Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs Hillstone T-Series comparison

Fortinet and Hillstone Networks are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Fortinet is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.3, while Hillstone Networks is ranked #43. Fortinet holds a 2.0% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to Hillstone Networks’s 0.3% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 66% of Hillstone Networks users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Hillstone T-Series and Fortinet FortiGate-VM compete in the cybersecurity category. Fortinet FortiGate-VM seems to have the upper hand due to its advanced functionalities, despite being more expensive.

Features: Hillstone T-Series provides robust security features like threat detection and prevention and solid user reviews. Fortinet FortiGate-VM has advanced security features, including high-level firewall capabilities and seamless integration with cloud environments.

Room for Improvement: Hillstone T-Series needs improvement in scalability, documentation, and update frequency. Fortinet FortiGate-VM could benefit from more frequent product updates and addressing occasional performance issues.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Hillstone T-Series deployment is straightforward, with mixed customer service reviews. Fortinet FortiGate-VM's deployment is complex but receives higher ratings for responsive customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Hillstone T-Series is cost-effective with a favorable ROI. Fortinet FortiGate-VM, despite being pricier, delivers a high ROI due to its advanced features and reliable performance.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. Hillstone T-Series Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. Hillstone T-Series

March 2026

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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 March 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 18.3%, down from 21.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate-VM is 2.0%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Hillstone T-Series is 0.3%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	18.3%
Fortinet FortiGate-VM	2.0%
Hillstone T-Series	0.3%
Other	79.4%

Firewalls

Featured Reviews

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

A stable solution with an intuitive interface and quick customer service

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate, WatchGuard, Sophos, and SonicWall. I'm not as comfortable with SonicWall because of their UI and limitations. I prefer Fortinet above all other options. When it comes to configuration, I am confident in my ability to handle various tasks, including creating policies such as firewall rules, web policies, and application policies. Additionally, I can configure VPNs and implement load balancing, among other tasks. Overall, I feel much more comfortable working with Fortinet. Fortinet has made significant improvements by integrating AI with firewalls for threat analysis and prevention. In the past 2-3 years, they have launched FortiSASE and SIEM, and they also provide SOC services. Both Palo Alto and Fortinet FortiGate are excellent. While Fortinet FortiGate comes at higher prices, the functionality and support justify the cost. They promptly resolve firmware issues and inform all support providers about configuration changes.

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Karel Ondracek

Network Administrator at THK Co Ltd

Faced hardware limitations and setup challenges but have improved network protection over time

I spent much time finding exact firmware on Aruba which was working with these guns, but it is not optimal because it is not the latest version, so there could be potential security problems. We decided to replace those access points with another one. I personally have trouble because I don't know the exact life cycle of Fortinet FortiGate-VM boxes. I don't know if the life of boxes is five years or something else; we moved from our previous company, which sold us to other companies. Before 10 years, we had a special department that took care of core networks, including firewalls. After that, this responsibility fell to me and my colleague. It is not easy to set up these Fortinet FortiGate-VM boxes properly because we didn't have previous experience with this kind of solution. At first, we set up only a few rules that were not secure enough, and over a couple of years, we improved the settings and security of these Fortinet FortiGate-VM boxes. Currently, I have one Fortinet FortiGate-VM that needs to be replaced next year, and this box is not so powerful, so I need to redirect some traffic to another Fortinet FortiGate-VM. It is stable, but because the CPU processor of this box is not powerful, I need to redirect some traffic to another box. In the future, I need to choose a higher-level box to prevent potential troubles with the power of this box.

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TahirMahmood

IT Manager at Zubair Feeds

Is stable and has a user-friendly dashboard and a good interface

We installed Hillstone T-Series after a ransomware attack. The dashboard and user interface are very good We cannot secure a specific IP class with this firewall. Another loophole with Hillstone T-Series is that when we connect through WiFi and turn our hot spot on, all who connect through the…

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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

"Fortinet FortiGate is a security device. It can optimize security on the networks of a company. It actually protects the company from attacks from outside. With FortiGate, you can categorize the users. You can create a group of users that can access all of the websites for their work. You can limit other users' access."

"The main benefits of Fortinet FortiGate are security and the ability to manage all information throughout the company, including managing all data inside the company to prevent intrusions from outside."

"Fortinet FortiGate is easy to use. Anyone can easily maintain it."

"The reporting on employee behavior and the prevention of new viruses are essential features."

"The features that I have found most valuable are the SD-WAN and their IP4 policy."

"The next-generation firewall is great."

"Fortinet FortiGate IPS has an easy-to-use interface and configuration."

"Some of the key features of the solution is that it has good reporting, you can receive many details from the connection, for example, clients and website information."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"Since then, we have been working with Fortinet FortiGate as our primary solution for firewalls."

"Primarily, the VPN solution is most valuable. It allows you to have more flexibility in terms of what is there on the end-user device, and what is not there. You can check and make sure that they're current. It has more flexibility than just a straight VPN solution. It works really well. It has the features that 99% of people need."

"It is easy to set up the solution."

"The solution is very easy to set up. It doesn't take a lot of time and offers a quick deployment, so you can start using it almost right away."

"The features I find most useful in Fortinet FortiGate are its simplicity of utilization, which is very important, and its provision of interfaces to see the alerts and other things."

"The ROI is good since I get free support."

"The product is quite user-friendly so we didn't have a lot of issues that needed to be addressed."

"In terms of administration, it's perfect."

More Fortinet FortiGate-VM pros

"It has been stable so far."

"The only firewall able to monitor traffic from a CCTV network. Can detect unauthorized devices plugged into the network, which standard firewalls can't do."

"We installed Hillstone T-Series after a ransomware attack. The dashboard and user interface are very good."

Cons

"Sometimes you do need to know some CLI commands, so it's a bit harder for technicians or new people that don't know it."

"The people we are working with are not able to configure MFA. They are having some technical issues. Fortinet needs to ensure that its partners are well-trained."

"The SD-WAN functionality is a bit overly complicated and not fully documented."

"The search tool needs improvement. It's very difficult to search for policies right now."

"Not all features are available in the web UI. Features such as enabling multiple MPLS circuits can only be accomplished through the command line, so these need to be made available in the web UI."

"FortiOS is not simple."

"MTBF: Hardware failure is more common when compared to SonicWall or Cisco ASA."

"Fortinet FortiGate SWG should be localised to specific regions to comply with local data privacy regulations because of the data privacy rules in the countries. In the Middle East, data organisation and KFA requirements are stringent."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"Technical support could be improved."

"Negatives are it could be the same as physical, because if the physical box has some defects, obviously it does not work."

"It is a very good product, and it is good at standing by itself. It can maybe have a little bit of integration with other products, but it is not that important for most use cases."

"Web filtering is a feature that needs some improvement. There should be some additional features to allow active users to change their own passwords."

"Some of the compatibility and technical support issues are reasons why I rate it eight instead of nine or ten; the rest of everything is good."

"There are areas for improvement because usually, most policies don't change much."

"The key activation is very complicated at times."

"However, it also has some weak points that require careful sizing of the solution before using it with all security features switched on, because it has a significant downgrade of throughput capacity when switching on more security features."

More Fortinet FortiGate-VM cons

"They have a very good technical support team, but I think there are some communication issues due to language differences."

"Another loophole with Hillstone T-Series is that when we connect through WiFi and turn our hot spot on, all who connect through the hotspot get all the functions, and the security does not work."

"Licensing is not cheap."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is too expensive for us. My organization is very small, and we have a total of ten users. We have three internal users and seven external users. The FortiGate 100D series is too expensive for renewing the licenses."

"FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is an expensive solution."

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

"It's very competitive."

"The Fortinet FortiGate security features cost approximately $1,500 a year. The firewall itself doesn't have a recurring cost. It's the security features on top of that that you pay for."

"Its pricing is good. It's average or normal as compared to Palo Alto and Check Point firewalls."

"In my opinion, the pricing of the product is reasonable."

"Go for long term pricing negotiated at the time of purchase."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"The price of the solution could be less expensive. There are some features that have to be purchased separately that have their own license."

"I rate the product price a three on a scale of one to ten, where one is a high price, and ten is a low price."

"For large enterprises, price is not a problem because they need that solution. However, in the Philippine market, many of our clients are still small to medium businesses, so the price can be challenging. The license for Fortinet FortiGate-VM costs 100K to 150K Philippine pesos per year for VM1 or VM2."

"On a scale of one to ten, where ten is very expensive, I rate the solution around two or three. I think the solution's prices are okay, considering the services and features they offer."

"Licensing is pretty standard. It's approximately 15% of the total cost per year as a subscription cost."

"There are no additional costs beyond the standard fee."

"If you are in a licensed solution, like Cisco or Palo Alto, it is cheaper. I do recommend using it with a license, because it is a security solution and it needs updates."

"It's not a cheap solution but it comes with its benefits."

More Fortinet FortiGate-VM pricing and cost advice

"We got a much cheaper price than that provided by Fortinet right now."

"On a scale from one to ten, with one being low and ten being high price, I would rate the price of Hillstone T-Series at three. There are no additional costs other than renewal costs."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Media Company

Manufacturing Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	359
Midsize Enterprise	133
Large Enterprise	190

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	72
Midsize Enterprise	34
Large Enterprise	38

No data available

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In the best tradition of these questions, Feature-wise both are quite similar, but each has things it's better at, it...

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Which would you recommend - FortiGate VM or Azure Firewall?

Both of these solutions are excellent options that provide flexible scalability and solid security. Fortinet Fortigat...

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What do you like most about Fortinet FortiGate-VM?

An enhanced security solution for any kind of alert that we have configured.

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Comparisons

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 20% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

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Azure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 21% of the time

Palo Alto Networks VM-Series vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 10% of the time

Check Point CloudGuard Network Security vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 4% of the time

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 3% of the time

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Cisco Secure Firewall vs Hillstone T-Series

Compared 32% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs Hillstone T-Series

Compared 21% of the time

Check Point CloudGuard Network Security vs Hillstone T-Series

Compared 10% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs Hillstone T-Series

Compared 10% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

March 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate-VM

March 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate-VM product report

Buyer's Guide

Firewalls

February 2026

Download Hillstone T-Series product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

FortiGate Virtual Appliance, FortiGate-VM

Hillstone T-Series Intelligent Next-Generation Firewalls, Hillstone iNGFW

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate is a versatile network security tool offering features like VPN, firewall, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and scalability. It is known for its performance and integration with other Fortinet products, making it a preferred choice for robust cybersecurity.

Fortinet FortiGate stands out as a comprehensive cybersecurity solution with strong performance and ease of configuration. It delivers unified threat management, integrating features such as dynamic routing, SD-WAN support, and centralized management. Despite its strengths, improvements in the web interface's stability, pricing structures, and reporting capabilities are needed. Users seek better integration with third-party tools and automation advancements to enhance the experience further. These enhancements, alongside improvements in bandwidth management and the reduction of licensing costs, are points of interest for users looking to capitalize on FortiGate's extensive capabilities.

What are Fortinet FortiGate's key features?

VPN: Ensures secure remote connections.
Firewall: Protects against unauthorized access.
Web Filtering: Blocks malicious sites and content.
Application Control: Manages and controls applications.
Intrusion Prevention: Detects and prevents vulnerabilities.
SSL Inspection: Enhances security by inspecting encrypted traffic.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating Fortinet FortiGate?

Affordability: Offers cost-effective security solutions.
Reliability: Known for consistent and stable performance.
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other Fortinet products.
Comprehensive Protection: Provides broad threat protection capabilities.

Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries as a primary firewall system for securing internet gateways and safeguarding data centers. It supports businesses in achieving SD-WAN integration and enhances cybersecurity by providing essential features like antivirus, web filtering, and application control. Enterprises utilize FortiGate for securing remote connections and ensuring compliance with security standards, making it adaptable for different network sizes and industries.

Fortinet

FortiGate Virtual Appliances allow you to mitigate blind spots by implementing critical security controls within your virtual infrastructure. They also allow you to rapidly provision security infrastructure whenever and wherever it is needed. FortiGate virtual appliances feature all of the security and networking services common to traditional hardware-based FortiGate appliances. With the addition of virtual appliances from Fortinet, you can deploy a mix of hardware and virtual appliances, operating together and managed from a common centralized management platform.

Fortinet

Hillstone’s T-Series intelligent Next-Generation Firewall (iNGFW) uses three key technologies to detect advanced attacks and provide continuous threat defense for today’s networks. First, it uses statistical clustering to detect unknown malware, leveraging the patented Hillstone Advanced Threat Detection engine (ATD). Second, it uses behavioral analytics to detect anomalous network behavior, which is based on the Hillstone Abnormal Behavior Detection engine (ABD). Finally, it leverages the Hillstone threat correlation analysis engine to correlate threat events detected by disparate engines – including ATD, ABD, Sandbox and other traditional signature-based threat detection technologies – along with context information to identify advanced threats.

Hillstone Networks

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

Security7 Networks, COOPENAE

University of Córdoba

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. Hillstone T-Series

March 2026

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