FortiWeb Web Application Firewall (WAF) vs NetScaler comparison

FortiWeb Web Application Fi...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 1, 2025

NetScaler and FortiWeb WAF are key contenders in the application delivery and web security market. FortiWeb WAF may have the upper hand in security features with its emphasis on machine learning and integration simplicity. NetScaler stands out with extensive ADC functions and integration with Citrix solutions.

Features: NetScaler provides a versatile deployment model with strong load balancing, SSL offloading, and robust multitenancy. Its TriScale architecture enables efficient scaling and integration with Citrix solutions. FortiWeb WAF emphasizes machine learning for threat detection, secure access, and comprehensive web protection features, enhancing its reputation for streamlined security.

Room for Improvement: NetScaler users often request more feature innovation, better documentation, and a simpler configuration process. Stability and update issues are also noted. FortiWeb WAF users desire more robust signature database updates, enhanced integration with other security solutions, and better documentation to improve performance.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NetScaler offers flexibility across various environments, including Microsoft Azure and hybrid clouds but receives critiques on inconsistent customer service. FortiWeb WAF is known for its straightforward on-premises deployment and better integration simplicity, though technical expertise in customer support could be enhanced.

Pricing and ROI: NetScaler is considered a high-cost solution with complex licensing, appealing to large enterprises. It offers good ROI due to its feature depth. FortiWeb WAF, priced more competitively, is seen as offering good value with straightforward licensing, appealing to small and medium businesses seeking effective ROI through lower operational costs.

To learn more, read our detailed FortiWeb Web Application Firewall (WAF) vs. NetScaler Report (Updated: June 2025).

FortiWeb Web Application Firewall (WAF) vs. NetScaler

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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

FortiWeb Web Application Fi...

Ranking in Web Application Firewall (WAF)

16th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NetScaler

Ranking in Web Application Firewall (WAF)

14th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

107

Ranking in other categories

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) (1st), Network Management Applications (5th)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Web Application Firewall (WAF) category, the mindshare of FortiWeb Web Application Firewall (WAF) is 1.1%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetScaler is 3.3%, down from 3.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

Featured Reviews

Martin Ellmann

Chief Executive Officer at EE Solutions GmbH

Provides users with ease of policy configuration and good integration capabilities

The solution helps protect our company's web applications against common threats up to 99 percent. We feel very safe with the tool. Speaking about how the tool has effectively mitigated web security threats for an application, I would say that it is an application behind the web portal, so there are about a hundred or thousand people who can access a website. If it is a sensitive application, and we have to watch every access to it to make it really safe, that is the reason why we need WAF on the application. My company doesn't use AI with the tool. I recommend the product to others. I would say that others need to have it if they have a shopping website or something similar. I know it is hard to sell because we find it quite hard whenever my company tries to do so. The solution offers 100 percent integration with other Fortinet security products. The ease of policy configuration in the tool is okay. I rate the tool a nine to ten out of ten.

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DEMİRHAN ÇAVUŞOĞLU

Cloud Consultant at Migros Ticaret A.Ş.

A tool for centralized management including inventory and sales tracking

Citrix ADM has the ability to implement policies to tighten security. For instance, you can restrict access to your network from outsiders or lack necessary security measures such as antivirus programs. Additionally, there's the Delivery Controller, which allows for comprehensive monitoring and management tasks such as remote restarts, maintenance, and registration. Another essential component is the Director, which provides detailed insights into sessions, including identifying session failures, connection issues, user lockouts, etc. It presents a list of problems to address, enabling you to click on them and resolve them efficiently.

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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

"We use it to secure VMs and applications. It protects against DDoS attacks. It's very user-friendly."

"The product is easy to configure."

"I believe it is the best option on the market."

"FortiWeb identified potential DDoS attacks and suspicious domain activity, showcasing the value of its machine-learning capabilities."

"The fact that I can log into the platform and see everybody, see logs, authentication failure, and see everything on one platform, is the most valuable feature."

"The tool's HTTP traffic, website fixing, and blocking are fantastic. It is user-friendly with easy configuration."

"The platform's stability is good."

"The initial setup was easy since it was possible to get remote support for the product."

More FortiWeb Web Application Firewall (WAF) pros

"The load balancing and VPN features are most valuable. AAA authentication is also valuable."

"What I like most about Citrix NetScaler is its stability, and I didn't see a lot of issues with it."

"Content filtering, security layer, and application customization features are the most valuable."

"We like the periodic upgrades and backups, also made via ADMs, and it makes our environment much more robust and reliable."

"The program is easy to install and to set up."

"The solution can be configured very granularly and has good control over security."

"The analytics are a great feature."

"The best feature of Citrix is its track record of stability in its features."

More NetScaler pros

Cons

"For users not familiar with Fortinet, it could be beneficial to provide more user-friendly analytics and reporting."

"The improvement needed is in their response time. Now it takes longer, and they talk about SLA and 48-hour response times."

"There is room for improvement in the support. The response time could be faster. Plus, they ask for a lot of information. It is not easy to get support."

"The documentation is poor."

"I don't see any issues with the tool apart from the pricing aspect of the product. The price of the product is an area where improvements are required."

"Regarding areas for improvement, the documentation needs work. We had issues with a customer because the documentation didn't clearly show which devices can connect with FortiWeb WAF, leading to misconfiguration and difficult meetings. We also need deeper technical support - finding who's responsible for technical aspects is challenging. Hungary has a good Fortinet office with strong sales and pre-sales employees."

"There is room for improvement in pricing, and actually, the price is a bit higher because on the same terms I purchased, the support subscription is so high."

"FortiWeb WAF's tuning causes trouble. It's complicated. The solution needs to improve the signature feature as well."

More FortiWeb Web Application Firewall (WAF) cons

"I would like to see the virtual and desktop license included in the pricing."

"Citrix ADC is a complex product, and it takes time to understand these things. But the documentation is poor, and the deployment is difficult. Integration could also be better because what I find is that you cannot easily integrate the panel in the second sector. What I have found is that in the last index, there is a limitation when getting validated. Technical support could also be better."

"We have issues with the certificates. All authorization processes need certificates, however, every three months we needed to change certificates. This process iss complicated for us because Citrix does not have a not user-friendly interface and does not off user-friendly services. This needs a lot of improvement."

"It was challenging explaining to customers that it's no longer NetScaler but ADC, and now it's not just ADC but also the rebranding from NetScaler."

"Mastering it requires significant learning and training due to its complexity."

"The main areas for improvement would be around documentation and support. If a feature can be used in two or three ways, show that feature being used in all of those ways. Documentation seems to only cover the primary use case and leaves you to either run through trial and error or consult the user community. In terms of support, I have never actually had them solve any of my issues. I have always solved them myself and then provided the resolution to support."

"Some features of Citrix ADM are available on the cloud, which could really be helpful if they were available on an on-premise version."

"Citrix ADM needs to improve on its additional features and reduce the communication ports."

More NetScaler cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing cost of the product is pretty high compared to other OEMs in the market."

"FortiWeb Web Application Firewall's pricing is suited for small or medium organizations."

"FortiWeb WAF is priced well for customers compared to other vendors' solutions."

"FortiWeb has a good presence because of its price."

"I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten."

"I rate the product price a four on a scale of one to ten, where one is a high price, and ten is a low price."

"I would rate the pricing a four out of ten."

"This product offers two pricing options: a standard package and an advanced package."

More FortiWeb Web Application Firewall (WAF) pricing and cost advice

"It is an enterprise solution. Thus, its costs are reasonable."

"Citrix ADM costs us approximately $5000 per month."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing an eight or nine out of ten."

"For the specific use case that my customers primarily engage with, I would give the pricing a rating of seven out of ten."

"The solution is expensive compared to one of its competitors."

"Its price is comparable to others and affordable."

"The pricing could be lower."

"It's not for startups or SOHO."

More NetScaler pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Web Application Firewall (WAF) solutions are best for your needs.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about FortiWeb Web Application Firewall (WAF)?

The most valuable features of the solution are SD-WAN, filtration, web filter, application filter, and IPS.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FortiWeb Web Application Firewall (WAF)?

The pricing for FortiWeb Web Application Firewall (WAF) is reasonable. That said, it depends on how many websites we need to protect. The licensing is based on the number of websites or individuall...

What needs improvement with FortiWeb Web Application Firewall (WAF)?

Their AI technology is good. Overall, Fortinet is only good. The improvement needed is in their response time. In the past three to four years, whenever we called for support, they responded quickl...

What do you like most about Citrix ADC?

The most valuable feature for us is the application firewalling in Citrix NetScaler, ensuring only valid traffic enters our environment.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix ADC?

After deployment, Citrix Netscaler shifted to a subscription-based license scheme for support, which is slightly more expensive.

What needs improvement with Citrix ADC?

Citrix NetScaler is a robust product, but mastering it requires significant learning and training due to its complexity. While it could be easier to manage, it is like transitioning from driving a ...

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Product Reports

FortiWeb Web Application Firewall (WAF)

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FortiWeb Web Application Firewall (WAF) report

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Also Known As

No data available

Citrix ADC, Citrix NetScaler VPX, NetScaler Console, NetScaler Web Application Firewall

Overview

FortiWeb Web Application Firewall uses machine learning to reduce false positives, detects zero-day threats, and blocks DDoS attacks. It integrates with existing security infrastructure and provides SD-WAN capabilities, offering protection for websites and mobile applications.

FortiWeb WAF secures web applications with features like machine learning-based threat detection, DDoS attack mitigation, and robust integration capabilities. Additionally, it manages HTTP traffic and offers SD-WAN functionalities. Built for GDPR compliance, it supports API protection and bot mitigation while enabling secure mobile and cloud application access. Users implement it across multi-cloud environments and in data centers offering advanced security and compliance, including PCI DSS. Despite feature-rich abilities, users seek enhanced database updates, better enterprise integration, and more accessible analytics. Improvements in support response, documentation, and scalability are desired to strengthen its robust security offering.

What are the key features of FortiWeb WAF?

Machine Learning: Reduces false positives and detects zero-day attacks.
DDoS Protection: Blocks distributed denial of service attacks.
Integration: Seamlessly fits with existing infrastructure.
GDPR Compliance: Ensures data privacy and protection standards.
SD-WAN Capabilities: Manages network distribution effectively.
Mobile and API Security: Protects applications and APIs efficiently.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Cost-Effectiveness: Offers a balance between features and pricing.
User-Friendly: Easy to navigate and manage deployments.
Global Deployment: Supports multi-cloud and cross-data center usage.
Security Compliance: Meets standards like PCI DSS for secure operations.
Enhanced Application Security: Provides comprehensive protection for apps.

FortiWeb WAF is widely implemented in data centers and financial industries, ensuring robust protection for web applications and sites. It supports multi-cloud environments on platforms like AWS and Azure, providing secure access while meeting compliance standards. Users benefit from enhanced application security and load balancing capabilities, making it a preferred choice in financial sectors that require VPN and SD-WAN consistency.

Fortinet

One platform for a consistent application delivery and security experience because nobody has time to learn multiple systems to manage ADC deployments. NetScaler is built with a single code base using a software-based architecture, so no matter which ADC form factor you choose — hardware, virtual machine, bare metal, or container — the behavior will be the same.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

ABB Schweiz, Aer Lingus, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Amnet Technology Solutions, Aramex International, Ascenty, Atos, Autodesk

FortiWeb Web Application Firewall (WAF) vs. NetScaler