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Sophos Firewall vs Sophos UTM comparison

 

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
6.3
Sophos Firewall provides cost-effective security management, reducing investigation time and personnel costs, justifying investment for medium-sized businesses.
Sentiment score
5.4
Sophos UTM delivers positive ROI quickly through cost savings, centralized management, competitive pricing, and effective network management.
The costs have increased with Sophos XGS in the last few years, with license prices going up by 30%, doubling from $2,500 to about $5,000, which is a big challenge for us.
IT Manager at Bavaria Egypt S.A.E.
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
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
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.6
Sophos Firewall support is knowledgeable but criticized for slow response times, language barriers, and preference for email communication.
Sentiment score
6.5
Sophos UTM is praised for customer service, yet AWS support delays and regional service quality discrepancies are noted.
Their team was quick to diagnose and resolve the problem by exchanging the equipment within two weeks.
Network and Infrastructure Manager at Sonysugar
Any issues are quickly addressed by their support team, which is not common among all OEM manufacturers.
Owner at a marketing services firm with 11-50 employees
When my customers raise a ticket, a customer representative calls them immediately to address their queries.
Sales Representative at AVNS
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
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.0
Sophos Firewall offers scalable solutions for various environments, with cloud deployment providing better scalability than hardware options.
Sentiment score
5.4
Sophos UTM offers scalability and adaptability, supporting seamless expansion with virtual and hardware options, despite limited physical upgrades.
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
Since it uses the underlying Kubernetes infrastructure, it can scale easily if the Kubernetes cluster is sufficiently large.
CTO at GCET
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
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Sophos Firewall is praised for its stability and reliability, with minor issues mainly linked to updates or setup errors.
Sentiment score
7.4
Sophos UTM is stable and reliable, with few bugs; proper sizing prevents occasional performance issues related to CPU usage.
It is rated at nine out of ten for stability and is very reliable.
Director Technical Services at TechnoBIZ
Sophos XG is very stable, even when serving as a DHCP server.
Global IT Manager at Express KItchen
Sophos XGS is stable now, and I would rate its stability as a ten out of ten.
IT Manager at Bavaria Egypt S.A.E.
 

Room For Improvement

Sophos Firewall faces challenges in speed, customization, software stability, user interface, integration, VPN configuration, and technical support.
Sophos UTM requires enhancements in user management, scalability, and interface while improving security features, flexibility, and centralized management.
Tekton also has an unstable API with frequent changes, making it challenging to maintain consistency across versions.
CTO at GCET
It would be beneficial if Sophos XGS offered an end-to-end solution with competitive pricing.
Head of IT at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
The DDNS features are essential for any organization, as it is better not to have a static IP address from an ISP.
it managar at rise tech
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
In Sophos UTM, we could define IP hosts and use this IP host.
CEO at iSource GmbH
 

Setup Cost

Sophos Firewall offers reasonable pricing with flexible licensing, but users have concerns about annual renewals and pricing increases.
Sophos UTM provides flexible, cost-effective licensing with some complexity, making it valuable for enterprises despite pricing concerns.
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
The last instance I purchased was for three years, around $3,700 for SDG 125.
CEO at Tawassul Technology
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
 

Valuable Features

Sophos Firewall offers synchronized security, centralized management, and advanced features enhancing network performance, security visibility, and scalability.
Sophos UTM offers robust security, user-friendly interface, VPN integration, reporting, and scalability, ideal for small to large businesses.
The firewall feature of Sophos XG has been the most effective for threat prevention.
Information Technology Specialist at stelios@biolandenergy.com
It's able to detect cloud applications like Zoom or Microsoft Teams and allows traffic shaping based on the application.
Security Engineer at Mavisco Resources Sdn Bhd
By prioritizing bandwidth for our ERP hosted in Amazon Cloud and de-prioritizing non-essential sites, it has greatly improved our network management.
Global IT Manager at Express KItchen
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
 

Categories and Ranking

Sophos Firewall
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
304
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (4th)
Sophos UTM
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
120
Ranking in other categories
Unified Threat Management (UTM) (5th)
 

Q&A Highlights

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

Featured Reviews

Ashutosh Jha - PeerSpot reviewer
Project Engineer at IT Solution
Robust protection has blocked external threats and provides clear visibility into user activity
Sophos Firewall offers multiple features, including IPS, IDS, ATP, NDR, XOps, web protection, application protection, web server protection, and many more. Out of all those features, I find web protection and application protection to be very helpful and valuable in my daily work. Sophos Firewall has positively impacted my organization by preventing outside threats, allowing me to easily monitor my users, and configuring any rule for any user regarding what they need to use and what I am restricting for the particular user. I can share that it has improved productivity because if anyone could ransom my network, they could demand money to decrypt the files, thus saving us money, time, and providing reliability.
HR
CEO at iSource GmbH
Integrated security tools have supported critical infrastructure and improved network performance
Regarding Secureworks Taegis VDR Vulnerability Management, I do not have all these shortcuts in my head. Perhaps I have to ask my technicians, but we are in full stress because we have to change this entire firewall equipment, also the entire access points, because of the end of life. We also have the full product in for XDR and extensions. We are also part of the webinars from Sophos. It would be better if there were also some important webinars in German. Everything needs improvement, because also the wireless, also RED box and so on. The handling was much easier on the old equipment than on the new XGS. I think there should also be a little more automatic for SD-WAN routing and so on. Because we have to learn some things from the basic completely new because it is different than Sophos UTM, the XGS. The features that could be improved about Sophos UTM include the new features we have in XGS with a simpler interface. For example, in Sophos UTM, we could define IP hosts and use this IP host. We did not have to insert on every, for example, for wide area networks, we had to put the IP addresses from the other side by hand. In Sophos UTM, we could define it under definitions and then use this IP host where we needed it. In the new XGS, if there is a change in the IP address, we have to do it on all, for example, site-to-site VPN tunnels and so on. We have much more work and it is not so easy because we have to check all the definitions. It is also, for example, some of the male technicians like me, we have a biology handicap. For example, male technicians in Europe also have a red-green problem. So we use these light colors on the interface. In some cases, it is not easy to see the, for example, letters or numbers because of the contrast.
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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
Comms Service Provider
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Construction Company
12%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business209
Midsize Enterprise61
Large Enterprise53
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business75
Midsize Enterprise28
Large Enterprise27
 

Questions from the Community

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 the firewalls change every 5 to 7 years as stated but you really do need to upg...
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 signatures and updates. I also appreciate that I can just import addresses and URL...
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 Factor. The Sophos XG appliance that offers a direct competition to the Fortigate 80...
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 good. The most valuable features for me are their web and email filtering. I wou...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sophos UTM?
The pricing for Sophos UTM is reasonable; I do not have an issue with it, though I was considering RED because I have different sites I wanted to connect, and instead of doing site-to-site, the RED...
What needs improvement with Sophos UTM?
I would like to improve Sophos UTM in that there is software I use that goes deeper in the reporting on usage. There is software called Fastvue that breaks down everything in the firewall and whate...
 

Also Known As

Sophos XG, Sophos XGS
Astaro
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
One Housing Group
Find out what your peers are saying about Sophos Firewall vs. Sophos UTM and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
907,787 professionals have used our research since 2012.