Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs SonicWall NSSP comparison

Fortinet and SonicWall are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Fortinet is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.5, while SonicWall is ranked #30 with an average rating of 9.3. Fortinet holds a 1.9% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to SonicWall’s 0.2% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Fortinet FortiGate-VM and SonicWall NSSP are two prominent network security solutions. Although SonicWall NSSP is recognized for its advanced features, Fortinet FortiGate-VM receives higher user ratings for pricing, support, and overall satisfaction.

Features: Fortinet FortiGate-VM is praised for its robust security controls, scalability, and ease of management. SonicWall NSSP users value its superior threat intelligence, real-time analytics capabilities, and advanced analytics.

Room for Improvement: User reviews suggest Fortinet FortiGate-VM could improve on complex configuration processes, stability during heavy traffic periods, and user documentation. For SonicWall NSSP, users point out the need for better documentation, more intuitive setup processes, and enhancements in user experience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortinet FortiGate-VM is highlighted for a straightforward deployment model and responsive customer support. SonicWall NSSP deployment can be more challenging, yet its customer service is consistently well-rated.

Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiGate-VM is often seen as providing better value for money, with competitive setup costs and a positive ROI. SonicWall NSSP users, however, feel that the higher cost is justified by its comprehensive security features. Users generally find FortiGate-VM more cost-effective, but SonicWall NSSP features justify its premium price for many.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. SonicWall NSSP Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. SonicWall NSSP

December 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 881,114 peers since 2012

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

5.8

Fortinet FortiGate offers cost-effective, robust security, reducing expenses, enhancing efficiency, easy implementation, quick ROI, and improved network management.

Sentiment score

4.1

Fortinet FortiGate-VM offers mixed ROI; effectiveness varies with proper sizing, enhancing security, network stability, and user satisfaction.

Sentiment score

4.8

SonicWall NSSP improved network security, reduced threat management time, increased efficiency, and provided significant cost savings and robust support.

Clients are now comfortable and not wasting productive hours on IT support.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

The automation part is giving us a cost benefit and speed; we can react faster.

Bart Homblé

BDM Fortinet & BDM Teamlead at Exclusive Networks

It's a very useful tool to mitigate and protect your enterprise.

Bernard Samontanes

Staff Infrastructure & Security Engineer at Mozn Systems

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

I observed a fifty to sixty percent reduction in operational costs after migrating to FortiGate VM.

Rahool Sharma

Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.

They have a platform that organizes their networks and access effectively.

Pietro Di Blasi

Pre-Sales Analyst at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

We haven't used MPLS for over five years now, and it was extremely beneficial to see the changes from MPLS to SD-WAN using Fortinet FortiGate.

reviewer2706363

Chief Technology Officer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate-VM report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall NSSP report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.6

Fortinet FortiGate's customer service is generally praised for responsiveness, though some users experience delays in critical situations.

Sentiment score

6.1

Fortinet FortiGate-VM support is praised for knowledge and speed, but experiences vary in responsiveness and local effectiveness.

Sentiment score

6.3

SonicWall NSSP support receives mixed reviews, praised for quick response and effectiveness but criticized for lack of response.

The quick resolution of issues with Fortinet FortiGate is due to the support of the company and the fact that the equipment is easy to work with.

Alexandre Menezes

IT Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

I would rate the technical support for Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

AnishKumar

NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd

As a solution provider, when I encounter problems, I connect directly with Fortinet support, and they provide solutions within a very short time.

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

I would rate the technical support by Fortinet at a 10.

Mohamed Fouad

Cybersecurity Team Leader at EMAK For Integrated Solutions

You can open a ticket and expect a reply and problem-solving from effective engineers in just one hour, which no other vendor can offer.

Mohamed Fouad

Cybersecurity Team Leader at EMAK For Integrated Solutions

Their support is helpful and effective.

Rahool Sharma

Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate-VM report

It is very effective because it prevents any indecent behaviors in the network or from outside the network.

SyedTaha

Head of IT and Information Security at GLEEDS USA INC

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall NSSP report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.1

Fortinet FortiGate is scalable and popular for SMEs but requires careful design and may incur scaling costs and licensing constraints.

Sentiment score

6.3

Fortinet FortiGate-VM offers scalable management for enterprises, supporting user growth and adaptation, despite some sizing and budget challenges.

Sentiment score

6.3

SonicWall NSSP offers mixed scalability, praised for easy migration but may require upgrades for larger expansions.

They scale up really well from smaller models like the FortiGate 40 and 50 to bigger sites with the FortiGate 100 for more throughput - up to enterprise datacenters.

Ian Manton

IT Manager at Daltons Limited

The variation comes in terms of the interfaces and throughputs, but from a security perspective, you get the same benefit, irrespective of whether you have an entry-level unit or an enterprise.

reviewer2667480

Cewa Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

We determine sizing based on multiple factors: number of users, available links, traffic types, server count, services in use, and whether services will be published.

FatmaSamy

General Surgery Specialist at Helwan University Cairo

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

Fortinet FortiGate-VM adapts effectively; for example, you have a limited number of VPN connections on VM01, accommodating around 1,000 remote users, and if the customer needs another endpoint, we can deploy VM02 and manage that transition effectively.

Samuel-Mottet

EMEA Enterprise Solutions Architect at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees

Scalability is well-supported, with the notable ability to implement features easily.

Ino Vitra

Assistant Operation Manger at IIJ Singapore

It can start with a single core and scale up to a 32-core license for a robust deployment.

reviewer1866795

Chief Executive Officer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate-VM report

The scalability rating is nine out of 10.

SyedTaha

Head of IT and Information Security at GLEEDS USA INC

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall NSSP report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.7

Fortinet FortiGate is praised for its stability, with effective long-term performance and improvements in newer firmware versions.

Sentiment score

6.1

Fortinet FortiGate-VM is stable, cost-effective, reliable, but occasionally faces stability issues with updates and configuration errors.

Sentiment score

5.4

SonicWall NSSP is praised for stability and reliability, with high ratings and low failure rates handling numerous boxes efficiently.

We're experiencing 99.999% availability consistently.

Ricardo Biggs

Manager, Information Technology at a consumer goods company with 11-50 employees

I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

AnishKumar

NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd

Currently, we are experiencing a general outage of one of the main internet service providers of the Dominican Republic, and we have not been impacted in our operations because with SD-WAN, we have another internet service provider and we are working with the second WAN connection without any disruption.

Juan Frias

CISO at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

The stability of Fortinet FortiGate is excellent.

Subhadip Pakrashi

CEO at Kapstone Technological Services LLP

The product has been very stable, based on my ten to eleven years of experience.

Ino Vitra

Assistant Operation Manger at IIJ Singapore

In the past couple of years, they started releasing numerous new features, and things have become somewhat unstable.

reviewer2706363

Chief Technology Officer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate-VM report

In 30 years, only three to four boxes out of 1,000 to 2,000 boxes have had issues.

Winsley De Oliveira

Owner at ANOC

The stability rating is 10 out of 10.

SyedTaha

Head of IT and Information Security at GLEEDS USA INC

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall NSSP report

Room For Improvement

Fortinet FortiGate needs enhanced UI, simplified licensing, improved performance, reporting, third-party integration, and expanded automation features.

Fortinet FortiGate-VM needs UI improvements, better integration, support, stability, customization, and enhanced scalability with advanced features.

SonicWall NSSP needs to improve its reporting, UI, EDR/XDR capabilities, and marketing to compete with top cybersecurity brands.

These sessions should be around five to ten minutes long, allowing users and partners to quickly grasp the information without disrupting their daily tasks.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

The solution should be able to implement machine learning and analytics of all the logs for threat detection and protection.

Elvis Mahadeo

Senior Systems Engineer at Caribbean Development Company

It would be better for customers to get immediate replacements even with a standard subscription.

Pravin Mandlik

Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

The API needs better integration to match accounts and objects more effectively.

Rahool Sharma

Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.

Now, these features require separate products like FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer, and a FortiCloud subscription for reporting.

reviewer1866795

Chief Executive Officer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

They lack a post-sale process; once the sale happens, they just vanish, and then you're on your own.

reviewer2706363

Chief Technology Officer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate-VM report

This would help end-user customers understand the impact when those firmwares are pushed into the live environment.

SyedTaha

Head of IT and Information Security at GLEEDS USA INC

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall NSSP report

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers find Fortinet FortiGate costly initially, but cheaper overall, despite some high renewal and setup costs.

Fortinet FortiGate-VM offers competitive pricing and flexible licensing, though initial costs and added features may increase expenses.

SonicWall NSSP offers competitive pricing and features, though setup costs can be significant, users find it valuable overall.

Last year, I renewed the support for three years, which can sometimes be expensive but depends on the security benefits and how it helps us.

AiméKouchade

Network & System Admin at Invoke Studios

It offers cost savings as it is generally cheaper than the competition.

NilsPaley

IT Infrastructure Architect at Apotek 1

It is about 20% cheaper.

MithatBulut

Network Security Engineer at TD SYNNEX

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

The license for Fortinet FortiGate-VM costs 100K to 150K Philippine pesos per year for VM1 or VM2.

Sitti Ridzma Salahuddin

System Engineer at Trends and Technologies, Inc

I don't have this experience with Fortinet FortiGate-VM because my colleagues in Germany are reaching better prices than me.

Karel Ondracek

Network Administrator at THK Co Ltd

We have a licensing module along with a next-generation firewall module, and its pricing compared to other vendors is one of the best features of Fortinet as it is cheaper than any vendor.

Mohamed Fouad

Cybersecurity Team Leader at EMAK For Integrated Solutions

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate-VM report

When purchasing through local distributors such as ScanSource or Tech Data, they incur around 100% in taxes just for import procedures.

Winsley De Oliveira

Owner at ANOC

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall NSSP report

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiGate provides robust, flexible security solutions with key features like web filtering, SSL VPN, SD-WAN, and centralized management.

Fortinet FortiGate-VM provides strong security, user-friendly management, and cost-effective scalability with robust features and high traffic handling.

SonicWall NSSP offers robust VPN, security features, user-friendly interface, and scalability with valued pricing and comprehensive protection.

These features help reduce our downtime, manage the ISPs, and deploy SLAs for all the website traffic.

Syed Ali Waqas

Head IT at Burraq Cyber Security Solutions

The most valuable feature of FortiGate is FortiView which provides proactive monitoring.

Viraj Fernandopulle

General Manager Group IT at DART GLOBAL LOGISTICS PTE. LTD.

We got a firewall and gave an SSL VPN to my client to connect to their servers, after which, such kind of activities involving ransomware attacks stopped.

VINAY GUJARATHI

Owner at Mindware Computer Solutions

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

The more integrated we become, the less we spend on solving bugs and issues, allowing us to reduce time focusing on understanding and improving our network.

Pietro Di Blasi

Pre-Sales Analyst at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

Fortinet is the only provider to have successfully set up a unified operating system on all its products in the network security ecosystem.

reviewer2742447

System Administrator, Security Engineer, Security Result at a tech vendor with 201-500 employees

For what we need to do, which is setting up a VPN connection between both sides and using it for SSL VPN connections for remote users, it works effectively and we haven't encountered vulnerabilities.

Samuel-Mottet

EMEA Enterprise Solutions Architect at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate-VM report

Every time I have had a concern, they have resolved it in a single call.

SyedTaha

Head of IT and Information Security at GLEEDS USA INC

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall NSSP report

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 18.8%, down from 20.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate-VM is 1.9%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall NSSP is 0.2%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	18.8%
Fortinet FortiGate-VM	1.9%
SonicWall NSSP	0.2%
Other	79.1%

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.

Read full review

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.

Read full review

SyedTaha

Head of IT and Information Security at GLEEDS USA INC

Support has resolved concerns promptly and security tools have strengthened intrusion prevention and access control

The service we received from SonicWall NSSP and their distributors has been excellent. Every time I have had a concern, they have resolved it in a single call. The interface of SonicWall NSSP console is user-friendly with comprehensive features. The web filtering and access control policy are top priorities for me. It is very effective because it prevents any indecent behaviors in the network or from outside the network. Half of the task is completed by the intelligence based on the behavior. Installation was easy because our infrastructure has minimal requirements. For expanded infrastructure, support from a SonicWall NSSP technical team may be required. We have implemented it on our own.

Read full review

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Firewalls solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

Media Company

Financial Services Firm

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	357
Midsize Enterprise	133
Large Enterprise	188

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	71
Midsize Enterprise	34
Large Enterprise	37

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Large Enterprise	3

Questions from the Community

Which is the better NGFW: Fortinet Fortigate or Cisco Firepower?

When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage a...

See all answers

What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?

From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know...

See all answers

What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?

As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite ...

See all answers

Features comparison between Palo Alto and Fortinet firewalls

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

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about Fortinet FortiGate-VM?

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

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall NSSP?

The cost is affordable.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SonicWall NSSP?

For improvement, they should have events specifically focused on firmware or patch updates released for the firewalls...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SonicWall NSSP?

The solution is used to detect intrusion, web filtering, and network monitoring.

See all answers

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 6% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Azure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 25% of the time

Palo Alto Networks VM-Series vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 9% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 4% of the time

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 4% of the time

Check Point CloudGuard Network Security vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate-VM Competitors

SonicWall NSa vs SonicWall NSSP

Compared 32% of the time

OPNsense vs SonicWall NSSP

Compared 19% of the time

More SonicWall NSSP Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

January 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate-VM

January 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate-VM product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall NSSP

January 2026

Download SonicWall NSSP product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

FortiGate Virtual Appliance, FortiGate-VM

SonicWall Network Security Services Platform

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

The SonicWall Network Security services platform (NSsp) 12000 series takes a modern approach to threat detection and prevention by combining cloud intelligence with appliance-based protection in a scalable, high-speed platform.

SonicWall

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

Comlogic, Depaul, Hutt City Council

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. SonicWall NSSP

December 2025

Free Report: Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. SonicWall NSSP

Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. SonicWall NSSP and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. SonicWall NSSP report.

See our list of best Firewalls vendors.

We monitor all Firewalls reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.