Hillstone E-Series vs Huawei NGFW comparison

Hillstone Networks and Huawei are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Hillstone Networks is ranked #38 with an average rating of 8.0, while Huawei is ranked #37 with an average rating of 7.3. Hillstone Networks holds a 0.6% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to Huawei’s 1.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Hillstone Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 66% of Huawei users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Hillstone E-Series and Huawei NGFW are advanced firewall solutions with distinct strengths. Users feel Huawei NGFW has the upper hand due to its feature-rich capabilities.

Features: Hillstone E-Series is praised for robust threat detection, policy management, and competitive pricing. Huawei NGFW stands out with superior integration, advanced threat protection, and comprehensive features.

Room for Improvement: Hillstone E-Series could enhance scalability, reporting tools, and customer support. Huawei NGFW needs better documentation, simplified management, and usability enhancements.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Hillstone E-Series is noted for straightforward deployment with mixed customer support experiences. Huawei NGFW users report a steeper learning curve with better post-deployment support.

Pricing and ROI: Hillstone E-Series is valued for its cost-efficiency and favorable ROI. Huawei NGFW users acknowledge higher costs with significant ROI due to advanced capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Hillstone E-Series vs. Huawei NGFW Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Hillstone E-Series vs. Huawei NGFW

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 Hillstone E-Series is 0.6%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Huawei NGFW is 1.0%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	16.0%
Huawei NGFW	1.0%
Hillstone E-Series	0.6%
Other	82.4%

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

TahirMahmood

IT Manager at Zubair Feeds

Offers good features like URL filtering, IPS, and IDS to users

We received an update for the tool in July. The update was provided for the tool as there was a problem with the firewall, where too much memory was consumed, and the firewall was hanging a lot. When we updated the tool's features, everything became okay. The tool only had some memory-related problems. It took the tool a month to fix the issues.

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Waqas Zubair

Senior Manager Technology at CNS Engineering

GUI application allows for easy monitoring and analysis of potential intrusions but needs improvement in threat prevention signatures

Based on the threat prevention signatures, they need updates. They should add some machine learning features and Machine learning detection. In future releases, I would like to see improvements in CDR technology. Forcepoint is pitching CDR technology, which extends sandboxing. Configuring data on the console needs enhancement. Huawei also need to improve spam techniques and add a web application firewall. Currently, Huawei does not have a built-in web application firewall (WAF) like Fortinet does. Tools like SIEM, SOAR, and Tenable can be integrated, but they require additional setup and should be integrated via API. For external threat detection, using the TAXII or STIX protocol, would be an improvement over the current features.

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 most valuable features are simplicity, management, and that it's constantly evolving."

"One of the best features of Fortinet FortiGate is that it's a very powerful equipment that gives many security features in a single box with good performance, and the user interface is friendly to use and configure."

"The most useful feature of FortiGate IPS for me is Application Control."

"The most valuable features are simplicity, management, and that it's constantly evolving."

"The solution is scalable."

"The low cost of ownership was a benefit with all of the features we wanted."

"The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate is URL filtering."

"The SD-WAN feature of Fortinet FortiGate has been most impactful in maintaining our network's integrity."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"I am impressed with the application filtering feature."

"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"Very reliable solution with good scalability and straightforward implementation."

"The installation is easy, we have not had any complaints from our customers."

"The most valuable feature of the Hillstone E-Series is its user-friendliness."

"This solution has two main features that we find very valuable; a threat-intelligence option, and a web/application filtering option."

"The most valuable features of the Hillstone E-Series are its hardware capacity, innovation, and the throughput that the hardware can take."

"Five out of five ROI."

More Hillstone E-Series pros

"We make use of the new data center, specifically the containerized data center which is built and reviewed by Huawei, including all the device's infrastructure."

"The most useful feature is the performance of the firewalls and networking operations."

"I had no difficulty using the Huawei NGFW."

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

"The setup is quite easy."

"The tool helps us to integrate with other brands."

"The solution's performance is good with IPSec."

"The solution's initial setup process is easy."

More Huawei NGFW pros

Cons

"Its performance can be better. We have had performance issues in the past, but we sometimes tend to find that it is more related to what we do in our network than anything else."

"Bandwidth usage in reporting could be improved for Fortinet FortiGate."

"We are providing VoIP and the IP licensing could improve in Fortinet FortiGate SWG."

"It takes a long time to install the solution."

"I have to say that the initial setup was complex. The deployment took a few days to get set up. Initially, we were using an IPVanish. We switched to this tool since we thought it would be easier. But it turns out it wasn't easier to set up and run."

"In our environment, we need multiple virtual firewalls to facilitate end users and customers. Fortinet doesn't provide that but they really should include that feature."

"Fortinet technical support is lacking, as OEM support is slightly better."

"Need to Improvement in Reporting"

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"SSL VPN license cost is not cheap."

"I am not sure if this solution offers active directory integration. Adding that feature will definitely be an advantage."

"The room for improvement would be the SSL VPN license cost."

"The tool only had some memory-related problems."

"Support from Hillstone E-Series has a shortcoming that needs improvement."

"I am not sure if this solution offers active directory integration. Adding that feature will definitely be an advantage."

"The licensing model is very complex with many subcategories of licenses you can purchase. They could make it more simplified for customers to understand."

"The solution doesn't have a web proxy built into the system like Sophos. This is something they should work to change."

More Hillstone E-Series cons

"The solution could be more secure and have better integration."

"One issue is integration. Huawei can't detect Indicators of Compromise (IoC). I can get a lot of information about security, but can't automatically input the EP, domain URL, and file hashes I get from Hackersworld into my blocklist."

"We are switching to another solution because Huawei doesn't have the security feature we need on its roadmap."

"The solution does not have sandboxing features."

"The solution is scalable but it is difficult because you need to purchase new systems, it is not just one click."

"Huawei NGFW should have better reporting and a dashboard for the visibility of traffic."

"The solution doesn't seem to be very mature. Our networking team says they are experiencing a lot of issues in the firewalls and some routers."

"One issue we've encountered with Huawei NGFW is that after using a firewall for two or three years, we need to replace it. The new firewalls often have more features and better memory or throughput. However, sometimes, they lack some features that the old ones had."

More Huawei NGFW cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a subscription-based model to use Fortinet FortiGate. We pay annually for the solution along with the support. If you want to have all the updates, and security patches you will need to renew your support."

"The solution is offered as an annual license."

"A year or two years back, its price was competitive and reasonable. That was one of the reasons that people easily switched to Fortinet. Over the last two years, the prices have increased drastically. However, the prices of others have also increased. An advantage is there from the price point but not as much as it was previously."

"The price of FortiGate is reasonable as I plan to buy new switches. The initial gadgets are already booted, and the pricing seems normal on the market. As for additional costs, I haven't subscribed to many extra features, so I'm only using what I need. Last year, I renewed the support for three years, which can sometimes be expensive but depends on the security benefits and how it helps us."

"The pricing depends on the FortiGate model we are using, ranging from $3,000 to $20,000 US dollars."

"The solution's pricing is competitive."

"Their licensing costs are annual. The UTM feature license along with their support is called FortiCare. We include that as a part of the annual maintenance cost. Palo Alto or Juniper also have an annual subscription charge for UTM. Price, of course, can always be more competitive, but it is not the most expensive product. The price-performance ratio is quite high for FortiGate."

"I think the price of Fortinet FortiGate is very reasonable."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"The cost per year for licensing, and hardware, is approximately $850 for the basic plan."

"Hillstone's pricing is economical and neither very high nor very low."

"The licensing model is very complex with many subcategories of licenses you can purchase. They could make it more simplified for customers to understand."

"The tool's pricing is reasonable. It depends on the model. The product's pricing is around 600 USD. You need to buy a software license to activate the features. You need to pay around 150 USD for that."

"The pricing is cheap."

"Licensing fees are billed on an annual basis."

"When you compare the price with other products, it's quite cost-effective. But the problem is always after, let's say, two years or three years later because they are not able to provide updates or patches very quickly."

"Huawei is 30% cheaper than Arista."

"The price of the license of this solution is high."

"The solution isn't cheap. It's market price."

"The solution is inexpensive."

"Huawei is priced lower than most competitors."

More Huawei NGFW 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

Comms Service Provider

14%

Construction Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Construction Company

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	9
Midsize Enterprise	1

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	7

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 a...

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...

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 ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Hillstone E-Series?

We received an update for the tool in July. The update was provided for the tool as there was a problem with the fire...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Hillstone E-Series?

I use the solution in my company for site-to-site VPN, SSL VPNs, URL filtering, IPS, IDS and all the other features w...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Hillstone E-Series?

Our company did not use the tool's micro-segmentation features. There were no issues while integrating the tool. I ha...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Huawei NGFW?

The pricing is quite cheap compared to other NGFWs like Palo Alto or Cisco.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Huawei NGFW?

Huawei should improve their threat intelligence. They need to have a more diversified platform and continuously updat...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Huawei NGFW?

I am working as a solution architect in my organization. Whenever we design a total network infrastructure, for ensur...

See all answers

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

OpenVPN Access Server vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 16% of the time

Sangfor SSL VPN vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 8% of the time

Sophos Firewall vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 6% of the time

Ivanti Connect Secure vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 3% of the time

More Hillstone E-Series Competitors

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Huawei NGFW

Compared 10% of the time

OPNsense vs Huawei NGFW

Compared 6% of the time

H3C SecPath Firewalls vs Huawei NGFW

Compared 5% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Huawei NGFW

Compared 5% of the time

Sophos UTM vs Huawei NGFW

Compared 3% of the time

More Huawei NGFW Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

May 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Firewalls

April 2026

Download Hillstone E-Series product report

Buyer's Guide

Huawei NGFW

April 2026

Download Huawei NGFW product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

No data available

Huawei USG Firewalls, USG9500 Series, USG6600 Series, USG6300 Series

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

Hillstone E-Series is known for user-friendliness and advanced security features, offering high-performance threat protection with virtual switching and routing to support significant data volumes without third-party hardware. It provides top-notch firewall capabilities tailored to educational and energy sectors.

Hillstone E-Series delivers comprehensive network security with threat intelligence, ransomware protection, and state-of-the-art hardware innovation. Its 64-bit call processor facilitates handling large data volumes efficiently. Capabilities such as SSL VPN, integrated IPS, and application filtering make it a valuable choice for network protection. While further integration with a web proxy and enhanced usage reporting can enhance its offerings, enhancements in pricing models, support systems, and updates align with evolving user expectations for improved regional support and detailed analytics.

What are the standout features of Hillstone E-Series?

User-Friendliness: Intuitive setup and management for all users.
Threat Intelligence: Advanced protection against modern cyber threats.
Ransomware Protection: Strong defenses to mitigate ransomware attacks.
Hardware Innovation: Virtual switching/routing for seamless operations.
64-Bit Call Processor: Efficient performance with high data volumes.

What benefits should users expect when evaluating Hillstone E-Series?

Comprehensive Capability: Addresses complex network security needs.
Impressive Throughput: Maintains high performance under load.
Easy Policy Management: Simplifies network security rule application.
Robust Security Features: Offers extensive filtering and blocking options.

The Hillstone E-Series is implemented extensively across industries like educational institutions and energy companies to safeguard local networks against gateway-level threats. Many organizations benefit from features such as antivirus, integrated IPS, site-to-site VPN, SSL VPN, and policy management, enhancing remote work security and simplifying network management tasks.

Hillstone Networks

Huawei NGFW provides robust antivirus, threat prevention, and encryption features, facilitating efficient VPN and IPSec performance with Azure integration. Its interface allows seamless policy management across data centers, enterprise networks, and internet segments, supporting high performance and scalability.

Huawei NGFW is known for strong antivirus capabilities, robust encryption, and effective threat prevention via IPS and cloud sandboxing. Its dashboard simplifies policy management. The firewall's VPN feature and IPSec performance are efficient, integrating smoothly with Azure solutions. Users commend its scalability, high throughput, and virtual system creation. It maintains performance even with active features, offering straightforward installation, management, and compatibility in diverse environments. However, Huawei NGFW requires enhancements in support, dashboard interactivity, and third-party integration. Users suggest improved documentation and session stability.

What are the key features of Huawei NGFW?

Antivirus and Encryption: Provides strong antivirus and encryption for secure network protection.
Threat Prevention: Utilizes IPS and cloud sandboxing for comprehensive threat detection.
Policy Management: User-friendly interface for simplified policy management.
VPN and IPSec: Highly efficient performance supporting secure connections.
Azure Integration: Seamless compatibility with Azure solutions.
High Scalability: Supports high throughput and virtual system creation.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating Huawei NGFW?

Scalability: Allows for expansion as network demands grow.
High Throughput: Ensures efficient data handling and processing.
Easy Management: Simplified installation and management enhances usability.
Comprehensive Threat Prevention: Effective detection and prevention of threats.

Huawei NGFW is used as a firewall in data centers and enterprise networks. It provides routing, intrusion detection, and antivirus features for network security, enhancing DMZ, public, and internal network security with internal and external policies. Supporting fiber networks and VPNs for branch offices, it integrates seamlessly with SDM solutions, fortifying navigation, communication, and infrastructure in multiple sectors.

Huawei

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

Bank of China Macao, Instituto Tecnológico Bolivariano, Ministry of Labor in San Salvador, FEDCO

KMITL, Peking University

Buyer's Guide

Hillstone E-Series vs. Huawei NGFW

April 2026

Free Report: Hillstone E-Series vs. Huawei NGFW

Find out what your peers are saying about Hillstone E-Series vs. Huawei NGFW and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

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