Huawei NGFW vs Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router comparison

Huawei NGFW vs. Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router

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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

Featured Reviews

Joseph Koomson

IP Network Security Specialist at MTN Ghana

Process-Level CPU Visibility: Introduce detailed CPU-usage metrics per subsystem (e.g., IPS engine, logging) so administrators can quickly identify and address performance spikes.

Analytics with FortiAnalyzer. Being able to pull in logs not just from our FortiGates but from all our other firewalls and then get them in one view has been a game changer. Whether I’m building an executive dashboard or doing a deep dive forensics session, I get everything I need without navigating consoles.Straightforward Application Control. FortiGate spots and blocks unwanted apps (eq. like BitTorrent or streaming services) with accuracy. Segmentation with VDOMs. We’ve carved our data center into four logical ‘mini-firewalls’ enterprise, core, billing, and WAF—all on one box. Each has its own rules and logs, and any traffic between them still gets inspected. It’s like having multiple appliances without the extra hardware. Always-Up-to-Date Threat Feeds. Daily signature updates and AI-driven threat sensing mean we’re blocking the latest vulnerabilities almost as soon as they’re announced.

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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.

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Jim Voige

Site Manager at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

High availability routing has secured our network and delivers reliable support every day

One downside of Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall_VPN_Router is the need for a better understanding of what hardware it would run on. Right now, we're using Netgate's hardware, but I'm interested in knowing if there are other hardware options available, particularly heavier duty hardware, because the Supermicro 1537 version we have only has a single power supply, which is a shortcoming in an IT environment where dual power supplies are ideal. The pricing for the hardware of Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall_VPN_Router is steep, which is one reason I'd explore other options. I'm familiar with the costs of Supermicro servers, and I believe Netgate charges a premium for their server hardware without enough upside to justify it. The pricing is not justified.

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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

"The solution provides good threat intelligence feeds."

"We’ve gone from only selling Fortinet FortiGate as an accessory to creating an entire department in our business dedicated to selling Fortinet products in the span of three years."

"Fortinet FortiGate protects against internet-based threats, both internal and external, and is scalable, stable, easy to use, and easy to install."

"This solution is very stable."

"Some of the valuable features are the firewall, IPS, web filter, and gateway capabilities. Additionally, it is easy to use and flexible."

"Provides good VPN capabilities."

"Before using this solution, we had many problems accessing our resources because we don't have a lot of internet bandwidth, and by using application control and traffic shaping, we were able to manage users to quickly access services that are important, and this tool has aided in the simplicity of our day-to-day management."

"The license management is very valuable. You can get a new license each year, or you can enroll every two to four years. You can get the logs, and you will get the information on the risk in your network and the entire organization. With this information, you can take action on your actives, computers, or devices. You can bring your own device as an SSE."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"The dashboard is user-friendly and very easy to use."

"The security is good, and it's as effective as anything else on the market."

"Huawei was able to assist us in the installation of their product. The installation was very fast."

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

"I like that the initial setup is straighforward. It's also a scalable solution."

"It's an excellent product that's stable and simple to use."

"The user interface is very, very good, there are lots of great features within the product, and overall, it seems to be a pretty good firewall."

"I had no difficulty using the Huawei NGFW."

More Huawei NGFW pros

"It's very simple to use, efficient, up to date, and the hardware is very available; it's very safe."

"Overall, the entire Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall_VPN_Router product has been reliable, though some of their smaller gear aimed at remote offices hasn't been cost-effective."

"My experience with the product is that it is a stable and good product that is easy to use."

"We use pfSense and Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router to establish a VPN tunnel between our client and our headquarters to transfer data between client and our equipment; it's very simple to use, efficient, up to date, and the hardware is very available; it's very safe."

"They are more satisfied with Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall_VPN_Router in terms of its flexibility and customer support."

"I do not have complaints about Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall_VPN_Router with Firewall, VPN, and Router; it is really comfortable for use, and it does a pretty good job."

Cons

"Fortinet FortiGate can improve performance. There was a huge challenge in terms of CPU and memory where the IPS engine would keep triggering. There were random spikes of overutilization in the CPU and memory resources. They have to work on CPU and memory stability considering these IPS engines. A few versions were very unstable."

"While FortiGate is cheaper than most other solutions, we're seeing increased license renewal costs. Most of our clients are asking for more significant discounts because the price is going up."

"Usually, we sell the bundle with the UTM or threat management piece with IPS, IDS. Other providers, such as Palo Alto, are ahead in terms of safe functionality. So, for me, delivering truly safe service is probably something that still needs to be improved."

"The product has to be upgraded every few weeks."

"The firmware needs improvement because there are bugs when a new release comes through."

"In FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW), my concern regarding improvements is the licensing model."

"FortiGate can improve its token system, as it requires a purchase before use."

"IP tracing works only so-so."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"The firewall needs to be more configurable."

"The solution requires a more interactive dashboard. That would make it easier than playing with configurations the way we have to now."

"Without a proper contract in place, you can't really access the technical support you need."

"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."

"I would like to see an antivirus solution included with the product."

"There needs to be more security equipment for the solution."

"The tool does not have web functionality. It needs to also have high end firewalls."

More Huawei NGFW cons

"The effectiveness of Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall_VPN_Router traffic shaping is quite good, but I am not very satisfied with the interface for control."

"I would assess the effectiveness of Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall_VPN_Router's traffic shaping as good, but I would give a six marks only for that compared to others because in the past few years, there has been a stop of improvement or lack of improvement showing in Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall_VPN_Router."

"They have to learn something more from FortiGate."

"The most significant drawback in recent years has been the cessation of firmware release downloads."

"The pricing for the hardware of Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall_VPN_Router is steep, which is one reason I'd explore other options."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"FortiGate's pricing falls within the mid-range when compared to other leading firewall solutions."

"Licensing is usually on a three-year period."

"It's very competitive."

"It was worth the money overall. It's good value."

"Some of our customers are using Sophos and SonicWall due to price concerns, as they can't manage the pricing of Fortinet FortiGate."

"I rate the pricing an eight and a half on a scale of one to ten, where one is low, and ten is high."

"At the time we bought them, I was satisfied with their pricing; I don't know how the new pricing will be."

"FortiGate SWG is a cost-effective solution well-suited for organisations of all sizes."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"Huawei is 30% cheaper than Arista."

"The pricing is cheap."

"Huawei is priced lower than most competitors."

"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."

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

"Licensing fees are billed on an annual basis."

"The solution is inexpensive."

"I believe that we are entitled to a one-year extension on our licensing."

More Huawei NGFW pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

10%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Construction Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

Construction Company

38%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Healthcare Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	369
Midsize Enterprise	139
Large Enterprise	195

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

No data available

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...

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...

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 ...

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.

What needs improvement with Huawei NGFW?

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

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...

What needs improvement with Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router?

Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router regularly provides updates. One aspect they can improve is that most people ...

What is your primary use case for Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router?

We work with Netgate products. We are a reseller and consultant. We have been working with Netgate and Fortinet for a...

What advice do you have for others considering Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router?

For metrics to measure its impact, we do not measure in a formal way. We use bandwidth monitoring to check how effect...

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Comparisons

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Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

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Cisco Secure Firewall vs Huawei NGFW

Compared 10% of the time

OPNsense vs Huawei NGFW

Compared 6% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Huawei NGFW

Compared 5% of the time

Sophos Firewall vs Huawei NGFW

Compared 5% of the time

H3C SecPath Firewalls vs Huawei NGFW

Compared 5% of the time

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OPNsense vs Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router

Compared 58% of the time

VyOS Platform vs Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router

Compared 42% of the time

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Product Reports

Fortinet FortiGate

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Huawei NGFW

Download Huawei NGFW product report

Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router

Download Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router product report

Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

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

No data available

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

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

Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router offers open-source, license-free software with strong VPN options and robust networking capabilities, supporting secure, scalable, and reliable IT infrastructure integration.

Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router stands out with its open-source framework, providing organizations the freedom from annual license renewals and enabling focus on CAPEX. It integrates seamlessly within IT environments, offering extensive package availability for broad functionality. Equipped with WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IPsec, it ensures robust VPN configurations. Its traffic shaping, load balancing, and failover functionalities enhance network performance, while Multi-WAN connections boost uptime. Users benefit from its affordability, scalability, VLAN support, and consistent secure operations. However, clearer communication on antivirus capabilities and interface improvements for speed is needed. The equipment's transition to cloud-based firmware updates has seen mixed reception.

What are the key features of Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router?

License-Free Software: Avoid annual renewals, allowing financial focus on CAPEX.
Strong VPN Options: Supports WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IPsec for secure connections.
Traffic Shaping and Load Balancing: Optimizes network performance and reliability.
Multi-WAN Capability: Enhances connectivity and ensures consistent uptime.
VLAN Support: Allows efficient network segmentation and management.
Open-Source Nature: Provides transparency and continuous community-driven enhancements.

What benefits and ROI should users look for in reviews?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces expenditure with license-free, open-source software.
Scalability: Grows with organizational demands without added costs.
Reliability: Ensures secure, stable connections with minimal downtime.
Ease of Use: Simplified configuration and management for technical teams.
Community Support: Backed by a knowledgeable user community for ongoing support.

In educational settings, such as universities and engineering colleges, Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router facilitates secure VPN tunnels for data transfer. It sees application as a high-availability BGP setup among consultants and resellers, ensuring reliability and network efficiency.

Netgate

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

KMITL, Peking University

Information Not Available

Huawei NGFW vs. Netgate pfSense Plus Firewall/VPN/Router