Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Palo Alto Networks Panorama comparison

The compared Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls and Palo Alto Networks Panorama solutions aren't in the same category. Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is ranked #7 in Firewalls , with an average rating of 8.8, and holds a 3.5% mindshare in the category. Palo Alto Networks Panorama is ranked #5 in Firewall Security Management , with an average rating of 8.3, and holds a 7.4% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of Palo Alto Networks Panorama users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 30, 2024

Palo Alto Networks Panorama and Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW) compete in network security management and advanced threat protection. NGFW appears to have the upper hand due to its superior threat prevention features.

Features: Palo Alto Networks Panorama offers centralized policy management, network visibility, and consolidated logging. NGFW provides advanced threat prevention, application awareness, and deep packet inspection.

Room for Improvement: Palo Alto Networks Panorama has room for improvement in scalability, user interface complexity, and integration with other tools. NGFW needs enhancements in performance, policy settings complexity, and usability of its management interface.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Palo Alto Networks Panorama provides flexible deployment options but has a steep learning curve. NGFW allows quicker setup with supportive customer service but requires fine-tuning in policy settings. NGFW offers a more streamlined deployment experience.

Pricing and ROI: Palo Alto Networks Panorama has high setup costs with mixed ROI feedback. NGFWs have higher initial costs but offer better ROI due to their robust feature set, making the investment justified despite higher upfront costs.

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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

Firewalls

Firewall Security Management

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.

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AmjadKhan1

Head of data centers at a non-profit with 10,001+ employees

Provides inline protection with a unified view and anti-spyware capabilities

I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls ten out of ten because it is the best. Our disaster recovery site utilizes Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls. We are also in the process of upgrading the firewalls at our 365 sites in Pakistan to Palo Alto Networks firewalls. While budget firewalls may advertise comparable features, they often fall short of effectively detecting viruses, threats, and ransomware. In contrast, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls, combined with Cortex XDR, provide comprehensive threat intelligence and detection capabilities, ensuring superior security coverage. I recommend conducting a proof of concept before selecting a firewall. This will allow you to evaluate different options and determine which best suits your needs. While Palo Alto offers robust firewall solutions, it's essential to compare them with other vendors to ensure you make an informed decision.

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Waleed Aboda

Senior Network Engineer at UPS

Centralized monitoring enhances control while seeking greater flexibility and rapid response

I am still working for Lotus. We work with Palo Alto three series, Panorama, and Firewall Banu, specifically Firewall three series and five series I find this solution valuable for full monitoring, centralized control for reporting, and centralized management. These features are instrumental in…

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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 GUI is good."

"Overall, I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten."

"The most valuable features are the enterprise modeling and the simple interface."

"The solution is very easy to understand. It's not overly complex."

"What I like the most is the configuration and that it's simple, and straightforward to maintain."

"I have found Fortinet FortiGate to be scalable."

"I haven't configured or experienced any stability issues."

"It is user friendly, and has all the features you need."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"The technical support is great."

"The performance of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is the most valuable feature."

"The most valuable features are the threat prevention and policy-based routing features."

"The Unified Threat Management (UTM) module, which consists of the basic firewall and IPS services, is what the majority of our customers use in Palo Alto Firewall."

"The most important thing is that it's really user-friendly. I have almost stopped using the CLI because I like the graphical interface. You can do whatever you want on a single screen, including all the configuration and implementation, using Panorama. You don't have to switch from one place to another."

"It's quite nice. It's very user-friendly, powerful, and there are barely any bugs."

"We standardized on the product and got rid of several other types of firewalls from different vendors."

"The stability of the product has been good over the years."

More Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls pros

"The application ID or App-ID feature is a good feature for us. We are also using IPS and content inspection features. The firewall can inspect the packages that are passing through my network."

"Palo Alto Networks Panorama provides many features, such as alerts, traffic monitoring, and logs."

"It has made our ROIs easier, but consolidating the correlation of data into one single point, which is pretty great."

"The most valuable feature of Palo Alto Networks Panorama is its innovation and impressive capacity to handle network traffic efficiently."

"I really like the product."

"It's a reliable solution."

"The interface is very easy to use. You can do most jobs from one single console."

"The management and the deployment features are most valuable. We can easily deploy and manage the devices. We can do fast deployments without moving from our office and by just providing a short description to the end-user about how to install the physical device."

More Palo Alto Networks Panorama pros

Cons

"Tunnel flapping was one of the major things I had seen wherein your internet link remains but your VPN tunnel is down. However, since I got a fix from the TAC team, I have not noticed it, but the customer complained a few times that they couldn't access the internet because of this problem."

"The documentation available for Fortinet FortiGate should be improved"

"To some degree, it's almost a question as to why some of this stuff isn't simpler. For example, for an AP deployment, while it's integrated, the number of steps that you have to go through in order to get the AP up, seems like a lot."

"We had some issues in the beginning while setting it up, but after doing the firmware update, it is working fine."

"The updates Fortinet provides are sometimes unstable."

"I mostly do administration, and I found Cisco to be the hardest major firewall manufacturer to deal with, with Fortinet FortiGate being the second hardest for me."

"Difficult to add or define, and not that easy to configure and manage."

"The solution lacks sufficient filtering."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"We need better affiliations for profiling the user."

"The initial configuration is complicated to set up."

"Enhancements could potentially be made to the firmware to improve its inspectability."

"Enhancing support teams' capability to handle cases without much delay would be beneficial."

"The machine learning feature, with its continuous potential for improvement, directly enhances the security of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls."

"I would like to see some Machine Learning because I have observed new types of attacks that are able to bypass existing security rules."

"It is a good product, but they can add some functions for port scanning and network scanning."

"These are not the cheapest firewalls; they are quite expensive."

More Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls cons

"The solution requires more flexibility and quicker response times."

"The ease of use of Palo Alto Networks Panorama is an area for improvement. Another downside is that you need a lot of comprehension to understand what it is."

"Reporting might be an area to improve. It can provide reporting or some sort of graphical representation of your environment."

"My pain point is the automation process is not well-documented. There are some things that they could improve on there."

"We found a vulnerability where when we have a low flow, like 2.7K, it is not getting fired by the threat prevention. That's something important to improve on. They should have a proxy or some solution to solve the issue. We also found some issues around decrypting the flow. When we have more flow than expected to decrypt, the performance goes down."

"The configuration could be a bit better."

"Palo Alto Networks Panorama could improve by making the solution less expensive."

"The alerts in Palo Alto Networks Panorama could improve by integration with other systems, such as a forwarding trigger system. For example, if a customer has their own system it would be helpful to have the alarms integrated."

More Palo Alto Networks Panorama cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Fortinet FortiGate is expensive."

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

"The pricing is perfect."

"It is an inexpensive solution."

"Fortinet has one or two license types, and the VPN numbers are only limited by the hardware chassis make."

"It is more expensive than Sophos. Fortinet is overall more expensive than Sophos. The small range of Fortinet, such as 60F and 80F, is more expensive than the small range of Sophos. Sophos is cheaper. In addition, if you jump from 80F Series to 100F Series, the price doubles."

"The license is too expensive to renew. The license renewal process is also complex."

"We have the full license that included all of the features and support."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"It's too expensive."

"You get what you pay for."

"Palo Alto Networks offers more cost efficiency compared to Cisco, with better operational and maintenance ease."

"The licensing leaves a lot to be desired. We buy the license and then we can't transfer the license without paying an exorbitant fee to our client if they leave us, and that just seems to be a bit of a pain point for us, and there's really no way to partner effectively to make that more reasonable."

"I would assume that it's still within mid-range given its company structure and everything else. My guess is it's still okay."

"It's an expensive product."

"This is an expensive product and there is a subscription cost."

"Compared to other products, the pricing is flexible and reasonable."

More Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls pricing and cost advice

"The solution is priced a bit higher than competitors."

"The pricing is pretty average. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate it a five."

"Its cost is quite high."

"You only pay for the license and there are no additional costs."

"Palo Alto Networks Panorama is a more expensive solution than competitors. They should lower the price to stay competitive."

"The price of Palo Alto Networks Panorama is high. There is a pay-per-use model."

"Palo Alto products are generally priced higher compared to their competitors."

"It has freed up staff time, which is where we are seeing ROI."

More Palo Alto Networks Panorama pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Educational Organization

13%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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...

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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 ...

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What is a better choice, Azure Firewall or Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls?

Azure Firewall Vs. Palo Alto Network NG Firewalls Both solutions provide stellar stability and security. Azure Firew...

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Features comparison between Palo Alto and Fortinet firewalls

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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Which is better - Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls or Sophos XG?

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have both great features and performance. I like that Palo Alto has regular threat si...

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What do you like most about Palo Alto Networks Panorama?

The most valuable aspect of Palo Alto Networks Panorama for me is the centralized management of multiple firewalls.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Palo Alto Networks Panorama?

Palo Alto Networks Panorama is expensive but provides good value for money. For the higher end, the cost is justified...

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What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks Panorama?

From the reporting side, naming the reports properly so that they can be easily identified would be an improvement. O...

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos XG vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 20% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 12% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 11% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

Fortinet FortiOS vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 2% of the time

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Azure Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

Compared 11% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

Compared 11% of the time

Sophos XG vs Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

Compared 10% of the time

Check Point NGFW vs Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

Compared 10% of the time

Meraki MX vs Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

Compared 9% of the time

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AlgoSec vs Palo Alto Networks Panorama

Compared 22% of the time

Tufin Orchestration Suite vs Palo Alto Networks Panorama

Compared 17% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate Cloud vs Palo Alto Networks Panorama

Compared 13% of the time

AWS Firewall Manager vs Palo Alto Networks Panorama

Compared 10% of the time

FireMon Security Manager vs Palo Alto Networks Panorama

Compared 9% of the time

More Palo Alto Networks Panorama Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

June 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

June 2025

Download Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls product report

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks Panorama

June 2025

Download Palo Alto Networks Panorama product report

Also Known As

FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate, Fortinet Firewall

Palo Alto NGFW, Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall

No data available

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate offers comprehensive network security and firewall protection across multiple locations. It effectively manages data traffic and secures environments with features like VPN, intrusion prevention, and UTM controls.

Organizations rely on Fortinet FortiGate for its robust integration with advanced security policies, ensuring significant protection for enterprises, cloud environments, and educational sectors. It facilitates network segmentation, application-level security, and authentication management, securing communication within and between locations such as branches and data centers. Its efficient SD-WAN and UTM features enable streamlined data management and enhanced threat protection capabilities. Users appreciate its centralized management, facilitating seamless operations across diverse environments.

What are the key features of Fortinet FortiGate?

VPN Capabilities: Ensure secure remote access for users and seamless site-to-site connections.
Intrusion Prevention System (IPS): Detect and prevent security threats and vulnerabilities.
Advanced Firewall: Offers robust firewalling with application control and web filtering.
SD-WAN: Optimizes application performance and enhances bandwidth management.
SSL VPN: Provides reliable and secure access for remote workers.

What benefits should users expect from Fortinet FortiGate?

High-performance Security: Delivers effective threat mitigation with high availability.
Centralized Management: Simplifies network operations with cloud-based management tools.
Detailed Analytics: Provides comprehensive insights into network activity and security threats.
Load Balancing: Ensures optimal resource distribution and traffic management.

Fortinet FortiGate is crucial in sectors like education, offering robust networks for secure data flow between campuses and facilitating remote learning. In enterprise environments, it allows efficient management of application traffic and security across multiple branches, while in the cloud, it seamlessly integrates with diverse platforms to enhance security infrastructure.

Fortinet

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls offer comprehensive security, including application control, traffic shaping, threat prevention, and load balancing, designed to secure internal networks, perimeter protection, VPN services, and cloud environments.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are a key choice for managing and protecting data centers, securing remote access, network segmentation, malware prevention, and ensuring high availability and performance for business-critical applications. Known for stability and strong security, these firewalls use application-aware identifiers and IPS/IDS subscriptions to offer advanced threat protection. The unified platform facilitates seamless integration, while GlobalProtect and centralized management via Panorama enhance ease of use. However, there are areas for improvement, including pricing strategies, training, user support, and integration with third-party applications.

What are the essential features?

Stability: Reliable performance in different environments.
Application Control: Identifies applications to manage traffic.
Advanced Threat Protection: Includes DNS security, WildFire, and machine learning.
GlobalProtect: Secure remote access for users.
Centralized Management: Managed via the Panorama platform.

What benefits or ROI should users expect?

Security: Protects against threats with robust features.
User-Friendly: Simplified interface and easy configuration.
High Availability: Ensures performance for critical applications.
Integration: Seamless with existing systems and applications.
Support: Reliable technical support and resources.

In industries like finance, healthcare, and retail, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls secure sensitive data and meet regulatory requirements. These firewalls help manage large-scale networks in these sectors, providing essential security features and maintaining high-performance standards. They are implemented to ensure compliance, protect patient information, secure financial transactions, and safeguard customer data.

Palo Alto Networks

Panorama network security management provides static rules and dynamic security updates in an ever-changing threat landscape. Reduce administrator workload and improve your overall security posture with a single rule base for firewall, threat prevention, URL filtering, application awareness, user identification, file blocking and data filtering.

Palo Alto Networks

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

SkiStar AB, Ada County, Global IT Services PSF, Southern Cross Hospitals, Verge Health, University of Portsmouth, Austrian Airlines, The Heinz Endowments

University of Arkansas, JBG SMITH, Temple University, Telkom Indonesia

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