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Fortinet FortiGate SWG vs Zscaler Internet Access comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.5
Fortinet FortiGate SWG offers ROI with strong features, enhanced connectivity, and improved traffic management despite higher costs.
Sentiment score
7.5
Zscaler Internet Access offers cost and complexity reduction, improved security, and quick ROI, especially for SMBs, despite regional challenges.
The managed service aspect of Zscaler Internet Access has allowed for reduced staffing costs, resulting in a saving of approximately 20-25% compared to prior expenses.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.8
Fortinet FortiGate SWG support is knowledgeable but experiences delays; documentation is strong, though response speed needs improvement.
Sentiment score
7.1
Zscaler Internet Access support is strong and responsive, though some users seek quicker resolutions and better online resources.
The technical support for Zscaler Internet Access is rated around seven out of ten due to some response time issues and the engagement model.
I find customer support to be quite adequate
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Fortinet FortiGate SWG offers scalable solutions for medium to large businesses but is costly and less favored by small enterprises.
Sentiment score
7.9
Zscaler Internet Access is highly scalable, cloud-based, and supports large user volumes with positive feedback on integration and performance.
It meets the growing demands of my network.
Zscaler Internet Access is scalable and has points of presence across the globe to ensure low latency and reliable connections.
I find Zscaler Internet Access to be highly scalable, which was one of the reasons for choosing it.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.6
Fortinet FortiGate SWG is highly stable and reliable, with occasional update bugs and minor power outage resilience issues.
Sentiment score
7.7
Zscaler Internet Access offers stable performance globally, though regions like China and South Africa occasionally face latency challenges.
Fortinet SWG is a stable solution.
Zscaler Internet Access is stable and capable of building resilient architectures.
Zscaler Internet Access is very stable, and I would rate its stability as nine out of ten.
 

Room For Improvement

Fortinet FortiGate SWG requires pricing, cloud integration improvements, user experience enhancements, and streamlined licensing to attract smaller businesses.
Zscaler Internet Access needs better integration, user-friendly features, improved support, and competitive pricing to enhance user experience.
We would like the VPN to act as a web filtering solution because users outside the company don't have web filtering.
I would rate the technical support of Fortinet a six or seven out of ten.
The response time and engagement model for technical support could be improved to handle complex outages more efficiently.
One feature I am missing is the ability to connect automatically to internal monitoring systems.
 

Setup Cost

Fortinet FortiGate SWG pricing is mixed, seen as costly for SMBs but affordable for enterprises compared to competitors.
Zscaler Internet Access is seen as costly but premium compared to traditional solutions, offering unmatched services and global coverage.
Fortinet products are very expensive compared to competitors like Sophos and SonicWall.
On a scale from one to ten, I would rate the pricing for FortiGate AWG as nine, which is perfect.
Zscaler Internet Access is less expensive than competitors like Palo Alto, offering a premium service justified by security enhancements and cost-effective scalability.
Zscaler Internet Access is recognized as an expensive solution.
 

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiGate SWG offers comprehensive security features, integration, scalability, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness, excelling in cybersecurity.
Zscaler Internet Access delivers comprehensive cloud-native security with threat protection, ease of use, and centralized management for remote users.
These features have proven effective in protecting our network, handling large volumes of traffic smoothly without any issues.
It also provides enhanced inspection capabilities, including SSL decryption, while maintaining compliance with organizational security policies.
The SSL inspection also offers added security, facilitating the exchange of critical data.
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate SWG
Ranking in Secure Web Gateways (SWG)
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
43
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Zscaler Internet Access
Ranking in Secure Web Gateways (SWG)
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
53
Ranking in other categories
Internet Security (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Secure Web Gateways (SWG) category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate SWG is 6.1%, down from 7.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zscaler Internet Access is 14.8%, down from 17.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Secure Web Gateways (SWG)
 

Featured Reviews

Ayman Said - PeerSpot reviewer
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…
AshwaniTyagi - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers good reliability and availability to users
Sometimes, cost is one component that customers complain about, especially if they compare it with some of its competitors. Zscaler's pricing seems to be a bit on the higher side. I think the pricing model is also something that the tool can probably look into to optimize or improve for the customer so that it can be a competitive tool commercially. The solution's technical support needs to be improved, especially by offering a better support structure for different geographical areas.
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Secure Web Gateways (SWG) solutions are best for your needs.
864,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Fortinet FortiGate SWG?
The interface and other reports are all user-friendly.
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 would rate them a six.
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 outside the company don't have web filtering. It supports web filtering with an a...
Which is the better security solution - Cisco Umbrella or Zscaler?
Cisco Umbrella and Zscaler Internet Access are two broad-spectrum Internet security solutions that I have tried. Zscaler Internet Access is a good option for carrying out multiple security functi...
Which is better, Zscaler internet access or Netsckope CASB?
We researched Netskope but ultimately chose Zscaler. Netskope is a cloud access security broker that helps identify and manage cloud applications, protecting your sensitive data from exfiltration....
 

Also Known As

FortiGate SWG, FortiGate Secure Web Gateway
ZIA
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Salt Lake County, Catholic College Bendigo, Azienda Unita Sanitaria
Ulster-Greene ARC, BanRegio, HDFC, Ralcorp Holdings Inc., British American Tobacco, Med America Billing Services Inc., Lanco Group, Aquafil, Telefonica, Swisscom, Brigade Group
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiGate SWG vs. Zscaler Internet Access and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
864,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.