Palo Alto Networks K2-Series vs SonicWall NSSP comparison

Palo Alto Networks and SonicWall are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Palo Alto Networks is ranked #22 with an average rating of 8.8, while SonicWall is ranked #30 with an average rating of 9.3. Palo Alto Networks holds a 0.2% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to SonicWall’s 0.2% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Palo Alto Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series and SonicWall NSSP are two leading firewall solutions. While Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is noted for its advanced capabilities, SonicWall NSSP offers cost-effective features, making the choice dependent on specific organizational needs.

Features: Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is highly commended for its advanced threat prevention, deep visibility and inspection capabilities, and superior performance. SonicWall NSSP users appreciate its extensive feature set for threat management, secure mobile access, and high-speed performance.

Room for Improvement: Users suggest enhancements in Palo Alto Networks K2-Series around complexity in configuration, reporting capabilities, and ease of use. For SonicWall NSSP, feedback indicates a need for improvements in firmware stability, more intuitive management functions, and enhanced user documentation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Palo Alto Networks K2-Series receives favorable reviews for its deployment experience, although the initial configuration can be time-consuming. SonicWall NSSP has a straightforward deployment process with faster initial setup times and solid customer support.

Pricing and ROI: Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is perceived as high-value with premium pricing, strong ROI due to its extensive security features. SonicWall NSSP is viewed as more cost-effective with a quicker return on investment due to lower upfront costs and comprehensive protection features.

To learn more, read our detailed Palo Alto Networks K2-Series vs. SonicWall NSSP Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series vs. SonicWall NSSP

December 2025

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Helped 881,114 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

ROI

Sentiment score

5.8

Fortinet FortiGate offers cost-effective, robust security, reducing expenses, enhancing efficiency, easy implementation, quick ROI, and improved network management.

Sentiment score

6.2

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series improved cybersecurity, efficiency, and cost savings through enhanced visibility, automation, and reduced incident response times.

Sentiment score

4.8

SonicWall NSSP improved network security, reduced threat management time, increased efficiency, and provided significant cost savings and robust support.

Clients are now comfortable and not wasting productive hours on IT support.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

The automation part is giving us a cost benefit and speed; we can react faster.

Bart Homblé

BDM Fortinet & BDM Teamlead at Exclusive Networks

It's a very useful tool to mitigate and protect your enterprise.

Bernard Samontanes

Staff Infrastructure & Security Engineer at Mozn Systems

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

For CN-Series, there is no competitor which works the same way as Palo Alto does.

reviewer9216065

Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks K2-Series report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall NSSP report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.6

Fortinet FortiGate's customer service is generally praised for responsiveness, though some users experience delays in critical situations.

Sentiment score

8.0

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series support is praised for vendor responsiveness and expertise, though partner support is less reliable.

Sentiment score

6.3

SonicWall NSSP support receives mixed reviews, praised for quick response and effectiveness but criticized for lack of response.

The quick resolution of issues with Fortinet FortiGate is due to the support of the company and the fact that the equipment is easy to work with.

Alexandre Menezes

IT Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

I would rate the technical support for Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

AnishKumar

NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd

As a solution provider, when I encounter problems, I connect directly with Fortinet support, and they provide solutions within a very short time.

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

I would rate tech support from Palo Alto Networks at around eight out of ten points because we had dedicated people assigned to us.

reviewer9216065

Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

We get Gold support from them, and they are pretty good.

reviewer2224035

Design engineer at a construction company with 201-500 employees

I would rate the technical support for the Palo Alto Networks K2-Series from Palo Alto as nine out of ten points.

Rajiv John

Director at MICROLOGIC NETWORKS PRIVATE LIMITED

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks K2-Series report

It is very effective because it prevents any indecent behaviors in the network or from outside the network.

SyedTaha

Head of IT and Information Security at GLEEDS USA INC

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall NSSP report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.1

Fortinet FortiGate is scalable and popular for SMEs but requires careful design and may incur scaling costs and licensing constraints.

Sentiment score

7.8

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series offers scalable, flexible solutions for organizations, excelling in network expansion and handling diverse environments.

Sentiment score

6.3

SonicWall NSSP offers mixed scalability, praised for easy migration but may require upgrades for larger expansions.

They scale up really well from smaller models like the FortiGate 40 and 50 to bigger sites with the FortiGate 100 for more throughput - up to enterprise datacenters.

Ian Manton

IT Manager at Daltons Limited

The variation comes in terms of the interfaces and throughputs, but from a security perspective, you get the same benefit, irrespective of whether you have an entry-level unit or an enterprise.

reviewer2667480

Cewa Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

We determine sizing based on multiple factors: number of users, available links, traffic types, server count, services in use, and whether services will be published.

FatmaSamy

General Surgery Specialist at Helwan University Cairo

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

Vertical scaling allows you to purchase more powerful devices with additional RAM, compute, and larger model form factors.

reviewer9216065

Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks K2-Series report

The scalability rating is nine out of 10.

SyedTaha

Head of IT and Information Security at GLEEDS USA INC

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall NSSP report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.7

Fortinet FortiGate is praised for its stability, with effective long-term performance and improvements in newer firmware versions.

Sentiment score

7.8

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is praised for exceptional stability and dependability, with minor configuration and maintenance issues reported.

Sentiment score

5.4

SonicWall NSSP is praised for stability and reliability, with high ratings and low failure rates handling numerous boxes efficiently.

We're experiencing 99.999% availability consistently.

Ricardo Biggs

Manager, Information Technology at a consumer goods company with 11-50 employees

I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

AnishKumar

NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd

Currently, we are experiencing a general outage of one of the main internet service providers of the Dominican Republic, and we have not been impacted in our operations because with SD-WAN, we have another internet service provider and we are working with the second WAN connection without any disruption.

Juan Frias

CISO at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

Palo Alto typically doesn't have many glitches.

reviewer9216065

Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks K2-Series report

In 30 years, only three to four boxes out of 1,000 to 2,000 boxes have had issues.

Winsley De Oliveira

Owner at ANOC

The stability rating is 10 out of 10.

SyedTaha

Head of IT and Information Security at GLEEDS USA INC

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall NSSP report

Room For Improvement

Fortinet FortiGate needs enhanced UI, simplified licensing, improved performance, reporting, third-party integration, and expanded automation features.

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series needs better pricing, integration, usability, and AI to address user demands for support and scalability.

SonicWall NSSP needs to improve its reporting, UI, EDR/XDR capabilities, and marketing to compete with top cybersecurity brands.

These sessions should be around five to ten minutes long, allowing users and partners to quickly grasp the information without disrupting their daily tasks.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

The solution should be able to implement machine learning and analytics of all the logs for threat detection and protection.

Elvis Mahadeo

Senior Systems Engineer at Caribbean Development Company

It would be better for customers to get immediate replacements even with a standard subscription.

Pravin Mandlik

Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

Enhancing web traffic protection would be a great upgrade.

Krishnakumar M

enterprise architect at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

L1 engineers cannot work on the Palo Alto Networks K2-Series because it's too complex, which requires L2 and above level of engineers.

Rajiv John

Director at MICROLOGIC NETWORKS PRIVATE LIMITED

With AI, if there is a Precision AI bundle that you're planning on exploring, then that definitely needs a significant uplift because currently it doesn't work for all the known models.

reviewer9216065

Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks K2-Series report

This would help end-user customers understand the impact when those firmwares are pushed into the live environment.

SyedTaha

Head of IT and Information Security at GLEEDS USA INC

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall NSSP report

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers find Fortinet FortiGate costly initially, but cheaper overall, despite some high renewal and setup costs.

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is expensive, suitable for large enterprises, with straightforward licensing but requires frequent price negotiations.

SonicWall NSSP offers competitive pricing and features, though setup costs can be significant, users find it valuable overall.

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.

AiméKouchade

Network & System Admin at Invoke Studios

It offers cost savings as it is generally cheaper than the competition.

NilsPaley

IT Infrastructure Architect at Apotek 1

It is about 20% cheaper.

MithatBulut

Network Security Engineer at TD SYNNEX

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

It's a little bit expensive.

Krishnakumar M

enterprise architect at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

The pricing for the Palo Alto Networks K2-Series solution is affordable.

Rajiv John

Director at MICROLOGIC NETWORKS PRIVATE LIMITED

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks K2-Series report

When purchasing through local distributors such as ScanSource or Tech Data, they incur around 100% in taxes just for import procedures.

Winsley De Oliveira

Owner at ANOC

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall NSSP report

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiGate provides robust, flexible security solutions with key features like web filtering, SSL VPN, SD-WAN, and centralized management.

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series provides advanced, scalable security with AI-driven features, strong threat prevention, and user-friendly management.

SonicWall NSSP offers robust VPN, security features, user-friendly interface, and scalability with valued pricing and comprehensive protection.

These features help reduce our downtime, manage the ISPs, and deploy SLAs for all the website traffic.

Syed Ali Waqas

Head IT at Burraq Cyber Security Solutions

The most valuable feature of FortiGate is FortiView which provides proactive monitoring.

Viraj Fernandopulle

General Manager Group IT at DART GLOBAL LOGISTICS PTE. LTD.

We got a firewall and gave an SSL VPN to my client to connect to their servers, after which, such kind of activities involving ransomware attacks stopped.

VINAY GUJARATHI

Owner at Mindware Computer Solutions

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

Overall, the K2-Series helps in much more protection, and dashboard compliances are being met.

Rajiv John

Director at MICROLOGIC NETWORKS PRIVATE LIMITED

We had configured dynamic user groups and App-ID based policies, which makes it all Zero Trust.

reviewer9216065

Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

Mainly, it is very easy to understand, and the logs are very good.

reviewer2224035

Design engineer at a construction company with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks K2-Series report

Every time I have had a concern, they have resolved it in a single call.

SyedTaha

Head of IT and Information Security at GLEEDS USA INC

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall NSSP report

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 18.8%, down from 20.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is 0.2%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall NSSP is 0.2%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	18.8%
Palo Alto Networks K2-Series	0.2%
SonicWall NSSP	0.2%
Other	80.8%

Firewalls

Featured Reviews

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

A stable solution with an intuitive interface and quick customer service

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate, WatchGuard, Sophos, and SonicWall. I'm not as comfortable with SonicWall because of their UI and limitations. I prefer Fortinet above all other options. When it comes to configuration, I am confident in my ability to handle various tasks, including creating policies such as firewall rules, web policies, and application policies. Additionally, I can configure VPNs and implement load balancing, among other tasks. Overall, I feel much more comfortable working with Fortinet. Fortinet has made significant improvements by integrating AI with firewalls for threat analysis and prevention. In the past 2-3 years, they have launched FortiSASE and SIEM, and they also provide SOC services. Both Palo Alto and Fortinet FortiGate are excellent. While Fortinet FortiGate comes at higher prices, the functionality and support justify the cost. They promptly resolve firmware issues and inform all support providers about configuration changes.

Read full review

reviewer9216065

Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

Has provided strong traffic visibility and efficient policy management for advanced network environments

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series could be improved, though I don't think of much. I'm unsure how widespread the adoption for K2-Series alone is. Looking at the base Palo Alto capabilities, they are going in the right direction. K2 specifically about its efficacy with all these 5G protocols, the GPRS tunneling protocol performed without many hiccups during testing. With AI, if there is a Precision AI bundle that you're planning on exploring, then that definitely needs a significant uplift because currently it doesn't work for all the known models. There are many false positives that need to be addressed. While it's still ahead of its competitors, on the AI security side, there is quite a room for improvement.

Read full review

SyedTaha

Head of IT and Information Security at GLEEDS USA INC

Support has resolved concerns promptly and security tools have strengthened intrusion prevention and access control

The service we received from SonicWall NSSP and their distributors has been excellent. Every time I have had a concern, they have resolved it in a single call. The interface of SonicWall NSSP console is user-friendly with comprehensive features. The web filtering and access control policy are top priorities for me. It is very effective because it prevents any indecent behaviors in the network or from outside the network. Half of the task is completed by the intelligence based on the behavior. Installation was easy because our infrastructure has minimal requirements. For expanded infrastructure, support from a SonicWall NSSP technical team may be required. We have implemented it on our own.

Read full review

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Performing Arts

23%

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	357
Midsize Enterprise	133
Large Enterprise	188

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	14
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	13

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Large Enterprise	3

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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 Palo Alto Networks K2-Series?

The pricing for the Palo Alto Networks K2-Series solution is affordable and there are no complaints about the licensing.

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What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks K2-Series?

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series could be improved, though I don't think of much. I'm unsure how widespread the adoption ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall NSSP?

The cost is affordable.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SonicWall NSSP?

For improvement, they should have events specifically focused on firmware or patch updates released for the firewalls...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SonicWall NSSP?

The solution is used to detect intrusion, web filtering, and network monitoring.

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 20% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 6% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Juniper SRX Series Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

Compared 32% of the time

Sophos Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

Compared 25% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

Compared 22% of the time

More Palo Alto Networks K2-Series Competitors

SonicWall NSa vs SonicWall NSSP

Compared 32% of the time

OPNsense vs SonicWall NSSP

Compared 19% of the time

More SonicWall NSSP Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

January 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series

January 2026

Download Palo Alto Networks K2-Series product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall NSSP

January 2026

Download SonicWall NSSP product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

No data available

SonicWall Network Security Services 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

Designed to handle growing throughput needs due to increasing amounts of application-, user-, and device-generated data, the K2-Series offers amazing performance and threat prevention capabilities to stop advanced cyberattacks and secure mobile network infrastructure, subscribers, and services.

Palo Alto Networks

The SonicWall Network Security services platform (NSsp) 12000 series takes a modern approach to threat detection and prevention by combining cloud intelligence with appliance-based protection in a scalable, high-speed platform.

SonicWall

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

State of North Dakota, SEGA, Alameda County Office of Education, Temple University, VERGE, CAME

Comlogic, Depaul, Hutt City Council

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series vs. SonicWall NSSP

December 2025

Free Report: Palo Alto Networks K2-Series vs. SonicWall NSSP

Find out what your peers are saying about Palo Alto Networks K2-Series vs. SonicWall NSSP and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

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