We use Sophos XGS primarily for VPN and security with clients and supplies.
IT Manager at a logistics company with 201-500 employees
Has rules and intelligence to scan all vulnerabilities in our network
Pros and Cons
- "The most effective feature in enhancing our network security is the threat intelligence capability."
- "The technical support could be improved as it is currently not competent and pretty slow."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
Sophos XGS has some rules and intelligence to scan all vulnerabilities in our network.
What is most valuable?
The most effective feature in enhancing our network security is the threat intelligence capability.
What needs improvement?
The technical support could be improved as it is currently not competent and pretty slow.
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Sophos Firewall
October 2026
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For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Sophos XGS for three years.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is rated three out of ten, indicating it needs significant improvement.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of Sophos XGS is okay. It is approximately two thousand and a half per year.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it 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.
Head Of IT at Misr Cement Qena
A cost-effective solution to control the network and for web browsing
Pros and Cons
- "It increases productivity in our company. Everything is protected."
- "Deployment could be easier."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution to control the network and for web browsing. It provides threat protection.
What is most valuable?
It increases productivity in our company. Everything is protected.
What needs improvement?
Deployment could be easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XGS for three years.
How are customer service and support?
I have the company we bought from Cisco, which provides technical support. If anything goes wrong, we call them for any help and support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
With Cisco, You have to buy everything separately and request many options. It's preferable to get a full bundle like Sophos offers. Sophos includes everything in one package, and any additional features are less expensive than Cisco.
It is 20% more expensive than Sophos.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is difficult. You need to take a course to learn how to deploy Sophos. With training and hands-on experience, it’s manageable now, but setting up Sophos for the first time was time-consuming. Deploying the security and configuring the network took a lot of effort initially, but the process becomes much easier once that's done.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Sophos Firewall
October 2026
Learn what your peers think about Sophos Firewall. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2026.
920,939 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Used for website blocking, application blocking, and site-to-site VPN
Pros and Cons
- "Compared to other products, Sophos XGS is a user-friendly solution."
- "It would be useful if Sophos XGS included DDNS-based features."
What is our primary use case?
We use Sophos XGS mostly for website blocking, application blocking, and site-to-site VPN.
What is most valuable?
Compared to other products, Sophos XGS is a user-friendly solution.
What needs improvement?
It would be useful if Sophos XGS included DDNS-based features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XGS for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution an eight out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Sophos XGS is a scalable solution. We have more than 50 users in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
Sophos XGS provides good technical support. The support team has good knowledge of troubleshooting and fixing our issues.
How was the initial setup?
The solution’s initial setup is complex.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented the solution through an in-house team. The solution’s deployment takes half an hour to one hour.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Sophos XGS is a cost-effective solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Sophos XGS to other users because it is more cost-effective than other products.
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Security Engineer at a security firm with 51-200 employees
An affordable solution for SD-WAN to connect the branch’s site with antivirus
What is our primary use case?
Users have distributed networks. They use it as an SD-WAN to connect the branch’s site or multiple locations. We are using RED channels or devices for branch-to-branch connectivity.
What is most valuable?
You don't need an additional subscription for IPS or an antivirus. It has an engine of antivirus applications for IPS. You have an email gateway for people who are still using on-prem exchange. Comparatively, other firewalls might need multiple subscriptions separately for each feature.
What needs improvement?
Sophos might discontinue the UTM features, as they've been promoting the newer XGS Series appliances. While the XGS offers great features like detailed logging and audit reports, it currently lacks essential functions in the UTM. For example, the XGS doesn't provide basic audit tracking for configuration changes, which is crucial for understanding who made modifications, what was changed, and when. Sophos claims they'll add this functionality later. Its absence significantly hinders the usability of the new firewall.
Additionally, while XGS offers decent day-to-day management, there's room for improvement. Many users transitioning from UTM find the XGS interface less intuitive, causing a learning curve.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XGS as a reseller for a long time. We are working with the latest version of the solution.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The newer version is stable. Earlier versions, like V8, were quite unstable.
I rate the solution’s stability an eight-point five out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution’s scalability is good. We cater the solution to small, medium, and enterprises.
I rate the solution’s scalability an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Support is mostly good, but sometimes it takes too long to escalate the solution.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very easy. It depends based on the scale of the deployment. There are different use cases according to the customers. Based on the requirements, the deployment can take between one day to a month. We have a small customer with a few hundred users. We can configure that within two to three days and finish the deployment quickly. It requires meticulous planning, and doing it then takes time based on the size of the customer , especially if it's a big customer. A small deployment is very easy. Larger deployments take time based on the customer requirements and different timescopes of the customer and downtime.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Sophos is comparatively cheaper than other products. The total cost of ownership is better in Sophos.
I rate the product’s pricing a five out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate the solution an eight-point five out of ten.
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. Reseller
Monitoring Expert at a tech company with 11-50 employees
Monitors our network environment properly, creates and manages firewall rules
Pros and Cons
- "The policies are the greatest feature. They allow us to configure granular control over our network traffic."
- "The speed of report generation could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We used it to create rules to monitor our network environment properly, using the standard.
How has it helped my organization?
It's great because we can create and manage firewall rules, add policies to those rules, and generate detailed reports. It has helped us protect our network and meet compliance requirements.
What is most valuable?
The policies are the greatest feature. They allow us to configure granular control over our network traffic.
What needs improvement?
The speed of report generation could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for one year. I used version 16.5, and I also used version 17 of the product.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate it highly for scalability. I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I had a little bit of experience with another firewall solution, but not much.
How was the initial setup?
It is easy to deploy and manage.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is okay.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend go ahead and use it. It's a great product. I have this product in my house as well.
Overall, I would rate the solution a ten 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.
Director at Apjakal IT Solutions
Has an easy initial setup process, but its stability needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "It is a scalable solution."
- "Its pricing could be better."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution to secure networks and traffic for our customers.
What is most valuable?
The solution is easy to use and provides regular updates. Along with this, it is network friendly as well. Thus, we can easily control and monitor the devices.
What needs improvement?
The solution's pricing and stability could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution. I rate its stability a seven or eight. Sometimes, we encounter stability issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. I rate its scalability an eight or nine. Our clients for the solution are enterprise businesses.
How are customer service and support?
The solution's technical support is good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The solution is easy to install. It takes a day or two to complete depending on the use cases. We require one technician for its deployment. Also, its maintenance process involves adding connections, managing them, and checking the errors.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have the solution's annual license. Its price is moderate, but it could be cheaper. Also, there are additional costs involved as it requires appointing IT experts.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend the solution to others and rate it as seven out of ten.
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. Reseller
Reliable with a nice interface and great documentation
Pros and Cons
- "It's easy to use and user-friendly."
- "It is very lovely to work with Sophos in general."
- "The licensing prices are too high. There are a lot of false-positive cases."
What is our primary use case?
We did buy access points, and we did use the WiFi configuration. We did create a configuration for the WiFi to the access points on the same interface. It's great for access point integration.
What is most valuable?
The user interface is fine.
The configuration and customization capabilities are good.
It is very lovely to work with Sophos in general. It's easy to use and user-friendly.
There is a lot of great documentation available to users.
The stability is good.
It's scalable.
What needs improvement?
The licensing prices are too high.
There are a lot of false-positive cases.
We'd like to see access point integration.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for four months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product can scale.
We have about 150 users on the solution right now.
How are customer service and support?
I have not used any technical support services. There is so much documentation online, I do not need assistance.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I also use Microsoft products. I prefer Sophos for on-premises and Microsoft for cloud and antivirus products.
Microsoft Defender and the Microsoft Defender cloud panels admin portal are native, and we are using many Microsoft products, so it just makes sense due to the environment to use Microsoft products.
How was the initial setup?
While the deployment was done before I began work in the organization, I reset it and configured it completely.
There are a lot of Sophos post-configuration documents, Sophos videos, et cetera. It was the first time that I configured Sophos. However, it was all good.
The product is very easy to maintain.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost to license the product is a bit expensive. I'd rate the cost at a four out of five in terms of affordability. We pay about $150.
What other advice do I have?
I'm a consultant. I'm using the latest version of the solution.
Sophos is good for smaller companies. It might not be suitable for large ones.
I'd rate it 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.
Owner at Certified PC Solutions
Excellent features, reliable, with competitive pricing
Pros and Cons
- "The feature that I find most valuable is the synchronized security option where the endpoint talks to the firewall."
- "Level one technical support is not good at all and needs to be improved."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case is for recommending it to my customers who are using it right now.
What is most valuable?
The feature that I find most valuable is the synchronized security option where the endpoint talks to the firewall.
What needs improvement?
Level one technical support is not good at all and needs to be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XGS for the past six years or more.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good for Sophos XGS.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Sophos XGS is scalable. I am currently working with anywhere between five to forty users.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I was working with Fortinet before switching to Sophos XGS.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. The basics are easy, but it is all the extra features that take a long time to deploy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing for Sophos XGS is reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Sophos XGS an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
It manager at MMA2
Spam filtering is my favorite feature
Pros and Cons
- "Spam filtering is what I love most about XGS."
- "The reporting could be better."
What is our primary use case?
I use XGS for filtering and spam blocking. We have 255 users.
What is most valuable?
Spam filtering is what I love most about XGS.
What needs improvement?
The reporting could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XGS for about five years.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up Sophos XGS is straightforward, and it took us about four hours to deploy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I pay for a yearly license for XGS. It's not cheap, but the price is okay compared to other gateway devices. It's in the middle.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Sophos XGS eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
CIO at a healthcare company with 201-500 employees
Good performance and reporting with a straightforward setup
Pros and Cons
- "It's much faster than the previous firewall, so you can do the work faster."
- "They need intelligent reporting, not just your simple, standard reports."
What is our primary use case?
We are primarily using the product for firewall issues, including protecting the network and so on.
How has it helped my organization?
It's much faster than the previous firewall, so you can do the work faster. There are no delays in the internet and network.
What is most valuable?
The performance is better than the other product that we've had.
Reporting-wise, it's quite good. IPS detection and ATP is getting better and faster.
We have found the initial setup to be quite straightforward.
The solution is stable.
It can scale well.
What needs improvement?
The reporting could always be improved upon. They need intelligent reporting, not just your simple, standard reports.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for the past three months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable, reliable product. The performance is good. It's fast. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product can scale very well. It's not a problem if a company needs to expand. There are different sizes of products. It's a good idea to pick a larger size if you expect to scale.
We have around 150 users on the solution at this point. They cover different roles from admins to front and back office.
How are customer service and support?
We have a third-party provider that is giving us support. We don't communicate with Sophos directly.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used WatchGuard. That was at a previous company. When I moved here, the organization already had Sophos.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very simple and very straightforward. Since it was also migration in our case, we had to do testing and so on. It took one week to deploy it.
We only need one person to handle the deployment and maintenance process.
What about the implementation team?
We had a third-party assist us during the implementation process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We renew the license every three years. We get better pricing that way. There are no other expenses beyond the standard pricing. That said, there are additional subscription modules you might need. However, you pick them at the beginning, and it depends if you need them or not.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not evaluate other options. We already had the setup, and we didn't want to make any big changes.
What other advice do I have?
I'm a customer and end-user.
I've currently using the latest version of the solution.
I'd rate the solution nine 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.
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Updated: October 2026
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