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Fortinet FortiGate vs SonicWall NSSP comparison

Fortinet and SonicWall are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Fortinet is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.4, while SonicWall is ranked #38 with an average rating of 7.3. Fortinet holds a 21.4% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to SonicWall’s 0.1% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.
Fortinet FortiGate
Read 357 Fortinet FortiGate reviews
  • 69,766 Views
  • 52,973 Comparison Views
90% willing to recommend
SonicWall NSSP
Read 7 SonicWall NSSP reviews
  • 236 Views
  • 123 Comparison Views
83% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

Fortinet FortiGate and SonicWall NSSP compete in the network security category. Fortinet is often perceived as having an edge due to its comprehensive features, ease of integration, and competitive pricing.

Features: Fortinet FortiGate is esteemed for its superior UTM capabilities, SSL VPN, and application control, which offer flexibility and high performance. These features are crucial for providing a robust security solution. SonicWall NSSP stands out with strong VPN capabilities, SSL certification, and effective load sharing, contributing to solid network security management.

Room for Improvement: Fortinet FortiGate could enhance scalability, some function stability, and documentation. A more intuitive VPN feature integration is also desired. SonicWall NSSP requires improvements in EDR/XDR capabilities, phishing protection, and stability with new firmware updates. Users also find its NSM tool lacking in comprehensive features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both Fortinet FortiGate and SonicWall NSSP offer user-friendly interfaces and reliable deployment for on-premise and cloud solutions. Fortinet is favored for its extensive cloud integration options and more reliable technical support, despite regional service discrepancies. SonicWall faces criticism for support delays and performance bugs, making Fortinet a slightly more preferred choice for support.

Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiGate is known for its competitive pricing and straightforward pricing structure, delivering strong ROI that often outweighs initial costs. SonicWall NSSP, while reliable, is perceived as less cost-efficient due to higher pricing. Although both products provide robust returns on investments and long-term cost savings, Fortinet is often considered better value due to its lower total cost of ownership over time.

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To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiGate vs. SonicWall NSSP Report (Updated: June 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate vs. SonicWall NSSP
June 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

Fortinet FortiGate
Ranking in Firewalls
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
357
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (1st), WAN Edge (1st)
SonicWall NSSP
Ranking in Firewalls
38th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 21.4%, up from 17.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall NSSP is 0.1%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewalls
 

Featured Reviews

Jorge Martínez - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers good SD-WAN capabilities and integrates easily with Fortinet devices
I am not part of the initial setup or deployment process since I work in presales. The setup or deployment is quite easy, as you can do a one-touch deployment that automatically connects to the FortiManager cloud when you connect it to a broadband or dynamic IP, allowing you to start the configuration from that point. We usually sell it for on-premises setups. It's on the cloud only when the client has virtual machines or their own service. Sometimes they have a service on the cloud like AWS, but it's more difficult to sell now because AWS has an e-commerce option where you can buy FortiGate directly. The only thing you need is someone to manage and configure.
Read full review
Lenin Christopher - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced security with advanced threat protection and superior support
We serve as an integrator for SonicWall, deploying this solution for customers in the media and entertainment, banking, and finance sectors. We use SonicWall to protect their environments against digital attacks SonicWall has helped us deliver security solutions effectively, particularly in…
Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Good anti-malware and web filtering features."
"Fortinet FortiGate is easy to use."
"LinkGreat firewall capabilities"
"We have found it to be very reliable and that's why our teams and various users in our company use it as our main firewall every day."
"It performs very well."
"The best features of Fortinet FortiGate are that it does the job effectively and protects our environment."
"The most valuable feature of FortiGate is FortiView which provides proactive monitoring."
"The solution has very good threat and content filtering switches."
More Fortinet FortiGate pros
"The solution's pricing is good."
"I like the filtering feature, which provides easy access. The SSL certification feature is also nice. The solution enhanced our security posture."
"SonicWall has helped us deliver security solutions effectively, particularly in threat prevention and content filtering."
"The product's most valuable features are simplicity and comprehensive protection capabilities, including load balancing, IPS, antivirus, and web filtering."
"The VPN functionality is really good. Overall, the whole device is very easy to manage. The software that comes with it is also good."
"It has been delivering results efficiently. Its configurations and updates have been easy. It is also user-friendly."
"SonicWall NSSP is stable and scalable too."
 

Cons

"Its customer service could be better."
"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."
"Fortinet FortiGate could improve by adding enhancements to FortiMail, FortiSOAR, and FortiDeceptor."
"It can be a little bit more user-friendly in terms of policy definition and implementation. It seems a little bit complicated, and it could be simplified."
"Fortinet FortiGate could improve by having more capabilities for troubleshooting VPN connections. For example, I do get some feedback about the current status, but I could use some history and logging of important events. The information is logged in our Syslog server, but I could use that information from the device. If they could provide a GUI to have some more insight on what's going with my VPN would be useful."
"They've become quite expensive."
"I would like Fortinet to add more automation to FortiGate."
"Its price could be better."
More Fortinet FortiGate cons
"The user interface, the GUI, could be improved."
"The solution's stability and scalability also need improvement."
"The platform could benefit from an improved marketing strategy."
"No security product is foolproof against hackers, intruders, and other such things. As a security product, they have to keep pace in terms of protection from new hackers and intruders."
"The product needs improvement for phishing emails."
"The EDR and XDR capabilities of SonicWall need to be improved."
"Its reporting functions can be improved. It has decent reporting, but you got to pay a lot more money for it. That's where it begins to fall apart. It comes with minimal zero reporting unless you buy some extra modules. With those extra modules, you can get all the data, but it takes a while to put together what you need for your customer. It is for technical people, but there is no executive summary of the reporting."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's very affordable."
"They need to be competitive with other solutions."
"The product pricing is reasonable."
"The beauty is the price performance ratio is great with FortiGate. It provides all the features we needed and the price is comparable with others' firewalls. The price is quite competitive with the firewalls with similar features."
"By default, they give SD-WAN along with the firewall. They don't have separate licensing for the SD-WAN functionality. However, they have security licenses that are sold separately on a subscription basis. Customers can consume these security features to protect their users from internet traffic."
"Its pricing is good. The advantages of Fortinet FortiGate over its competitors include good pricing and meeting our requirements at a lower cost."
"The price of Fortinet FortiGate is better than Cisco, Check Point, and Palo Alto. In terms of pricing, it's probably a better-priced firewall solution overall."
"It is cheaper and more competitive compared to other options. For example, when comparing Palo Alto products to others, Palo Alto tends to be more expensive. If you compare Cisco's platform, including Cisco Meraki, with Fortinet products, you'll notice that Cisco's offerings are generally higher priced than Fortinet's firewall solutions."
More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice
"For SonicWall NSSP high availability, active/passive, you need to buy one license, and so you get much more value for money."
"You got to buy some VPN licenses, and there might be a $40 to $50 one-time license fee per current user. There are different layers. They have several different levels of event security software and depending on the model, it seems to come out to be $1 to $2 a day. So, if you bought a three-year license, it is going to be anywhere from $900 to $1800 depending on the bundle and model that you buy."
"The setup costs and licensing are reasonable, and the solution provides good value for its features."
"I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten."
"The pricing is cheap, and that's where, you know, the some of the organization goes for the SonicWall."
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Comparison Review

it_user216600 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 3, 2016
Sophos UTM vs. Fortinet FortiGate
I have used both Sophos and Fortinet products in production and I have found the Sophos UTM appliances (hardware and virtual) to be a better fit most of the time -- with a few caveats which I will touch on below. In both instances, the transition from TMG will be mostly straightforward. The main…
Read full review
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
15%
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
6%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 at large. In my opinion, Fortinet would be the best option and l use Fortinet too...
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 the firewalls change every 5 to 7 years as stated but you really do need to upg...
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 good. The most valuable features for me are their web and email filtering. I wou...
See all answers
What do you like most about SonicWall NSSP?
The solution's pricing is good.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall NSSP?
SonicWall is a rather expensive solution with a rating of eight out of ten regarding its pricing. Despite being expensive, its features and support are valuable and well-regarded.
See all answers
What needs improvement with SonicWall NSSP?
The EDR and XDR capabilities of SonicWall need to be improved. When compared to a brand like SentinelOne, SonicWall seems to fall behind. They should enhance these features to make them stronger.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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SonicWall TZ vs Fortinet FortiGate Logo
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Compared 5% of the time
WatchGuard Firebox vs Fortinet FortiGate Logo
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Compared 5% of the time
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SonicWall NSa vs SonicWall NSSP Logo
SonicWall NSa vs SonicWall NSSP
Compared 47% of the time
More SonicWall NSSP Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
June 2025
Fortinet FortiGate reportDownload Fortinet FortiGate product report
Buyer's Guide
Firewalls
May 2025
SonicWall NSSP reportDownload SonicWall NSSP product report
 

Also Known As

FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate, Fortinet Firewall
SonicWall Network Security Services Platform
 

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate offers comprehensive network security and firewall protection across multiple locations. It effectively manages data traffic and secures environments with features like VPN, intrusion prevention, and UTM controls.

Organizations rely on Fortinet FortiGate for its robust integration with advanced security policies, ensuring significant protection for enterprises, cloud environments, and educational sectors. It facilitates network segmentation, application-level security, and authentication management, securing communication within and between locations such as branches and data centers. Its efficient SD-WAN and UTM features enable streamlined data management and enhanced threat protection capabilities. Users appreciate its centralized management, facilitating seamless operations across diverse environments.

What are the key features of Fortinet FortiGate?

  • VPN Capabilities: Ensure secure remote access for users and seamless site-to-site connections.
  • Intrusion Prevention System (IPS): Detect and prevent security threats and vulnerabilities.
  • Advanced Firewall: Offers robust firewalling with application control and web filtering.
  • SD-WAN: Optimizes application performance and enhances bandwidth management.
  • SSL VPN: Provides reliable and secure access for remote workers.

What benefits should users expect from Fortinet FortiGate?

  • High-performance Security: Delivers effective threat mitigation with high availability.
  • Centralized Management: Simplifies network operations with cloud-based management tools.
  • Detailed Analytics: Provides comprehensive insights into network activity and security threats.
  • Load Balancing: Ensures optimal resource distribution and traffic management.

Fortinet FortiGate is crucial in sectors like education, offering robust networks for secure data flow between campuses and facilitating remote learning. In enterprise environments, it allows efficient management of application traffic and security across multiple branches, while in the cloud, it seamlessly integrates with diverse platforms to enhance security infrastructure.

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
Comlogic, Depaul, Hutt City Council
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate vs. SonicWall NSSP
June 2025
Free Report: Fortinet FortiGate vs. SonicWall NSSP
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiGate vs. SonicWall NSSP and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
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