We use the solution for security but we are planning on upgrading to another product.
Works
Easy to install, stable but security features could improve
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is stable."
- "We would like to see an upgrade to the VPN feature, we are using the VPN from outside of our office and there is a limitation to 10 connections, more connections would be suitable."
How has it helped my organization?
What is most valuable?
We currently are using the basic features of the product but one of the features we use is for blocking traffic.
What needs improvement?
We would like to see an upgrade to the VPN feature, we are using the VPN from outside of our office and there is a limitation to 10 connections, more connections would be suitable. Also, the security could improve on some features that are available.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for approximately five years.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
December 2025
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879,310 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
How are customer service and support?
The support is they provide is good.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing for the product is alright. Our organization has not yet provided an end budget for this area.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We are not yet certain if we need a different solution in the future. We are evaluating our options. We have looked at Cisco and Barracuda solutions but I believe Cisco is very expensive and Barracuda might be the one we choose. It is too early to tell, we are still evaluating these options and others.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet Fortigate a six out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Data Center Operations and Customer Support Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Reliably protects our users, but could be more user-friendly
Pros and Cons
- "We have found it to be very reliable and that's why our teams and various users in our company use it as our main firewall every day."
- "The feedback that I have received is that the performance could be better, and the user experience is not as good compared to a previous solution we used. It could be more user-friendly. Of course, it still works fine for our operations."
What is our primary use case?
We use FortiGate as our primary firewall that acts as the perimeter between the internet and our on-premises network. It is used as a security measure for about 2000 users that go out to the internet from here.
Along with FortiGate we also use other products like F5 for our network and app security. And for network equipment, we use Cisco products.
What is most valuable?
We have found it to be very reliable and that's why our teams and various users in our company use it as our main firewall every day.
What needs improvement?
The feedback that I have received is that the performance could be better, and the user experience is not as good compared to a previous solution we used. It could be more user-friendly. Of course, it still works fine for our operations.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Fortinet FortiGate for one year now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Since we have been using FortiGate there haven't been any major problems so far. Especially nothing too serious like a major bug or anything like that.
The only issues that we have come across have had to do with simple configuration errors like missing configuration values from a previous implementation.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have not tried to expand the product much, but it is currently used as the main security perimeter for about 2000 people which is already quite a large number. We don't predict that we will be increasing usage much more than that.
We plan to keep using FortiGate as much as we can for our security solution as we casually move more of our systems to the cloud.
How are customer service and technical support?
Usually, we have our maintenance plan once a year, like a power-down test and things like that. But I'm not sure whether we have a contract with a partner company to do that or not. I believe our network engineer department may have used Fortinet technical support, though I have not received feedback on it.
How was the initial setup?
It's straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
Fortinet offers help with implementation and we have in the past used their assistance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
As far as I'm aware, in our case, it's just a yearly pricing arrangement with no additional licensing costs.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We made a comparison to two or three other products in this space, but I cannot recall the others.
What other advice do I have?
I wish that I could give more details on our technical use of FortiGate, but that isn't my main responsibility. I don't know much about this area and whether they are good or bad compared to other products. However, the feedback from our technical team has been generally good. That's why our teams use it every day.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,310 professionals have used our research since 2012.
IT Manager at a legal firm with 51-200 employees
Simple, intuitive interface, with good support
Pros and Cons
- "What I like the most is the configuration and that it's simple, and straightforward to maintain."
- "The pricing could be reduced or include the first year warranty."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of this solution is as a firewall and UTM machine.
What is most valuable?
What I like the most is the configuration and that it's simple, and straightforward to maintain.
The UTM configuration on-premises is straightforward and simple to use.
Support is good and the interface is simple and intuitive.
What needs improvement?
It's good, and I feel that there is nothing more that can be added.
The pricing could be reduced or include the first year warranty.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution. I have not had any issues with it during the time that I have been using it.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is quite good. They have helped me with all of my requests.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
It took approximately one day to deploy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
They are very competitive, but we like to have the factory warranty taken care of.
We had to pay a large amount for the first year contract and support.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others who are interested in using it.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Managing Director at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Very user friendly solution with cumbersome licensing structure
Pros and Cons
- "The features that I have found most valuable are that it is good to use, and most importantly, the pricing. The customer especially likes the discount when they trade up or something like that."
- "There are some license issues. Not every feature must have a separate license. There must be some of kind synergy between the license so we don't have to pay for every individual license that we would like to have."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for Fortinet FortiGate is for the center firewalls. We use the VMware server. That seems good and acceptable to the customers.
What is most valuable?
The features that I have found most valuable are that it is good to use, and most importantly, the pricing. The customer especially likes the discount when they trade up or something like that.
What needs improvement?
In terms of the product, we don't have anything to improve. But I have a concern about the FortiGate team here in Egypt, because there is an opportunity that we are working on and when we opened it and did the deal installation, it was rejected. When I talked to the FortiGate team here in Egypt, they told me they know about the deal, but they rejected it.
Additionally, they could make some modifications in the license. There are some license issues. Not every feature must have a separate license. There must be some kind of synergy between the license so we don't have to pay for every individual license that we would like to have.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for around one year now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In m company there are around seven technical engineers required for deployment and maintenance.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability, our biggest customer using it has 500 people.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't worked with the technical support. I did face some admin problem with the team here in Egypt.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We are a partner with Sophos, with Palo Alto, and with WatchGuard. So we have a lot of competitors for FortiGate.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate was easy. The most important thing is the management software with the license for accounts that need an additional license. But it is also acceptable.
The initial setup takes a while. It seems to take some time longer than usual due to the customer's onsite preparation of the required information. Overall it takes around five to seven working days.
What about the implementation team?
We are a partner, and a technical team qualified for implementing.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is also an issue here. Maybe we get a massive discount on the product, but the renew cost is higher. In addition there are some admin issues. When I receive a request for a renew for a customer, the local team here only deals with the company that makes the primary deal, and refuses to give us a quotation. So we may lose the opportunity, or we may go with the vendor with their native product.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend the product. I think it's good and they're doing well on the roadmap. But again, for the team they have to take better care of the local partner.
On a scale of one to ten, I would give Fortinet FortiGate a seven.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Chief Information Officer with 51-200 employees
A continuously updated firewall solution with a good antispam filter
Pros and Cons
- "I like Fortinet FortiGate's antispam filter, SPN, and clustering features."
- "Application management can be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use Fortinet FortiGate to implement firewalls for our customers.
What is most valuable?
I like Fortinet FortiGate's antispam filter, SPN, and clustering features.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement. When it comes to email spam detection, Baracuda is the highest or the best, Cisco is the lowest, and Fortinet FortiGate is in the middle. Application management can be improved. Analysis and sandbox can also be improved in the next release.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate for around three years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability can be improved. Compared to Cisco, Fortinet FortiGate's scalability is in a good position.
How are customer service and technical support?
Fortinet FortiGate offers good technical support services.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. For example, the SMB solution is straightforward. We have to follow the instructions and customize it as per the customer's request for the enterprise solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Fortinet FortiGate's price can be reduced.
What other advice do I have?
Fortinet FortiGate is highly recommended because they update everything every second.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Fortinet FortiGate a nine.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Project Manager at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
User-friendly with good integrations on offer and a variety of great features
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very user friendly. The user interface in particular is quite nice."
- "The customization could be improved. Cisco, for example, is much better at this. They need to work to be at least as good as they are."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for security - for the firewall.
What is most valuable?
The solution has a variety of excellent features.
The cloud base that they have on offer is great.
Overall, the solution is very good and we've been very happy with it.
The solution is very user friendly. The user interface in particular is quite nice.
The integration is great.
What needs improvement?
The customization could be improved. Cisco, for example, is much better at this. They need to work to be at least as good as they are.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for one year so far.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
So far, the stability has been very good. We haven't had any issues at all. I haven't had issues with bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's great.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I haven't run into any issues when it comes to scaling. If a company needs to scale it should be able to do so without much of a problem.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't really dealt directly with technical support. Once, when I ran into an issue, I spoke with my local partner. Other than that, you can find the answers you need via the help navigation.
Therefore, I can't speak to the helpfulness of technical support. I can't speak to whether or not they are responsive or knowledgable.
I have been satisfied with the help I've received from my local partner, however. They've been quite good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We do use other solutions as well, such as Cisco. We find this solution to be better in general, and more user-friendly. That said, Cisco does do customization better.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not complex. It's pretty straightforward. We found it to be quite simple.
When I bought it, I found that the user interface made everything pretty easy from the start. They also have very good help features that can assist you if you get stuck. It was pretty easy to configure the items I needed to.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is pretty much standard with the competition. It's not overly expensive.
That said, if you want to have a good security VPN or firewall, then you should invest more than money and pay interest in local devices. If you want a better network structure and better security, then you need more local devices.
What other advice do I have?
I use FortiGate quite a bit. I'm just a customer and end-user. I don't have a business relationship with the company.
On a scale from one to ten, I'd rate the solution at an eight. I've been pretty happy with it so far.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Data Center Consultant at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Very secure, stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "The security for endpoints is the most valuable. It is very secure for our workers. It allows us to secure a transaction and enable security for a specific segment in the workflow."
- "I would like the deployment and integration of this product to be easier. We should be able to deploy the features more easily and have different types of access. It should be easier to integrate. Currently, we need to develop APIs to use this interface."
What is our primary use case?
We use it to secure connections for communication. This solution is deployed on the cloud and on-premises. We are using the latest version.
What is most valuable?
The security for endpoints is the most valuable. It is very secure for our workers. It allows us to secure a transaction and enable security for a specific segment in the workflow.
What needs improvement?
I would like the deployment and integration of this product to be easier. We should be able to deploy the features more easily and have different types of access. It should be easier to integrate. Currently, we need to develop APIs to use this interface.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Its scalability is good. We have 1,000 users of this solution in our organization. Currently, our usage of this solution is 50%.
How are customer service and technical support?
They have 24/7 support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using a different solution, and we switched because of the security and price.
How was the initial setup?
It was complex earlier, but it is not that complex now. It took us about 24 hours to implement it. It was quick. It is integrated with the services that our IT team has. We have all the high-value services, such as support services, monitoring services, and integration services.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is around $50,000 per month.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate SWG an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
IT Infrastructure managerInformation an Communication Services Manager at a agriculture with 5,001-10,000 employees
Great load balancing feature, secure and stable
Pros and Cons
- "Good load balancing feature."
- "We have an issue with hotel guest vouchers."
What is our primary use case?
We've used this solution for the guest portal for our client and we also use it to secure the network of our firm. I am the IT infrastructure manager and we are customers of Fortinet.
What is most valuable?
I like the fact that we don't have to use our IP address and that it roams. I also like the load balancing feature which allows you to attach several internet connections and load balance.
What needs improvement?
We have an issue with the license when it expires because we're unable to use the computers. We are in the hotel industry and there's an issue with vouchers when guests come in wanting to use them.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution. We had some issues after we upgraded but on the whole it's stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We don't have scalability requirements so I can't comment.
How are customer service and technical support?
We had some issues with the local support, particularly with regard to purchasing the subscription. It took a very long time and at one point the license had expired and it took a while to sort out.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple and doesn't take much time.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is an affordable solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
FortiGate is the most effective solution for us and it's a cheaper option to Check Point or Palo Alto which we looked at. They are both very expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution an eight out of 10.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Updated: December 2025
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