SonicWall TZ vs WatchGuard Firebox comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 11, 2023
 

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 TZ
Ranking in Firewalls
14th
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
79
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
WatchGuard Firebox
Ranking in Firewalls
13th
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
83
Ranking in other categories
Unified Threat Management (UTM) (4th)
 

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 TZ is 3.5%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WatchGuard Firebox is 3.4%, up from 2.8% 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
Unified Threat Management (UTM)
23.4%
 

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…
Harish (Kumar) - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 27, 2021
Works for small businesses, but should provide more features in the standard license
SonicWall is perfectly okay for businesses that need to support around 100-150 users SonicWall is very expensive in terms of using it for 500 users. It's very expensive compared to Cisco Meraki. Cisco Meraki is half the price with the same features. Even FortiGate is less expensive than…
MS
Jan 12, 2023
It's easy to connect to the VPN and allows remote work
Our primary use cases for WatchGuard Firebox are routing and VPN, including the integrated firewall. We do not use the SSO system or any other router features WatchGuard Firebox was able to help our organization during the pandemic as we were obligated to work from home. We were working remotely,…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"UTM/NGFW features and FortiCloud for logs and backups are awesome."
"Fortinet FortiGate is a scalable solution."
"The ease of setting the solution up is a valuable aspect for us."
"It's an easy solution to set up."
"Advanced routing (RIP, OSPF, BGP, PBR). It gives you a seamless and simple integration into a large network."
"Reliability is the best feature. We faced some issues when we were setting it up, but the service, portal, and administration are good."
"FortiGate's ability to perform as expected and fulfil our needs has been the most compelling feature for network security."
"FortiGate is more feature-rich and has a broader range of hardware. T"
"The solution is stable."
"The solution boasts good performance and is easy to use."
"The most valuable features are unified threat management which provides security intelligence and the VPN for both site-to-site and remote access."
"The scalability of SonicWall TZ is good and easy to add users."
"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."
"SonicWall TZ is a stable product."
"It lets me monitor in live time if someone is 'hogging' bandwidth."
"It is very stable with no issues. The firewall's been up for the past 35 days non-stop. It's performed great. It has performed as it should perform."
"The firewall aspect and the branch office VPNs are the most valuable features... We don't have any issues with it. We don't have to spend a lot of time maintaining it."
"It saves us time in the respect that we now have the template built for it so we can get in and get it done. We've had much less problem supporting Voice over IP technologies from different companies. Because our client base has grown over the years, we're probably saving 20 to 30 man-hours a month now that we've got this on a good stable level."
"The most valuable feature of WatchGuard Firebox is its ease of use."
"It's pretty simple to use. It's pretty simple to understand, and there's plenty of documentation. It does a pretty good job of what it is meant to do."
"If there is any conflict, the reporting feature will kick out all types of information, which is great."
"It provides us with Layer 2 and Layer 3 security."
"Easy to change the model if you need more performance, with good cohesion in the whole lineup of devices."
"I have found the DNS Watch feature for intrusion and prevention response and APT Locker most valuable to me."
 

Cons

"The logging details need to be improved."
"Usually, we sell the bundle with the UTM or threat management piece with IPS, IDS. Other providers, such as Palo Alto, are ahead in terms of safe functionality. So, for me, delivering truly safe service is probably something that still needs to be improved."
"The UI could be improved."
"The solution could be more secure and stable."
"While FortiGate is cheaper than most other solutions, we're seeing increased license renewal costs. Most of our clients are asking for more significant discounts because the price is going up."
"Fortinet needs to overhaul its documentation."
"We had some issues in the beginning while setting it up, but after doing the firmware update, it is working fine."
"NGN, reporting and controls."
"I think content filtering is the area this product should improve. It's a little tricky to get put in correctly."
"It could probably be more user-friendly, and it could be more scalable with releases and subscriptions."
"In terms of what needs to be improved, I would say better load balancing and data filtering."
"The log analyzer in SonicWall TZ is something that they need to improve upon."
"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."
"It needs more robust self-help documentation along with examples and things to watch out for."
"Its pricing can be better. It is very expensive."
"The areas we would like to see improvement include more features available similar to the equivalent FortiGate appliance, e.g. SSL encryption and inspection. Two-factor authentication capability would be another additional feature that could be included in the next release."
"Reporting is something you've got to set up separately. It's one of those things that you've got to put some time into. One of the options is to set up a local report server, which is what I did. It's not great. It's okay... Some of the stuff is a little complicated to get up and running. Once you do, it becomes very user-friendly and easy to work with, but I find there are some implementation headaches with some of their stuff."
"The solution's pricing could be improved."
"The data loss protection works well, but it could be easier to configure. The complexity of data loss protection makes it a more difficult feature to fully leverage. Better integration with third-party, two-factor authentication would be advantageous."
"This is a great product and offers great protection but they don't hear the customers' needs. They don't make improvements as per the customers' requests."
"The user interface for WatchGuard Firebox has room for improvement. Right now, it's a bit complex to work with and could be easier."
"I would like to have a little more control over access points and the ability to see the bandwidth that is passing through a specific access point. We are not able to see that. We can see what traffic is passing through the Firebox itself, but we can't identify if it is coming from a particular access point or not."
"Setup of this solution is complex, it's not plug and play."
"I would like to see more simplified management of the firewall... It's a complicated system to use."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Setup cost may be not so low, as you expect, because it depends on different factors, but TCO for 5 years may pleasantly surprise you."
"We find the most valuable aspect of this solution is the price. It is affordable, and cheaper than other firewalls."
"Fortinet costs are 25% lower than the high-cost provider. There is an equipment cost and a recurring monthly cost for licenses and technical support."
"The cost is too high... They have to focus on more features with less cost for the customer. If you see the market, where it's going, there are a lot of players offering more features for less cost."
"The product pricing is reasonable."
"The price, in comparison to other products is very cheap."
"I think that the pricing is fair."
"The price of Fortinet FortiGate is reasonable for an SME."
"You need to purchase multiple licenses to manage multiple devices which is cost-prohibitive for the value you would receive."
"Licensing costs have been around $2,000. There are no other costs above the standard licensing fees."
"It is an expensive solution compared to one of its competitors."
"The price is fair for the solution for the quality you receive."
"The prices are expensive."
"It is highly priced and has a slow performance compared to other firewalls."
"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."
"I would rate the pricing at seven out of ten. As for the licensing costs, we typically have yearly licenses for our clients, but there are no additional costs beyond the standard licensing fees."
"It's fair pricing, but it could always be reduced."
"Each one, for the primary unit, was $8,600 and the High Availability unit was $2,000. That's with three years of subscription and support and the Total Security Suite."
"The licensing can be a one-time purchase unless you need the extra services for example twenty-four seven support."
"The subscription that was purchased is for three years, but it is usually for one year at a time."
"The pricing of WatchGuard is probably a little higher than the SonicWall, but it makes up for it in dependability. It's worth it to me, especially since it's not much higher. For just a little bit higher price you get the dependability of the firewall with the WatchGuard brand."
"The pricing was in line with everyone else; maybe slightly higher."
"We license the WatchGuard Firebox annually. There are different types of subscriptions available. We are paying approximately $15,000 annually. The cost can increase if you purchase different subscriptions."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
21%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Computer Software Company
19%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Retailer
6%
Construction Company
6%
Computer Software Company
18%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Government
6%
Retailer
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 ...
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...
What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Firebox?
We are providing our services to all WatchGuard customers in the region.
What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Firebox?
We just use it as a secondary WiFi device. We're a small office and we needed to set up a WiFi device for a few of ou...
What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Firebox?
We're a hospital and we use it for developing our incoming and outgoing policies, and we also use it for VPN.
 

Also Known As

FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate
Dell SonicWALL TZ
No data available
 

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
AeroM_xico Delta TechOps, Unimat
Ellips, Diecutstickers.com, Clarke Energy, NCR, Wrest Park, Homeslice Pizza, Fortessa Tableware Solutions, The Phoenix Residence
Find out what your peers are saying about SonicWall TZ vs. WatchGuard Firebox and other solutions. Updated: July 2024.
793,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.