Fortinet FortiMail vs IRONSCALES comparison

Fortinet and IRONSCALES are both solutions in the Email Security category. Fortinet is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.6, while IRONSCALES is ranked #12 with an average rating of 9.2. Fortinet holds a 2.9% mindshare in Email Security, compared to IRONSCALES’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of IRONSCALES users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

Fortinet FortiMail and IRONSCALES are competitors in the email security category. IRONSCALES seems to have the upper hand in incident response and user convenience due to its advanced AI-driven features and responsive mobile app.

Features: Fortinet FortiMail offers robust spam detection via FortiGuard Antispam Service and supports session-based and application-based filtering. It provides inbound and outbound inspections and DNS blacklist scans. FortiMail integrates seamlessly with FortiGuard for updates and offers deployment in gateway, server, or transparent modes. IRONSCALES excels with AI-driven phishing detection, automated incident responses, and employee awareness training. Its mobile app enhances incident management with on-the-go capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Fortinet FortiMail could enhance its web management interface, offer better third-party integration, and simplify the deployment process. Its encryption features need further development. IRONSCALES could improve its user interface and provide better training modules in multiple languages. Users seek improved customization options for phishing awareness campaigns and more integration capabilities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortinet FortiMail primarily operates on-premises with limited cloud options. Its deployment is complex, particularly for large setups, and support response times are inconsistent. IRONSCALES offers deployments in public, private, and hybrid cloud environments. Users find its support responsive, though the user interface requires improvements.

Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiMail is cost-effective for larger organizations due to capacity-based pricing rather than per-user fees. It offers considerable ROI through reduced security breaches. IRONSCALES employs a user-based licensing model and provides good ROI by decreasing manual email analysis time, especially beneficial for high-volume email handlers.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiMail vs. IRONSCALES Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiMail vs. IRONSCALES

June 2026

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Helped 902,417 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:

Categories and Ranking

Cloudflare One

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Cloudflare One is 1.6%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiMail is 2.9%, down from 4.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IRONSCALES is 2.0%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Security Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiMail	2.9%
IRONSCALES	2.0%
Cloudflare One	1.6%
Other	93.5%

Email Security

Featured Reviews

Cobe Van Coller

Network Architect at IP Dimension

Cloud security has improved remote access and has reduced costs for smaller client sites

I have used Cloudflare One's Identity-Aware Proxy, and it is quite straightforward from what I have seen so far. The app registration on the Azure side integrates fully into Cloudflare, and I am very satisfied with that part because it is easy to set up. The integration of Cloudflare One's Secure Web Gateway and Zero Trust Network Access works without any issues. That part is pretty automatic, and if you complete the rest of the setup, it comes together by itself with no issues from my side. What makes it nice is that we can actually start replacing on-site firewalls at this stage for the smaller clients because it does not matter if they go to a coffee shop or work from home; they are still secured by the same connection. The hops get shorter and you get better latency. We have done testing to see if it is better. One thing that we did notice with our proof of concept with our current client is that they have people connecting from the UK. When they used their previous VPN solution, uploading CAD drawings and other files to the server took a long time. They mentioned that it is much quicker on Cloudflare One's solution. I definitely believe that is part of the improved performance, and I am satisfied with that as well. What is nice about Cloudflare One is that it makes the setup easier and also easier to train technicians to maintain it. Compared to legacy systems, we do not need to get fancy firewalls in place that are costly. That is definitely also a cost-saver with Cloudflare One.

Read full review

Abhimanyu Das

Senior Cybersecurity Engineer at Kyndryl

Targeted email filtering has reduced spam and phishing and now saves significant investigation time

The best features of Fortinet FortiMail include its techniques and tactics, which are highly effective compared to other solutions such as Microsoft 365. Although Fortinet FortiMail may not be as advanced in some aspects, it is well recognized for its strong performance in handling spam and phishing. It performs thorough mail scanning and also offers a sandboxing feature that enhances protection. Fortinet FortiMail has had a positive impact on my organization by significantly reducing unwanted email activities such as spam and phishing. It provides accurate detection and generates results that often exceed what can be achieved through manual analysis. Since deploying Fortinet FortiMail, I have observed a reduction in investigation time by at least 20 to 30 percent.

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reviewer2770017

Email Security Analyst at a computer software company with 51-200 employees

Has improved threat analysis by providing clear email correspondence history and reporting tools

The best features IRONSCALES offers are the investigation tabs, headers, and correspondence history, which stand out the most for me. The investigation tabs are valuable for my work because reporting goes a long way in terms of playbooks and having a full investigation. The investigation tab knows exactly how to put the information in a way that makes it very easy for reports to get done fast. Security awareness training is a big part of IRONSCALES. The platform offers a broad spectrum in terms of what campaigns can be run for security awareness for users as well as reporting back on how users interact with their mails and understanding where the vulnerabilities lie. IRONSCALES has positively impacted my organization by making email security simple in terms of controlling mails, understanding where the threats are, and protecting the organization itself.

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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

"Cloudflare DDoS mitigates DDoS attacks."

"Cloudflare Access is a stable solution."

"Cloudflare is simple to use."

"It will take the blow rather than our applications should an attack occur."

"We mostly use Cloudflare WAF, and gets basic Cloudflaire DDoS, caching as extra bonus . We like the factor these features are all integrated into 1 console, simple to manage."

"Enables me to work from two locations."

"Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform removes the risk of exposing the applications to the public."

"What makes it nice is that we can actually start replacing on-site firewalls at this stage for the smaller clients because it does not matter if they go to a coffee shop or work from home; they are still secured by the same connection."

More Cloudflare One pros

"We found the initial setup to be mostly straightforward."

"With the Fortinet FortiMail solution, you have a lot of advantages because of the effectiveness of security."

"Fortinet FortiMail has a lot of valuable features. It works great. It also has an antivirus feature. Support for Fortinet FortiMail was also great when my team wanted to block some geographic IPs, but couldn't figure out how to do it. The support team provided clear communication on how to resolve that issue. Another valuable feature of Fortinet FortiMail is SPAM filtering which tells you how many spammy emails you've received. Based on my current use cases, I'm happy with Fortinet FortiMail."

"When combining this solution with other Fortinet products, such as FortiGate, it integrates well and provides a comprehensive protection package."

"The key benefits of this solution are its user-friendly interface and clear instructions, as well as the wealth of online resources and helpful health community available for support. These features make it easy for users to navigate and utilize the solution effectively."

"The solution has a user-friendly interface. It is easy to deploy and handle. You can easily troubleshoot the issues of the solution."

"Fortinet FortiMail has been beneficial to my company; in the past, there were a lot of spam and phishing attempts, but after Fortinet FortiMail was implemented, it provided better protection against spam, phishing attempts, and ransomware."

"For now, as per our experience with FortiMail in handling a large number of emails and spams as well, in the past three years, we have been protected and saved from any attacks from the outside."

More Fortinet FortiMail pros

"It is just good to know that it is watching when we don't have to watch; I can go to sleep, and it is still working."

"IRONSCALES offers a sense of security and confidence from being well protected."

"It is a totally stable solution."

"The fact that it is set-and-forget is valuable. Once you turn it on, you very rarely have to micromanage it, whereas, with a lot of spam filters, you have to go in very often."

"AI-driven phishing detection and incident remediation are valuable. It saves time from having to do manual analysis and investigation, and we also get alerts for phishing emails."

"It has helped immensely because it has gotten rid of malicious links and malicious attachments that have been targeted at our different staff members."

"The stability is good."

"It is an important part of our security infrastructure and gives us confidence that we are protected from email threats."

More IRONSCALES pros

Cons

"Cloudflare One is not very powerful, but for what we require, it is basic and sufficient."

"The response time for support must be reduced."

"Our subscription plan for the solution has a limitation of bot signatures."

"The software has automated alerts, but the automated alerts are not available in the mobile app."

"Our customers no longer use Cloudflare because its service is subpar."

"The tool should provide on-premise versions. Currently, all versions are cloud-based."

"For the topic of improvement, providing some training material is one of my suggestions."

"Feedback could be enhanced."

More Cloudflare One cons

"What's missing in Fortinet FortiMail is some sandbox information for some of the emails. It's probably configuration-based, where it could be configured on some emails. For example, there was malware in some emails that weren't detected in some of the Fortinet FortiMail sessions, but it should have been configured from my company's end to better catch scam emails, but overall, the solution is okay. At the moment, my company is okay with the current Fortinet FortiMail offerings, but in the past, because of a lack of understanding, my team wasn't able to quickly implement the geographical IP blocking feature. It was time-consuming to implement that feature, but that wasn't a fault of Fortinet FortiMail. The issue was from my team's end, but just by emailing the support team, that issue was resolved, so right now, there isn't any additional feature I'd like added to Fortinet FortiMail."

"Issues with the current email search functionality."

"Such kinds of things, raised from the point from the objective actually, we are using Fortinet FortiMail. We don't find any kinds of challenge or difficulties, but Fortinet FortiMail is more efficient and more effective for us. I don't know for other client, but for us, Fortinet FortiMail is very effective Like, for instance, if it is possible, let's say some kind of high threat is actually encountered if it could be possible to SMBs in our smartphone, or mobile apps, kinds of thing, if Fortinet FortiMail is available to monitor the thing using from our mobile phone from our smartphone. If such kinds of things are truly included, it will be more or good for us."

"The solution's pricing could be improved."

"The product should work on licensing and provide more detail once the license is selected for the customer."

"I think their statistics and the BI in general could be improved."

"I think they should improve Fortinet FortiMail on-premises by enhancing its user interface."

"The main area for improvement is the pricing."

More Fortinet FortiMail cons

"Its UI could be improved. My pet peeve with a lot of these cloud-based systems is that a lot of times, the interface for the management is a little clunky. If you live and breathe IRONSCALES all day long, you'll obviously know where everything is just from muscle memory, but the system is not designed for people to be in it all day long. You're only supposed to occasionally look at it. When things get moved around, it is not necessarily that intuitive. I'm an IT guy, and I can pretty much take the worst UI and figure it out, but the menus and the options in the interface could be a little cleaner graphically. If you have a quick problem that you want to resolve, it takes a little bit of digging in the admin console, whereas it should take a few clicks up front."

"There's room for improvement in the campaign management."

"The only thing that I could say is that some of the reporting features could be better."

"IRONSCALES should bundle more features together instead of separating them and charging additional licensing fees."

"I would like it if IRONSCALES had some sort of reminder mechanism, meaning IRONSCALES knows if a user completed the training or not. As long as it hasn't been completed, it keeps reminding every so often, alerts the manager, etc. Right now, it is all in the hands of the employee, and not all of them continue the process, which is a shame."

"The user interface could be more attractive to users. The UI is not brightened or appealing."

"I would really prefer to drill down more on correspondence history. It provides detailed background information to actually understand what's going on."

"Its UI could be improved. My pet peeve with a lot of these cloud-based systems is that a lot of times, the interface for the management is a little clunky."

More IRONSCALES cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The prices are slightly expensive."

"The pricing of the solution is cheap. The licensing cost is also very low. I rate the cost and pricing a three out of ten."

"The pricing is somewhere in the middle. I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten."

"Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform's pricing is good."

"My company has to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the solution. There are no hidden charges apart from the licensing costs of the solution."

"The price tag is no longer $200,000, but rather $300,000 to $400,000. It's twice."

"The solution's pricing lacks transparency."

"The solution is not that expensive."

"Fortinet FortiMail is inexpensive."

"There is a license required for this solution and it is on an annual basis. I am satisfied with the price."

"The tool is very expensive."

"Pricing is straight-forward and renewable without complicated pricing structures."

"The solution is quite pricey compared to other competitors in the market."

"It is reasonable."

"In terms of licensing, we are using a virtual machine license for the single virtual server which it runs on. Doing it this way enables us to cut costs by only licensing FortiMail for our exact use case. If you need to expand in future, you can later buy extra licenses per virtual machine."

"The annual cost is $55,000."

More Fortinet FortiMail pricing and cost advice

"We pay $3000 plus a little more a year for the number of employees we have, and we're not even that big. The solution is at the higher end in terms of cost. It's not the most expensive product, but I would say it's worth the price if you have a high volume of email traffic. In our case, the solution has inspected over 162,000 emails between three and four months. It saved us a lot of time and money. It's a worthwhile investment because a bad actor only has to succeed once; we must defend against everything in our business. IRONSCALES offers a sense of security and confidence from being well protected."

"Considering the value it provides, it is definitely worth the cost. We don't have to do manual analysis and remediation of phishing emails, which saves us a lot of hours. Its licensing is based on the number of users being supported and the number of email addresses being protected. I'm not aware of any additional costs."

"The product is available as a middle-priced tool. I think it is not the cheapest solution."

"They are pretty much the same as all the other competitors in the market."

"The tool is not very cheap, but it is affordable."

"There is an installation cost. Since we have this as a managed service, we pay for licensing and the managed service itself. Other than that, there are no additional costs."

"I don't know about its pricing because I don't run the budget or pay the bills, but if it was extortionate, we probably would be looking to scrap it, and because we are not, I assume its price is okay."

"IRONSCALES is an expensive solution."

More IRONSCALES pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

19%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Construction Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	12

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	32
Midsize Enterprise	23
Large Enterprise	15

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	4

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform?

Pricing is competitive. Akamai is more expensive, in my view.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform?

In my opinion, Cloudflare One can be improved mainly through compatibility, as the integration should be much simpler...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform?

Cloudflare One's primary use case for my organization is to protect servers and to provide remote access with the VPN...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiMail?

The setup cost is a little bit costly.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiMail?

I think they should improve Fortinet FortiMail on-premises by enhancing its user interface. Additional features they ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiMail?

I do have a partnership with Fortinet. I have been both a partner and reseller.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IRONSCALES?

While I don't specifically oversee the pricing details, I understand that IRONSCALES is in the range of similar solut...

See all answers

What needs improvement with IRONSCALES?

I would really prefer to drill down more on correspondence history. It provides detailed background information to ac...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IRONSCALES?

My main use case for IRONSCALES is the UI and the convenience of having detailed information available to me. A speci...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cloudflare One

June 2026

Download Cloudflare One product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiMail

June 2026

Download Fortinet FortiMail product report

Buyer's Guide

IRONSCALES

June 2026

Download IRONSCALES product report

Also Known As

Cloudflare Area 1 Email Security, Cloudflare Bot Management, Cloudflare Gateway, Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform, Cloudflare DDoS, Cloudflare SASE & SSE Platform

FortiMail

No data available

Overview

Cloudflare One is a comprehensive platform for security, performance, and connectivity. It provides features like rate limiting, DDoS protection, and application access, tailored to enhance user experience while securing internet access and accelerating communications.

Designed to integrate security measures with ease of use and scalability, Cloudflare One offers a secure web gateway and zero trust network access. These features ensure seamless setup and operation, making connectivity reliable and protected. Users appreciate its integrated console, intuitive interface, and the ability to manage risk effectively. It offers straightforward deployment, improves latency, and boasts cost-effectiveness. While its onboarding process and documentation need enhancement, its value in content delivery and application shielding is notable. Despite challenges in integrating Cloudflare Access with existing VPNs and the need for better automation and support, it remains vital for DNS and infrastructure protection.

What features make Cloudflare One stand out?

Rate Limiting: Controls the traffic rate to prevent abuse.
DDoS Protection: Shields applications from distributed denial-of-service attacks.
Secure Web Gateway: Provides secure internet access with seamless operation.
Zero Trust Network Access: Ensures secure, application-based connectivity without relying on traditional VPNs.
Access for Connectivity: Facilitates access to internal applications securely.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Security: Robust measures for DNS and browsing protection.
Performance: Enhanced site accessibility and communication speed.
Cost-Effectiveness: Offers competitive pricing for its features.
Ease of Deployment: Straightforward and efficient setup process.

In industries like finance, retail, and technology, Cloudflare One is crucial for enabling secure remote access and protecting web applications against dynamic threats. It supports compliance access policies and enhances content delivery, playing a key role in safeguarding digital infrastructure.

Cloudflare

Fortinet FortiMail is a robust email security platform offering anti-spam, antivirus, and anti-phishing capabilities. It integrates with Fortinet products to ensure seamless protection against email threats in on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, enhancing secure communication for businesses.

Fortinet FortiMail is designed to protect against a range of email threats including spam, phishing, and malware, ensuring email safety for organizations. It operates as both a gateway and server, allowing for secure filtering of incoming and outgoing emails. The integration with Fortinet’s suite of security tools provides a comprehensive approach to managing threats effectively, while user-friendly interfaces and detailed reporting systems aid in threat monitoring and management. Frequent updates are implemented, though scalability and web console enhancements are necessary for improved performance.

What are the key features of Fortinet FortiMail?

Anti-Spam: Provides reliable filtering to block unwanted emails.
Antivirus: Ensures protection against harmful viruses.
Anti-Phishing: Prevents phishing attempts through advanced detection.
Sandboxing: Enhances threat detection to manage email security efficiently.
Integration: Seamlessly works with other Fortinet products for unified security.

What benefits should users expect from Fortinet FortiMail?

Comprehensive Security: Offers robust protection against multiple email threats.
Ease of Use: Features a user-friendly interface for better accessibility.
Detailed Reporting: Provides insights into threat management activities.
Reliable Performance: Delivers consistent updates for maintaining email protection.

Fortinet FortiMail is implemented by companies across industries seeking to secure their email communications. In healthcare, it protects sensitive patient information, while in finance, it safeguards transactional data against phishing attacks. Retailers utilize FortiMail to prevent data breaches from fraudulent emails, demonstrating its versatility in diverse sectors.

Fortinet

IRONSCALES delivers cutting-edge AI-driven email phishing detection and prevention, seamlessly integrating with Microsoft 365 for enhanced security.

IRONSCALES, with its advanced AI capabilities, focuses on email security by detecting phishing threats, mitigating business email compromises, and preventing impersonation. Its integration with Microsoft 365 strengthens spam filters, automatically responding to suspicious emails. The platform is used globally for threat inspection, quarantine, and end-user incident reporting. Staff training is enhanced through simulated phishing campaigns, offering an extra layer of protection beyond Microsoft's spam filters. Areas for improvement include better Google Suite integration, pricing adjustments, and enhanced reporting features.

What features make IRONSCALES stand out?

AI Phishing Detection: Advanced algorithms for identifying phishing threats.
Microsoft 365 Integration: Seamless enhancement of email security within Microsoft systems.
Mobile App: Manage email threats on the go.
Anti-Phishing Training: Simulated campaigns for staff education.
Multi-Organization Management: Centralized administration for multiple entities.

What benefits and ROI should you consider?

Time-Saving: Automated detection and response to threats improve efficiency.
Comprehensive Security: Offers an additional protection layer beyond standard spam filters.
Ease of Use: Intuitive integration and user-friendly design streamline operations.
Risk Reduction: Minimizes potential email security breaches through proactive threat management.

In finance, IRONSCALES plays an essential role in safeguarding sensitive data from phishing attacks, ensuring compliance with industry standards. Educational institutions use IRONSCALES for training faculty and students on recognizing phishing attempts, thereby enhancing overall cybersecurity awareness. IT sectors leverage its capabilities for managing complex threat landscapes.

IRONSCALES

Sample Customers

23andMe

Magromer Cueros y Pieles S.A.

Allegheny Millwork, Ayrshire College, Nium, Orris, Paramount School District, Pres Les, PRT Staffing, Recovery Unplugged, Telit, WebHelp

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiMail vs. IRONSCALES

June 2026

Free Report: Fortinet FortiMail vs. IRONSCALES

Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiMail vs. IRONSCALES and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.

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