We performed a comparison between Fortinet FortiGate and OPNsense based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Features: Fortinet FortiGate is highly regarded for its all-inclusive package, intuitive interface, strong security features, expandability, and centralized administration. OPNsense is appreciated for its scalability, user-friendly nature, adaptability, reliability, and availability of a free version.
Fortinet FortiGate could be enhanced in areas such as SSL VPN capabilities, multi-factor authentication, filtering accuracy, support system, reporting capabilities, antivirus and IPS functionality, delivery reliability, logging information, security features, scalability, navigation, container security, and WAF functionality. OPNsense could improve its interface, bandwidth management, protection across multiple internet providers, high availability, logging, management of different groups, integration, reporting, SSL inspection, and learning curve.
Service and Support: Fortinet FortiGate and OPNsense products have varied reviews. Certain customers have expressed satisfaction with Fortinet, while some have criticized the support provided by OPNsense.
Ease of Deployment: The setup process for Fortinet FortiGate is generally straightforward and can take anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days or even up to two months. OPNsense's initial setup is described as easy and not too difficult, typically taking a few hours for installation and configuration. However, certain environments like Azure may require additional setup and adaptation, which can extend the implementation process.
Pricing: Fortinet FortiGate offers different packages and pricing options for setup, which are considered reasonable and competitive. However, the renewal prices might be higher. OPNsense is an open-source solution with affordable pricing, mainly determined by hardware expenses. Although a paid version is available, the free version is widely utilized.
ROI: Fortinet FortiGate is a worthwhile investment that delivers positive outcomes by reducing costs in data communications. It offers efficient protection against threats and allows for centralized management. OPNsense has experienced notable progress, achieving a return on investment in under three months and eliminating the need for recurring fees.
Comparison Results: Fortinet FortiGate is highly recommended by users due to its extensive package solution, user-friendly interface, stable performance, strong security capabilities, and ease of use. It offers additional features such as SSL VPN, load balancing, and multi-tenancy. Fortinet FortiGate also excels in customer service and support, with users appreciating their quick response times and helpful assistance.
"The UTM feature is quite good. FortiAP is easy to deploy because both Fortigate and FortiAP are under the same brand. Otherwise, you need to do more work on the configuration."
"The CLI and GUI do a good job of putting a lot at your fingertips."
"It's super reliable. I don't think I've ever had a reliability issue with it."
"It has improved our security capabilities."
"The most valuable feature is the bundled subscription, which is IPS, TV and web filtering."
"The feature I like most is the SD-WAN. It allows you to manage more than one ISP at the same time. And there is a high-availability mode, so if one of your ISPs is down, you still have a backup."
"It works very well. It has a lot of different functionalities. Its cost is also fine for our customers."
"This is an easy solution to deploy."
"OPNsense could improve by making the configuration more web-based rather than shell or command-line-based."
"The feature I find most valuable, is that the program helped me to realize all the requested functionality that was needed."
"I feel that its valuable features are that it is simple and free."
"It has an open license. It works very well, and there is an update every month."
"The VPN server feature is the most valuable. It is integrated with Radius and AAA for doing accounting and authentication. Insight view is also an important feature for me at this time. It allows me to assess our network traffic. I also like the firewall feature. The BSD kernel has a packet filter. It is one of the most solid frameworks for firewalls. Its user interface is one of the best interfaces I have used."
"It has firewall and VPN capabilities, which are very valuable features."
"It's open source."
"The system in general is quite flexible."
"Tunnel flapping was one of the major things I had seen wherein your internet link remains but your VPN tunnel is down. However, since I got a fix from the TAC team, I have not noticed it, but the customer complained a few times that they couldn't access the internet because of this problem."
"Currently, without the additional reporting module, we only have access to basic reporting."
"In the future, I would like to see improvements made to cloud-based management."
"The pricing could be reduced or include the first year warranty."
"The logging details need to be improved."
"The pricing could always be better."
"This product could be improved with Active directory integration and better handling in IPsec and GRE Tunnels."
"The monitor and the visibility, in this proxy, is very weak."
"OPNsense showed me some problems when using it in different environments. The problem is integration with a virtual server."
"When using the solution at the beginning was difficult. There was a steep learning curve."
"On the customer-side, because I'm a small business, I need a cheaper or free solution option."
"They should improve IPEs for security in the future."
"I think the most important thing is that it should be easily accessible, but currently, that doesn't seem to be the case. We need a hardware platform that's based on common standards and open computing principles, which would be like a commodity and benefit us greatly."
"The reporting part could be better."
"The support for OPNsense is good because we have documents available on the internet. The support could improve a little."
"There are a few weaknesses. For example, there is a lack of some features that I have in certain commercial products."
Fortinet FortiGate is ranked 2nd in Firewalls with 306 reviews while OPNsense is ranked 3rd in Firewalls with 35 reviews. Fortinet FortiGate is rated 8.4, while OPNsense is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Fortinet FortiGate writes "It's a reliable solution that's easy to install and cheaper than competitors ". On the other hand, the top reviewer of OPNsense writes "Good interface and firewall capabilities and overall easy to use". Fortinet FortiGate is most compared with Sophos XG, Cisco Secure Firewall, Netgate pfSense, Meraki MX and Juniper SRX Series Firewall, whereas OPNsense is most compared with Netgate pfSense, Sophos XG, Untangle NG Firewall, Sophos UTM and WatchGuard Firebox. See our Fortinet FortiGate vs. OPNsense report.
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