SonicWall NSv vs SonicWall TZ comparison

SonicWall NSv and SonicWall TZ are both solutions in the Firewalls category. SonicWall NSv is ranked #36 with an average rating of 7.8, while SonicWall TZ is ranked #17 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: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall NSv vs. SonicWall TZ

July 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 July 2025, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 21.2%, up from 17.7% 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

"SSL-VPN is very useful for us and has been very reliable."

"There is a tool called FSSO, which is a single sign-on user ID agent that works perfectly."

"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."

"Fortinet FortiGate is stable. It's used across all the countries, this is the way most multinationals run their system."

"The most valuable features are SD-WAN, application control, IPS control, and FortiSandbox."

"The solution is extremely reliable."

"I find the ease of configuring specific policies to be the most valuable feature of the Fortinet FortiGate firewall."

"The reporting you receive out of this appliance is excellent. You will not need an external management system."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

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

"The product helps improve our security."

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

"One of the standout features of SonicWall is its simplicity in creating and managing rules."

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

"We are very impressed with it."

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

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

More SonicWall NSv pros

"It lets me monitor in live time if someone is 'hogging' bandwidth."

"Good VPN connection."

"The best thing about the product is the very good threat prevention output."

"I have found this solution to be easier to use when compared to other products, such as those offered by Cisco."

"I've found the technical support to be helpful."

"SonicWall TZ is a very cost-effective solution that provides good security."

"Access restriction and IP whitelisting are the most valuable features."

"It's a stable solution."

More SonicWall TZ pros

Cons

"The cloud features can be improved."

"The logs need to be better. They need to be more visible and easier to access."

"The firewall engine is not so strong as of now, in my opinion... My second concern is that, while they have Zero-day vulnerability and anti-malware features, the threat engine needs to be strengthened, its efficiency can be increased."

"The cloud management and automation capability could be improved."

"It's my understanding that more of the current generation features could be brought in. There could be more integration with EDRs, for example."

"Fortinet FortiGate could improve by adding enhancements to FortiMail, FortiSOAR, and FortiDeceptor."

"When we cluster the two Fortinet FortiGate boxes together we have some issues."

"The license renewal process, annual renewal price, and the web application firewall features should be improved."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"SonicWall NSV's initial setup is complicated and requires good knowledge."

"There are limitations to bandwidth management."

"The price is a significant factor."

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

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

"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."

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

More SonicWall NSv cons

"The price could be better for us in Bolivia."

"I think content filtering is the area this product should improve. It's a little tricky to get put in correctly."

"There is a point I don't like about SonicWall in the past and now. Most of the destinations we look at when we're detecting some user using too much bandwidth or something like that, SonicWall just gave us destination IP address, instead of the full qualified domain name. I think that's the most important part that is still missing. I think that's the most important for us."

"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."

"Although the pricing is good, it could always be lower. If we get to pay less, we're happier."

"The solution must provide more ports."

"Its reporting can be improved. Currently, we cannot directly get the user names. It only shows the IP, which makes it a bit confusing because we need to use the IP to find the user. If we could directly get the name of the user, it would be better."

"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."

More SonicWall TZ cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is affordable. Palo Alto is much more expensive than Fortinet."

"The price is highly competitive when compared to other brands that offer similar functionality."

"It is too expensive for us. My organization is very small, and we have a total of ten users. We have three internal users and seven external users. The FortiGate 100D series is too expensive for renewing the licenses."

"The price of Fortinet FortiGate is reasonable."

"At the time we bought them, I was satisfied with their pricing; I don't know how the new pricing will be."

"For our organization, the licensing costs are approximately $7,000 per year."

"Fortinet Secure SD-WAN delivered the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) per Mbps among all other vendors."

"I would say that all things considered, the pricing is pretty good."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

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

"SonicWall NSV is not very costly."

"We are currently using the trial version."

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

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

"The tool is moderately priced."

"License renewals come in around $35,000 to $45,000."

"Its pricing is okay as compared to other solutions."

"Licensing fees are on a monthly basis."

"It is highly priced and has a slow performance compared to other firewalls."

"The licensing scheme of SonicWall TZ is cost-effective. It's an affordable product, but some competitors, e.g. Sophos and Fortinet offer more competitive pricing."

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

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

"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."

More SonicWall TZ pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Educational Organization

11%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

28%

Retailer

Real Estate/Law Firm

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

17%

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...

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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...

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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 12% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

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Azure Firewall vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 28% of the time

SonicWall NSa vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 28% of the time

Stormshield Network Security vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 21% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 13% of the time

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Sophos XG vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 18% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 9% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 7% of the time

Meraki MX vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 6% of the time

OPNsense vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

July 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Firewalls

July 2025

Download SonicWall NSv product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall TZ

June 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

July 2025

Free Report: SonicWall NSv vs. SonicWall TZ

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