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Fortinet FortiClient vs Symantec Endpoint Security comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 9, 2024

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
7.8
Fortinet FortiClient boosts productivity, supports remote work, enhances security, and offers significant ROI and VPN cost savings.
Sentiment score
7.3
Symantec Endpoint Security provides cost-effective protection, reducing downtime and boosting reputation with high detection rates and automated processes.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.0
Fortinet FortiClient's support gets mixed reviews, with satisfaction dependent on package level; 24/7 availability varies in effectiveness.
Sentiment score
7.9
Symantec Endpoint Security's customer service is praised but has varied feedback, citing slower response since Broadcom's takeover.
They initiate the troubleshooting process quickly and resolve issues in a timely manner.
They have room to improve by deploying more support resources.
The main issue revolves around addressing bugs in the endpoint.
In some cases, it rates as high as ten out of ten, while in others, it can be as low as eight.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
Fortinet FortiClient efficiently scales for various enterprise sizes, offering easy user expansion and minimal deployment resources.
Sentiment score
7.9
Symantec Endpoint Security is highly scalable and adaptable for diverse industries, though smaller deployments may face complexity.
The scalability could use improvement as you need to ensure that routes and policies are aligned, which can be complex.
I hope Fortinet will start an insider developer program where professionals can provide feedback on new releases to ensure improvements.
We can recommend FortiClient for small organizations with 50 to 60 users as well as for larger enterprises due to its extensive features.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
Fortinet FortiClient is stable and reliable, with minor VPN issues, improved stability, and high user ratings.
Sentiment score
8.7
Symantec Endpoint Security is generally stable and reliable, despite occasional update issues and concerns post-Broadcom acquisition.
 

Room For Improvement

Fortinet FortiClient needs improved management simplicity, support, pricing, usability, stability, integration, and advanced features like AI and better VPN options.
Symantec Endpoint Security needs better detection, lower resource use, simpler management, improved support, and competitive pricing for broader adoption.
FortiClient needs improvement in restricting user information and ensuring more secure customer data to better protect source code and reduce the risk of security breaches.
The routing and policy need to be tailored between both to ensure proper functionality.
There are advanced features like Zero Trust that I currently do not use but could be beneficial for security.
Device management is not very good and I am not enabling it in my organization due to security reasons.
I would like to see improvements in the scanning part of the solution, specifically to enhance the CPU and hard disk usage during scanning and updates to prevent disruption during work hours.
 

Setup Cost

Fortinet FortiClient offers competitive mid-range pricing with free VPN, yearly subscriptions, bulk discounts, but faces recent price increases.
Symantec Endpoint Security is priced reasonably but higher, with value appreciated; discounts and licensing structures affect overall costs.
FortiClient is a value-for-money product and is not considered expensive compared to similar products on the market.
Recently, Fortinet has increased prices for its products.
Justifying the price to clients can be difficult.
The pricing is very low compared to other companies like SentinelOne and others.
I rate the pricing, setup cost, and licensing around nine out of ten.
 

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiClient offers robust security, seamless integration with Active Directory, and remote access, ensuring efficient management and user-friendly interface.
Symantec Endpoint Security provides comprehensive threat protection and easy management, supporting multiple platforms with real-time updates and scalability.
The most valuable feature of FortiClient is its high security level.
We appreciate its VPN capabilities and the features that offer extra security functionalities like antivirus and malware scanning.
It enhances our business by allowing our agents to work remotely, which we had not been able to do before.
Symantec Endpoint Security offers many valuable features, such as file explosion, application learning, DLP, injection detection, and EDR solutions for traffic control.
The incident response capabilities allow me to resolve authentication and support issues promptly, ensuring the system operates without downtime.
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiClient
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
15th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
98
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Compliance (1st), Enterprise Infrastructure VPN (2nd)
Symantec Endpoint Security
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
12th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
142
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiClient is 2.2%, down from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Endpoint Security is 4.1%, down from 5.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
 

Featured Reviews

MuhammadJahangir - PeerSpot reviewer
Users only need to install the VPN and authenticate with their email address
I primarily use remote VPN solutions to connect securely. We have configured both site-to-site VPN and remote VPN, and it is connected to FortiClient Implementing this solution has streamlined time management in our organization. Without SSO, we would need manual configuration for each PC, but…
Hakeem_Abdulkareem - PeerSpot reviewer
The solution has given us visibility into compliance within our whole system and helped us ensure everything is updated
Symantec's application security module needs some improvement. You need to create a lot of fingerprints for application security. For instance, let's say I have different brands of ATMs in my environment, like Wincor and NCR. I use GRG to deploy an application control to whitelist some applications. I have to get the exact image of the different models of ATMs. When I tested in the past, some machines would not connect to the server without that. Only the approved software on the ATM should run. Anything outside that should not even come up at all. We did this so that an outside person doesn't introduce malicious software to the ATM. That's the essence of locking down with application control. Using Symantec for application control has been hectic, so I use Carbon Black to do the lockdown. Checking that data security will work fine with Carbon Black. Carbon Black worked fine. Setting up approval in Carbon Black works differently than Symantec. In Symantec, we first need the fingerprints of the applications running underneath. Before setting up Carbon Black, you first install the agent, allowing it to learn the environment. It will analyze all the software's behavior and provide recommendations for what should be allowed. It's more straightforward, whereas configuring application control in Symantec is a bit cumbersome.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
43%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
5%
Government
5%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

How does Fortinet FortiClient compare with Open VPN Access Server?
Fortinet FortiClient is a feature-rich solution that is easy to use and deploy without sacrificing safety and security. It has a very fast connection rate and has a built-in VPN. With this solution...
What's the difference between Fortinet's FortiEDR and FortiClient?
I suggest Fortinet’s FortiEDR over FortiClient for several reasons. For starters, FortiEDR guarantees solid protection because it continually scans servers for emerging vulnerabilities, which gives...
Which is better - Cortex XDR or Symantec End-User Endpoint Security?
Aqua Security is easy to use and very manageable. Its main focus is on Kubernetes and Docker. Security is a very valuable feature and their speed of integration is very good. The initial setup was ...
Which offers better endpoint security - Symantec or Microsoft Defender?
We use Symantec because we do not use MS Enterprise products, but in my opinion, Microsoft Defender is a superior solution. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a cloud-delivered endpoint security s...
What do you like most about Symantec End-User Endpoint Security?
Symantec have everything – documentation, videos, data sheets.
 

Also Known As

FortiClient
Symantec EPP, Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP)
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Audio Visual Dynamics, Red Deer Advocate, Asia Pacific Telecom Co. Ltd., Kibbutz Ein Gedi, and AMETEK, Inc.
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiClient vs. Symantec Endpoint Security and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,997 professionals have used our research since 2012.