Sangfor NGAF vs SonicWall NSa comparison

Sangfor and SonicWall are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Sangfor is ranked #22 with an average rating of 8.4, while SonicWall is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.6. Sangfor holds a 1.1% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to SonicWall’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Sangfor users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

SonicWall NSa and Sangfor NGAF compete in the network security solutions category. SonicWall NSa seems to have the upper hand in security features, while Sangfor NGAF stands out for pricing, offering significant cost-effectiveness.

Features: SonicWall NSa offers comprehensive site-to-site VPN, deep packet inspection, and robust application control. Its packet capture utility is effective for troubleshooting. Sangfor NGAF features strong application control, WAN optimization, and a user-friendly central console for management.

Room for Improvement: SonicWall NSa users suggest enhancing the GUI, real-time network monitoring, and improving AD integration efficiency. Configuration paths are complex, and there are some firmware issues. Sangfor NGAF should address interface complexity, configuration bugs, and reliance on licenses, with a focus on simplifying its GUI and deployment guidance.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SonicWall NSa is mainly on-premises with hybrid cloud support, highlighting effective level-3 support but with occasional slow response times. Sangfor NGAF also supports both setups and excels in customer service with 24/7 availability, but could benefit from faster responses and streamlined processes.

Pricing and ROI: SonicWall NSa offers reasonable pricing with competitive licensing and strong cost-feature balance, notably in high availability setups. Sangfor NGAF is more affordable than competitors, though maintenance costs may rise. It is praised for its Total Cost of Ownership and is attractive to budget-conscious buyers. Both products deliver substantial ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Sangfor NGAF vs. SonicWall NSa Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF vs. SonicWall NSa

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 Sangfor NGAF is 1.1%, down from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall NSa is 1.5%, down from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	16.0%
SonicWall NSa	1.5%
Sangfor NGAF	1.1%
Other	81.4%

Firewalls

Featured Reviews

Abhinandan Yadav

Network Security Engineer at a retailer with 11-50 employees

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

Zaid Farooqui

CIO at Indus Motor Company

Enhanced threat detection with integrated security features and good support

We are using application firewalling, WAF, and SD-WAN. The capabilities are mostly within the box. For example, you will get web application firewall WAF as part and parcel of this. SD-WAN is also bundled. It integrates with their SIEM and SOAR solutions very nicely. Lastly, the pricing point is very cost-efficient as well.

Read full review

Mahendra Basera

Sr.Engineer at Akara Capital Advisor Pvt. Ltd.

Automated breach prevention has protected critical workloads and keeps external attacks blocked

I am familiar with SonicWall TZ. I have done a POC of TZ but I have not worked extensively with it. I have worked with the 2600 firewall and then the 3600. These are the models which we have worked with.SonicWall NSa was an on-premises solution. The two firewalls which were in production, in the data center and on the LAN side, were both on-premises solutions. We had a pre-decided budget under which we would purchase the firewall. All parameters including security, high availability, and budget concerns were covered with SonicWall NSa being implemented at that time. SonicWall NSa is a user-friendly product that is easy to configure, and it is easy for network personnel and firewall administrators to work with. Even the L1 team captured and learned this firewall effectively, helping us resolve all parameters related to high availability firewalls within budget-friendly costs. I rate this review a nine out of ten.

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

"FortiGate is very good if you're thinking of expanding where you have remote offices, then it's a good solution."

"The response from the technical support team has always been excellent."

"Some of the best features of Fortinet FortiGate include the next-generation firewall features."

"The main benefit is the grouping of our security monitoring, as I have all of my solutions from the same brand, Fortinet, with only one console and one dashboard for all the security incidents that occur on the network."

"The most useful functionality of Fortinet FortiGate is the user interface, multiple engines, and their cloud with the latest integrations, and additionally, the Security Fabric tool is very good."

"The ease of use and the user-friendly interface are the beauty of this firewall."

"Having FortiGate allowed for easy management of the network, protection from threats by having a very intuitive administration console."

"The most valuable feature is the ease of configuration."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"Sangfor has the best capabilities for securing connections, securing web browsers, securing servers, and general threat protection."

"I think this solution is a very good example of a proactive solution that can detect problems and immediately fix the problems or issues."

"It offers good value for money and is much cheaper compared to other firewalls."

"Sangfor NGAF specializes in ransomware detection and helps to protect our network from ransomware threats and malware."

"Sangfor NGAF works accordingly with our customers. The solution has good performance, easy to use, and integrates well with the endpoints."

"Sangfor NGAF works accordingly with our customers, the solution has good performance, is easy to use, and integrates well with the endpoints."

"The solution is quite safe and good, and furthermore, it is very good for different environments."

"I think the tool has the feature to detect and kill ransomware in three seconds."

More Sangfor NGAF pros

"Improved our corporate security; we have bandwidth management configured and app control enabled."

"It has excellent stability."

"What I like best about SonicWall NSa is the security it offers compared to other solutions in the market. Its reduction rate is also better than others."

"It's not hard to configure, it's user-friendly."

"Because this is a UTM, we appreciate having a single pane of glass for a firewall, content filtering, and IPS/IDS services."

"One of the main features is the built-in storage capacity."

"I really like the performance; there are no delays and no latency, which is a unique quality in firewalls nowadays."

"It has good reporting, the reporting is marvelous."

More SonicWall NSa pros

Cons

"The support is the main thing that needs to be improved."

"Fortinet FortiGate SWG's costs need improvement."

"I have faced challenges related to support, as I have encountered issues where support engineers are not aligned within the time frame, and sometimes they request multiple logs unnecessarily, causing delays and leaving a bad impression on my end users."

"The solution needs to integrate VPN features."

"Overall, the integration could be better."

"Small models (up to FG-90) are build on SoC (System on a Chip), so they need to be mounted in places with enough airflow and right temperature, otherwise they could hang, slow down traffic processing, but more often you just can't log in to the device's web-interface (reboot won't help you until it cools down)."

"I would like the deployment and integration of this product to be easier. We should be able to deploy the features more easily and have different types of access."

"It would be a benefit if Fortinet would release a one-stop solution that is better integrated with other products and has an automated emergency response system."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"The GUI needs to be improved, lacks logic in some areas."

"It would be ideal if the solution offered SD-WAN capabilities."

"The firewall system needs gradual improvements because there are more threats and challenges in the world every day."

"The support offered by the product has certain shortcomings where improvements are required. The knowledge levels and response time of the support team need improvement."

"Sangfor NGAF could improve the policies and default criteria. They could be much better."

"The web interface needs to be improved, making it more user-friendly."

"They need to increase the number of ports in the firewall."

"Lacks consistency in terms of filtering certain websites and applications."

More Sangfor NGAF cons

"We have security as a service, and they make recommendations about adding to the denylist and other things. That part could be more accessible and more user-friendly. I'd like to see SonicWall add a user-friendly interface where our internal team can drag and drop everything."

"When it comes to security I think all of the features are currently open to improvement."

"The detection of malware can improve in SonicWall NSa."

"Port forwarding could use streamlining."

"It is very modular and with native resources which are much lower than its competitors."

"It would be useful to have an application firewall that prevents the outside world from seeing your private IPs. You don't need to publicize your private IPs to the outside world, and you can create a barrier, like a proxy server."

"It's not as easy to use, as, for example, Palo Alto. Some of the configurations could be better."

"The filter settings are confusing and overly complicated."

More SonicWall NSa cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing for the product is alright."

"Compared to other firewall products, it's a little cheaper in terms of pricing."

"The price could be lower."

"If the price of the license in Fortinet FortiGate was less expensive it would be better."

"The product is expensive."

"In the Asian economy in which we operate, FortiGate is expensive."

"For the performance that we get, the price is reasonable. There are cheaper options, but they may not deliver the same kind of performance that we want. For the performance they provide, the price is acceptable."

"It's very competitive."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"It costs about 8 to 10 thousand dollars per year for 500 users, standard licensing fees included."

"Sangfor NGAF is a cheaply priced product, especially if I consider the previous product that was used in my company."

"The solution has a TCO that is 32% to 50% less than Sophos, Fortinet, and SonicWall."

"The product is very cost-effective compared to other brands or vendors."

"The license of Sangfor NGAF can be purchased at different interval lengths, such as annually or three years. They offer a range of packages to choose from, such as combo or hybrid packages. We are using the complete solution package which includes IM, NGF and SSL VPN, and WAF."

"Price-wise, I would not consider Sangfor NGAF to be a cheap product. It is an expensive firewall solution, though not as expensive as something like Palo Alto, which is costly. However, the higher price point is justifiable given the feature set the tool provides that other firewalls may not offer in a single dedicated appliance."

"The pricing is reasonable."

"Sangfor NGAF price is reasonable and there is an annual license. However, the maintenance cost can be a bit high."

More Sangfor NGAF pricing and cost advice

"You need their analyzer to properly generate reports. This is an expensive, licensed feature, with a complex application or appliance back-end."

"SonicWall NSa has two types of license. The advanced license is a bit expensive when compared to the comprehensive license, but when you compare the advanced license to the licensing cost of other brands or competitors, it is expensive."

"The price is high. I would rate it four to five out of ten."

"When implemented properly, the total cost of operation is very low."

"Considering the market, I believe that the price of this solution is great."

"The solution is based on a yearly licensing model that is reasonable compared to other options."

"It's become difficult to get the best price from SonicWall."

"SonicWall is a one-time purchase and there is no renewal license."

More SonicWall NSa 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

Manufacturing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Construction 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	15
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	10

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	56
Midsize Enterprise	21
Large Enterprise	24

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...

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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 your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sangfor NGAF?

The licensing cost is quite high compared to other available firewalls in the market.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Sangfor NGAF?

The cost of licensing is very high compared to other firewalls available here. There should be improvements in hardwa...

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What is your primary use case for Sangfor NGAF?

We are hosting applications over the platform, including websites and NAT traffic from our side. Because it's deploye...

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What do you like most about SonicWall NSa?

The product blocks access when I visit unrecognized websites.

See all answers

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

I am overall satisfied with everything, including the price.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SonicWall NSa?

The CPU configuration for SonicWall NSa, based on my experience, is average. It should be increased somewhat because ...

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 Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 1% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Sophos Firewall vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 13% of the time

H3C SecPath Firewalls vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 7% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 6% of the time

Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 5% of the time

More Sangfor NGAF Competitors

Cisco Meraki MX vs SonicWall NSa

Compared 8% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs SonicWall NSa

Compared 7% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs SonicWall NSa

Compared 6% of the time

OPNsense vs SonicWall NSa

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs SonicWall NSa

Compared 6% of the time

More SonicWall NSa Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

May 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF

April 2026

Download Sangfor NGAF product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall NSa

April 2026

Download SonicWall NSa product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

Sangfor NGAF Firewall Platform

NSA 250M, NSA 2600, NSA 3600, NSA 4600, NSA 5600, Dell SonicWALL NSA

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

Sangfor NGAF offers a user-friendly firewall solution with a strong virus database and competitive pricing. It supports SSL VPN connectivity, intrusion detection, and is known for easy deployment and integration capabilities.

Sangfor NGAF is a comprehensive security platform providing robust network protection through its application control and detailed threat insights. While effective in preventing threats and ensuring network security, it has areas needing improvement such as real-time reporting and system support. It delivers secure internet and VPN connections, proficiently handling malware threats. However, it faces challenges with user experience, reporting capabilities, hardware scalability, and needs better third-party integration. Licensing costs are noted to be high, and there are performance variations between versions.

What are the key features of Sangfor NGAF?

User-friendly deployment: Offers an uncomplicated setup process.
Robust virus database: Provides reliable threat detection.
SSL VPN connectivity: Ensures secure remote access.
Application control: Manages application usage for enhanced security.
Intrusion detection: Detects unauthorized access attempts.
URL filtering: Prevents access to malicious websites.

What benefits should users expect when evaluating Sangfor NGAF?

Affordability: Competitive pricing compared to peers.
Integration: Good capabilities with existing systems.
Support: Noted for providing reliable customer service.
Threat prevention: Effective in securing networks against various threats.

Sangfor NGAF is widely used across industries including education, healthcare, and finance for its reliable network security. It is favored for securing internal servers, offering robust threat protection, and managing bandwidth efficiently at a budget-friendly rate.

Sangfor

SonicWall NSa stands out for its advanced security features, easy management, and cost-effectiveness, making it effective for businesses seeking robust network protection and efficient management.

Renowned for its comprehensive security mechanisms, SonicWall NSa provides a user-centric interface with enhanced VPN capabilities and content filtering. Features like deep packet inspection, application control, and site-to-site VPN ensure that it meets complex business needs. Its scalability is supported by SD-WAN functionality and unified threat management services. However, enhancements in firmware reliability, VPN scalability, and reporting tools are needed to fully optimize its potential for smaller businesses. Improved integration with AI and better threat detection will further enhance its robust security offering.

What are SonicWall NSa's most important features?

Deep Packet Inspection: Identifies threats through thorough traffic analysis.
Application Control: Manages and controls application activity for network efficiency.
Site-to-Site VPN: Creates secure connections between different office locations.
Automated Breach Prevention: Proactively blocks security threats.
Scalability with SD-WAN: Adapts to growing network demands with controlled traffic across multiple sites.

What benefits or ROI should users recognize?

User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies management tasks with straightforward operation.
Cost-Effective Throughput: Delivers high performance at a competitive price, ensuring value for investment.
Reliable Performance: Provides consistent security and operational efficiency.
Single-Pane Management: Facilitates integrated and cohesive network oversight.
Comprehensive UTM Services: Offers extensive security coverage suitable for business requirements.

In industries like education, industry, and government, SonicWall NSa plays a key role in safeguarding networks against potential cyber threats. Service providers and integrators deploy it for efficient firewalling, VPN management, bandwidth monitoring, and intrusion prevention. Its flexibility attends to needs from small businesses seeking secure internet access to large enterprises requiring thorough connectivity controls.

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

The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (Indonesia), Lawson, Inc. (Philippines), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (Indonesia), TEK Automotive (Italy), etc.

Orange County Rescue Mission, First Source, Michaels & Taylor, Green Clinic Health System, Aspire Chiltern Skills and Enterprise Centre, UnitedStack, Faith Lutheran College Redlands, Celtic Manor Resort, Star Kay White, Air Works, Unimat Life, NHS Yorkshire and Humber Commissioning Support (YHCS), Hutt City Council, Mato Grosso do Sul, Nspyre

Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF vs. SonicWall NSa

April 2026

Free Report: Sangfor NGAF vs. SonicWall NSa

Find out what your peers are saying about Sangfor NGAF vs. SonicWall NSa and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

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