Cloudflare One vs Prisma SD-WAN comparison

Cloudflare and Palo Alto Networks are both solutions in the Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions category. Cloudflare is ranked #13 with an average rating of 9.0, while Palo Alto Networks is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4. Cloudflare holds a 3.0% mindshare in SDW, compared to Palo Alto Networks’s 5.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Cloudflare users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Palo Alto Networks users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 28, 2025

Prisma SD-WAN and Cloudflare One compete in the network management and security solutions category. Prisma SD-WAN has the upper hand due to its comprehensive feature set and advanced analytics, while Cloudflare One offers affordability and user-friendly deployment.

Features: Prisma SD-WAN offers deep application visibility, seamless transition capabilities, and zero-touch provisioning, which simplifies deployment and enhances network management. Its advanced analytics aid in effective troubleshooting and optimization. Cloudflare One excels with a simple user interface, robust DDoS protection, and integrated security, all managed from a single console.

Room for Improvement: Prisma SD-WAN needs to enhance technical support responsiveness, improve documentation accuracy, and make policy controls more intuitive. Users also seek more comprehensive training and a better pricing model. Cloudflare One could improve insights into rule management and provide detailed documentation for complex setups, as well as refining its onboarding process and offering medium-tier service options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Prisma SD-WAN supports versatile deployment across hybrid, public, and on-premises clouds, with users appreciating its deployment flexibility despite some issues with technical support. Cloudflare One is praised for its easy public cloud deployment and user-friendly setup, with generally positive customer support, although its technical documentation and support tiers could improve.

Pricing and ROI: Prisma SD-WAN is considered expensive, justified by its feature set and network-enhancing ROI, focusing on medium to large enterprises. In contrast, Cloudflare One offers affordable pricing suited for smaller organizations, providing cost-effective solutions with significant ROI in reducing operational burdens.

To learn more, read our detailed Cloudflare One vs. Prisma SD-WAN Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cloudflare One vs. Prisma SD-WAN

December 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 13.9%, down from 20.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cloudflare One is 3.0%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Prisma SD-WAN is 5.1%, down from 5.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	13.9%
Prisma SD-WAN	5.1%
Cloudflare One	3.0%
Other	78.0%

Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions

Featured Reviews

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

A stable solution with an intuitive interface and quick customer service

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate, WatchGuard, Sophos, and SonicWall. I'm not as comfortable with SonicWall because of their UI and limitations. I prefer Fortinet above all other options. When it comes to configuration, I am confident in my ability to handle various tasks, including creating policies such as firewall rules, web policies, and application policies. Additionally, I can configure VPNs and implement load balancing, among other tasks. Overall, I feel much more comfortable working with Fortinet. Fortinet has made significant improvements by integrating AI with firewalls for threat analysis and prevention. In the past 2-3 years, they have launched FortiSASE and SIEM, and they also provide SOC services. Both Palo Alto and Fortinet FortiGate are excellent. While Fortinet FortiGate comes at higher prices, the functionality and support justify the cost. They promptly resolve firmware issues and inform all support providers about configuration changes.

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Cobe Van Coller

Network Architect at IP Dimension

Cloud security has improved remote access and has reduced costs for smaller client sites

I have used Cloudflare One's Identity-Aware Proxy, and it is quite straightforward from what I have seen so far. The app registration on the Azure side integrates fully into Cloudflare, and I am very satisfied with that part because it is easy to set up. The integration of Cloudflare One's Secure Web Gateway and Zero Trust Network Access works without any issues. That part is pretty automatic, and if you complete the rest of the setup, it comes together by itself with no issues from my side. What makes it nice is that we can actually start replacing on-site firewalls at this stage for the smaller clients because it does not matter if they go to a coffee shop or work from home; they are still secured by the same connection. The hops get shorter and you get better latency. We have done testing to see if it is better. One thing that we did notice with our proof of concept with our current client is that they have people connecting from the UK. When they used their previous VPN solution, uploading CAD drawings and other files to the server took a long time. They mentioned that it is much quicker on Cloudflare One's solution. I definitely believe that is part of the improved performance, and I am satisfied with that as well. What is nice about Cloudflare One is that it makes the setup easier and also easier to train technicians to maintain it. Compared to legacy systems, we do not need to get fancy firewalls in place that are costly. That is definitely also a cost-saver with Cloudflare One.

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Engineerinfosec67

Presale Engineer at Westcon-Comstor

Centralized management streamlines global network traffic control

Prisma SD-WAN requires a more seamless integration with other Palo Alto solutions, like Prisma Access. Although there has been improvement, further steps can be taken. Additionally, it would be beneficial if the solution integrated the SD-WAN features of Prisma SD-WAN with the security features of Palo Alto's next-generation firewalls, as they currently do not align.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We purchased Fortinet because of the pricing, its functionality, because it met our requirements, and the total cost of ownership over five years was quite reasonable. In the market, Fortinet is rated quite well."

"The most valuable aspects of FortiGate NGFW are its top-notch reputation in peer reviews, user-friendly interface, and excellent support."

"The solution is easy to configure and maintain remotely."

"Fortinet FortiGate is the best option on the market when it comes to firewalls."

"The best features of this tool include threat protection, email filtering, and web filtering, and FortiAnalyzer's integration with the firewall and FortiSASE is beneficial."

"The solution is very easy to understand. It's not overly complex."

"It's a firewall that secures our internal network. I have been using it since 2013, and I find that most of the features are advanced, and very user friendly."

"I found the upgrades valuable."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform removes the risk of exposing the applications to the public."

"Cloudflare is by far the most effective solution that I have come across."

"The simplicity of the solution is its valuable features as almost no effort was needed to learn the configurations. It is also one of the cheapest firewalls available in this category."

"Cloudflare, in my opinion, was easy to implement."

"The blocking feature is very good."

"Cloudflare Access is part of the Zero Trust philosophy."

"Cloudflare DDoS mitigates DDoS attacks."

"Using Cloudflare One makes my work quite easy because for DDoS protection, all I need to do is understand the OSI model and click; it makes it easier than trying to write a command line or use a Linux command."

More Cloudflare One pros

"The solution's most valuable feature is the visibility of the logs."

"The biggest benefit for us is that we've seen a reduction in incidents."

"If the MPLS goes down, there is a really smooth transition for a branch site to take traffic over the Internet. It will advertise the routes of that site in a jiffy."

"It is flexible to use the internet connection via local breakouts without going to data centers."

"Some of the best features with the Prisma SD-WAN are intelligent routing, dynamic path selection, best path selection, and forward error correction."

"The product provides efficient stability, security, and reliability features."

"Prisma SD-WAN is intuitive. We have a better idea of the different tools we can use and jump between the menus quickly."

"The security offered by the solution is pretty good."

More Prisma SD-WAN pros

Cons

"I mostly do administration, and I found Cisco to be the hardest major firewall manufacturer to deal with, with Fortinet FortiGate being the second hardest for me."

"The product does need better support in the cloud environment. It's not exactly cloud-native right now."

"Areas that have room for improvement in Fortinet FortiGate include support and GUI enhancement."

"Fortinet can add some Machine Learning and AI to improve its accuracy and give it an edge on IPS detection and protection."

"We are not utilizing Fortinet FortiGate to its full capacity because we have to pay for every small feature."

"The solution could improve by having some additional features, such as IBS and better cloud administration."

"The product has to be upgraded every few weeks."

"The UTM filtering needs improvement."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"When there are any dynamic changes in complex applications, the tool takes a lot of time, making its analytics-related area a major matter of concern where improvements are needed."

"They don't have a person to provide support for customers using the solution under their free plan."

"Lacks a VPN feature to provide a secure connection to the data center."

"For the topic of improvement, providing some training material is one of my suggestions."

"The software has automated alerts, but the automated alerts are not available in the mobile app."

"Feedback could be enhanced."

"Operating and tuning the product is difficult."

"From a logging perspective, it is still a bit difficult to see exactly what users are being blocked with the current views."

More Cloudflare One cons

"The pricing for Prisma SD-WAN needs improvement."

"Prisma SD-WAN's technical support should be improved."

"The tool needs to work on price and complexity."

"They could add more advanced security features to the product."

"We are incorporating their zone-based firewalls. Prisma SD-WAN has limited documentation on how it manipulates traffic, e.g., how it is interacting with TCP and UDP. We recently had some traffic that was black holing. We literally had to do packet captures to see that the new zone-based firewall, which runs on top of Prisma SD-WAN, was causing issues."

"The setup isn't completely straightforward, but it's manageable when you have proper knowledge."

"The pricing model could be improved to make it more affordable for smaller companies."

"Prisma SD-WAN requires a more seamless integration with other Palo Alto solutions, like Prisma Access."

More Prisma SD-WAN cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It could be more competitive and cost-effective."

"It has been two years. I don't remember the actual price, but it was affordable. We buy the boxes and then use the license for three years."

"Fortinet FortiGate IPS' licensing is quite simple to understand."

"The pricing for this solution is reasonable."

"If you are looking for a quality product, it will come at a higher price. Expecting them to be significantly cheaper is unrealistic. In terms of pricing, it is a bit costly. However, the functionality and support offered are worth it."

"We pay for the solution annually."

"It is more affordable than Check Point and Palo Alto. Another thing is that all the features and the OS remain the same irrespective of the size of the device. Pricing-wise, Fortinet typically provides one-year support with the firewall appliance. There is also an option for three years which is how their licensing works."

"It's an expensive solution."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"The price tag is no longer $200,000, but rather $300,000 to $400,000. It's twice."

"My company has to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the solution. There are no hidden charges apart from the licensing costs of the solution."

"The pricing is somewhere in the middle. I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten."

"The solution is not that expensive."

"The prices are slightly expensive."

"Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform's pricing is good."

"The solution's pricing lacks transparency."

"The pricing of the solution is cheap. The licensing cost is also very low. I rate the cost and pricing a three out of ten."

"If you're already invested in a Palo Alto product, it would be logical to use this solution. If not, there might be some other solutions that are more viable in terms of pricing."

"Prisma SD-WAN is a pretty expensive solution."

"It is more expensive than Fortinet."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."

"This solution stood out because it cost considerably less than the other SD-WAN solutions out there from Cisco."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Legal Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	357
Midsize Enterprise	133
Large Enterprise	188

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	10

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	13

Questions from the Community

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 a...

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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...

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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 ...

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What needs improvement with Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access has strong integration with Microsoft, among other platforms. However, when it comes to Kaspersky, ...

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What is your primary use case for Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access provides secure access to internal applications for employees, external members of the organization...

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What advice do you have for others considering Cloudflare Access?

Cloudflare Access is one of the best integrations available. While about two hundred vendors offer similar services, ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Prisma SD-WAN?

Regarding whether Prisma SD-WAN is an expensive solution, I would say the price is competitively high. Everything dep...

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What needs improvement with Prisma SD-WAN?

I am still working on what should be improved in Prisma SD-WAN to make this product better, and I cannot give any upd...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Prisma SD-WAN?

Our customers' main use cases for Prisma SD-WAN are to connect multiple branches since they have numerous locations t...

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos XG vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 19% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 12% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 6% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Cloudflare One

Compared 5% of the time

Twingate vs Cloudflare One

Compared 4% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Cloudflare One

Compared 4% of the time

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform vs Cloudflare One

Compared 4% of the time

Netskope vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

More Cloudflare One Competitors

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Prisma SD-WAN

Compared 15% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Prisma SD-WAN

Compared 14% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Prisma SD-WAN

Compared 12% of the time

Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Prisma SD-WAN

Compared 6% of the time

Check Point CloudGuard Network Security vs Prisma SD-WAN

Compared 5% of the time

More Prisma SD-WAN Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

December 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Cloudflare One

December 2025

Download Cloudflare One product report

Buyer's Guide

Prisma SD-WAN

December 2025

Download Prisma SD-WAN product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

Cloudflare Area 1 Email Security, Cloudflare Bot Management, Cloudflare Gateway, Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform, Cloudflare DDoS, Cloudflare SASE & SSE Platform

CloudGenix

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate is a versatile network security tool offering features like VPN, firewall, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and scalability. It is known for its performance and integration with other Fortinet products, making it a preferred choice for robust cybersecurity.

Fortinet FortiGate stands out as a comprehensive cybersecurity solution with strong performance and ease of configuration. It delivers unified threat management, integrating features such as dynamic routing, SD-WAN support, and centralized management. Despite its strengths, improvements in the web interface's stability, pricing structures, and reporting capabilities are needed. Users seek better integration with third-party tools and automation advancements to enhance the experience further. These enhancements, alongside improvements in bandwidth management and the reduction of licensing costs, are points of interest for users looking to capitalize on FortiGate's extensive capabilities.

What are Fortinet FortiGate's key features?

VPN: Ensures secure remote connections.
Firewall: Protects against unauthorized access.
Web Filtering: Blocks malicious sites and content.
Application Control: Manages and controls applications.
Intrusion Prevention: Detects and prevents vulnerabilities.
SSL Inspection: Enhances security by inspecting encrypted traffic.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating Fortinet FortiGate?

Affordability: Offers cost-effective security solutions.
Reliability: Known for consistent and stable performance.
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other Fortinet products.
Comprehensive Protection: Provides broad threat protection capabilities.

Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries as a primary firewall system for securing internet gateways and safeguarding data centers. It supports businesses in achieving SD-WAN integration and enhances cybersecurity by providing essential features like antivirus, web filtering, and application control. Enterprises utilize FortiGate for securing remote connections and ensuring compliance with security standards, making it adaptable for different network sizes and industries.

Fortinet

Cloudflare One is a comprehensive platform for security, performance, and connectivity. It provides features like rate limiting, DDoS protection, and application access, tailored to enhance user experience while securing internet access and accelerating communications.

Designed to integrate security measures with ease of use and scalability, Cloudflare One offers a secure web gateway and zero trust network access. These features ensure seamless setup and operation, making connectivity reliable and protected. Users appreciate its integrated console, intuitive interface, and the ability to manage risk effectively. It offers straightforward deployment, improves latency, and boasts cost-effectiveness. While its onboarding process and documentation need enhancement, its value in content delivery and application shielding is notable. Despite challenges in integrating Cloudflare Access with existing VPNs and the need for better automation and support, it remains vital for DNS and infrastructure protection.

What features make Cloudflare One stand out?

Rate Limiting: Controls the traffic rate to prevent abuse.
DDoS Protection: Shields applications from distributed denial-of-service attacks.
Secure Web Gateway: Provides secure internet access with seamless operation.
Zero Trust Network Access: Ensures secure, application-based connectivity without relying on traditional VPNs.
Access for Connectivity: Facilitates access to internal applications securely.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Security: Robust measures for DNS and browsing protection.
Performance: Enhanced site accessibility and communication speed.
Cost-Effectiveness: Offers competitive pricing for its features.
Ease of Deployment: Straightforward and efficient setup process.

In industries like finance, retail, and technology, Cloudflare One is crucial for enabling secure remote access and protecting web applications against dynamic threats. It supports compliance access policies and enhances content delivery, playing a key role in safeguarding digital infrastructure.

Cloudflare

Simplify management, enable app-defined SD-WAN policies and deliver a secure, cloud-delivered branch today with the Industry’s first next-generation SD-WAN.

Palo Alto Networks

Sample Customers

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

23andMe

Open Networking User Group, Columbia Sportswear Company, Coca Cola

Buyer's Guide

Cloudflare One vs. Prisma SD-WAN

December 2025

Free Report: Cloudflare One vs. Prisma SD-WAN

Find out what your peers are saying about Cloudflare One vs. Prisma SD-WAN and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

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