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Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 1, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.0
Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) provides value by enhancing security, increasing efficiency, and justifying investment through operational and financial benefits.
Sentiment score
4.5
Fortinet FortiGate-VM offers cost-effective security, efficient threat handling, and seamless Microsoft AD integration, enhancing network reliability in Brazil.
This is a time-saving measure because we don't need to deploy a cluster or a firewall each time; we just create a virtual system on the management server using the same appliance.
Security Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
Not having major security incidents has been far less expensive than dealing with data that could cost us hundreds of thousands or even millions in recovery and downtime.
Network Security Engineer at Connecting Cyber Networks
Incident response time has reduced significantly, and downtime due to network issues has been minimized, leading to an improved return on investment.
Ot Security Network Specialist at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees
I observed a fifty to sixty percent reduction in operational costs after migrating to FortiGate VM.
Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.
They have a platform that organizes their networks and access effectively.
Pre-Sales Analyst at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
We haven't used MPLS for over five years now, and it was extremely beneficial to see the changes from MPLS to SD-WAN using Fortinet FortiGate.
Chief Technology Officer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.2
Check Point Quantum Force support is knowledgeable but varies in efficiency, with advanced support offering priority assistance.
Sentiment score
6.4
Fortinet FortiGate-VM's support is praised for responsiveness and expertise, though some note variability and inefficiency in complex cases.
If we have an urgent security problem, it would be nice to get a faster response.
Network Security Engineer at Connecting Cyber Networks
The support team we engaged was knowledgeable and well-versed with the application.
Sr. Cyber Security and Solutions Architect at a consultancy with 201-500 employees
We have escalated issues to Check Point technical support multiple times and have received timely and very good responses.
Solution Architect at Techbridge Distribution
Their support is helpful and effective.
Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.
The end-user support is delayed at levels L2 and L3.
Chief Executive Officer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
They support us almost instantly.
Chief Technology Officer at GM Modular
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Check Point Quantum Force offers scalable architecture for growing demands, with easy expansion and effective workload management, though costs may rise.
Sentiment score
6.6
Fortinet FortiGate-VM is scalable and cost-effective, though some users encounter challenges with scalability and specific modules.
If specified correctly, even the smaller boxes offer high session and bandwidth rates, making the solution highly scalable, even up to telco-level requirements.
Solutions Architect at NTT DATA
It is easy to scale up by adding capacity through clustering or upgrading the license, and it effectively handles spikes in remote user connections or increased east-west traffic without noticeable bottlenecks.
Assistant Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
While the performance itself scales well technically, you need to be prepared for the financial side of the growth.
Network Security Engineer at Connecting Cyber Networks
Fortinet FortiGate-VM adapts effectively; for example, you have a limited number of VPN connections on VM01, accommodating around 1,000 remote users, and if the customer needs another endpoint, we can deploy VM02 and manage that transition effectively.
EMEA Enterprise Solutions Architect at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Scalability is well-supported, with the notable ability to implement features easily.
Assistant Operation Manger at IIJ Singapore
It can start with a single core and scale up to a 32-core license for a robust deployment.
Chief Executive Officer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
Check Point Quantum Force is highly stable with minimal downtime, offering reliable performance and robust security, minor patch issues exist.
Sentiment score
6.6
Fortinet FortiGate-VM is highly stable with minimal bugs, consistently reliable performance, and improved high availability for network security.
We have not experienced major crashes or unexpected downtime that affected our network security.
Network Security Engineer at Connecting Cyber Networks
While the solution is generally stable, there are complications, such as requiring SmartConsole for deployment and upgrades, which can be time-consuming.
Head of Technology at Techfruits
I have worked with Check Point products for 15 years and haven't found any stability or performance issues.
Solution Architect at Techbridge Distribution
The stability of Fortinet FortiGate is excellent.
CEO at Kapstone Technological Services LLP
The product has been very stable, based on my ten to eleven years of experience.
Assistant Operation Manger at IIJ Singapore
In the past couple of years, they started releasing numerous new features, and things have become somewhat unstable.
Chief Technology Officer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Check Point Quantum Force NGFW needs interface improvements, simpler pricing, better support, and enhanced features for ease of use.
Fortinet FortiGate-VM needs simplification in activation, integration, interface, and support, with calls for enhancements in features and pricing.
AI-driven features would be highly valuable—particularly those that enable bulk operations and efficient handling of large numbers of objects or object groups.
Technical Specialist at Softcell Technologies Limited
One thing that would help in improving Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) is having more flexible dashboards that I can tailor without relying on templates.
system administrator at Orbcom,Lda.
Other products, like FortiGate, are perceived as more intuitive because they are easier to configure from the start.
Solutions Architect at NTT DATA
You should not look just at a data sheet, but also look at real tests in the field and load tests from companies who are making them.
Founder at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The API needs better integration to match accounts and objects more effectively.
Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.
Now, these features require separate products like FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer, and a FortiCloud subscription for reporting.
Chief Executive Officer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
 

Setup Cost

Check Point Quantum Force offers strong security, with higher costs, complex licensing, but great value for mid-to-large enterprises.
Fortinet FortiGate-VM offers competitive pricing with flexible licensing, appealing to medium-large enterprises but challenging for smaller firms.
In comparison to Fortinet and other products, the pricing may be considered high.
Head of Technology at Techfruits
licensing is very pricey
Network Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Compared to other solutions, the pricing of Check Point NGFW is high.
Solution Architect at Techbridge Distribution
The license for Fortinet FortiGate-VM costs 100K to 150K Philippine pesos per year for VM1 or VM2.
System Engineer at Trends and Technologies, Inc
I don't have this experience with Fortinet FortiGate-VM because my colleagues in Germany are reaching better prices than me.
Network Administrator at THK Co Ltd
As long as there is competition, they go with 50% + discounts.
Senior Presales Consultant at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Valuable Features

Check Point Quantum Force offers advanced cybersecurity features, enhancing network protection, user productivity, and threat management through AI-powered intelligence.
Fortinet FortiGate-VM combines strong security, ease of use, scalability, and affordability with advanced threat detection and centralized management.
The firewall's default behavior of blocking all traffic, including a cleanup rule that blocks everything from external to internal sources, is highly valuable for protecting our network.
Cyber Security Analyst at airtel
The most valuable features in my experience include perimeter firewalling, cloud and mobile security, application control, URL filtering, DLP, threat prevention, intrusion protection, and safeguarding against malware, botnets, and zero-day attacks.
Solutions Architect at NTT DATA
Since implementing it, we have noticed a lot less getting through that maybe other antivirus within firewalls had failed to catch.
Network Administrator at POET, LLC
The more integrated we become, the less we spend on solving bugs and issues, allowing us to reduce time focusing on understanding and improving our network.
Pre-Sales Analyst at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Fortinet is the only provider to have successfully set up a unified operating system on all its products in the network security ecosystem.
System Administrator, Security Engineer, Security Result at a tech vendor with 201-500 employees
For what we need to do, which is setting up a VPN connection between both sides and using it for SSL VPN connections for remote users, it works effectively and we haven't encountered vulnerabilities.
EMEA Enterprise Solutions Architect at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Check Point Quantum Force (...
Ranking in Firewalls
6th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
346
Ranking in other categories
Unified Threat Management (UTM) (2nd)
Fortinet FortiGate-VM
Ranking in Firewalls
11th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
151
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) is 2.9%, up from 2.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate-VM is 2.2%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW)2.9%
Fortinet FortiGate-VM2.2%
Other94.9%
Firewalls
 

Featured Reviews

DS
Network Security Engineer at Connecting Cyber Networks
Advanced threat prevention has protected our perimeter and simplifies daily security operations
Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) can be improved in several areas. First, the interface could be a little more intuitive for new users. The Smart Console is powerful, but it has a steep learning curve when you start using it. Some simple functions for common tasks would help. Second, the initial setup and configuration take quite a bit of time and expertise. It would be helpful if there were more guides, wizards, or templates to speed that up. Third, the price model could be more transparent and flexible. The license cost can add up quickly, specifically when you want to add more advanced features. Finally, I would appreciate seeing better integration with some third-party security tools we use. Right now, we have to do a lot of manual work to make everything talk to each other. Overall, these are minor things. The core product is really solid and does what it is supposed to do very well. The documentation could be more comprehensive in some areas. When we run into issues, the documentation does not have clear answers, so we end up contacting support. Speaking of support, the response time could be faster sometimes. We have had cases where we need help with a certain security issue, and it takes longer than we would prefer to get a response. As for features, it would be nice to have more general reporting options so we can customize reports for different teams and stakeholders without having to do manual work afterward. One more thing, better mobile access to the dashboard would be helpful. Sometimes we need to check on security alerts when we are away from the office, and the mobile experience is not as smooth as it could be. Again, these are improvements that would make it even better, not issues with the core product itself.
Ehab Ali - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Presales Consultant at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Unified security fabric has simplified multi-country deployments and strengthened threat response
FortiGate VM delivers exceptional performance and security with no degradation of service or protection (same features as the HW option). As part of the Fortinet Security Fabric, it extends across clouds and distributed locations, mitigating blind spots in virtual infrastructures. FortiGate VM can be rapidly deployed, managed through a centralized platform, and offers a range of purchasing options to suit every need. Also, FortiGate VM offers versatile deployment options across both public and private clouds, supporting all major public clouds including AWS, Azure, and Google as well as most hypervisors such as VMware, Hyper-V, and KVM. These deployments enable organizations to create scalable, high-performance firewalls that can be tailored to different virtualized environments and hyper-scale public cloud infrastructures. FortiGate VM integrates seamlessly with various infrastructure as code (IaC) tools such as Jenkins and GitLab, supporting security as code practices.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
19%
Construction Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Construction Company
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Outsourcing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business164
Midsize Enterprise94
Large Enterprise198
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business74
Midsize Enterprise35
Large Enterprise43
 

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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Check Point NGFW?
Our experience with pricing for Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) has been mixed. The initial setup costs were fairly significant because we needed to buy the hardware appliances and then pay for th...
Features comparison between Palo Alto and Fortinet firewalls
In the best tradition of these questions, Feature-wise both are quite similar, but each has things it's better at, it kind of depends what you value most. PA is good at app control, web filtering a...
Which would you recommend - FortiGate VM or Azure Firewall?
Both of these solutions are excellent options that provide flexible scalability and solid security. Fortinet Fortigate VM integrates well and has excellent centralized reporting. It is very easy to...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiGate-VM?
Regarding pricing, setup cost, and licensing, the main client I deal with is a reputed company in the market, making it easy for them to afford Fortinet FortiGate-VM compared to Palo Alto, which is...
 

Also Known As

Check Point NG Firewall, Check Point Next Generation Firewall
FortiGate Virtual Appliance, FortiGate-VM
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Control Southern, Optimal Media
Security7 Networks, COOPENAE
Find out what your peers are saying about Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs. Fortinet FortiGate-VM and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
908,402 professionals have used our research since 2012.