Sophos XG vs Stormshield Network Security comparison

Sophos and Stormshield are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Additionally, 93% of Sophos users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Stormshield users who would recommend it.

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Sophos XG and Stormshield Network Security based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Firewalls solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Sophos XG vs. Stormshield Network Security Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Sophos XG vs. Stormshield Network Security

September 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate

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.

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TarunPanchal

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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Benjamin

Network Engineer at ACS2I

The intrusion detection system helps our organization by automatically detecting and responding to potential threats

The tool's most valuable feature is its dashboard, which helps you manage different aspects of a single page. The intrusion detection system helps our organization by automatically detecting and responding to potential threats. It operates similarly to Darktrace, which detects and responds automatically based on the security rules you apply. Initially, you configure everything to block, and then you can whitelist specific items as needed.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The customization potential is quite impressive."

"I find Fortinet FortiGate to be quite stable, as I have never heard of any issues where they broke or malfunctioned; they are always working."

"I'm pretty happy with its reliability. It is also very scalable."

"The best feature of Fortinet FortiGate is the IPS or IDS implementation. I appreciate most the agility or the flexibility to create hashes to block incoming threats, and I can integrate with third-party threat intelligence with our FortiGate."

"UTM/NGFW features and FortiCloud for logs and backups are awesome."

"Fortinet FortiGate positively provides my clients' organizations with a high return on investment."

"The solution is scalable."

"We use a lot of function on the IPS and it works well for us."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"This solution does everything and anything a firewall can do."

"Orchestration of the firewall is the most valuable feature. It is a fast and agile solution. It is good with protection. It is also very easy to deploy and manage, and its user interface is easy to use."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is that the license offers everything."

"Definitely, its usability is very good, and it's a very robust firewall."

"The firewall provides network visibility and reporting capabilities, constantly improving over time. It can be integrated with the cloud console, allowing centralized management of multiple firewalls. integration with endpoint security products ensures seamless traffic flow and rule enforcement, even when endpoints are not directly connected to the firewall."

"They really work scalability into the solution at the outset."

"Because of the pandemic, the VPN is the most valuable feature."

"The security of Sophos XG is very good."

More Sophos XG pros

"The solution has improved my organization because I can see what traffic is happening and I can use it to block and prevent attacks."

"The scalability of the solution is good."

"It's an easy, straightforward management platform to use."

"A very robust product."

"The tool's most valuable feature is its dashboard, which helps you manage different aspects of a single page."

"I like how you can configure the rules. There is the task for the rules and a task for the network configuration. It also provides SMD filtering, and it can be integrated with the active directory for the users, their mission, and the VPN configuration. We are here in Sudan, and Stormshield didn't work in Sudan for more than a decade. Stormshield is a very strong firewall and very easy to configure and maintain. I am just working with the firewall solution, and we don't have any other solutions like endpoint solutions or something like that."

"I like that it works fine. Stormshield is a very good solution."

"Ease of use is the best feature of the product."

More Stormshield Network Security pros

Cons

"Someone without certification and experience with other firewalls might find it a bit more challenging to grasp the FortiGate format and its platform layout."

"Fortinet could improve the windows opener or the virtual IP solutions for opening windows. The virtual IP settings need improvement as firewalls are trending in new development directions."

"Lacks training for new features."

"The built-in logging and reporting is limited without FortiAnalyzer."

"Performance and technical support are the main issues with this solution."

"It would be good if they had fewer updates."

"The solution could be improved by addressing limited local reporting. It requires obtaining the FortiAnalyzer for proper visibility because you can't do much from a reporting perspective with just the firewall alone."

"The solution could be more evenly structured."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"Scalability it is a bit limited. We did a sizing exercise before the purchase. But that was just to fit our current needs. There was no room for having an option to upgrade the device. The only option that we have if we are grow in the near future, is to go for another model with higher specs, which is actually more expensive. In other words it doesn't have that modularity ."

"It is a very basic and entry-level firewall. It doesn't give very granular control over the traffic. It should have more granular control over the traffic. This feature should be there similar to Palo Alto and Cisco. It should have such advanced features."

"The solution could improve by having better security."

"All of the options should be available when I renew my subscription for the year. As it is now, there are some limitations."

"We feel that the GUI can be improved a bit because it has a lot of information and looks a bit outdated."

"Their technical support needs improvement. I've been on hold with them for hours waiting for their support."

"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."

"Sophos XG should improve on the GDPR features involving data protection and encryption. Security regarding data protection is important."

More Sophos XG cons

"The product must improve its pricing."

"This is not a next-generation firewall."

"The biggest issue was their support department was not able to help us, then everything stops. This is a no-go area for me."

"With Stormshield, there are difficulties joining things, and it can be complex depending on the architecture."

"It could be better if it were more user-friendly. It's too complicated for us to use it. The price could be better as well."

"This solution has a big problem with web filtering and it needs to be improved."

"Not all the fields are activated yet and we were informed that it will take at least one month."

"Stormshield Network Security is quite expensive."

More Stormshield Network Security cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"As far as I'm aware, in our case, it's just a yearly pricing arrangement with no additional licensing costs."

"If you compare the price of Fortinet FortiGate IPS to other firewalls, Check Point is priced very high followed by Palo Alto and Sophos. Fortinet FortiGate IPS price is more reasonable."

"Fortinet is the least expensive solution."

"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."

"There is an annual license to use this solution. The prices have been increasing over the years."

"The price of Fortinet FortiGate is reasonable for an SME."

"It's very competitive."

"The price is relatively expensive compared to other solutions which are providing similar features."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"It's approximately $6,000 for each device."

"The tool's pricing and licensing are very complex. As a developing company, we need approvals from management to make a purchase, which can take time. We asked Sophos XG to renew our current firewall license for one or two months while we plan to accommodate our increasing IT assets."

"I don't believe we have a license for this product."

"Sophos XG is a reasonably priced solution."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."

"It is not that expensive compared to the other solutions. It is about the same price range as Fortigate, which we used previously. Licensing is on a yearly basis."

"Sophos XG is a very good solution, and it's cheaper than most of the other vendors. It is really affordable."

"The price of Sophos is reasonable. It's not too expensive — I think it's worth it."

More Sophos XG pricing and cost advice

"I think the price is good."

"We chose Stormshield for its price, as the Azure firewall was too expensive."

"The SN200 series costs between $500 USD and $600 USD per year, whereas the SN700 series costs approximately $1,000 annually."

"For mid-sized companies, they sell their appliances for good prices."

"The price of this solution and the price of support are ok."

"The pricing could be better."

"We bought a three-year license, and we renew it whenever it expires. The price could be better. It's always very expensive."

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871,469 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

19%

Comms Service Provider

18%

Government

Manufacturing 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	140
Midsize Enterprise	50
Large Enterprise	37

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	2

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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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...

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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...

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What do you like most about Sophos XG?

IPS works smoothly.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Stormshield Network Security?

The tool is like a firewall and works well. I don't have any issue with it. I rate it an eight out of ten.

See all answers

Comparisons

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

Cisco Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

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OPNsense vs Sophos XG

Compared 10% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Sophos XG

Compared 8% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs Sophos XG

Compared 5% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Sophos XG

Compared 4% of the time

Sophos XGS vs Sophos XG

Compared 3% of the time

More Sophos XG Competitors

Netgate pfSense vs Stormshield Network Security

Compared 13% of the time

OPNsense vs Stormshield Network Security

Compared 8% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs Stormshield Network Security

Compared 7% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Stormshield Network Security

Compared 5% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs Stormshield Network Security

Compared 3% of the time

More Stormshield Network Security Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

October 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Sophos XG

September 2025

Download Sophos XG product report

Buyer's Guide

Stormshield Network Security

September 2025

Download Stormshield Network Security product report

Also Known As

No data available

NETASQ Firewalls

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

Sophos XG provides robust security capabilities, offering features like web filtering, VPN, and user-friendly management. Its intuitive setup and policy adjustments enhance security while synchronized endpoint protection ensures comprehensive defense.

Sophos XG is a network security solution with web and application filtering, VPN features, and a management interface that simplifies configuration. It offers email protection, threat prevention, and reporting capabilities, all contributing to a comprehensive defense strategy. Synchronized security with endpoints enhances protection, and advanced threat protection with efficient bandwidth management supports secure remote work environments. However, users suggest improvements in log interfaces for real-time actions and better email protection. Enhancements in link load balancing, RAM, VPN stability, and central management are needed. HTTPS filtering, certificate management, technical support, and scalability of the SD-WAN feature can see advances.

What are the key features of Sophos XG?

Web and application filtering: Blocks inappropriate content and apps, maintaining network security.
VPN features: Secure remote access and connectivity for remote work.
Intuitive management: Simplifies setup and policy changes for efficient security management.
Threat prevention: Protects against intrusions, malware, and malicious sites.
Reporting and dashboards: Enhance visibility and decision-making ability.
Synchronized security: Integrates with endpoint protection for a cohesive defense.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Enhanced security: Comprehensive features protect against network threats.
Remote work support: Secure VPN connectivity for remote and mobile employees.
Ease of management: Simple setup and configuration save time and resources.
Visibility: Detailed reports and dashboards aid continuous monitoring and analysis.
Scalability: Suitable for medium to large organizations with growing security needs.

In industries such as healthcare, education, and financial services, Sophos XG acts as a mainline defense for network security, VPN connectivity, and web filtering. It supports secure remote access, intrusion prevention, antivirus scanning, and secure web gateways integrated with endpoint systems, tailoring its extensive security capabilities to meet specific industry requirements.

Sophos

NETASQ's integrated intrusion prevention engine uses protocol conformity analysis, application filtering and antivirus analysis to inspect authorized traffic flows and strengthen application security. NETASQ enables you to establish and configure user-based security policies, giving you greater control over which network resources each user is authorized to access.

Stormshield

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

Information Not Available

ACESUR group, Ministry of Education Oman, Anios Laboratories, Zain, DLM Location

Buyer's Guide

Sophos XG vs. Stormshield Network Security

September 2025

Free Report: Sophos XG vs. Stormshield Network Security

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