Sangfor NGAF vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall comparison

Sangfor and Zscaler are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Sangfor is ranked #21 with an average rating of 8.4, while Zscaler is ranked #27 with an average rating of 7.6. Sangfor holds a 1.1% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to Zscaler’s 1.0% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Sangfor users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Zscaler users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

Sangfor NGAF and Zscaler Cloud Firewall compete in the cybersecurity and network protection category. Sangfor NGAF offers a more cost-effective solution, while Zscaler provides advanced cloud-based security features suitable for larger enterprises.

Features: Sangfor NGAF offers user-friendly management, a powerful virus database, and quick IPS reports. It integrates well with features like WAF and SSL VPN, delivering comprehensive network security with real-time threat detection. Zscaler Cloud Firewall, as an entirely cloud-based solution, minimizes hardware dependency while providing advanced threat protection, DLP, and scalability with centralized management for modern cloud environments.

Room for Improvement: Sangfor NGAF could enhance its integration consoles, scalability, and local support availability, as some users report performance lags and filtering inconsistencies. Zscaler Cloud Firewall may improve application customization and simplify deployment, along with expanding IP blocking control and cloud-centric application understanding.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Sangfor NGAF allows various deployment options, primarily on-premises, and strong 24/7 local support, although support may vary by region. Zscaler offers fast support response leveraging strong global cloud infrastructure, relying on continuous cloud connectivity for full functionality.

Pricing and ROI: Sangfor NGAF is cost-effective, offering competitive pricing and high ROI against brands like Fortinet and Sophos with no hidden costs. Zscaler Cloud Firewall is expensive, especially for small businesses, yet reflects its advanced capabilities through flexible pricing structures, ensuring value via comprehensive security services.

To learn more, read our detailed Sangfor NGAF vs. Zscaler Cloud Firewall Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF vs. Zscaler Cloud Firewall

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 June 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 15.1%, down from 21.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sangfor NGAF is 1.1%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zscaler Cloud Firewall is 1.0%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	15.1%
Sangfor NGAF	1.1%
Zscaler Cloud Firewall	1.0%
Other	82.8%

Firewalls

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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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.

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Carlos Snel

Director at Aquila ICT Solutions

Has streamlined secure deployments across large enterprises while offering reliable protection and intuitive management

The centralized management console, also referred to as the Zscaler dashboard, impacts the ability of my customers to respond to security incidents significantly. I see it as user-friendly, and clients are really happy with using it, which motivates them to keep using Zscaler Cloud Firewall because they enjoy the GUI. It's very intuitive, making it easy to navigate alerts and incidents. My clients rarely have questions about where to find specific information once Zscaler Cloud Firewall is running. The interface speaks for itself, requiring little to no additional training, which is a major plus. Advanced threat protection features in Zscaler Cloud Firewall are practically the key component that every customer wants. Unfortunately, it is an option and not included in the basic package. Clients need to pay for the next higher bundle to access it, but practically all clients I have dealt with want this feature 100%. Regarding visibility, I can confirm that Zscaler Cloud Firewall indeed includes a feature for application layer visibility embedded in the service. It provides visibility into what you're doing, which is especially interesting nowadays when discussing AI tools, as companies do not want their employees to copy-paste sensitive information into AI systems. We have seen cases such as Samsung's chip design where sensitive info got exposed. The visibility of applications, including cloud applications and AI tools, is significant for compliance with data policies, and you can also run reports and alerts on it.

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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 common valuable feature for FortiGate is its UTM functionality, which includes various features under a license that is commonly implemented."

"If you use this solution, within three years, you will get your investment back."

"Its administrative panel is very intuitive and simple. It is simpler than the other solutions that we had. As an administrator, we are always looking for the easiest solution to manage network policies. We are able to filter everything on our network and also use the VPN feature, which is important these days when people are working remotely during COVID."

"We've actually replaced 30 or more Cisco routers that were doing these VPN connections, and we replaced them with the FortiGates in order to provide Point-to-Point connectivity."

"User-friendly and affordable security solution that's recommended for SMB customers. This solution has good technical support."

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

"The integration with Active Directory is one of the good features. Most of the customers are now looking for the Single Sign-on feature. So, being able to integrate Active Directory with the firewall is useful. It is also easy."

"The most valuable feature is the VDOM, which allows the customer to have multiple firewalls in a single campus."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"I think Sangfor NGAF is more valuable than Cisco products because of its simplicity and ease of management. If I compare it with Palo Alto and Cisco, both are quite complex products. And if I compare it with FortiGate firewalls from Fortinet, I have also used all these products. Fortinet and Sangfor NGAF are similar products because the applications behind the application and policy layers are almost identical."

"It enables us to not only detect but also prevent various types of incoming threats, allowing us to take appropriate corrective actions and exercise control over the network."

"So far, the performance and reliability of the product have supported our company's critical network traffic."

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

"SSL VPN is the best feature."

"The stability of Sangfor NGAF is good."

"Sangfor serves most of the basic purposes of a firewall, is particularly good in the DPI where we can inspect the inbound and outbound traffic on a very granular level, gives a very good predictive measure as well as the current measure of things going on in our network, and gives us value for money overall."

"The VPN connectivity feature is really nice."

More Sangfor NGAF pros

"The technical support from Zscaler was excellent."

"The visibility and log availability offered are highly valued for troubleshooting purposes, and this is a key factor driving customer interest in the firewall module."

"It is a stable solution."

"Zscaler is one of the leading vendors in the cloud space."

"If malicious traffic attacks our on-premises servers, then it gets blocked by Zscaler Cloud Firewall."

"I like the ease of deployment and its flexibility. We don't need to deal with license, quotes, procurement, delivery, and installation. Everything is software-based, and it's very easy to operate."

"Most of the features that Zscaler has to offer, we will deploy."

"Zscaler Cloud Firewall has positively impacted my organization by increasing ROI, especially by reducing costs."

More Zscaler Cloud Firewall pros

Cons

"They should offer special pricing to premium partners and customers."

"It's difficult to add or define, and it's not that easy to configure and manage."

"I think that the infrastructure for the VPN could be improved. The way that it is bundled also made it difficult to use and sell as it is too expensive."

"They should provide us with a CSV number for patch updates. It will help us block specific signatures as well."

"The support system could be improved."

"The one concern I have with Fortinet FortiGate is the firmware versions, which often have many bugs when upgraded, leading us to revert back to older versions multiple times in my lifecycle."

"Fortinet is huge in today's market and they've become quite expensive."

"Fortinet needs to continue to improve network traceability. Other than that, we haven't run into anything that would give me any concern."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"The tool's support is an area of concern where improvements are required."

"The reporting and log management could be improved."

"Sangfor NGAF could improve by refining its application control policies, especially in addressing challenges with certain types of applications."

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

"However, the maintenance cost can be a bit high."

"The solution has too many bugs and these slow down the implementation."

"The setup phase is quite complex."

"I feel Sangfor should follow the hierarchy and close deals via resellers instead of closing it all with their own team."

More Sangfor NGAF cons

"Apart from the issues associated with the product in areas like the DC performance issues and DC failover, Zscaler Cloud Firewall's IP should not have a proxy IP."

"The issue right now is probably that Zscaler is not providing web browser isolation. Another solution, Menlo, offers this. For one customer, we had to send traffic to Menlo to do the isolation for us. It was requested by the customer so that they could integrate any iframe. Zscaler needs to add this type of feature in their next release."

"They do not provide a few components that are fundamental to differentiate the products"

"Currently, the Data Leak Prevention is only for web filtering and there is nothing for email and the USB, so it would be an improvement if that could be included."

"Certain criteria need to be met if you want to scale this solution."

"Zscaler doesn't do intra site segmentation, therefore, if you want segmentation within a branch office, that kind of traffic flow is not well addressed."

"Because it's on cloud, it doesn't allow application of extra settings."

"There are some areas it could improve when it comes to blocking, we have to block some things manually."

More Zscaler Cloud Firewall cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing costs are very low."

"The value is the capability of having multiple services with one unique license, not having the limitation per user licensing schema, like other vendors."

"The price of the license and warranty can be better because it is very expensive."

"The price of Fortinet FortiGate is reasonable."

"I would rate pricing to be about four or five out of ten, it is reasonable."

"It could be more competitive and cost-effective."

"The price could be lower."

"It is not a very costly product if you compare it with other products. The return on investment is also good. If you compare the return of investment and money that you are spending on this product with Palo Alto, Cisco, Check Point, and other solutions, the investment is very less. We are happy with this solution. The optional licenses are there, and you can choose which one you want and which one to avoid."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"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 price is unmatcheable."

"We purchased one year technical support and return to factory support, and we also purchased one-year technical support services. So those were additional."

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

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

"The pricing is reasonable."

"In my opinion, the price of the tool is good in the Pakistani market. We can easily get discounts if needed."

More Sangfor NGAF pricing and cost advice

"There are licensing costs, and I would not say that it's a cheap vendor."

"It is expensive for small businesses."

"Zscaler is priced too high compared to the cost of Fortinet."

"There are different subscription models available."

"It comes at a significantly reduced cost while ensuring control and effectiveness."

"It is not the most budget-friendly solution, but it's important to consider its overall value."

"The licensing is on a yearly basis. It is somewhere around 30 or 40 pounds per user for our organization."

"The product is a bit expensive compared to the solutions offered by its competitors, like Palo Alto. There is a need to make yearly payments towards the license in charges associated with the product."

More Zscaler Cloud Firewall 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

11%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Construction Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

Marketing Services Firm

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	15
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	10

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	13

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...

See all answers

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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Which lesser known firewall product has the best chance at unseating the market leaders?

Netscope, Zscaler if they continue route they are on now. FIrewalls needs great deal of automation on each end, datac...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zscaler Cloud Firewall?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing was fine.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Zscaler Cloud Firewall?

I think Zscaler Cloud Firewall can be improved by adding more features. The needed improvements involve scalability, ...

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 16% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Sophos Firewall vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 11% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 9% of the time

H3C SecPath Firewalls vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 8% of the time

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

Compared 7% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 6% of the time

More Sangfor NGAF Competitors

Check Point Quantum Force vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall

Compared 18% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall

Compared 8% of the time

Azure Firewall vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Multicloud Defense vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense Virtual vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall

Compared 6% of the time

More Zscaler Cloud Firewall Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

June 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF

June 2026

Download Sangfor NGAF product report

Buyer's Guide

Zscaler Cloud Firewall

June 2026

Download Zscaler Cloud Firewall product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

Sangfor NGAF Firewall Platform

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

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

Zscaler Cloud Firewall enhances network security through seamless integration, configuration management, and comprehensive visibility. With real-time threat detection and centralized control, it provides exceptional protection without hardware investments.

Zscaler Cloud Firewall is designed for efficient network traffic management and secure internet access. It allows granular policy setting, blocking malicious IPs and domains, and access control. This cloud-based service offers smooth integration with security platforms, replacing traditional firewalls and VPNs to ensure data protection and network integrity. The intuitive dashboard facilitates policy enforcement, while advanced features like SSL inspection, URL filtering, and sandboxing add layers of security. Its cloud operation supports scalability and cost-effectiveness with an OpEx model.

What are the key features of Zscaler Cloud Firewall?

Seamless integration: Connects smoothly with existing security tools.
Intuitive dashboard: Simplifies policy enforcement and configuration.
Granular rule-setting: Allows detailed policy customization.
Real-time threat detection: Identifies and mitigates risks instantly.
Centralized control: Manages firewall settings from one location.

What benefits should users expect from Zscaler Cloud Firewall?

Cost savings: Operates fully in the cloud, eliminating hardware needs.
Scalability: Adjusts to business requirements without additional investments.
Enhanced security: Provides advanced SSL inspection and sandboxing.
Flexibility: Blocks malicious traffic and secures various devices.
Integration: Works with other platforms for comprehensive security.

Zscaler Cloud Firewall is widely used by organizations needing to secure network communications for remote and office environments. It facilitates policy implementation to block unauthorized access and is integral in protecting data and network operations across sectors like finance, healthcare, and technology. Its ability to integrate with other platforms supports a multifaceted security approach, ensuring extensive coverage and adaptability.

Zscaler

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.

Zenith Live, Azure, Carlsberg Group

Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF vs. Zscaler Cloud Firewall

April 2026

Free Report: Sangfor NGAF vs. Zscaler Cloud Firewall

Find out what your peers are saying about Sangfor NGAF vs. Zscaler Cloud Firewall and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

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