with certain web applications not working properly after implementing Fortinet FortiProxy."

"Fortinet FortiProxy should improve by adding more documentation and guides."

"Its power supply process for some of the proxies needs improvement."

"I see that the solution's interface is not in French...It would be good for our company if we could have the tool interface in French."

"Fortinet FortiProxy should integrate AI/ML technologies. Its pricing needs to be more flexible."

"Its web filtering capabilities could be improved."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is not expensive, and it is also not cheap. iboss is priced right in the sweet spot for the number of features it offers."

"It is expensive compared to one of its competitors."

"We had the cost of purchasing a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs. However, the following year, the cost of just licensing was similar to what was paid the previous year for a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs."

"It is probably in line with other solutions, but I do not deal with the financial side."

"The overall pricing for iboss is very competitive and transparent."

"We have not priced the solution recently, but they were competitive with other vendors in the past."

"FortiGate SWG is a cost-effective solution well-suited for organisations of all sizes."

"The price is relatively expensive compared to other solutions which are providing similar features."

"I rate the product's pricing a seven out of ten. The additional cost depends on the extra feature requirements."

"I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive."

"I rate FortiGate's pricing a five out of ten."

"When comparing the price of Fortinet FortiGate SWG to other solutions it is expensive. The price could be better."

"The pricing for this solution is reasonable."

"The product is expensive."

More Fortinet FortiGate SWG pricing and cost advice

"Price-wise, Fortinet FortiProxy is moderate - not the highest among competitors, but not cheap either."

"The solution is neither too expensive nor very cheap."

"The tool's pricing is in the middle."

"It can be considered expensive, with a limited lifespan and support that eventually requires updating to newer solutions."

"It offers a more cost-effective solution than alternatives like FortiMail, FortiGate, and various Barracuda devices."

"It is a cost-effective solution."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about iboss?

Content filtering is the most useful feature of iboss.

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What needs improvement with iboss?

For zero trust implementation, we encountered complexity issues, especially with a large infrastructure company Exxon...

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What is your primary use case for iboss?

Previously when I used iboss, we did the POC for iboss for ExxonMobil. Four or five people wanted to move from our ol...

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What do you like most about Fortinet FortiGate SWG?

The interface and other reports are all user-friendly.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiGate SWG?

Fortinet products are very expensive compared to competitors like Sophos and SonicWall. From a pricing perspective, I...

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What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiGate SWG?

More improvement in AI would be a good edge. We would like the VPN to act as a web filtering solution because users o...

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What do you like most about Fortinet FortiProxy?

The tool's most valuable feature is traffic inspections.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiProxy?

One issue is the limitation in using Fortinet FortiProxy for remote users, as it requires users to be members of the ...

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What advice do you have for others considering Fortinet FortiProxy?

Before implementing Fortinet FortiProxy, study your enterprise architecture and know your needs. Consider using the h...

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Comparisons

Zscaler Internet Access vs iboss

Compared 18% of the time

Netskope vs iboss

Compared 16% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs iboss

Compared 15% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs iboss

Compared 10% of the time

Menlo Secure vs iboss

Compared 3% of the time

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Cisco Umbrella vs Fortinet FortiGate SWG

Compared 20% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Fortinet FortiGate SWG

Compared 6% of the time

Sangfor Internet Access Gateway (IAG) vs Fortinet FortiGate SWG

Compared 6% of the time

Netskope Next Gen Secure Web Gateway vs Fortinet FortiGate SWG

Compared 4% of the time

McAfee Web Gateway Cloud Service vs Fortinet FortiGate SWG

Compared 1% of the time

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Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway vs Fortinet FortiProxy

Compared 9% of the time

Zscaler Internet Access vs Fortinet FortiProxy

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs Fortinet FortiProxy

Compared 6% of the time

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs Fortinet FortiProxy

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Web Security Appliance vs Fortinet FortiProxy

Compared 6% of the time

More Fortinet FortiProxy Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

July 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate SWG

July 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate SWG product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiProxy

July 2025

Download Fortinet FortiProxy product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

FortiGate SWG, FortiGate Secure Web Gateway

FortiProxy

Overview

iboss offers a comprehensive security platform designed for diverse use cases such as web filtering, data loss protection, corporate proxy services, and URL filtering.

iboss integrates advanced features to address dynamic security needs, leveraging its strength in SASE, ZTNA, AI initiatives, and cloud integration, while ensuring seamless operations for remote work. It excels in historical forensics, malware protection, and flexible cloud deployments. Users benefit from comprehensive traffic scanning, robust malware detection, and PaaS capabilities that reduce hardware management. An intuitive admin console ensures efficient management with content filtering and low false positives. SSL decryption enhances security, while DLP protects data in AI conversations. Deployment is rapid and scalable, allowing effortless integration with emerging technologies.

What features does iboss offer?

Granular Web Filtering: Provides precise control over web content access.
Traffic Scanning: Monitors data through multiple ports for security breaches.
Malware Detection: Ensures superior protection against malware threats.
PaaS Capabilities: Eliminates need for hardware management.
SSL Decryption: Enhances data protection by decrypting secure connections.
DLP Capabilities: Safeguards data during AI interactions.

What benefits and ROI should users consider?

Scalability: Adapts quickly to growing demands and emerging tech integration.
Rapid Deployment: Reduces time to implement security measures.
User-Friendly Admin Console: Facilitates efficient operations management.
Low False Positives: Increases accuracy of threat detection systems.

iboss finds significant application in sectors such as education, where web filtering for K-12 is crucial, and in corporate environments requiring robust proxy services and URL filtering for network security. Its adaptability is essential in scenarios demanding flexible, decentralized security frameworks, particularly for remote work setups.

iboss

Fortinet FortiGate SWG is a comprehensive web security solution provided by Fortinet. FortiGate SWG combines web filtering, malware protection, data loss prevention (DLP), and application control capabilities into a single integrated platform. It is designed to protect organizations from web-based threats, enforce compliance policies, and provide secure access to web resources.

FortiGate SWG Benefits:

Comprehensive web filtering and security features
Ease of use and management
Integration with other Fortinet products
Strong threat detection capabilities
Scalability and flexibility
Granular control over user access and activity

FortiGate SWG Features:

Web Filtering: FortiGate SWG employs URL filtering and content categorization to control and enforce web access policies.
Malware Protection: The solution provides real-time protection against web-borne threats, such as malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP): FortiGate SWG helps prevent sensitive data from being leaked or exfiltrated through web channels.
SSL Inspection: The solution supports SSL/TLS decryption and inspection, allowing organizations to examine encrypted web traffic for threats and enforce security policies.
Application Control: FortiGate SWG enables granular control over web applications and protocols.
Advanced Threat Intelligence: FortiGate SWG leverages Fortinet's threat intelligence services to provide up-to-date information about emerging threats and zero-day vulnerabilities.
User Authentication and Access Control: The solution supports various authentication methods, including single sign-on (SSO) and integration with identity providers, to ensure secure user authentication and access control for web resources.
Reporting and Analytics: FortiGate SWG provides comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities.

FortiGate SWG is typically deployed as a hardware appliance or as a virtual appliance in on-premises environments, but it may also be available as a cloud-based service. It is part of Fortinet's broader security fabric ecosystem, allowing integration with other Fortinet products to provide a unified and coordinated security infrastructure.

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by FortiGate SWG users.

David Carlson, CIO at Camco Mfg., says that "Non-IT people could plug it in, connect it to the fiber, and get it running without IT help".

Suresh Vijayen, Product Manager at IX Telecom, writes that FortiGate SWG "Provides helpful technical support, but its dashboard needs to be more user-friendly".

Chandan Munshi, Chief Technical Officer at Provision Technologies LLP, states that "The user interface is intuitive. Anyone can configure the firewall with little knowledge of the product. The back-end is robust with good security."

Fortinet

Fortinet FortiProxy is a secure web gateway that provides advanced web filtering, malware protection, and SSL inspection capabilities. It is designed to protect organizations from web-based threats and prevent data loss by enforcing granular policies for web access. FortiProxy is available as a physical or virtual appliance and can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud. FortiProxy uses a combination of signature-based and behavior-based detection techniques to identify and block known and unknown threats. It also includes advanced features such as sandboxing and machine learning to detect and prevent zero-day attacks. FortiProxy can inspect SSL traffic to detect and block threats hidden in encrypted traffic. FortiProxy provides granular control over web access by allowing administrators to create policies based on user identity, device type, time of day, and other factors. It also includes pre-defined categories for web filtering, such as social media, gambling, and adult content. FortiProxy can also enforce compliance with regulatory requirements such as GDPR and HIPAA. FortiProxy integrates with Fortinet's Security Fabric, allowing it to share threat intelligence with other Fortinet products and provide a coordinated response to threats. It also includes a web-based management console that provides real-time visibility into web traffic and allows administrators to quickly respond to security incidents.

Fortinet FortiProxy is a comprehensive web security solution that provides advanced protection against web-based threats and allows organizations to enforce granular policies for web access.

Fortinet

Sample Customers

More than 4,000 global enterprises trust the iboss Cloud Platform to support their modern workforces, including a large number of Fortune 50 companies.

Salt Lake County, Catholic College Bendigo, Azienda Unita Sanitaria

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Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate SWG vs. Fortinet FortiProxy

July 2025

Free Report: Fortinet FortiGate SWG vs. Fortinet FortiProxy

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