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Check Point NGFW vs Fortinet FortiGate comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 1, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Check Point NGFW
Ranking in Firewalls
6th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
307
Ranking in other categories
Unified Threat Management (UTM) (1st)
Fortinet FortiGate
Ranking in Firewalls
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
316
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (1st), WAN Edge (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Check Point NGFW is 3.2%, down from 3.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 19.8%, up from 17.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewalls
 

Q&A Highlights

NC
May 08, 2022
 

Featured Reviews

Pratik-Savla - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 22, 2024
Filters internet access and controls applications
Before choosing Check Point NGFW, we used Palo Alto Networks. We switched because of issues with Palo Alto. Their customer support wasn't very responsive. Some policies weren't working right, letting things through that should've been blocked. We compared different pricing options and features before deciding on Check Point NGFW. The main differences between Palo Alto and Check Point NGFW were mostly in how they worked for us. They both offer good next-gen firewalls, but we had some problems with Palo Alto. Sometimes it wouldn't notify us quickly when something got through. Its prevention wasn't always as strong as we wanted. We felt Palo Alto's traffic inspection was only partial, not checking everything thoroughly. Check Point NGFW seemed to offer better inspection. Check Point NGFW also had better threat intel and application control. With Palo Alto, we couldn't see all our applications, only some of them. This caused shadow IT problems. Cost was also a factor in our decision.
DineshKumar28 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 25, 2024
Effective threat prevention with responsive customer support
We are using Fortinet FortiGate as a firewall Fortinet FortiGate has been invaluable. It has helped save costs due to its various features, reliable performance, very good UI, low latency, and stability. The Threat Intel engine in Fortinet FortiGate is highly rated for its effectiveness in…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The way in which a computer is immediately isolated if it starts behaving badly and I get a notification of an infected computer is also extremely nice and a great feature."
"The detection rate for any cyberattacks/suspicious activity is very high (more than 90%)."
"AV, IPS, AntiSpam, Sandbox. That's gentlemen set for any basic security, and it was implemented very well. In our reports, the most exciting results belong to AV and IPS. It can be explained by using ThreatCloud - a global knowledge base, which accumulates signatures for all existing and new coming malware, and all the Check Point solutions are always up to date with potential threats."
"It gives us centralized management for multiple firewalls. For example, if I want to push the same configuration in 10 firewalls, I can push it all at once with the help of the centralized management system."
"The fact that these can be separated and made in different layers provides excellent convenience for the administrators who regulate the rules."
"It is giving us a greater reach for greater prevention and is proactively protecting our employees."
"Only allows authorized connections and prevents vulnerabilities in a network."
"The most valuable feature is the availability of two consoles."
"The product offers very good security."
"I like several features that this product has, such as antivirus and internet navigation inspection. It is also simple to use."
"The simplicity of the configuration and the stability of the product are most valuable. The VPN concentrator is very useful."
"Its stability is the most valuable."
"It is a safe product."
"We are very happy with the general bandwidth agility we have seen from one website to another website."
"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."
"Good anti-malware and web filtering features."
 

Cons

"Sometimes, the firewall doesn't pick up on certain things. If an attacker is clever and uses a low-profile indicator, the firewall might flag an anomaly but not give enough information to decide if it's worth investigating. The threat intelligence component also has challenges. It doesn't always tie alerts to active campaigns or threat actor groups. We often have to do extra work and use other products to figure these out."
"When installed on Windows, the system with low storage space slows down."
"The URL objects take significant time in processing compared to other products like Cisco FTD; it would be better if they could improve it."
"Without any training, it is very hard to administrate the whole Check Point NGFW."
"The management of memory in the hardware needs to improve. They have had a lot of issues with memory leakage."
"The command line is very difficult to use, which is one of the biggest drawbacks of this solution."
"The price of this product could be improved."
"Sometimes we need to find a resolution by ourselves as the solution's knowledge base is not enough."
"Lacks training for new features."
"The initial setup and configuration are not intuitive and require training."
"Price, of course, can always be more competitive or better."
"Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution. However, my issue is the performance only. When I use all the profiles, this affects the performance. From the beginning, I should have had a better sizing of the box."
"Performance and technical support are the main issues with this solution."
"In the balance between links feature normally you can just choose one option to balance. It would be better for the solution to have more than one option, preferably three."
"Its reporting and pricing need improvement."
"Cisco Meraki products are rising very quickly in the cloud and the connected era. Meraki products offer much better ROI, upgradability, and manageability."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing is on a yearly basis and I am happy with the pricing."
"Use the basic sizing tool to do the correct sizing so you don't waste too much money, because it's not a very cheap solution when compared to other vendors."
"Check Point offers the same applications and features as Palo Alto for roughly a third of the price."
"When it comes to the quality-price ratio, I've found that Check Point offers a competitive balance in the market."
"Though we did not take issue with the price of Check Point NGFW, we felt that it was providing us with inadequate support here in Uganda."
"There is an annual license required for this solution."
"The price could be decreased, because the competitors of Check Point Firewall are giving lower prices in comparison."
"The price is high in comparison to other solutions."
"Its price is reasonable. They have a clear pricing policy. It is not complicated by the number of VPN users at a time. We know what the price is. The yearly subscription for the security license is rather high, but it is all included for whatever number of users you have and the kind of functions you need."
"Go for long term pricing negotiated at the time of purchase."
"Fortinet is competitive price-wise."
"Its pricing is competitive with other solutions."
"We find the most valuable aspect of this solution is the price. It is affordable, and cheaper than other firewalls."
"The price of Fortinet FortiGate is reasonable for an SME."
"It's very affordable."
"​We saved a bundle by not needing all the past appliances from an NGFW.​"
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Comparison Review

it_user216600 - PeerSpot reviewer
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

NC
May 8, 2022
May 8, 2022
I have experience on both from Disti and channel experience. Please find below my comments (nothing new as such). -Check Point GUI is a bit complicated, -Application and Web filtering are better than Fortigate. -IPS and AV are more effective than Fortigate. Overall more stable than any other firewall Support: not up to the level like Fortigate and lack of trained resources (in the gulf). Chec...
2 out of 5 answers
MB
Aug 31, 2021
I have worked for several years with the Check Point platform (NGFW) and it is by far more stable in hardware and software. It is a very friendly platform and easy to configure. It is true that it is a bit expensive according to the required blades but it is a platform that is worth having as security in a corporate.
GP
Sep 14, 2021
We had this same discussion recently with my organization. It came down to the security of the platform.  Fortinet has had a number of breaches over the last 2 years and this was a key factor in our decision.  The challenge with Check Point will be the transition from our existing firewall and taking advantage of the various features across our organization. 
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
57%
Computer Software Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
4%
Government
4%
Educational Organization
22%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

How does Check Point NGFW compare with Fortinet Fortigate?
I have experience on both from Disti and channel experience. Please find below my comments (nothing new as such). -Check Point GUI is a bit complicated, -Application and Web filtering are better t...
Which would you recommend - Azure Firewall or Check Point NGFW?
Azure Firewall is easy to use and provides excellent support. Valuable features include integration into the overall cloud platform, autoscaling, and the ability for users to create virtual IP addr...
What do you like most about Check Point NGFW?
Check Point NGFW provides essential security, featuring no-obligation access for secure connections, strong intrusion prevention, and comprehensive antivirus protection.
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 at large. In my opinion, Fortinet would be the best option and l use Fortinet too...
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...
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...
 

Also Known As

Check Point NG Firewall, Check Point Next Generation Firewall
FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Control Southern, Optimal Media
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
Find out what your peers are saying about Check Point NGFW vs. Fortinet FortiGate and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
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