SonicWall TZ vs Sophos XG comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Sep 5, 2022

We performed a comparison between Sonicwall TZ and Sophos XG based on our users’ reviews in four categories. After reading all the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Ease of Deployment: Users of both solutions relate that they are easy and straightforward to deploy.
  • Features: SonicWall offers solid security with application control, URL filtering, Gateway Anti-Virus, and IPS protection. Users say the unified threat management provides a robust VPN and security intelligence for both site-to-site and remote access. However, they feel that reporting can be somewhat vague and ambiguous and should be improved.

    Sophos XG offers VPN, solid firewalling, robust intrusion detection, and content blocking. Users find the solution easy to use and manage and the interface user friendly and very intuitive. They would like to see improvement to the SD-WAN, GDPR capabilities, and better integrations.
  • Pricing: SonicWall TZ users feel the price can be a bit expensive. Sophos XG users feel the price is reasonable.
  • Service and Support: Users of both solutions are satisfied with the service and support.

Comparison Results: Sophos XG’s single pane of glass makes it easy to manage the entire solution and it can be done anywhere. Users find it very light, stable, and it provides excellent real-time control. Users say SonicWall TZ struggles a bit with load balancing and data filtering, making it a slightly less desirable solution.

To learn more, read our detailed SonicWall TZ vs. Sophos XG Report (Updated: March 2023).
685,707 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"I like the ASDM for the firewall because it is visual. With the command line, it is harder to visualize what is going on. A picture is worth a thousand words.""Even in very big environments, Cisco comes in handy with configuration and offers reliability when it comes to managing multiple items on one platform.""Cisco Secure Firewall is a scalable solution.""Cisco ASA provides us with very good application visibility and control.""Cisco ASA works very nicely from an administration perspective. The management of the device is very nice. The ASDM (Adaptive Security Device Manager) is the software that we use and it is very easy to configure using the GUI.""I have experience with URL filtering, and it is very good for URL filtering. You can filter URLs based on the categories, and it does a good job. It can also do deep packet inspection.""The features that are most valuable within the firewall are the IPS as well as the Unified Communications. We also really like the dynamic grouping.""Cisco has the best documentation. You can easily find multiple documents by searching the web. Even a child can go online and find the required information."

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"It does exactly what it says on the tin. It is good for protecting the business from being compromised. Its port protection is very good.""The performance has been very good. Overall, the solution is quite stable.""The most valuable feature is content filtering and app control.""Its user interface and simplicity are the most favorite parts for our clients. They find it stable and easy to use. Its performance is also good.""SonicWall TZ is a stable product.""It lets me monitor in live time if someone is 'hogging' bandwidth.""User-friendly firewall solution which scales well, is stable, and has high availability.""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."

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"The most valuable features of Sophos XG are user-friendliness and it is highly secure.""Overall the solution works well.""Reporting is the most valuable feature.""The interface is very user-friendly and it's easy to manage.""The most valuable features are the reporting, dashboards, and graphical user interface. It gives a good overall picture of what is happening over the network.""The product has a console that is based in the cloud for all their products. In this console, they have email security, firewall security, endpoint security, et cetera. All of the products on offer in the console are very useful for us.""We've deployed quite a number for our users and our customers, and the feedback is quite positive in terms of management and also administration.""Sophos XG protects our network from advanced threats."

More Sophos XG Pros →

Cons
"Third-party integrations could be improved.""It would be good if Cisco made sure that the solution supports all routing protocols. Sometimes it doesn't.""The solution is overcomplicated in some senses. Simplifying it would be an improvement.""A feature that would allow me to load balance among multiple ISPs, especially since we have deployed it as a perimeter firewall, would be a great addition.""Licensing is complex, and I'd like it to be simplified. This is an area for improvement.""Cisco Firepower is not completely integrated with Active Directory. We are trying to use Active Directory to restrict users by using some security groups that are not integrated within the Cisco Firepower module. This is the main issue that we are facing.""I think they need to review their whole UI because it feels like it was created by a whole bunch of different teams of developers who didn't fully talk to each other. The net policy screen is just a mess. It should look like the firewall policy screen, and they should both act the same, but they don't. I feel like it's two different buildings or programming, who don't talk to each other, and that really annoys me.""When we first got it, we were doing individual configuring. Now, there is a way to manage from one location."

More Cisco Secure Firewall Cons →

"You need to be a certificate holder to set it up and configure it. It's really important because it looks easy, but it is complex. You need to have the knowledge and experience. But this is normal for technical products. It's not a product for regular user. It's for technical people. You need to have skills.""The quality of tech support can vary.""The price could be better for us in Bolivia.""The stability could be a lot better.""If the operation increases and the bandwidth consumption increases, it does not perform as per the expectations.""It could probably be more user-friendly, and it could be more scalable with releases and subscriptions.""The reporting analytics could be improved, it is very unstable.""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 →

"All of the options should be available when I renew my subscription for the year. As it is now, there are some limitations.""I would like to next release to be able to support on-premise deployment. The construction of the rules within the firewall could also use some improvement.""Over the last six months, we have noticed that the hardware is slow, especially the VPN connections.""I'd like to see better reporting. While the logs are great, the reports are not.""Sophos XG could improve the connectivity with Microsoft 365 or Azure Active Directory(AD). It doesn't work directly as other solutions do, such as Fortinet FortiGate. The client needs a separate AD server which is a problem.""Their support is fairly good, and they come back to me. I've had an issue once or twice where I couldn't understand what the support person was saying because those calls were probably routed to India. They were a bit difficult to understand, but it is generally not an issue.""I would prefer if Sophos XG were cheaper. A lower price would benefit me as a system provider for the end customer. The cost of the license and renewal for all the software and devices is somewhat high.""They need to do more quality checks before they release firmware upgrades. Currently, a few Cyberoam firewall customers are facing some issues while upgrading the Cyberoam firmware to Sophos. After the new firmware is installed, they are seeing some performance issues, which require some bug fixes. The performance is fine after getting the required support. Customers who are already using Sophos hardware are quite satisfied with this solution. Their support should also be improved. We are facing difficulties getting support on time through email or phone."

More Sophos XG Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "I like the Smart Licensing, because it is more dynamic and easier to keep track of where you are at. If we have a high availability firewall pair and they are deployed in active/standby rather than active/active, I would expect that we would only pay for one set of licenses because you are using only one firewall at any one time. The other is there just for resiliency. The licensing, from a Firepower perspective, still requires you to have two licenses, even if the firewalls are in active/standby, which means that you pay for the two licenses, even though you might only be using one firewall any one time. This is probably not the best way to do it and doesn't represent the best value for money. This could be looked at to see if it could be done in a fairer way."
  • "We are happy with its price. Licensing is on a yearly basis for technical support. There is one license for technical support. There is another license for IP Version 2 VPN and IPS."
  • "I am happy with the product in general, including the pricing."
  • "Their pricing is very aggressive and good. Even a small company can afford it. I am happy with its pricing. Its licensing is on a yearly basis."
  • "This solution is expensive and other solutions, such as FortiGate, are cheaper."
  • "Its pricing is good and competitive. There is a maintenance cost. It includes SecureX that makes it cost-effective as compared to the other solutions where you have to pay for XDR and SOAR capabilities."
  • "When we are fighting against other competitors for customers, whether it is a small or big business, we feel very comfortable with the price that Firepower has today."
  • "Pricing is the same as other competitors. It is comparable. The licensing has gotten better. It has been easier with Smart Licensing."
  • More Cisco Secure Firewall Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The price is fair for the solution for the quality you receive."
  • "You need to purchase multiple licenses to manage multiple devices which is cost-prohibitive for the value you would receive."
  • "Customers are required to pay for a yearly subscription."
  • "It has a yearly subscription."
  • "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."
  • "The price could be better for us in Bolivia."
  • "We have to pay yearly. Its licensing can be improved, and they should provide more features, such as AV, email filtering, and so on with the basic subscription."
  • "Licensing fees are on a monthly basis."
  • More SonicWall TZ Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The price for the firewall is reasonable."
  • "Its licensing cost is around 700 bucks a year or something like that. It is 100 bucks a month at the most. It seems to be standard licensing with no additional costs."
  • "The price is fair."
  • "There is no license required to use this solution."
  • "The price can be a bit steep but for the number of features, it is worth it."
  • "We have our license for three years."
  • "The price is not reasonable."
  • "The price is good and licensing fees are billed on a yearly basis."
  • More Sophos XG Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer: When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and… more »
    Top Answer:One of our favorite things about Fortinet Fortigate is that you can deploy on the cloud or on premises. Fortinet… more »
    Top Answer:It is easy to integrate Cisco ASA with other Cisco products and also other NAC solutions. When you understand the Cisco… more »
    Top Answer:I’ll say it depends on your needs. Fortinet FortiGate and SonicWall TZ are both next-gen firewalls (NGFW) with similar… more »
    Top Answer:The licensing is yearly based or three years. Their price compared to others is good.
    Top Answer:From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know… more »
    Top Answer:Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have both great features and performance. I like that Palo Alto has regular threat… more »
    Top Answer:Hi Arvind P ,  The Sophos XG firewall has a number of models right from XG86 to XG135w under the 1U Desktop Form… more »
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Cisco ASA Firewall, Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Firewall, Cisco ASA NGFW, Cisco ASA, Adaptive Security Appliance, ASA, Cisco Sourcefire Firewalls, Cisco ASAv, Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewall
    Dell SonicWALL TZ
    Learn More
    Overview

    The Cisco Secure Firewall portfolio delivers greater protections for your network against an increasingly evolving and complex set of threats. With Cisco, you’re investing in a foundation for security that is both agile and integrated- leading to the strongest security posture available today and tomorrow.

      From your data center, branch offices, cloud environments, and everywhere in between, you can leverage the power of Cisco to turn your existing network infrastructure into an extension of your firewall solution, resulting in world class security controls everywhere you need them.

      Investing in a Secure Firewall appliance today gives you robust protections against even the most sophisticated threats without compromising performance when inspecting encrypted traffic. Further, integrations with other Cisco and 3rd party solutions provides you with a broad and deep portfolio of security products, all working together to correlate previously disconnected events, eliminate noise, and stop threats faster.

      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.

      Sophos XG Firewall is a complete firewall solution that provides all the real-time security and insights you need to protect your network from ransomware and advanced threats. Sophos XG Firewall provides visibility into suspicious users, unknown and unwanted apps, encrypted traffic, and other threats. With its advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, Sophos XG Firewall immediately identifies potential risks and intrusions on web servers and networks.

      Sophos XG Firewall Features

      Sophos XG Firewall offers a wide range of security features, including:

      • Application control: Prevent widespread infections with XG’s Security Heartbeat. XG Firewall automatically identifies the source of an infection on a network and automatically prevents it from accessing other network resources.

      • Synchronized user ID: Eliminate the need for client or server authentication agents by sharing user identification between the endpoint and the firewall through Security Heartbeat.

      • Centralized management: Easily manage all activities with Sophos Central. The XG cloud management platform allows users to easily set up, manage, and monitor XG firewalls along with other Sophos products. Some of Sophos Central’s features include alerting, backup management, one-click firmware updates, and rapid deployments of new firewalls.

      • Lateral movement protection: Automatically isolate compromised systems at every point in the network to stop attacks dead in their tracks.

      • Network protection: Protect networks from attacks and threats while providing secure network access.

      • Web protection: Gain clear visibility and control over all users’ web and application activity.

      • Web server protection: Solidify web servers and applications against hacking attacks while providing secure web access.

      • Email protection: Consolidate email protection with anti-spam, DLP, and encryption. XG’s Live Anti-Spam provides protection from the most recent spam campaigns, phishing attacks, and malicious attachments. Data Loss Prevention automatically triggers encryption on sensitive data in outgoing emails.

      Reviews from Real Users

      Sophos XG Firewall stands out among its competitors, among other reasons, for its intrusion detection capabilities, its user-friendly management platform, and in general, for being a complete and robust firewall solution.

      Niranjan P., a network & system support engineer, writes, “Sophos is a comprehensive solution which allows me to configure all the attendant products, such as Sophos's firewall, endpoint, and encryption features. A nice feature of Sophos is that it offers in sync and heartbeat security. When my clients have a perimeter involving Sophos firewall and endpoints with Sophos Endpoint, they can communicate with each other.”

      Antonio D., sales manager at INFOSEC, notes, “The product has a console that is based in the cloud for all their products. In this console, they have email security, firewall security, endpoint security, et cetera. All of the products on offer in the console are very useful for us. The solution is stable. The solution works well for enterprises and large-scale organizations.”

      Antony M., ICT/HMIS supervisor at a healthcare company, writes, “The VPN feature is the most valuable. It has come in handy during this period when people are working from home. The filtering feature is also valuable because you can easily filter the sites that you don't want to visit. You can also set timely surfing quotas”

      Offer
      Learn more about Cisco Secure Firewall
      Learn more about SonicWall TZ
      Learn more about Sophos XG
      Sample Customers
      There are more than one million Adaptive Security Appliances deployed globally. Top customers include First American Financial Corp., Genzyme, Frankfurt Airport, Hansgrohe SE, Rio Olympics, The French Laundry, Rackspace, and City of Tomorrow.
      AeroM_xico Delta TechOps, Unimat
      Information Not Available
      Top Industries
      REVIEWERS
      Financial Services Firm15%
      Comms Service Provider14%
      Computer Software Company11%
      Manufacturing Company7%
      VISITORS READING REVIEWS
      Computer Software Company19%
      Comms Service Provider15%
      Government8%
      Educational Organization6%
      REVIEWERS
      Construction Company11%
      Financial Services Firm9%
      Non Profit9%
      Healthcare Company9%
      VISITORS READING REVIEWS
      Computer Software Company19%
      Comms Service Provider14%
      Retailer7%
      Government5%
      REVIEWERS
      Manufacturing Company11%
      Financial Services Firm11%
      Healthcare Company9%
      Comms Service Provider8%
      VISITORS READING REVIEWS
      Computer Software Company19%
      Comms Service Provider17%
      Government7%
      Retailer5%
      Company Size
      REVIEWERS
      Small Business35%
      Midsize Enterprise24%
      Large Enterprise42%
      VISITORS READING REVIEWS
      Small Business29%
      Midsize Enterprise19%
      Large Enterprise53%
      REVIEWERS
      Small Business65%
      Midsize Enterprise20%
      Large Enterprise15%
      VISITORS READING REVIEWS
      Small Business42%
      Midsize Enterprise16%
      Large Enterprise42%
      REVIEWERS
      Small Business62%
      Midsize Enterprise24%
      Large Enterprise14%
      VISITORS READING REVIEWS
      Small Business36%
      Midsize Enterprise20%
      Large Enterprise44%
      Buyer's Guide
      SonicWall TZ vs. Sophos XG
      March 2023
      Find out what your peers are saying about SonicWall TZ vs. Sophos XG and other solutions. Updated: March 2023.
      685,707 professionals have used our research since 2012.

      SonicWall TZ is ranked 13th in Firewalls with 36 reviews while Sophos XG is ranked 6th in Firewalls with 97 reviews. SonicWall TZ is rated 8.4, while Sophos XG is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of SonicWall TZ writes "Multifeatured firewall solution with a user-friendly interface, high availability, scalability, and stability". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Sophos XG writes "Secure, duel switch capabilities, and good support". SonicWall TZ is most compared with Fortinet FortiGate, pfSense, SonicWall NSa, Meraki MX and WatchGuard Firebox, whereas Sophos XG is most compared with Fortinet FortiGate, pfSense, OPNsense, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls and Meraki MX. See our SonicWall TZ vs. Sophos XG report.

      See our list of best Firewalls vendors.

      We monitor all Firewalls reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.