We generally deploy this solution for our clients for its basic functionality; our clients generally don't have sophisticated requirements. The solution is used for the firewall rules and the VPN rules, as well as the WAF functionality. We are silver resellers of this product and I'm head of the software department.
Head of Software department & Head of Security department at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Offers good integrated security but failover management is lacking
Pros and Cons
- "The most useful aspect of the solution is the concept of integrated security."
- "The management console could be improved and the solution lacks good technical support."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most useful aspect of the solution is the concept of integrated security which is why I use and recommended this firewall to clients. However, given that we never use endpoint protection, there is less incentive for us to continue using it. Initially it provided a specificity which enabled one kind of endpoint protection managed through the appliance together with the WIFI integrated within the firewall, managing all basic security aspects for TPD. However, because the endpoint protection is not that good and there are problems with malware and we can't prioritize facility management over security of the finances, we can't continue to work this way.
What needs improvement?
I think the management console could be improved. I also find the partner portal difficult to work with because it never functions correctly and it's exhausting to deal with. They should also improve the failover management and the reliability of failover, and there are sometimes issues with the WAF functionality, whereby a number of applications can't be used correctly. Finally, I think the support could be improved because when you open a ticket, there's a long wait time for a response.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for three years.
Buyer's Guide
Sophos XG
April 2025

Learn what your peers think about Sophos XG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is quite good there are no major vulnerabilities.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is a real weakness but that seems to always be the case. Sophos has improved over the last couple of years. It's better than before but it's still not good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I find the solution too expensive, to be honest. It's one of the reasons I'm looking for an alternative. It's overpriced for what they offer. When you buy a commercial appliance, the only thing you really need is good support, and they don't provide that, so the cost for hardware and software is too expensive. If the support was responsive, I'd be happy to pay. Now I'd prefer to acquire my own hardware and install pfSense and spend the money helping technicians and engineers gain good skills and improve our own support. We'd have the same level of protection at a lower cost.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution a seven out of 10.
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

Head ICT at NIC Uganda
Reliable, easy to install, reasonably-priced, with good management control
Pros and Cons
- "I like the dashboard, the interface, the management console, and the remote login."
- "I would want the level of integration to have another device on your network that is also reliable."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution as a firewall, and for remote login during the lockdown period.
We have used Sophos client, which is connected to the firewall to help our users to log in remotely.
How has it helped my organization?
We have always used firewalls, this is just a different one that we have deployed. It allowed our clients to log in remotely.
It has also helped us with outbound and inbound account management.
We have used it to manage the usage of the sites and helping to control the internet usage during productive hours.
What is most valuable?
I like the dashboard, the interface, the management console, and the remote login.
What needs improvement?
I would like to explore network access control. I haven't seen that it is clearly deployed.
It might be something that is already in place, or if it is available on another device.
I would want the level of integration to have another device on your network that is also reliable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XG for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's very stable. It has never given us any problems.
When there are power failures, we have to reboot the network.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have not tested the scalability. Our users are below 100, and from the time that we got it, our number of users has not gone above that original 100.
From what I have read, it's scalable and we have plans to increase our usage. For example, we are not using the Intrusion section, which is an area that we want to use.
We also plan to install the Sophos endpoint.
We are looking at integrating the two solutions and seeing how they work.
We have been using a different antivirus for our endpoints.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't used technical support from Sophos. I have not required it. It's been easy for me to sort out myself.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Sophos was our first physical firewall device on our network.
Before that, we were using Linux-based open-source software firewalls.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. It is easy to install.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price for the firewall is reasonable.
The endpoint, however, is expensive. The price is not very standard, considering where we are coming from.
What other advice do I have?
We are considering Sophos endpoint and should have it next month.
I would recommend Sophos XGto others.
I would rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Sophos XG
April 2025

Learn what your peers think about Sophos XG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Managing Director at FORESEC
Straightforward to set up, stable, and is well-suited to SMB
Pros and Cons
- "Overall, this is a good product and I would recommend it for small to mid-sized customers."
- "The number of ports, especially on the entry-level appliances, should be increased."
What is our primary use case?
We are a solution provider and Sophos XG is one of the security products that we implement for our customers. We always provide them with the latest version.
What needs improvement?
The number of ports, especially on the entry-level appliances, should be increased.
The price of adding ports should be reduced to make it more competitive.
The vendor needs to create materials to show the differences between Sophos products and those from other vendors.
Network management needs to be included in the package.
As it is now, it only supports ten multiple users, which is something that should be increased.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Sophos XG for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable product and we have approximately 150 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
We get our support from the local distributor.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Prior to Sophos XG, we used products from Fortinet and Forcepoint.
The Forcepoint product is doing well. We have a different perimeter firewall for our data center that uses it because we use different vendors for different sites.
How was the initial setup?
This is an on-premises appliance and the installation is straightforward. It can be deployed in less than an hour. However, according to the number of users and the number of ports that will be connected, the design may vary. This makes it difficult to estimate the time required to do a full implementation of the product.
What about the implementation team?
We have four people in charge of maintenance, although they do not work exclusively with Sophos. We have another appliance from another vendor. The entire team, including their manager, is about 10 people.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is in the mid-range and it is very good for small to medium-sized businesses. One license opens everything.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, this is a good product and I would recommend it for small to mid-sized customers.
I would rate this solution an eight 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: Partner
Consultant at Hitech Network Solution
Can be deployed easily and quickly, and the antivirus features are valuable
Pros and Cons
- "The antivirus features are valuable."
- "The price should be cheaper."
What is most valuable?
The antivirus features are valuable.
What needs improvement?
The price should be cheaper. Xstream must be included in future releases.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the tool’s stability a seven out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the tool’s scalability a ten out of ten. Our clients are SMBs.
How was the initial setup?
I rate the ease of setup a ten out of ten. The solution is deployed both on-premise and on the cloud. The deployment takes half an hour.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate the pricing a six out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
We are distributors. We sell the solution. We have many customers. Overall, I rate the product an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Founder and Managing Partner at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Powerful, simple implementation, useful update scheduling
Pros and Cons
- "What I have found most valuable with the Sophos XG is it's a key component of the Intercept X EDR environment. You have to have it to receive the full benefit. If you've you are using Sophos SG firewalls, they're great firewalls and in many ways, I prefer them to the Sophos XG. Since I have set them up, programmed them, and manipulate firewall rules, et cetera, the Sophos SG's a better interface. However, the Sophos XG's very powerful. I prefer it over other solutions I have used, such as Cisco Meraki and SupportNet, I don't like them. They're not very friendly to people who have to set them up and implement them."
- "The interface of Sophos XG could be improved. I would prefer the Sophos XG to have an interface for the technician who is setting it up similar to the Sophos SG. I felt the Sophos SG user interface was superior. however, in terms of the functionality of the product, Sophos XG is in many ways more powerful than the Sophos SG. I have no complaints about the quality of the product or the end result. For someone who has used both, I preferred the old interface to the new one."
What is our primary use case?
I use Sophos XG as a network firewall.
What is most valuable?
What I have found most valuable with the Sophos XG is it's a key component of the Intercept X EDR environment. You have to have it to receive the full benefit. If you've you are using Sophos SG firewalls, they're great firewalls and in many ways, I prefer them to the Sophos XG. Since I have set them up, programmed them, and manipulate firewall rules, et cetera, the Sophos SG's a better interface. However, the Sophos XG's very powerful. I prefer it over other solutions I have used, such as Cisco Meraki and SupportNet, I don't like them. They're not very friendly to people who have to set them up and implement them.
What needs improvement?
The interface of Sophos XG could be improved. I would prefer the Sophos XG to have an interface for the technician who is setting it up similar to the Sophos SG. I felt the Sophos SG user interface was superior. however, in terms of the functionality of the product, Sophos XG is in many ways more powerful than the Sophos SG. I have no complaints about the quality of the product or the end result. For someone who has used both, I preferred the old interface to the new one.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Sophos XG within the last 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is what I have found attractive with the whole Sophos product line. You can have a client that starts with a three-person office and grow it to a 10,000 person operation and you keep moving the configuration to the next level of power.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Cisco Meraki and SupportNet solutions previously.
How was the initial setup?
Sophos XG is a better solution for implementers, once you learn it. You have to learn the interface and once you do, it's straightforward. Additionally, you don't have to know the CLI as you do with Cisco, where you have to get into the command-line interface to do any powerful operations.
What about the implementation team?
Maintenance for Sophos XG it's pretty straightforward. I will receive an email if there's a firmware update that needs to be applied and any one of my team, or I will apply the update at our next convenience. You can schedule it to allow it to take place at a non-production time. For example, if I want the firmware update to apply it at 2:00 am in the morning I can schedule it. Additionally, it automatically applies pattern updates.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Pre-sales at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
A comprehensive solution which makes available heartbeat security
Pros and Cons
- "Sophos is a comrehensive solution which allows me to configure all the attendant products, such as Sophos' firewall, Endpoint and Encryption features."
- "The response time could stand improvement."
What is most valuable?
Sophos is a comprehensive solution which allows me to configure all the attendant products, such as Sophos' firewall, Endpoint and Encryption features.
A nice feature of Sophos is that it offers in sync and heartbeat security. When my clients have a perimeter involving Sophos firewall and endpoints with Sophos Endpoint, they can communicate with each other.
Heartbeat security is a great feature.
What needs improvement?
In light of all the firmware upgrades, maintenance, feature and general releases of firmware, I really appreciate the support offered by Sophos. It is really good.
However, the response time could stand improvement, as I do not benefit from immediate support. There is a delay involved. This can be problematic when I need urgent support, such as when my device is in a production environment.
How are customer service and support?
The support is really good. With all the firmware upgrades, maintenance, feature and general firmware releases which occur nowadays, I really appreciate Sophos support. It is really good.
This said, it could be faster, as it is not immediate. This can be problematic when I require urgent support, such as when my device is in a production environment.
How was the initial setup?
When it comes to the firewall, everything hinges on the configuration. Every firewall is good, but one can see the importance of the configuration in the firewalls of Sophos and SonicWall. This is the most important thing, since users occcasionally disable the app control, IPS or anti-spyware features. They do this out of a lack of familiarity with the security, something which allows attacks to occur. Therefore, the configuration is key. I configure every firewall I employ, be it Sophos, SonicWall or Fortinet.
I have not encountered any issues when it comes to the configuration.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I was a gold partner with Sophos XG. As such, I make suggestions about the appropriate model in line with my customer's requirements. Essentially, over the last two years of the COVID-19 crises, most users required an SSL VPN license, something for which SonicWall charges but which Sophos offers for free.
SSL VPN involves two factor authentication. This is free of charge. Both email and key OTP are options. While SonicWall also offers SSL VPN capabilities, it is problematic. When I needed a license, I purchased an additional perpetual SSL VPN license.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
SonicWall makes available all the different models, such as TZ and NSA. I am familiar with all the models. Sophos only has an entry-level model, which is actually 87, 107 and 116.
Fortinet offers the Forti ATF model.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend the solution to other clients, but make certain to first understand their individual needs. I would be doing them a disservice were it otherwise.
I really like Sophos.
In the past, when Sophos employed XG firewall, I was forced to deal with a slow GUI. This is because its back-end kernel is Linux. Now that XGS is provided, many changes can be seen in the hardware appliance. The hardware has been upgraded. The XGS firewall is faster than the XG series, so the problem has been resolved.
While I rate Fortinet as a nine out of ten, I give Sophos XG a rating of eight.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
Senior Network Security Engineer | Project Manager at a consumer goods company with 10,001+ employees
Simple to use, easy installation, and performs well
Pros and Cons
- "The solution has good performance and is easy to use."
- "The solution could be more secure."
What is our primary use case?
We use Sophos XG for network threat protection in our data center.
What is most valuable?
The solution has good performance and is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
The solution could be more secure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XG for a few years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have approximately 100 users using this solution.
How was the initial setup?
The installation of Sophos XG is easy.
What about the implementation team?
We have four technical engineers for installation and administrators for this equipment.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have evaluated Palo Alto and FortiGate.
What other advice do I have?
We have replaced some of our hardware with Palo Alto and FortiGate solutions.
I am satisfied with this solution.
I rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Head of Network Department at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
A stable firewall solution, but the GUI and support could be better
Pros and Cons
- "Sophos is a stable solution, and we haven't had any bugs or limitations."
- "The GUI and support could be better. I think there are other products that we are going to deploy instead of Sophos. We have already upgraded a month ago because the interfaces and support for Sophos are really weak. But other products like Juniper, Cisco, or FortiGate are better than Sophos. It's also complicated, and the end-user or client does not understand it."
What is our primary use case?
We use the SRX from Juniper as the second firewall, and Sophos is useful as a first firewall facing the internet edge. We also use it as an SD-WAN, and we're going to use it as a load balancer instead of a BIG F5 load balancer. All of the things like web filtering and internal email filtering will be inside Sophos XG.
What is most valuable?
Sophos is a stable solution, and we haven't had any bugs or limitations.
What needs improvement?
The GUI and support could be better. I think there are other products that we are going to deploy instead of Sophos. We have already upgraded a month ago because the interfaces and support for Sophos are really weak. But other products like Juniper, Cisco, or FortiGate are better than Sophos. It's also complicated, and the end-user or client does not understand it.
The interfaces and the GUI design are not easy, and when you do something, unrelated things are in the same configuration site. There are different sites to visit to configure Sophos. This is even more than other products. Many features can be improved, especially the VPN and web filtering features.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Sophos XG for about five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Sophos XG is stable.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support could be better. I already opened a ticket three days ago, but they are not interested or have not cooperated with the end customer. But Juniper and Cisco are fast to respond compared to Sophos. Sophos is really complicated, and it's not fair to buy the annual support when they don't provide any support quickly when you request it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is fair.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise potential users not to use Sophos if they are not buying the appliance. They should use another product like FortiGate, Check Point, or Palo Alto.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Sophos XG a six.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

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