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Fortinet FortiGate IPS vs WatchGuard Intrusion Prevention Service comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

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 IPS
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
65
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
WatchGuard Intrusion Preven...
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
28th
Average Rating
6.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate IPS is 6.7%, up from 6.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WatchGuard Intrusion Prevention Service is 0.3%, down from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
 

Featured Reviews

Taha Turkestani - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced threat prevention with very good support and valuable behavior reports
We use FortiGate as a firewall. We have a FortiGate 201 model It's good that we didn't get hacked or attacked, indicating strong threat prevention. The reporting on employee behavior and the prevention of new viruses are essential features. Additionally, we have found it convenient for…
Gianluca Vinci - PeerSpot reviewer
Helps us protect published resources with a valuable alarm system
Our primary use case for the solution is to protect published resources The alarm system is valuable because it alerts us if an external intruder tries to attack published resources. The user interface can be improved because it is sometimes difficult to manage functionality. For example, the…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This solution works well on a daily basis, detecting various types of malicious traffic."
"This solution has a unique range of features that are not available with any other product."
"I have found most of the features to be good with excellent functionality."
"The product is scalable."
"You have access to CLI in case you have no web access."
"The most useful features of Fortinet FortiGate IPS are you can create a virtual firewall within it, most other firewalls do not have this feature. You are able to manage your network and have network segmentation within your firewall. Additionally, you can create virtual switches within the firewall and have policy management, such as firewall and access policy."
"It's simple to operate and use."
"I prefer FortiGate because it has a lot of other solutions embedded within it and is the easiest for our technicians to operate."
"The alarm system is valuable."
"It works right out of the box. You just have to enable it and you can start working."
"The VPN and the filtering features are the most valuable. Its VPN is very strong, and its services are very nice. The main problem in India is the service. There are not enough Check Point and Fortinet Firewall services, but for this product, the service is very good."
"The most important feature of this solution is the SLAs."
"The initial setup was straightforward and, because we only need intrusion detection and prevention, we needed only about four hours to deploy it."
 

Cons

"The user interface needs a bit of upgrading."
"Monitoring could be improved."
"We would like to see an improvement in the consistency of the product's performance levels."
"While the security is good, we'd always prefer if it was even better to ensure protection."
"It would be helpful to have a better tool for migrating all policy rules using an automatic script."
"I have used technical support and they could improve."
"FortiGate IPS is somewhat pricey compared to other solutions. There is also room for improvement in terms of the radio signals. The FortiGate WiFi has a relatively short range. I've found there is a lag in its zero-day malware response that could be better, and FortiGate could integrate better with other brands of equipment or identity management solutions."
"The IPS monitoring can be improved."
"Multi properties could be added to the solution in the future to make it better."
"Its graphical user interface could be improved because not everybody is technical. There is a lack of knowledge, and they can give some training for this solution."
"The user interface and configuration can be improved."
"I would like to see faster automatation."
"Regarding technical support, they could use more engineers."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing for FortiGate IPS is competitive with other products in the category."
"If you compare the price of Fortinet FortiGate IPS to other firewalls, Check Point is priced very high followed by Palo Alto and Sophos. Fortinet FortiGate IPS price is more reasonable."
"There is an annual license to use this solution. The prices have been increasing over the years."
"We are currently evaluating a Palo Alto solution, and the pricing could be a reason for going for Palo Alto."
"The solution is very expensive so pricing is rated a one out of ten."
"I give the pricing of the solution a six out of ten."
"The pricing is based on a licensing model for each IPS in your environment."
"The tool is a bit pricey for small businesses, but it is still bearable in terms of cost."
"The price of WatchGuard Intrusion Prevention Service is pretty reasonable compared to similar solutions."
"The price of the solution is not expensive, it is less than FortiGate."
"It is not expensive. Other products like Fortinet and Check Point are of the same price."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
22%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Fortinet FortiGate IPS?
The most significant aspect of IPS is self-explanatory as it primarily focuses on intrusion prevention, which is crucial for Fortinet's internal outbreak prevention efforts and ensuring compliance ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiGate IPS?
There are no extra expenses involved after purchasing the solution. Pricing could be better, however, overall, it is considered a middle-level price for a middle-level company.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiGate IPS?
There could be improvements in the mathematical algorithms used for behavior analytics of traffic. More advanced AI capabilities would be beneficial in future updates.
What needs improvement with WatchGuard Intrusion Prevention Service?
The user interface can be improved because it is sometimes difficult to manage functionality. For example, the site interface is challenging to customize, and it isn't easy to retrieve information.
 

Also Known As

FortiGate IPS
WatchGuard IPS
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Riverside Healthcare, Salt Lake City, Dell SecureWorks, Credit Bank Zagreb
Chester School District
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiGate IPS vs. WatchGuard Intrusion Prevention Service and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.