Fortinet FortiOS vs Sangfor NGAF comparison

Fortinet and Sangfor are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Fortinet is ranked #20 with an average rating of 8.7, while Sangfor is ranked #22 with an average rating of 8.4. Fortinet holds a 1.1% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to Sangfor’s 1.1% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Sangfor users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

Fortinet FortiOS and Sangfor NGAF compete in the network security solutions category. Fortinet FortiOS has an edge due to its comprehensive feature set and robust integration capabilities, whereas Sangfor NGAF stands out for its cost-effectiveness and ease of integration.

Features: Fortinet FortiOS offers a feature-rich environment including intrusion prevention, antivirus, web filtering, and SD-WAN capabilities. It emphasizes ease of use and high availability with excellent integration with Cisco products. Sangfor NGAF provides strong application control, WAN optimization, and an effective reporting system, along with a comprehensive security database for ransomware and viruses.

Room for Improvement: Users of Fortinet FortiOS seek improved VPN capabilities, simplified central management, and faster integration with third-party solutions. Additionally, they mention high licensing fees and slower support. Sangfor NGAF would benefit from a simplified web interface, easier deployment, and improved local technical support, alongside enhancing application control policies and reporting capabilities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortinet FortiOS is flexible with on-premises and hybrid cloud deployment options, though customer service receives mixed feedback, being occasionally slow yet experienced. Sangfor NGAF offers simple deployment with competitive pricing but could improve its regional support and responsiveness, though it is commended for its proactive post-sales support.

Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiOS is seen as a good investment for those seeking scalability and advanced features, despite being costly for smaller businesses with mid-to-high-end pricing. Sangfor NGAF is a more budget-friendly option, offering appealing pricing for smaller companies and a lower total cost of ownership, retaining strong ROI without sacrificing security features.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiOS vs. Sangfor NGAF Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiOS vs. Sangfor NGAF

April 2026

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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

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 16.0%, down from 21.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiOS is 1.1%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sangfor NGAF is 1.1%, down from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	16.0%
Fortinet FortiOS	1.1%
Sangfor NGAF	1.1%
Other	81.8%

Firewalls

Featured Reviews

Abhinandan Yadav

Network Security Engineer at Arrow PC Network Pvt Ltd

Unified security and sd-wan have improved uptime and cut wan costs for multi-site branches

Users report stability issues in certain versions, which requires regular updates. Real-world attacks have also highlighted the need for urgent patching of vulnerabilities.Fortinet FortiGate, while a powerful and feature-rich web firewall, could improve in areas like firmware stability, documentation, and ease of use. The learning curve can be steep for some users. For beginners, support quality can vary, and frequent updates with occasional vulnerabilities call for careful patch management. However, once Fortinet FortiGate is configured, it remains highly reliable and efficient. Customer support needs improvement, as I find it very slow, with reports from other users reflecting that customer support is inadequate.

Read full review

Mitul-Shah

Associate Director IT Operations at Procento

Single-pane management has simplified firewall control and has improved risk mitigation

I would not say that Fortinet FortiOS is not very scalable. Generally, what happens is that for enterprises, we hire consultants who do the capacity planning and sizing to determine what kind of firewalls to put in place. At the same time, it is not only the number of users; it also depends on the number of WAN links coming in and everything, because we have been using Fortinet for bandwidth shaping and many other bandwidth-related functions. They should improve their machine learning AI capabilities of Fortinet FortiOS because there is too much competition. Other players are also improving and making a lot of changes in their UI and overall operating system.

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Zaid Farooqui

CIO at Indus Motor Company

Enhanced threat detection with integrated security features and good support

We are using application firewalling, WAF, and SD-WAN. The capabilities are mostly within the box. For example, you will get web application firewall WAF as part and parcel of this. SD-WAN is also bundled. It integrates with their SIEM and SOAR solutions very nicely. Lastly, the pricing point is very cost-efficient as well.

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

"The reporting you receive out of this appliance is excellent. You will not need an external management system."

"The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is security, as they are known for efficiency and are on the top of Gartner Quadrant reviews, with an easy-to-use platform, a good graphical interface, simple configuration, and an overall good layer of security."

"The service provided by Fortinet FortiGate SWG is very good."

"We would recommend this firewall at any given point in time."

"The solution effectively blocks unwanted traffic."

"The key features include SD-WAN, firewall use, intrusion prevention, intrusion detection, and application control."

"Provides good VPN capabilities."

"It is easy to use and update the software version. It is also useful for integration with other Fortinet products, because my office and company use Fortinet solutions."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"Fortinet is very easy to use; I like its configuration and the various functions it offers."

"This solution is very stable, more stable than SonicWall, with a big difference in stability on the VPN site-to-site and on the DPI SSL for HTTPS communication."

"This solution has helped our organization prevent multiple attacks."

"Fortinet has optimized the WAN environment for connecting users to the application."

"It has worked well for us overall, and we are happy with its capabilities."

"The most valuable feature of this solution would be the caching feature."

"All of the features in this solution are effective and efficient."

"The technical support is very good and the assistance they gave was very good and I learned a lot from them."

More Fortinet FortiOS pros

"I think this solution is a very good example of a proactive solution that can detect problems and immediately fix the problems or issues."

"Sangfor is a good solution that provides a WAF and firewall solution; most other vendors, like Sophos and Fortinet and Cisco, only provide one solution, and that's a valuable feature of Sangfor."

"Particularly good in the DPI where we can inspect inbound and outbound traffic."

"In terms of the most valuable features, the IPS report is quick and updated, and performance is also valuable."

"While the features are not dissimilar to other brands, configuration is much more simple, which works out great for Indonesian people."

"Sangfor has the best capabilities for securing connections, securing web browsers, securing servers, and general threat protection."

"Sangfor NGAF works accordingly with our customers. The solution has good performance, easy to use, and integrates well with the endpoints."

"It is a stable solution."

More Sangfor NGAF pros

Cons

"The price of the solution could be cheaper."

"I'm not sure if it's something that they already have or are developing something, however, we need some dedicated features for container security."

"We called them for a geolocation issue and we didn't get any proper assistance."

"This product could be improved with Active directory integration and better handling in IPsec and GRE Tunnels."

"The pricing of the solution should be more affordable"

"It would be good if they had fewer updates."

"The things we require are already sorted out, so there isn't any scope for improvement as far as our requirements go. However, its price can be better."

"There are some tiny bugs that sometimes affect the operations."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"The solution could improve the log retention and reports."

"There are some issues with the performance. We also had some issues while updating the firmware."

"There should be more documentation on how to use the CLI or how to perform CLI versions of tasks that can be done through the GUI."

"FortiOS could provide a more detailed analysis of the network and connected devices."

"The solution is good, but they have poor marketing in Nigeria. They need to market their product better."

"Right now, it's very trendy to integrate everything into the cloud. This solution would be more effective if they did more integration in that regard."

"I think Fortinet needs to improve their support. They are not one of the gold star rating support companies."

"The solution is good but could be improved by supporting an allocation of quota base management regarding user data."

More Fortinet FortiOS cons

"It would be ideal if the solution offered SD-WAN capabilities."

"Sangfor could improve their interface capacity on the 5100 series model and upgrade their hardware from one gig to 10 gig. This would improve the overall throughput."

"Sangfor need greater exposer in the market because the market is mainly saturated by Fortinet. The user experience of Fortinet is quite different compared to NGAF. If we want to switch our users from Fortinet to NGAF, we have to convince them that the user experience will be much easier once once they start to use it."

"Sangfor could improve by providing better real-time reporting, as the current reports don't offer the level of detail we need, especially for runtime insights."

"Sangfor NGAF could improve by refining its application control policies, especially in addressing challenges with certain types of applications."

"The support offered by the product has certain shortcomings where improvements are required. The knowledge levels and response time of the support team need improvement."

"Sangfor could improve their interface capacity on the 5100 series model and upgrade their hardware from one gig to 10 gig. This would improve the overall throughput."

"They need to improve their research team and they need to study their data to analyze it and build the product."

More Sangfor NGAF cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's one of the more expensive brands. The 100 series costs around $4,000. They are similar in pricing to what you might get from Cisco solutions and probably other similar ones. They're not more expensive than other similar solutions, but they're certainly not cheaper either."

"It is not a very costly product if you compare it with other products. The return on investment is also good. If you compare the return of investment and money that you are spending on this product with Palo Alto, Cisco, Check Point, and other solutions, the investment is very less. We are happy with this solution. The optional licenses are there, and you can choose which one you want and which one to avoid."

"It is more affordable than Check Point and Palo Alto. Another thing is that all the features and the OS remain the same irrespective of the size of the device. Pricing-wise, Fortinet typically provides one-year support with the firewall appliance. There is also an option for three years which is how their licensing works."

"The solution could be better priced."

"If the price of the license in Fortinet FortiGate was less expensive it would be better."

"For the price, I'd rate it a ten because it's very cost-effective."

"We pay $500 per year for the license."

"They are very competitive, but we like to have the factory warranty taken care of."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"We pay an annual license fee. It is rather expensive so I would like to perhaps see a drop in price in the future."

"The price of Fortinet FortiOS is comparable to other similar solutions on the market. We are on an annual license to use the solution."

"The price of Fortinet FortiOS has been reasonable."

"The program is expensive."

"The solution could have a better licensing model. It's a bit more expensive than other solutions. The annual subscription is very pricy in Fortinet. The cost could be reduced."

"The pricing could always be lower."

"FortiOS is affordable, but its price could be lower."

"The pricing is competitive for the medium and high markets but for the small markets it can be expensive."

More Fortinet FortiOS pricing and cost advice

"If one is very cheap and ten is very expensive, I rate the tool's price as three out of ten."

"The price could be more competitive."

"The pricing is reasonable."

"It costs about 8 to 10 thousand dollars per year for 500 users, standard licensing fees included."

"For four to five physical appliances for a licensed firewall, it costs approximately $4,000."

"In my opinion, the price of the tool is good in the Pakistani market. We can easily get discounts if needed."

"If you know you have around 200+ computer users on your network, then the Sangfor NGAF 5200-F-I model would be the minimum recommended model for that amount of users. This model includes modules for packet filtering, deep packet inspection, malware scanning, DSCP filtration, and many other features."

"It is one of the cheapest tools in the market."

More Sangfor NGAF pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	367
Midsize Enterprise	135
Large Enterprise	193

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	43
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	23

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	10

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

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

I rate the pricing for FortiOS as eight or nine out of ten. It is an affordable solution for us.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiOS?

I would not say that Fortinet FortiOS is not very scalable. Generally, what happens is that for enterprises, we hire ...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sangfor NGAF?

The licensing cost is quite high compared to other available firewalls in the market.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Sangfor NGAF?

The cost of licensing is very high compared to other firewalls available here. There should be improvements in hardwa...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Sangfor NGAF?

We are hosting applications over the platform, including websites and NAT traffic from our side. Because it's deploye...

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Comparisons

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 18% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Fortinet FortiWeb vs Fortinet FortiOS

Compared 9% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiOS

Compared 8% of the time

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs Fortinet FortiOS

Compared 5% of the time

Azure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiOS

Compared 5% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiOS

Compared 5% of the time

More Fortinet FortiOS Competitors

Sophos Firewall vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 13% of the time

H3C SecPath Firewalls vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 7% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 6% of the time

More Sangfor NGAF Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

May 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiOS

May 2026

Download Fortinet FortiOS product report

Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF

April 2026

Download Sangfor NGAF product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

No data available

Sangfor NGAF Firewall 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

Fortinet FortiOS is recognized for its intuitive interface, ease of use, and comprehensive security features, making it a valuable tool for network security and management. Its integration capabilities and affordability prove beneficial for small to mid-sized businesses.

Fortinet FortiOS stands out as a firewall operating system, offering solutions in network security with a user-friendly design. It provides strong management tools like Unified Threat Management, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and antivirus functionalities. Its scalability and robust support make it ideal for diverse business environments. Users can benefit from high availability, seamless integration with other networks, and SD-WAN capabilities. Though there is room for improvement in monitoring and logging features, as well as VPN complexity and browser compatibility, its comprehensive range of features supports secure operations.

What are some key features of Fortinet FortiOS?

Unified Threat Management: Consolidates multiple security features into one platform for streamlined protection.
Web Filtering: Blocks access to harmful websites to enhance browsing safety.
Intrusion Prevention: Identifies and mitigates network threats in real time.
Antivirus Capabilities: Detects and neutralizes malicious software before it infiltrates systems.
Advanced Threat Detection: Uses analytics to uncover sophisticated threats.

What benefits should users expect from Fortinet FortiOS?

Scalability: Easily adapts to an organization's growing security needs.
Stability: Provides consistent and reliable performance for network infrastructures.
Robust Support: Access to extensive resources and customer support for issue resolution.
Integration: Harmonizes efficiently with existing networks and third-party solutions.
Pricing: Offers a competitive and reasonable cost structure.

Fortinet FortiOS is leveraged across multiple industries for its strong security capabilities. Companies utilize it for secure connections, VPN setups, and traffic management. It is essential for organizations seeking to protect data centers, ensure secure branch connectivity, and deploy SD-WAN. Its design supports implementation in cloud environments and enhances virtual infrastructure protection, making it particularly suitable for small to mid-tier businesses looking for comprehensive security measures.

Fortinet

Sangfor NGAF offers a user-friendly firewall solution with a strong virus database and competitive pricing. It supports SSL VPN connectivity, intrusion detection, and is known for easy deployment and integration capabilities.

Sangfor NGAF is a comprehensive security platform providing robust network protection through its application control and detailed threat insights. While effective in preventing threats and ensuring network security, it has areas needing improvement such as real-time reporting and system support. It delivers secure internet and VPN connections, proficiently handling malware threats. However, it faces challenges with user experience, reporting capabilities, hardware scalability, and needs better third-party integration. Licensing costs are noted to be high, and there are performance variations between versions.

What are the key features of Sangfor NGAF?

User-friendly deployment: Offers an uncomplicated setup process.
Robust virus database: Provides reliable threat detection.
SSL VPN connectivity: Ensures secure remote access.
Application control: Manages application usage for enhanced security.
Intrusion detection: Detects unauthorized access attempts.
URL filtering: Prevents access to malicious websites.

What benefits should users expect when evaluating Sangfor NGAF?

Affordability: Competitive pricing compared to peers.
Integration: Good capabilities with existing systems.
Support: Noted for providing reliable customer service.
Threat prevention: Effective in securing networks against various threats.

Sangfor NGAF is widely used across industries including education, healthcare, and finance for its reliable network security. It is favored for securing internal servers, offering robust threat protection, and managing bandwidth efficiently at a budget-friendly rate.

Sangfor

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

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data

The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (Indonesia), Lawson, Inc. (Philippines), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (Indonesia), TEK Automotive (Italy), etc.

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiOS vs. Sangfor NGAF

April 2026

Free Report: Fortinet FortiOS vs. Sangfor NGAF

Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiOS vs. Sangfor NGAF and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

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