SonicWall NSv vs SonicWall TZ comparison

SonicWall NSv and SonicWall TZ are both solutions in the Firewalls category. SonicWall NSv is ranked #28 with an average rating of 8.2, while SonicWall TZ is ranked #18 with an average rating of 9.3. SonicWall NSv holds a 0.2% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to SonicWall TZ’s 3.0% mindshare. Additionally, 85% of SonicWall NSv users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of SonicWall TZ users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

SonicWall TZ and SonicWall NSv compete in the network security category. SonicWall NSv seems to have the upper hand as it offers more sophisticated network solutions when compared to the comprehensive set of features and competitive pricing of SonicWall TZ.

Features: SonicWall TZ is favored for its ease of configuration and integration into existing networks, offering firewall policies, VPN failover, and content filtering. SonicWall NSv provides robust security features and unified threat management, addressing the needs of users who require advanced and comprehensive network security solutions.

Room for Improvement: SonicWall TZ requires enhancements in reporting tools, user interface, and logging capabilities. Users also find SSL inspection complex and seek easier scalability. SonicWall NSv faces challenges with initial setup complexity and inefficiencies in the import/export functionality. Pricing and regional support are also concern areas for NSv users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SonicWall TZ is commonly deployed on-premises, aligning with users' existing familiarity. SonicWall NSv also predominantly sees on-premises deployments with less emphasis on cloud deployment. Users report mixed experiences with technical support for both products, highlighting issues like long wait times and communication difficulties.

Pricing and ROI: SonicWall TZ is noted for its competitive pricing, but subscription fees can increase costs over time. SonicWall NSv has similar subscription-based pricing and is perceived as more expensive in certain regions. Both products are cited for providing good ROI by preventing security breaches and offering essential features, though NSv may deliver cost-effective benefits for specific needs.

To learn more, read our detailed SonicWall NSv vs. SonicWall TZ Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall NSv vs. SonicWall TZ

June 2025

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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 2025, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 21.4%, up from 17.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall NSv is 0.2%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall TZ is 3.0%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

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.

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Sileesh Sivadasan

Director at Infosec Infra

Helps small businesses expand branches more easily

The price is a significant factor. Mostly in India, the customer service has many hurdles to get real support. If I want to talk to a customer executive, they ask many trivial questions. Even if I explain that I am asking for a Dell partner, they still ask specific questions, and they will explain many unnecessary questions.

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Rias Majeed

CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC

Robust VPN integration stands out despite needing enhanced vendor compatibility

The integrated VPN functionality is working well with the global VPN client, which is a fast client, though it comes at a cost. SonicWall TZ is functional depending on the service level taken by the user. For SMB segments, SonicWall performs well. Despite lacking certain features, it is still considered a good product. The appliance itself is functional and stable, offering integrated solutions.

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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 usage in general is pretty good."

"The most valuable feature is the interface, which is very user friendly. We are utilizing most of the features, like content filtering. The firewall is powerful."

"The secure web gateway module and the application control module are valuable. HA operations are very easy."

"Fortinet FortiGate is a very good next-generation firewall."

"The most important features with FortiGate are the web filter and application controls. We can control our internet usage and use the web filter for application purposes."

"The features that I have found most valuable are that it is good to use, and most importantly, the pricing. The customer especially likes the discount when they trade up or something like that."

"The biggest lesson would be that Fortinet FortiGate provides a high level of security at a good total cost of ownership."

"The best feature of Fortinet FortiGate is the IPS or IDS implementation. I appreciate most the agility or the flexibility to create hashes to block incoming threats, and I can integrate with third-party threat intelligence with our FortiGate."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"The security of this system is fantastic, including the IPS and IDS."

"The solution has no additional charges and no restrictions on the number of users."

"SonicWall excelled in threat management, evident in how users handled it effectively."

"I would rate the overall product a nine out of ten."

"For my small NFB banking services, when they are expanding their branches, I could incorporate a little bit easier."

"The customization of firewall rules provides great value to our customers as it allows them to lock things up in the way that they desire. When it is used for internal access, with a VPN in place for remote workers, the firewalling services provided by Azure, such as the default services that can be turned on, are applied. However, the use of a software-based virtual firewall gives us greater flexibility in introducing security controls for customers who are publishing applications that are publicly accessible from the public cloud. This virtual firewall provides an additional layer of security and more extensive security control options to ensure the protection of our customers' valuable information and assets."

"The product helps improve our security."

"Out of ten, I would rate the solution at an eight."

More SonicWall NSv pros

"The most valuable feature of SonicWall TZ is the double authentication, where it asks for one password and again asks for a four-digit code, which changes every 30 seconds."

"The solution boasts good performance and is easy to use."

"It's a stable solution."

"The most valuable features are unified threat management which provides security intelligence and the VPN for both site-to-site and remote access."

"SonicWall TZ think it's a good, solid, and stable product."

"The installation is straightforward and took approximately 30 minutes."

"The most valuable features are security and technical support."

"We like the central interface and we like the security features. Additionally, we use SonicWall with VPN connectivity and we have had no problems with SonicWall all these years."

More SonicWall TZ pros

Cons

"I would like reporting to be improved and should offer a lot more tools to monitor the products."

"The scalability could be better."

"There is room for improvement related to the logging and reporting aspect."

"Fortinet FortiGate could improve by having more capabilities for troubleshooting VPN connections. For example, I do get some feedback about the current status, but I could use some history and logging of important events. The information is logged in our Syslog server, but I could use that information from the device. If they could provide a GUI to have some more insight on what's going with my VPN would be useful."

"The stability could be a bit better."

"Its reporting and pricing need improvement."

"They have to just improve its performance when we enable all UTM features. When you enable all the features, the performance of FortiGate, as well as of Sophos and SonicWall, goes down."

"In the next release, I would like to see the interface simplified to be more user-friendly."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"We face some challenges when we upgrade the solution."

"I would like to see the reporting opened up and have several more opportunities for automatic reports."

"The engine provided initially was quite heavy, creating a trade-off between software and hardware-based threat management."

"The price is a significant factor."

"SonicWall NSV's SSL VPN could increase its number of users to 100-plus users."

"An area that could be improved is the export and import settings functionality."

"Currently, we are getting challenges with user-wise reports and other reporting details. At present, they do not provide detailed reports compared to other products."

"The price is a significant factor. Mostly in India, the customer service has many hurdles to get real support."

More SonicWall NSv cons

"I would like them to make the interface a little bit easier to use so you can find out where in the heck you're going instead of having to go to 15 different places to get something installed."

"The log sections could be done more clearly."

"The solution must provide more ports."

"The monitoring is a little bit confusing."

"In an upcoming release, SonicWall could improve by adding cloud management for all devices for free or at a nominal cost. Currently, they have a cloud management platform but is not free. We have the MySonicWall portal for purchasing from them for software updates and renewals."

"The product needs more free SSL VPN user licenses as the current offering is limited."

"I would like to see a SonicWall integration with the DLP tool, this would be interesting. Data Loss Prevention integration."

"User interface could be improved."

More SonicWall TZ cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"No comment."

"The price could be lower."

"Here in Brazil, we're going through difficult economic times and the tax on the dollar is high. All the solutions from minor competitors are growing in the market. The prices have come more competitive."

"The pricing is perfect."

"Fortinet FortiGate is reasonably priced."

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

"Its pricing is good. It's average or normal as compared to Palo Alto and Check Point firewalls."

"The price is fair compared to the other competitors."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"SonicWall NSV is not very costly."

"The solution's pricing is good for the technology it offers."

"The tool is moderately priced."

"Our initial purchase, which included a three-year term of support, was about $25,000 USD."

"We are currently using the trial version."

"The solution’s pricing is less compared to other products."

"The product is not expensive, but it is not cheap."

"The license that we purchased is good for three years."

"It is an expensive solution compared to one of its competitors."

"You need to purchase multiple licenses to manage multiple devices which is cost-prohibitive for the value you would receive."

"It comes to a range between five hundred to seven hundred dollars."

"The pricing was a factor for us, and we felt that the price was good."

"The price is fair for the solution for the quality you receive."

"Customers are required to pay for a yearly subscription."

More SonicWall TZ pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

15%

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

27%

Real Estate/Law Firm

Retailer

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

18%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

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...

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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 do you like most about SonicWall NSV?

The product helps improve our security.

See all answers

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

I am somewhat satisfied with the price for SonicWall NSv, rating it as eight because, compared to other products, the...

See all answers

What needs improvement with SonicWall NSV?

Currently, we are getting challenges with user-wise reports and other reporting details. At present, they do not prov...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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

The price is normal. It is a nominal cost for an SMB TZ used for SMB businesses. However, more licenses are required ...

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

WatchGuard Firebox vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

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Azure Firewall vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 26% of the time

SonicWall NSa vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 25% of the time

Stormshield Network Security vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 19% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 10% of the time

Palo Alto Networks VM-Series vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 9% of the time

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Sophos XG vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 17% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 9% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 6% of the time

Meraki MX vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 6% of the time

More SonicWall TZ Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

June 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Firewalls

May 2025

Download SonicWall NSv product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall TZ

May 2025

Download SonicWall TZ product report

Also Known As

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

SonicWall Network Security Virtual

Dell SonicWALL TZ

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

SonicWall NSV is a software-based virtual firewall that provides additional security for customers with public-facing servers or services on Microsoft Azure. The AGSS Bundle is considered the most valuable feature, providing security services such as antivirus, intrusion prevention system, and anti-spyware botnet GUI.

Additionally, customization of firewall rules provides great value to customers, allowing them to lock things up in the way they desire. SonicWall NSV offers extensive security control options to protect customers' valuable information and assets.

SonicWall

The secure, sophisticated SonicWALL TZ is widely deployed at small businesses, retail, government, remote sites and branch offices. It combines high-performance intrusion prevention, malware blocking, content/URL filtering and application control.

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

Comlogic, Depaul, Hutt City Council

AeroM_xico Delta TechOps, Unimat

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall NSv vs. SonicWall TZ

June 2025

Free Report: SonicWall NSv vs. SonicWall TZ

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