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Sophos UTM vs Sophos XG comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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
5.8
Fortinet FortiGate offers cost-effective, robust security, reducing expenses, enhancing efficiency, easy implementation, quick ROI, and improved network management.
Sentiment score
6.0
Sophos UTM users report positive ROI, citing network security, cost savings, and flexible pricing within six to sixteen months.
Sentiment score
6.8
Sophos XG offers significant ROI through enhanced security, cost savings, operational efficiency, and user-friendly interface, providing excellent value.
Clients are now comfortable and not wasting productive hours on IT support.
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.
BDM Fortinet & BDM Teamlead at Exclusive Networks
It's a very useful tool to mitigate and protect your enterprise.
Staff Infrastructure & Security Engineer at Mozn Systems
I have seen a return on investment with Sophos UTM, and I can share that the price is around thirty percent better, especially if you count in the employee time.
System Engineer SDDC / VCF at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The graphical interface of Sophos XG simplifies configurations, saving time in support and troubleshooting compared to the Linux-based solution I previously used.
Head ICT at NIC Uganda
We purchased endpoint security for the first time last year, and even without endpoint security, it provides comprehensive security.
IT Manager , SAP HANA Administrator at Tara Paints & Chemicals
It's good, but I would still say it's higher by about 10-15 percent compared to other market products with similar configurations.
Manager at rspl
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.6
Fortinet FortiGate's customer service is generally praised for responsiveness, though some users experience delays in critical situations.
Sentiment score
7.0
Sophos UTM customer service is generally reliable and fast, though experiences vary due to language barriers and responsiveness.
Sentiment score
6.4
Sophos XG support is praised for responsiveness but criticized for delays, highlighting regional differences and preference for community resources.
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.
IT Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
I would rate the technical support for Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.
NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd
As a solution provider, when I encounter problems, I connect directly with Fortinet support, and they provide solutions within a very short time.
Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch
The technical support by Sophos is amazing, especially when I pay for the enhanced support.
Associate Director - Management Support Services at CIHP
I would rate the technical support by Sophos a 10.
Network and Infrastructure Manager at Sonysugar
I would rate the technical support with Sophos a seven because sometimes the time of the first resolution is not ideal.
IT Manager at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
I rate the technical support a ten out of ten.
IT Manager at Jabalpur Motors Ltd
Their team was quick to diagnose and resolve the problem by exchanging the equipment within two weeks.
Network and Infrastructure Manager at Sonysugar
When my customers raise a ticket, a customer representative calls them immediately to address their queries.
Sales Representative at AVNS
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
Fortinet FortiGate is scalable and popular for SMEs but requires careful design and may incur scaling costs and licensing constraints.
Sentiment score
6.8
Sophos UTM offers scalable performance, efficiently supporting various organization sizes with proper sizing, though planning is crucial for upgrades.
Sentiment score
7.0
Sophos XG offers scalable options for small to mid-sized enterprises, though upgrading may need new hardware due to limitations.
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.
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.
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.
General Surgery Specialist at Helwan University Cairo
You can have high availability clusters, so very, very scalable in my opinion.
System Engineer SDDC / VCF at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
You can scale up to multiple firewalls with centralized management.
Technical Consultant at a media company with 1,001-5,000 employees
You can't upgrade memory or storage on a specific model, which limits scalability.
Technical Services Lead at Telenet Solutions
I rate the scalability a nine out of ten.
Technical Support Engineer at Digitaltrack
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Fortinet FortiGate is praised for its stability, with effective long-term performance and improvements in newer firmware versions.
Sentiment score
7.5
Sophos UTM is highly reliable, with users praising its stable performance despite rare concerns about hardware and resource demands.
Sentiment score
7.9
Sophos XG now offers reliable stability, scoring 8-10, but some configuration updates may impact performance for certain users.
We're experiencing 99.999% availability consistently.
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.
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.
CISO at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Sophos XG is very stable, even when serving as a DHCP server.
Global IT Manager at Express KItchen
Sophos XG is resource-greedy, affecting performance even on newer computers.
Head of IT at a consultancy with 201-500 employees
It's on 24/7 and has consistently been reliable over the years.
Head ICT at NIC Uganda
 

Room For Improvement

Fortinet FortiGate needs enhanced UI, simplified licensing, improved performance, reporting, third-party integration, and expanded automation features.
Sophos UTM needs better interface, documentation, threat detection, VPN setup, load balancing, scalability, and enhanced security features.
Sophos XG needs improvements in UI, integration, email protection, scalability, and support, with concerns over pricing and documentation.
These sessions should be around five to ten minutes long, allowing users and partners to quickly grasp the information without disrupting their daily tasks.
Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
The solution should be able to implement machine learning and analytics of all the logs for threat detection and protection.
Senior Systems Engineer at Caribbean Development Company
It would be better for customers to get immediate replacements even with a standard subscription.
Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
If you want to really implement some rules that are a little bit more difficult, Sophos always recommends getting the dedicated WAF, or web application firewall, but I would prefer to have more features on the web application firewall in the firewall itself because it would make more sense.
System Engineer SDDC / VCF at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
I would prefer to see additional features in the next release of Sophos UTM because cyber crime increases every day, so we also need to improve our game to prevent any chances for intrusion.
Network and Infrastructure Manager at Sonysugar
I would love to see artificial intelligence capabilities integrated into Sophos UTM.
Associate Director - Management Support Services at CIHP
The solution should have the ability to be up to date with the most recent threats.
CIO at Nuotek Limited
This suggests a vulnerability that needs addressing to ensure administrators can update patches without losing access.
Adjunct Professor, Cybersecurity at University of the People
Business cannot stop just because of issues with support.
Sr. Manager (Technology) at Contessabd
 

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers find Fortinet FortiGate costly initially, but cheaper overall, despite some high renewal and setup costs.
Sophos UTM provides flexible, cost-effective pricing models, with competitive options and discounts, valued by larger organizations despite higher costs.
Sophos XG offers competitive pricing with flexible licensing, though licenses can be costly compared to some competitors like SonicWall.
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.
Network & System Admin at Invoke Studios
It offers cost savings as it is generally cheaper than the competition.
IT Infrastructure Architect at Apotek 1
It is about 20% cheaper.
Network Security Engineer at TD SYNNEX
Pricing has become expensive recently due to the dollar hike and naira value changes in Nigeria.
Associate Director - Management Support Services at CIHP
The value between what I receive and what I pay is the best in the industry.
System Administrator at a training & coaching company with 11-50 employees
The pricing would be more economical if sold directly to the user compared to going through a partner, as they need to take their percentage.
Network and Infrastructure Manager at Sonysugar
I rate the pricing a ten out of ten.
Owner at Computer Services Professionals
Currently, it costs about four million shillings in Kenya.
Network and Infrastructure Manager at Sonysugar
The cost depends on the package you are in, such as full threat management or basic.
Technical Services Lead at Telenet Solutions
 

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiGate provides robust, flexible security solutions with key features like web filtering, SSL VPN, SD-WAN, and centralized management.
Sophos UTM offers robust security with firewalls, VPN, web filtering, scalability, intuitive interface, and integrated management for enhanced protection.
Sophos XG offers user-friendly management, robust VPN, customizable security features, and synchronized control for comprehensive network protection.
These features help reduce our downtime, manage the ISPs, and deploy SLAs for all the website traffic.
Head IT at Burraq Cyber Security Solutions
The most valuable feature of FortiGate is FortiView which provides proactive monitoring.
General Manager Group IT at DART GLOBAL LOGISTICS PTE. LTD.
We got a firewall and gave an SSL VPN to my client to connect to their servers, after which, such kind of activities involving ransomware attacks stopped.
Owner at Mindware Computer Solutions
The zero-day protection and firewall rules are some of the most effective features for threat management.
Associate Director - Management Support Services at CIHP
It helps us quite a lot, especially because since we use Sophos UTM, malware intrusions are not rampant.
Network and Infrastructure Manager at Sonysugar
Sophos UTM's valuable features include the cost, which is very competitive when compared with other vendors, balanced with the features that it delivers.
IT Manager at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
The firewall feature of Sophos XG has been the most effective for threat prevention.
Information Technology Specialist at stelios@biolandenergy.com
Integration with endpoint security products ensures seamless traffic flow and rule enforcement, even when endpoints are not directly connected to the firewall.
Founder/Director at Augesys Solutions Pvt Ltd
Visibility features are included in XDR. This provides information on user impact, potential threats on specific machines, source and destination IPs, setup firewall details, and unique identifiers for each machine.
Pre-Sales Architect at network techlab
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate
Sponsored
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
580
Ranking in other categories
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (2nd), Firewalls (1st), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (1st), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (1st), WAN Edge (1st), ZTNA (1st), Unified Threat Management (UTM) (1st)
Sophos UTM
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
118
Ranking in other categories
Unified Threat Management (UTM) (5th)
Sophos XG
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
216
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (3rd)
 

Q&A Highlights

Miriam Tover - PeerSpot reviewer
Service Delivery Manager at PeerSpot
Feb 26, 2023
 

Featured Reviews

Vasu Gala - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Thomas Zimmerman - PeerSpot reviewer
System Engineer SDDC / VCF at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Integrated firewall and VPN have provided cost savings and strengthened customer security
The needed improvements for Sophos UTM include that the GUI could be a little more high-resolution-aware because it's still stuck in the small, low-resolution admin days, and those are long over. I choose a rating of nine out of ten for Sophos UTM because, as I mentioned, the graphical user interface is stuck in the past, and some things here and there are not implemented to the full, such as the reverse gateway thing, reverse proxy, and web application firewall. If you want to really implement some rules that are a little bit more difficult, Sophos always recommends getting the dedicated WAF, or web application firewall, but I would prefer to have more features on the web application firewall in the firewall itself because it would make more sense. Other than that, it's a very smooth experience, and I really appreciate it.
TarunPanchal - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager , SAP HANA Administrator at Tara Paints & Chemicals
Decades of expertise lead to seamless installations and robust security
I typically use the Sophos XG Firewall to enhance my cybersecurity by using all layers. The intrusion prevention system impacts my security posture effectively, as we have not faced any ransomware or cyber threats. I have more than 800 servers live from Sophos. The synchronized security feature has proven to be very beneficial, and I have not encountered any issues. Sophos XG Firewall has contributed to reducing overall costs because it helps save money. We purchased endpoint security for the first time last year, and even without endpoint security, it provides comprehensive security. Sophos XG uses AI effectively to enhance threat detection and response, securing from AI at the packet level.
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Comparison Review

it_user216600 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technical Consultant with 51-200 employees
Jan 3, 2016
Sophos UTM vs. Fortinet FortiGate
I have used both Sophos and Fortinet products in production and I have found the Sophos UTM appliances (hardware and virtual) to be a better fit most of the time -- with a few caveats which I will touch on below. In both instances, the transition from TMG will be mostly straightforward. The main…
 

Answers from the Community

Miriam Tover - PeerSpot reviewer
Service Delivery Manager at PeerSpot
Feb 26, 2023
Feb 26, 2023
The biggest difference between Sophos SG and Sophos XG is performance. Now, there's even a newer Hardware Platform (same OS as Sophos XG, which is called SFOS) - the Sophos XGS which has different chipset architecture, to attend each security module, with its newest feature called XStream Technology. Besides that, the GUI is very different. Nevertheless, it's worth trying the Sophos XG or XGS...
2 out of 18 answers
it_user1000680 - PeerSpot reviewer
Finance And IT at Galfar Aspire Readymix LLC
Feb 25, 2019
Please Select Sophos, it will make your internet speed is perfectly, and outstanding protection for your network
SM
Works at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Feb 25, 2019
Sorry Nick, we are expertise in WatchGuard not Sophos! I Hope u find a better option tan me! Un saludo / Greetings Sinuhé Moscoso Serrano Coordinación de Sistemas Teléfono: 91882 29 29 Dirección: Avenida Punto Es, Nº 6 Tecnoalcalá. 28805 - Alcalá de Henares (Madrid). web: www.siadv.com e-mail: s.moscoso@siadv.com _____ La información contenida en este mensaje y/o archivo(s) adjunto(s), enviada desde SOLUCIONES INFORMÁTICAS ADV S.A., es confidencial/privilegiada y está destinada a ser leída sólo por la(s) persona(s) a la(s) que va dirigida. Le recordamos que sus datos han sido incorporados en el sistema de tratamiento de SOLUCIONES INFORMÁTICAS ADV S.A. y que siempre y cuando se cumplan los requisitos exigidos por la normativa, usted podrá ejercer sus derechos de acceso, rectificación, limitación de tratamiento, supresión, portabilidad y oposición/revocación, en los términos que establece la normativa vigente en materia de protección de datos, dirigiendo su petición a la dirección postal AVDA. PUNTO ES, 6 TECNOALCALÁ CAMPUS UNIVERSIDAD - ALCALÁ DE HENARES (28805) o bien a través de correo electrónico dpo.solucionesinformaticasadv@lock4data.es. Si usted lee este mensaje y no es el destinatario señalado, el empleado o el agente responsable de entregar el mensaje al destinatario, o ha recibido esta comunicación por error, le informamos que está totalmente prohibida, y puede ser ilegal, cualquier divulgación, distribución o reproducción de esta comunicación, y le rogamos que nos lo notifique inmediatamente y nos devuelva el mensaje original a la dirección arriba mencionada. Gracias. _____ De: Nick Regan from IT Central Station Enviado el: lunes, 25 de febrero de 2019 13:30 Para: s.moscoso@siadv.com Asunto: Seeking expertise in Sophos UTM Hi Sinuhe, Can you help out a colleague with the following question about Sophos UTM: ----- What Is The Biggest Difference Between Sophos UTM and Sophos XG? One of the most popular comparisons on IT Central Station is Sophos UTM vs Sophos XG . People like you are trying to decide which one is best for their company. Can you help them out? What is the biggest difference between Sophos UTM and Sophos XG? Which of these two solutions would you recommend to a colleague evaluating firewalls and why? Thanks for helping your peers make the best decision! ----- Please reply to this email with your response or post your answer here. You've been a member of IT Central Station since June 2018. In a market full of vendor hype, we provide free connections between real users of Sophos UTM to share advice and make better buying decisions. Thanks for being part of the community. Nick Regan Community Director, IT Central Station IT Central Station 244 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10001 (646) 328-1944 um-nqn 297002 To change notifications, please visit your subscription page or unsubscribe completely. gitbdelVkUyRGkxK1IwUTBISXZ6U1pPQ2MzNXVCYkNjMW9COHBLbk4xUC9qWGV5MlNpL1lxODV2YjIvKzF5UmpsVlQxRy0tS3lOUXZ5ajBibzJ5QitrMnlqMEtLQT09--c0c4d23bcb28e517b482665721a97d17d9fde2c1gitbdel
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Computer Software Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Construction Company
6%
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business357
Midsize Enterprise133
Large Enterprise188
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business74
Midsize Enterprise28
Large Enterprise25
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business141
Midsize Enterprise52
Large Enterprise35
 

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 ...
What do you like most about Sophos UTM?
The most valuable feature of Sophos UTM is the endpoint protection feature.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sophos UTM?
I have no declaration regarding my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Sophos UTM.
What needs improvement with Sophos UTM?
The needed improvements for Sophos UTM include that the GUI could be a little more high-resolution-aware because it's...
Which is better - Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls or Sophos XG?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have both great features and performance. I like that Palo Alto has regular threat si...
What are the main differences in features between Sophos XG and FortiGate 80F?
Hi Arvind P , The Sophos XG firewall has a number of models right from XG86 to XG135w under the 1U Desktop Form Fact...
 

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall
Astaro
No data available
 

Overview

 

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
One Housing Group
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Sophos UTM vs. Sophos XG and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
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