We performed a comparison between Fortinet FortiOS and Netgate pfSense based on real PeerSpot user reviews.
Find out in this report how the two Firewalls solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI."Initial setup is easy to configure."
"We purchased Fortinet because of the pricing, its functionality, because it met our requirements, and the total cost of ownership over five years was quite reasonable. In the market, Fortinet is rated quite well."
"The solution is very easy to understand. It's not overly complex."
"It's very good and very stable for businesses. It works very well."
"It's a user-friendly firewall. Most of the tasks are very simple. It's simple to configure and troubleshoot this firewall."
"The Fortinet FortiGate local partners were good. I did not have direct contact with Fortinet support."
"It is easy to manage, and it doesn't need much knowledge from the team. It is a stable device, and there are many features that are included out of the box."
"The interface is very good."
"The solution provides good firewall and antivirus protection."
"FortiOS's best features are its function as an internet gateway and how easy it is to manage."
"The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiOS are its constant updates and definitions."
"The VDOM (Virtual DOM) is a virtualized firewall that has some opportunities for flexibility that are an advantage in certain configurations."
"The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiOS are its simplicity, highly user-centric, and performs well. The line speed and for heavy traffic, is helpful for us."
"For my organization, it has become much easier to scan the firewalls because the solution is more user-friendly than competitors."
"What I like about this solution, is that it is the only solution that currently offers VPN for clients."
"The stability of Fortinet meets our requirements and I'm satisfied with it."
"It is easy to use and has integrity with other systems, such as proxies and quality of service."
"The solution is very easy to use and configure."
"Content protection, content inspection, and the application level firewall."
"I mostly like all of it. Whatever we use is valuable."
"The performance and functionality are good."
"Centralized administration with multiple services, which allows for execution in several important functionalities of information security."
"Sophos Intercept X is scalable. Currently, we have almost 30 people using it in our company."
"Its reliability and cost-effectiveness stand out."
"They've become quite expensive."
"The process of configuring firewall rules appears excessively complex."
"One area for improvement is the performance on the bandwidth demands for smaller devices, as well as better web filtering."
"Fortinet FortiGate could improve by having better visibility. Palo Alto has better visibility."
"Scalability is one of the disadvantages. When it comes to scalability, you have to actually change the box. If you want to upgrade it, you need to actually change the existing box and probably you take the system off to other sites."
"I need user-behavior analytics, to find threat scenarios from inside the organization, insider attacks. That would be very helpful for us. In addition, I would like next-generation features for small and medium businesses. These businesses require UTM, all in one product. Fortinet must include it."
"NGN, reporting and controls."
"There are some license issues. Not every feature must have a separate license. There must be some of kind synergy between the license so we don't have to pay for every individual license that we would like to have."
"Fortinet FortiOS is stable. However, last month we had an issue with a released patch. We had to receive another update to fix the firewall issue consuming all of the resources. The patches should be tested more before going into circulation."
"The threat time interval lags a little, especially if there's a heavy load on the firewall."
"The reporting for this solution could be improved. It could also be more stable and offer better pricing."
"The pricing model makes this product far more expensive than similar solutions."
"I would like to see fewer bugs. If you use the box with its basic features, the solution is straightforward and stable, but you can run into bugs when using newer features or in more complex use cases. They included a DNS filter as a new feature, and I had issues that required raising a ticket with customer support."
"The solution's graphic interface could be a bit more responsive and include notations when changes are made."
"I can only compare it with SonicWall, and it is missing many advanced features that SonicWall has."
"A switch should be introduced."
"pfSense has some limitations in detecting site sessions. We want to control internet usage based on sites and their content, and pfSense doesn't perform this function."
"The solution could be more user-friendly, and the graphical interface needs some work so that someone without an IT background can use the application. I would like the ability to manage the on-premise appliance from the cloud. When I'm not in the office, it would be great to connect to the pfSense server and administer the network remotely."
"Also, simplifying the rules for the GeoIP. Making it simpler to understand would be an improvement."
"There could be a way to remote to it through a mobile app. You can always browse through your browser on your mobile phone or tablet, but it would be good to have a dedicated app. I understand that iOS and Android developers are expensive, but there should be a mobile app."
"A malware blocker should be included. I do not know if it is included yet. However, until now, we have not experienced a large malware invasion."
"Adjustment in the interfaces: I had to adjust those interfaces manually and of course that is a great feature that you can restore it but it is immediately also one point for improvement. If you don't have to adjust, if it's just stamped and it works, that's great."
"There's a bit of a learning curve during the initial implementation."
"The interface is not very shiny and attractive."
Fortinet FortiOS is ranked 15th in Firewalls with 73 reviews while Netgate pfSense is ranked 1st in Firewalls with 128 reviews. Fortinet FortiOS is rated 8.4, while Netgate pfSense is rated 8.6. The top reviewer of Fortinet FortiOS writes "Provides effective filtering features, good stability but initial setup is moderately challenging". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Netgate pfSense writes "User-friendly, easy to manage the firewall, rule-wise and interface-wise". Fortinet FortiOS is most compared with Fortinet FortiManager, Fortinet FortiWeb, Fortinet FortiGate-VM, Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection and OPNsense, whereas Netgate pfSense is most compared with OPNsense, Sophos XG, Sophos UTM, KerioControl and Cisco Secure Firewall. See our Fortinet FortiOS vs. Netgate pfSense report.
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