SonicWall TZ vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall comparison

SonicWall and Zscaler are both solutions in the Firewalls category. SonicWall is ranked #18 with an average rating of 9.2, while Zscaler is ranked #23 with an average rating of 8.3. SonicWall holds a 2.8% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to Zscaler’s 0.5% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of SonicWall users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Zscaler users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 13, 2025

SonicWall TZ and Zscaler Cloud Firewall compete in the network security category, with Zscaler potentially having an edge due to its comprehensive, cloud-based solutions suitable for diverse environments.

Features: SonicWall TZ stands out for its easy firewall configuration, VPN setup simplicity, and cost-effective high availability options. Its robust security measures like content filtering and application control make it suitable for businesses of various sizes. Zscaler Cloud Firewall is notable for its cloud-based architecture, offering comprehensive security solutions across different environments, including firewall, IPS, and web security, alongside advanced data leak prevention capabilities.

Room for Improvement: SonicWall TZ could improve its complex interface and outdated hardware. Its licensing model adds extra costs for features like reporting. Enhancing intuitive UI and reducing support delays are needed. Zscaler Cloud Firewall can improve web browser isolation, customization, and expand geographical data center coverage. Better user-based access and legacy system integration are also needed areas.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SonicWall TZ, primarily on-premises, appeals to those with existing infrastructure but limits flexibility. Customer support experiences vary based on support tiers. Zscaler’s cloud and hybrid-based deployment offers more flexibility and easier initial setup, though customer service needs improvement in promptness and geographical scalability.

Pricing and ROI: SonicWall TZ offers a competitive pricing structure, providing a strong ROI, though its a la carte model can increase costs over time. Zscaler Cloud Firewall is often seen as expensive, especially for small businesses, reflecting its advanced cloud services. Despite higher costs, both solutions deliver valuable ROI through Zscaler's cloud capabilities and SonicWall's hardware performance.

To learn more, read our detailed SonicWall TZ vs. Zscaler Cloud Firewall Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall TZ vs. Zscaler Cloud Firewall

September 2025

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Helped 869,760 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score

5.9

Fortinet FortiGate offers cost-effective security with quick deployment, improving efficiency, reducing downtime, and providing a strong return on investment.

Sentiment score

5.8

SonicWall TZ is favored by small businesses for its cost-effectiveness, security, and fast ROI within eight months.

Sentiment score

1.0

Users experienced cost reductions, improved security, enhanced performance, easier scalability, better threat protection, simplified management, and efficient resource utilization.

Clients are now comfortable and not wasting productive hours on IT support.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

The automation part is giving us a cost benefit and speed; we can react faster.

Bart Homblé

BDM Fortinet & BDM Teamlead at Exclusive Networks

It's a very useful tool to mitigate and protect your enterprise.

Bernard Samontanes

Staff Infrastructure & Security Engineer at Mozn Systems

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

That is a reason to buy a firewall, and it is challenging to put a monetary value on security.

reviewer2618802

Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall TZ report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Zscaler Cloud Firewall report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.6

Fortinet FortiGate support is mostly praised for responsiveness and knowledge, though inconsistencies exist in complex cases or regions.

Sentiment score

3.9

SonicWall TZ receives mixed reviews on customer service, with technical support praised but improved response times requested.

Sentiment score

5.0

Zscaler Cloud Firewall offers responsive and knowledgeable support, though occasional escalations might cause delays, with room for improvement.

They offer very accurate solutions.

Taimoor Khan

Network Operations Engineer at Inara Technologies

The quick resolution of issues with Fortinet FortiGate is due to the support of the company and the fact that the equipment is easy to work with.

Alexandre Menezes

IT Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

I would rate the technical support for Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

AnishKumar

NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

Customer service is excellent.

reviewer2618802

Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees

For support, I would rate SonicWall TZ five out of 10.

Subhadip Pakrashi

CEO at Kapstone Technological Services LLP

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall TZ report

The response and support are sometimes inadequate, which detracts from the overall experience of an otherwise impressive solution.

Carlos Snel

Director at Aquila ICT Solutions

The technical support from Zscaler was excellent.

KashyapGhotane

Cyber Security Architect at Accenture

For more quotes and insights, download the Zscaler Cloud Firewall report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.1

Fortinet FortiGate offers scalability and easy integration for diverse environments, catering to businesses from small to large enterprises.

Sentiment score

7.1

SonicWall TZ suits small to mid-sized businesses but planning and model choice are key for extensive scalability.

Sentiment score

5.3

Zscaler Cloud Firewall is scalable and easy to manage, praised for performance and user satisfaction across various regions.

They scale up really well from smaller models like the FortiGate 40 and 50 to bigger sites with the FortiGate 100 for more throughput - up to enterprise datacenters.

Ian Manton

IT Manager at Daltons Limited

The variation comes in terms of the interfaces and throughputs, but from a security perspective, you get the same benefit, irrespective of whether you have an entry-level unit or an enterprise.

reviewer2667480

Cewa Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

We determine sizing based on multiple factors: number of users, available links, traffic types, server count, services in use, and whether services will be published.

FatmaSamy

General Surgery Specialist at Helwan University Cairo

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall TZ report

In this case, Twingate will be very easy compared to Zscaler.

reviewer2641644

IT Security at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Zscaler Cloud Firewall report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.7

Fortinet FortiGate is highly stable and reliable, excelling in continuous operation with effective network management, despite occasional update issues.

Sentiment score

6.3

SonicWall TZ is praised for reliability and security, though occasional minor issues and update disruptions may occur.

Sentiment score

6.4

Zscaler Cloud Firewall is stable, reliable, and well-rated, with minor performance issues and redundancy minimizing outages.

We're experiencing 99.999% availability consistently.

Ricardo Biggs

Manager, Information Technology at a consumer goods company with 11-50 employees

I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

AnishKumar

NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd

Currently, we are experiencing a general outage of one of the main internet service providers of the Dominican Republic, and we have not been impacted in our operations because with SD-WAN, we have another internet service provider and we are working with the second WAN connection without any disruption.

Juan Frias

CISO at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

In terms of stability, SonicWall doesn't have performance issues.

Rias Majeed

CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC

SonicWall TZ rates 10 out of 10 for stability.

Subhadip Pakrashi

CEO at Kapstone Technological Services LLP

SonicWall TZ is definitely stable and offers a good value for money.

reviewer2618802

Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall TZ report

There were some stability issues due to occasional latency and lags, particularly with the GUI and report generation.

KashyapGhotane

Cyber Security Architect at Accenture

For more quotes and insights, download the Zscaler Cloud Firewall report

Room For Improvement

Users express concern over Fortinet FortiGate's interface stability, functionality, performance issues, and call for improved support and features.

SonicWall TZ needs interface, reporting, and support improvements, while high pricing and complex licensing affect user satisfaction.

Zscaler Cloud Firewall needs improved features, better integration, enhanced support, wider coverage, affordable pricing, and a modernized interface.

Investing in a solution that can accommodate such growth would be more cost-effective than repeatedly purchasing new hardware.

Jose Gisbert

Manager Network (IT/OT) at a consumer goods company with 5,001-10,000 employees

While Fortinet claims to offer a comprehensive network solution, it falls short in addressing computer application issues, particularly server security.

MOHAN SUKUMAR

Head of computer systems at Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology(IIST)

When considering Sophos XG, which we also use, the logging and reporting functionality is notably more efficient.

Taha Turkestani

Senior IT specialist at SAUDIA ALIRLINES

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

Integration with other vendors, especially with VPNs, can be challenging and requires more effort when configuring.

Rias Majeed

CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC

SonicWall TZ could benefit from newer technology.

reviewer2618802

Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees

The VPN license should be improved by providing more free SSL VPN licenses.

Niranjan Prajapati

Pre-sales at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall TZ report

For now, there is no dashboard or network management system available for Twingate.

reviewer2641644

IT Security at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees

The reverse proxy feature for Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is missing.

KashyapGhotane

Cyber Security Architect at Accenture

I believe the integration of AI could improve the dashboard by making it more agile and effective in monitoring and predicting threats.

Carlos Snel

Director at Aquila ICT Solutions

For more quotes and insights, download the Zscaler Cloud Firewall report

Setup Cost

Fortinet FortiGate offers high initial costs but competitive pricing, valued features, and flexible licensing compared to competitors.

SonicWall TZ's flexible pricing and upgrade promotions offer competitive, cost-effective solutions for small to medium enterprises despite setup costs.

Zscaler Cloud Firewall is flexible yet expensive, valued for tiered packages, with prices affected by user count and features.

Last year, I renewed the support for three years, which can sometimes be expensive but depends on the security benefits and how it helps us.

AiméKouchade

Network & System Admin at Invoke Studios

It offers cost savings as it is generally cheaper than the competition.

NilsPaley

IT Infrastructure Architect at Apotek 1

It is about 20% cheaper.

MithatBulut

Network Security Engineer at TD SYNNEX

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

More licenses are required to purchase the perpetual license for SSL VPN and Global VPN.

Niranjan Prajapati

Pre-sales at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd

When comparing similar products across vendors, there may be a small difference in cost.

Rias Majeed

CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC

I would also position its pricing as a three, where one is the lowest price and ten is the highest.

reviewer2618802

Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall TZ report

Zscaler Cloud Firewall is quite expensive compared to competitors.

KashyapGhotane

Cyber Security Architect at Accenture

For more quotes and insights, download the Zscaler Cloud Firewall report

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiGate offers robust, affordable security with user-friendly interface, centralized management, and efficient SD-WAN capabilities.

SonicWall TZ offers user-friendly configuration, robust security, VPN integration, remote access, and affordability, ideal for businesses.

Zscaler Cloud Firewall offers advanced threat protection, simplified management, and seamless integration, enhancing security with flexible policy customization and traffic control.

In terms of security, we have not experienced any security flaws or loopholes, and it has proven to be quite stable.

MOHAN SUKUMAR

Head of computer systems at Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology(IIST)

FortiGate has helped reduce the risk of cyberattacks that might disrupt our client's production.

Taimoor Khan

Network Operations Engineer at Inara Technologies

These features help reduce our downtime, manage the ISPs, and deploy SLAs for all the website traffic.

Syed Ali Waqas

Head IT at Burraq Cyber Security Solutions

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

For SMB segments, SonicWall performs well.

Rias Majeed

CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC

It was beneficial during COVID for remote work through its VPN functionality.

reviewer2618802

Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees

The advanced gateway security features such as web filter, application control filter, IPS, ideas, gateway antivirus, anti-spyware, and botnet filter are valuable.

Niranjan Prajapati

Pre-sales at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall TZ report

It is really customized, a security policy that can be applied to the users so they can access only the resources I enable them.

reviewer2641644

IT Security at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees

Advanced threat protection features in Zscaler Cloud Firewall are practically the key component that every customer wants.

Carlos Snel

Director at Aquila ICT Solutions

The biggest advantage of Zscaler Cloud Firewall is its consolidation of products.

KashyapGhotane

Cyber Security Architect at Accenture

For more quotes and insights, download the Zscaler Cloud Firewall report

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 20.4%, up from 19.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall TZ is 2.8%, up from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zscaler Cloud Firewall is 0.5%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	20.4%
SonicWall TZ	2.8%
Zscaler Cloud Firewall	0.5%
Other	76.3%

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.

Read full review

Subhadip Pakrashi

CEO at Kapstone Technological Services LLP

Provides reliable performance with strong features and simplicity

SonicWall TZ is user-friendly, admin-friendly, and a beautiful product. I have been selling SonicWall since 2007 without any issues. SonicWall has been working on it excellently. They are up to date, and their research team is good, making the box feature-rich. Based out of India, I have had some issues with their faulty channel policy. It's a very good product, an awesome product for those who want to use SonicWall TZ. You can bet on it, but check out the channel policies in India. They should check out the channels in the channel business. It's just a precaution, nothing more than that. Overall rating: 9 out of 10.

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Carlos Snel

Director at Aquila ICT Solutions

Has streamlined secure deployments across large enterprises while offering reliable protection and intuitive management

The centralized management console, also referred to as the Zscaler dashboard, impacts the ability of my customers to respond to security incidents significantly. I see it as user-friendly, and clients are really happy with using it, which motivates them to keep using Zscaler Cloud Firewall because they enjoy the GUI. It's very intuitive, making it easy to navigate alerts and incidents. My clients rarely have questions about where to find specific information once Zscaler Cloud Firewall is running. The interface speaks for itself, requiring little to no additional training, which is a major plus. Advanced threat protection features in Zscaler Cloud Firewall are practically the key component that every customer wants. Unfortunately, it is an option and not included in the basic package. Clients need to pay for the next higher bundle to access it, but practically all clients I have dealt with want this feature 100%. Regarding visibility, I can confirm that Zscaler Cloud Firewall indeed includes a feature for application layer visibility embedded in the service. It provides visibility into what you're doing, which is especially interesting nowadays when discussing AI tools, as companies do not want their employees to copy-paste sensitive information into AI systems. We have seen cases such as Samsung's chip design where sensitive info got exposed. The visibility of applications, including cloud applications and AI tools, is significant for compliance with data policies, and you can also run reports and alerts on it.

Read full review

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

16%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	350
Midsize Enterprise	130
Large Enterprise	187

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	61
Midsize Enterprise	16
Large Enterprise	14

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	13

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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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...

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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 ...

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Which lesser known firewall product has the best chance at unseating the market leaders?

Netscope, Zscaler if they continue route they are on now. FIrewalls needs great deal of automation on each end, datac...

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What do you like most about Zscaler Cloud Firewall?

The product’s firewall and VPN package are fantastic compared to any other solution.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zscaler Cloud Firewall?

Zscaler Cloud Firewall is quite expensive compared to competitors. However, it offered moderate value for money.

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos XG vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 17% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 11% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 9% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

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 7% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 7% of the time

SonicWall NSa vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 6% of the time

More SonicWall TZ Competitors

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall

Compared 11% of the time

Azure Firewall vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall

Compared 11% of the time

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall

Compared 10% of the time

OPNsense vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall

Compared 8% of the time

Sangfor NGAF vs Zscaler Cloud Firewall

Compared 6% of the time

More Zscaler Cloud Firewall Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

October 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall TZ

September 2025

Download SonicWall TZ product report

Buyer's Guide

Zscaler Cloud Firewall

September 2025

Download Zscaler Cloud Firewall product report

Also Known As

No data available

Dell SonicWALL TZ

No data available

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate excels in providing integrated VPN, firewalling, and Unified Threat Management (UTM) with centralized management and high availability. It supports remote access and comprehensive threat protection, making it a preferred choice for securing networks.

Fortinet FortiGate offers a robust security platform with features such as strong intrusion prevention, application control, and web filtering. Its integration with Active Directory and SD-WAN functionality provides scalable solutions for large networks. Users appreciate its ease of use through centralized management interfaces, ensuring robust security with flexible configurations. However, FortiGate could enhance its graphical interface and technical support responsiveness, address firmware bugs and costly licensing, improve logging, integrate better with third-party tools, and strengthen scalability and memory for log storage. Complexity in configuration and the need for intuitive features are noted challenges, and there's a demand for advanced security, zero-trust capabilities, and AI integration.

What are the key features of Fortinet FortiGate?

VPN: Secure remote access and connectivity.
Firewalling: Protects networks from unauthorized access and attacks.
UTM: Offers a comprehensive approach to threat management.
SD-WAN: Optimizes traffic routing for efficient network performance.
Web Filtering: Controls and monitors web access and ensures Internet security.

What benefits or ROI should be considered?

Centralized Management: Simplifies administration and monitoring.
High Availability: Ensures consistent security and network availability.
Scalability: Adapts to the needs of growing networks.
Comprehensive Threat Protection: Provides robust security measures.
Ease of Use: Minimizes the complexity of security management.

Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries like education, finance, and government. Companies use it for firewall protection, VPN, and SD-WAN capabilities, ensuring secure perimeter and data center security. It facilitates remote access management and traffic routing optimization, offering reliable security and connectivity solutions.

Fortinet

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

Zscaler enables the world’s leading organizations to securely transform their networks and applications for a mobile and cloud first world. Its flagship services, Zscaler Internet Access and Zscaler Private Access, create fast, secure connections between users and applications, regardless of device, location, or network. Zscaler services are 100% cloud-delivered and offer the simplicity, enhanced security, and improved user experience that traditional appliances or hybrid solutions are unable to match. Used in more than 185 countries, Zscaler operates the world’s largest cloud security platform, protecting thousands of enterprises and government agencies from cyberattacks and data loss.

Check more details: https://www.zscaler.com/produc...

Zscaler

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

AeroM_xico Delta TechOps, Unimat

Zenith Live, Azure, Carlsberg Group

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall TZ vs. Zscaler Cloud Firewall

September 2025

Free Report: SonicWall TZ vs. Zscaler Cloud Firewall

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