SonicWall NSa vs SonicWall TZ comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 5, 2022
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate
Sponsored
Ranking in Firewalls
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
314
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (2nd), WAN Edge (1st)
SonicWall NSa
Ranking in Firewalls
20th
Average Rating
7.8
Number of Reviews
80
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SonicWall TZ
Ranking in Firewalls
14th
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
79
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2024, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 22.6%, up from 18.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall NSa is 1.8%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall TZ is 3.5%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewalls
Unique Categories:
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions
19.7%
WAN Edge
21.4%
No other categories found
No other categories found
 

Featured Reviews

AA
May 16, 2018
Good performance, protects network perimeters against attacks
To protect network perimeters Security. The main options feature protection and security against attacks. Reliability and performance, those are key factors. I have only one request and that is to have Fortinet as a market download in Azure.  Less than one year. So far, so good. I'm an…
Suman Meena - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 30, 2023
It has no issues stability-wise and is scalable, but it has a complicated GUI, its setup is complex, and its product support is mediocre
I'm looking for a different solution so my company can switch to it from SonicWall NSa. I worked with CyberDome and then Fortinet. Compared to SonicWall NSa, I noticed that the interface is easier than the SonicWall NSa interface. However, I'm describing non-enterprise solutions. Support is also excellent versus the support SonicWall NSa provides. If you email or call the support team of Fortinet or CyberDome, you'll get a call. In contrast, the SonicWall NSa technical support team rarely calls, even when I could not configure the product, and my team could only see the logs. However, SonicWall NSa has strong endpoint visibility, which lets my company identify where the issue lies on the network or the infected system. Fortinet offers a free VPN feature, while SonicWall NSa charges you for that.
SN
Feb 7, 2022
Multifeatured firewall solution with a user-friendly interface, high availability, scalability, and stability
Support for SonicWall TZ needs improvement, particularly the time it takes before you're able to speak to a support person, e.g. you have to wait for at least 30 minutes on the phone, and this needs to be improved. This is an affordable solution, but a competitor like Sophos can give SonicWall a run for their money. Sophos and Fortinet are major competitors of SonicWall, and the way they package their solutions, especially Sophos, they're cheaper, so for some customers who aren't technical, they will just run to these competitors because they're cheaper. However, once you explain to the customer that this is the situation, mostly we're able to win the business for SonicWall. An additional feature I'd like to see in the next release of SonicWall TZ is enhanced automation.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable features are that it is very simple to configure and to manage."
"Security, SD-WAN, and Streetscape are valuable features."
"The multi-tenancy feature is most valuable. It integrates very well with FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer."
"The solution is stable."
"Fortigate represents a really scalable way of delivering perimeter network security, some level of layer 7 security, WAF, and also a way to create a meshed ADVPN solution."
"Fortinet FortiGate is scalable for our users. Right now, we have almost 70 users. We do not have any plan to increase our usage of FortiGate. For maintaining the firewall solution, one staff member is enough."
"All of the features of Fortinet FortiGate are useful and the security protection is good."
"The pricing is excellent. It's much less expensive than Cisco."
"The product is simple to manage."
"It is able to fulfill my requirements. It protects our network environment. It has control over IPS, signatures, and it can also manage bandwidth and mapping. It is also stable and has good support."
"SD-WAN is a good feature."
"We have utilized all the features. The most valuable are the URL filtering by category, DMZ zoning, load balancing and site-to-site VPN."
"The solution can scale."
"I like that SonicWall NSa is a stable product. It's also a scalable product."
"Content Filtering and sandboxing are valuable features."
"The features I found most valuable are email security and web filtering."
"SonicWall TZ is a stable product."
"Content filtering and application rules are the most valuable features. It is also easy to configure."
"Most of the features are useful. It is easy to configure and easy to troubleshoot. I can see the utilization of different networks, and there are also App control features."
"The best thing about the product is the very good threat prevention output."
"The most valuable features are unified threat management which provides security intelligence and the VPN for both site-to-site and remote access."
"It is a scalable solution."
"Good site categorization and application controls."
"The product’s filtering and URL-blocking features are valuable."
 

Cons

"The inability to scale the FortiAnalyzer to match our growth necessitates the purchase of new hardware."
"Fortinet should focus on enhancing the capabilities of FortiGate by consolidating its various products, such as FortiGate Cloud, FortiManager, and FortiAnalyzer."
"Its filtering is sometimes too precise or strict. We sometimes have to bypass and authorize some of the sites, but they get blocked. We know that they are trusted sites, but they are blocked, and we don't know why."
"The routing capability on the FortiGate devices has room for improvement."
"Some of the filtering is not robust, you can escape it with a VPN. Some of the users bypass some of the filters. It catches some but it also misses some, that area could be improved. It's functioning reasonably but there's room for improvement in that area."
"The firmware needs improvement because there are bugs when a new release comes through. Sometimes, the configuration changes, and it's a bit harder to see where the fail is. The first time that you have the firmware, it tends to have some issues, and it's better to wait a bit to update the equipment."
"This product needs to have an analysis feature, rather than having the analysis done through the integration of a different product."
"I would like to see improvements in the support from Fortinet. Here in the Philippines, whenever we have problems with a Fortinet product, we mostly ask for support from distributors and resellers and not directly from Fortinet."
"Needs a more detailed reporting feature."
"The detection of malware can improve in SonicWall NSa."
"There are a few areas that need improvement including the VPN, user management, and reporting."
"I would like to see better integration."
"The logging, reporting, and storage capacity size could improve in a future release."
"The user interface could be better."
"The cloud services may be in need of some improvement."
"One area for improvement in SonicWall NSa is the GUI. It isn't easy to understand. The support for SonicWall NSa is mediocre, which is another area for improvement."
"User interface could be improved."
"I would like to see more integration with other platforms."
"The technical support has room for improvement."
"The VPN that is available in the new version is a bit bulky and slower in speed."
"The dashboard needs to be improved."
"I would like to see a SonicWall integration with the DLP tool, this would be interesting. Data Loss Prevention integration."
"We have been facing issues with reporting."
"There is still room for improvement, and it's not advisable even if the organization has grown."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Fortinet is the least expensive solution."
"By default, they give SD-WAN along with the firewall. They don't have separate licensing for the SD-WAN functionality. However, they have security licenses that are sold separately on a subscription basis. Customers can consume these security features to protect their users from internet traffic."
"It has been two years. I don't remember the actual price, but it was affordable. We buy the boxes and then use the license for three years."
"This is not a cheap solution but it isn't expensive, either. It's a good solution for the right price."
"The price of Fortinet FortiGate is better than Cisco, Check Point, and Palo Alto. In terms of pricing, it's probably a better-priced firewall solution overall."
"Fortinet FortiGate gives you most of the features in one license."
"It's very affordable."
"The price for the Fortinet FortiGate is reasonable. Secure SD-WAN is free of charge. If you have their firewall, it's free of charge. It's very tempting."
"The solution is based on a yearly licensing model that is reasonable compared to other options."
"The price is reasonable."
"While I don't know the exact amount off the top of my head, I would estimate the licensing package was about $15,000 to $20,000 a year."
"Additional resources are too expensive."
"You need their analyzer to properly generate reports. This is an expensive, licensed feature, with a complex application or appliance back-end."
"There are different pricing models for SonicWall NSa."
"Its price is okay."
"The price is high. I would rate it four to five out of ten."
"The license that we purchased is good for three years."
"The pricing was a factor for us, and we felt that the price was good."
"The price is high compared to some other solutions."
"The price is fair."
"It is a bit expensive. We have to purchase the license and the reporting part separately, which makes it a bit pricey. This is the main reason why we have thought of moving to another firewall. It would be good if they combine both of these."
"There are a few features that are licensed and there should be more that are licensed. The price of the solution is midrange compared to others, I have not had anyone complain."
"It comes to a range between five hundred to seven hundred dollars."
"Its pricing is okay as compared to other solutions."
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Answers from the Community

NP
Mar 22, 2022
Mar 22, 2022
Basically, the main difference is that the TZ series is intended for a Branch office since it has fewer ports and the speed is around 1 GB. The NSA series has more processor power and more port where you can create subnets and zones (like DMZ). Also, it has ports with 10 Gb and a processor to support the demand. I have read that an approximate number of users in the highest TZ series (TZ 670)...
See 2 answers
PE
Mar 21, 2022
Basically, the main difference is that the TZ series is intended for a Branch office since it has fewer ports and the speed is around 1 GB.  The NSA series has more processor power and more port where you can create subnets and zones (like DMZ). Also, it has ports with 10 Gb and a processor to support the demand.  I have read that an approximate number of users in the highest TZ series (TZ 670) is around 150 to 200 but that is just an estimate.  Hope this helps. You can get more details in SonicWall datasheets where you will find the speed, throughput and more technical specifications to select the one that fits your requirements.
Harish (Kumar) - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 22, 2022
In simple words, TZ is for small businesses (less than 100, maximum 150 users).  TZ has fewer ports. NSA is for medium and large enterprises: > 150 Users,  NSA has many ports to support large networks
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
21%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Retailer
6%
Government
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
19%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Retailer
6%
Construction Company
6%
 

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...
What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?
From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know...
What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?
As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite ...
What do you like most about SonicWall NSa?
The product blocks access when I visit unrecognized websites.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall NSa?
The solution is cheaper than others. It has a reasonable price.
What needs improvement with SonicWall NSa?
The dashboard must be improved. The product should enable alerts. When hackers compromise our websites and applicatio...
Would you choose Fortinet Fortigate or Sonicwall TZ?
I’ll say it depends on your needs. Fortinet FortiGate and SonicWall TZ are both next-gen firewalls (NGFW) with simila...
What do you like most about SonicWall TZ?
The most valuable feature of SonicWall TZ is the double authentication, where it asks for one password and again asks...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall TZ?
The firewall with the servers costs about 80 pounds a month. We get the device, and it is replaced every two or three...
 

Also Known As

FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate
NSA 250M, NSA 2600, NSA 3600, NSA 4600, NSA 5600, Dell SonicWALL NSA
Dell SonicWALL TZ
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

1. Amazon Web Services 2. Microsoft 3. IBM 4. Cisco 5. Dell 6. HP 7. Oracle 8. Verizon 9. AT&T 10. T-Mobile 11. Sprint 12. Vodafone 13. Orange 14. BT Group 15. Telstra 16. Deutsche Telekom 17. Comcast 18. Time Warner Cable 19. CenturyLink 20. NTT Communications 21. Tata Communications 22. SoftBank 23. China Mobile 24. Singtel 25. Telus 26. Rogers Communications 27. Bell Canada 28. Telkom Indonesia 29. Telkom South Africa 30. Telmex 31. Telia Company 32. Telkom Kenya
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
AeroM_xico Delta TechOps, Unimat
Find out what your peers are saying about SonicWall NSa vs. SonicWall TZ and other solutions. Updated: July 2024.
793,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.