Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs OPNsense comparison

Fortinet and OPNsense are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Fortinet is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.4, while OPNsense is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.1. Fortinet holds a 1.9% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to OPNsense’s 11.5% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of OPNsense users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Fortinet FortiGate-VM and OPNsense compete in the firewall solutions category. Fortinet FortiGate-VM appears to have the upper hand due to its superior threat detection and prevention capabilities.

Features: Fortinet FortiGate-VM offers advanced security features, integrated threat intelligence, and high performance under load. OPNsense provides flexible VPN options, effective traffic shaping, and extensive capabilities, making it cost-efficient.

Room for Improvement: Fortinet FortiGate-VM users suggest improvements in its configuration complexity, navigation system, and setup process. OPNsense could enhance its documentation, streamline updates, and improve its overall support material.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortinet FortiGate-VM has a relatively smooth deployment process but requires initial training to leverage its full potential. OPNsense is known for straightforward installation and strong community support. Fortinet FortiGate-VM offers professional customer service, while OPNsense benefits from community resources providing a user-friendly experience.

Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiGate-VM users identify higher setup costs but acknowledge favorable ROI due to its premium features and reliable performance. OPNsense is well-regarded for its lower initial costs and high ROI, making it appealing for budget-conscious users seeking effective firewall solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. OPNsense Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. OPNsense

December 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 879,259 peers since 2012

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

5.8

Fortinet FortiGate offers cost-effective, robust security, reducing expenses, enhancing efficiency, easy implementation, quick ROI, and improved network management.

Sentiment score

4.1

Users report improved network stability, security, and cost savings, with scalability and threat management enhancing ROI despite potential early replacement losses.

Sentiment score

3.8

OPNsense offers quick ROI, annual savings, improved network protection, efficiency, but faces challenges like market disruptions and cyber threats.

Clients are now comfortable and not wasting productive hours on IT support.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

The automation part is giving us a cost benefit and speed; we can react faster.

Bart Homblé

BDM Fortinet & BDM Teamlead at Exclusive Networks

It's a very useful tool to mitigate and protect your enterprise.

Bernard Samontanes

Staff Infrastructure & Security Engineer at Mozn Systems

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

I observed a fifty to sixty percent reduction in operational costs after migrating to FortiGate VM.

Rahool Sharma

Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.

They have a platform that organizes their networks and access effectively.

Pietro Di Blasi

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.

reviewer2706363

Chief Technology Officer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate-VM report

The network attacks reduced by approximately 60% after using that, even without customizing the custom configuration yet.

Mahmoud Suleiman

Senior IT Infrastructure Engineer at a real estate/law firm with 11-50 employees

For a very little investment, I was able to increase the security of my network.

Richard Chamberlain

Administrator at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the OPNsense report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.6

Fortinet FortiGate's customer service is generally praised for responsiveness, though some users experience delays in critical situations.

Sentiment score

6.1

Users have mixed experiences with Fortinet FortiGate-VM's support; generally positive, but some report inconsistency and delays.

Sentiment score

4.9

Users often solve issues using online resources, valuing community help, but suggest OPNsense centralize and improve support options.

The quick resolution of issues with Fortinet FortiGate is due to the support of the company and the fact that the equipment is easy to work with.

Alexandre Menezes

IT Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

I would rate the technical support for Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

AnishKumar

NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd

As a solution provider, when I encounter problems, I connect directly with Fortinet support, and they provide solutions within a very short time.

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

I would rate the technical support by Fortinet at a 10.

Mohamed Fouad

Cybersecurity Team Leader at EMAK For Integrated Solutions

You can open a ticket and expect a reply and problem-solving from effective engineers in just one hour, which no other vendor can offer.

Mohamed Fouad

Cybersecurity Team Leader at EMAK For Integrated Solutions

Their support is helpful and effective.

Rahool Sharma

Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate-VM report

Compared to some open-source projects with weak support, OPNsense stands out for having both a strong community and commercial backing options.

Moutaz Sheikh Alard

ISO 27001 Lead Implementer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

I mainly rely on community support since the solution is open source.

Stephen Zoran

Senior Client Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

If you say you do not have one, it is finished. This is where the monopoly starts.

Harry Fusser

Senior Solutions Engineer at a educational organization with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the OPNsense report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.1

Fortinet FortiGate is scalable and popular for SMEs but requires careful design and may incur scaling costs and licensing constraints.

Sentiment score

6.4

Many users appreciate Fortinet FortiGate-VM's scalability and flexibility, though pricing complexities can impact scaling plans.

Sentiment score

6.6

OPNsense is scalable and adaptable, supporting small to large deployments with flexibility in hardware upgrades and virtual machines.

They scale up really well from smaller models like the FortiGate 40 and 50 to bigger sites with the FortiGate 100 for more throughput - up to enterprise datacenters.

Ian Manton

IT Manager at Daltons Limited

The variation comes in terms of the interfaces and throughputs, but from a security perspective, you get the same benefit, irrespective of whether you have an entry-level unit or an enterprise.

reviewer2667480

Cewa Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

We determine sizing based on multiple factors: number of users, available links, traffic types, server count, services in use, and whether services will be published.

FatmaSamy

General Surgery Specialist at Helwan University Cairo

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

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.

Samuel-Mottet

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.

Ino Vitra

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.

reviewer1866795

Chief Executive Officer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate-VM report

OPNsense is an extremely scalable solution.

Chirosca Alecsandru

Owner at Networks srl

I use Zenarmor, pinning it to one core for packet inspection, and the CPU performance seems very good.

Stephen Zoran

Senior Client Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

OPNsense's scalability is excellent; I just need to resize my hardware and upgrade the server, and voilà, I am good to go.

Mahmoud Suleiman

Senior IT Infrastructure Engineer at a real estate/law firm with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the OPNsense report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.7

Fortinet FortiGate is praised for its stability, with effective long-term performance and improvements in newer firmware versions.

Sentiment score

6.1

Fortinet FortiGate-VM is reliable and performs well, although some users encounter update-related issues or configuration errors.

Sentiment score

7.5

OPNsense is highly stable and reliable, excelling in security and usability, but occasionally faces VPN and update issues.

We're experiencing 99.999% availability consistently.

Ricardo Biggs

Manager, Information Technology at a consumer goods company with 11-50 employees

I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

AnishKumar

NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd

Currently, we are experiencing a general outage of one of the main internet service providers of the Dominican Republic, and we have not been impacted in our operations because with SD-WAN, we have another internet service provider and we are working with the second WAN connection without any disruption.

Juan Frias

CISO at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

The stability of Fortinet FortiGate is excellent.

Subhadip Pakrashi

CEO at Kapstone Technological Services LLP

The product has been very stable, based on my ten to eleven years of experience.

Ino Vitra

Assistant Operation Manger at IIJ Singapore

In the past couple of years, they started releasing numerous new features, and things have become somewhat unstable.

reviewer2706363

Chief Technology Officer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate-VM report

For home and small network use, OPNsense is also reliable, providing enterprise-grade security at no cost.

Moutaz Sheikh Alard

ISO 27001 Lead Implementer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

OPNsense is the same, but it does have a way of installing the Realtek drivers, which gives you a lot more stability overall on the system.

RicardoDias

Network and Programming Specialist at Twentytwo Integration

The only challenge faced was its inadequacy to manage large voice traffic effectively, even with dedicated hardware.

reviewer1027455

Senior Network Engineer at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the OPNsense report

Room For Improvement

Fortinet FortiGate needs enhanced UI, simplified licensing, improved performance, reporting, third-party integration, and expanded automation features.

Fortinet FortiGate-VM users seek improvements in UI, support, stability, pricing, integration, customization, scalability, and reporting capabilities.

OPNsense's challenges include interface usability, integration issues, and the need for improved VPN, analytics, and virtualization support.

When considering Sophos XG, which we also use, the logging and reporting functionality is notably more efficient.

Taha Turkestani

Senior IT specialist at SAUDIA ALIRLINES

These sessions should be around five to ten minutes long, allowing users and partners to quickly grasp the information without disrupting their daily tasks.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

The solution should be able to implement machine learning and analytics of all the logs for threat detection and protection.

Elvis Mahadeo

Senior Systems Engineer at Caribbean Development Company

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

The API needs better integration to match accounts and objects more effectively.

Rahool Sharma

Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.

Now, these features require separate products like FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer, and a FortiCloud subscription for reporting.

reviewer1866795

Chief Executive Officer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

They lack a post-sale process; once the sale happens, they just vanish, and then you're on your own.

reviewer2706363

Chief Technology Officer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate-VM report

I would like the APIs to be more mature and more developed and have more options to automate threat hunting.

Chirosca Alecsandru

Owner at Networks srl

Enhancing its performance for significant amounts of data traffic would make it closer to a perfect solution.

reviewer1027455

Senior Network Engineer at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees

It would be beneficial if they could create some videos on how to set it up themselves.

Richard Chamberlain

Administrator at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the OPNsense report

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers find Fortinet FortiGate costly initially, but cheaper overall, despite some high renewal and setup costs.

Fortinet FortiGate-VM offers competitive pricing with flexible options, providing good value for medium to large enterprises.

OPNsense is a cost-effective, open-source firewall solution offering affordability compared to commercial firewalls, appealing to enterprises.

Last year, I renewed the support for three years, which can sometimes be expensive but depends on the security benefits and how it helps us.

AiméKouchade

Network & System Admin at Invoke Studios

It offers cost savings as it is generally cheaper than the competition.

NilsPaley

IT Infrastructure Architect at Apotek 1

It is about 20% cheaper.

MithatBulut

Network Security Engineer at TD SYNNEX

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

The license for Fortinet FortiGate-VM costs 100K to 150K Philippine pesos per year for VM1 or VM2.

Sitti Ridzma Salahuddin

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.

Karel Ondracek

Network Administrator at THK Co Ltd

We have a licensing module along with a next-generation firewall module, and its pricing compared to other vendors is one of the best features of Fortinet as it is cheaper than any vendor.

Mohamed Fouad

Cybersecurity Team Leader at EMAK For Integrated Solutions

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate-VM report

It is free.

Samo Primožič

Technical support engineer at ADVANT računalniški inženiring, komunikacije, svetovanje in distribucija d.o.o.

They use AI for packet inspection, which integrates with OPNsense and pfSense.

RicardoDias

Network and Programming Specialist at Twentytwo Integration

I consider the pricing of OPNsense to be high when compared with other market products.

reviewer1027455

Senior Network Engineer at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the OPNsense report

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiGate provides robust, flexible security solutions with key features like web filtering, SSL VPN, SD-WAN, and centralized management.

Fortinet FortiGate-VM is favored for strong security, ease of use, scalability, comprehensive threat detection, and flexible pricing.

OPNsense is user-friendly and cost-effective, offering extensive VPN, firewall features, and easy scalability with strong community support.

These features help reduce our downtime, manage the ISPs, and deploy SLAs for all the website traffic.

Syed Ali Waqas

Head IT at Burraq Cyber Security Solutions

The most valuable feature of FortiGate is FortiView which provides proactive monitoring.

Viraj Fernandopulle

General Manager Group IT at DART GLOBAL LOGISTICS PTE. LTD.

We got a firewall and gave an SSL VPN to my client to connect to their servers, after which, such kind of activities involving ransomware attacks stopped.

VINAY GUJARATHI

Owner at Mindware Computer Solutions

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

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.

Pietro Di Blasi

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.

reviewer2742447

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.

Samuel-Mottet

EMEA Enterprise Solutions Architect at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate-VM report

The most valuable features include the basic firewall functionality and the GeoIP location services.

reviewer1027455

Senior Network Engineer at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees

I can have a Wi-Fi VLAN and feel secure that the server network or the VM network that I have on a different VLAN are isolated, and they cannot talk to one another, which adds a great level of security.

Richard Chamberlain

Administrator at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

It offers enterprise-grade features such as intrusion detection and prevention system, VPN support, traffic shaping, and web filtering, all without license cost.

Moutaz Sheikh Alard

ISO 27001 Lead Implementer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the OPNsense report

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2025, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 19.1%, down from 20.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate-VM is 1.9%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OPNsense is 11.5%, down from 13.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	19.1%
OPNsense	11.5%
Fortinet FortiGate-VM	1.9%
Other	67.5%

Firewalls

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.

Read full review

Karel Ondracek

Network Administrator at THK Co Ltd

Faced hardware limitations and setup challenges but have improved network protection over time

I spent much time finding exact firmware on Aruba which was working with these guns, but it is not optimal because it is not the latest version, so there could be potential security problems. We decided to replace those access points with another one. I personally have trouble because I don't know the exact life cycle of Fortinet FortiGate-VM boxes. I don't know if the life of boxes is five years or something else; we moved from our previous company, which sold us to other companies. Before 10 years, we had a special department that took care of core networks, including firewalls. After that, this responsibility fell to me and my colleague. It is not easy to set up these Fortinet FortiGate-VM boxes properly because we didn't have previous experience with this kind of solution. At first, we set up only a few rules that were not secure enough, and over a couple of years, we improved the settings and security of these Fortinet FortiGate-VM boxes. Currently, I have one Fortinet FortiGate-VM that needs to be replaced next year, and this box is not so powerful, so I need to redirect some traffic to another Fortinet FortiGate-VM. It is stable, but because the CPU processor of this box is not powerful, I need to redirect some traffic to another box. In the future, I need to choose a higher-level box to prevent potential troubles with the power of this box.

Read full review

Moutaz Sheikh Alard

ISO 27001 Lead Implementer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

Has helped simulate enterprise security setups and strengthens network segmentation practices

For my capstone, I use OPNsense for my project and its broader benefits for enterprise and cybersecurity context. OPNsense is an open source based firewall and routing platform. It offers enterprise-grade features such as intrusion detection and prevention system, VPN support, traffic shaping, and web filtering, all without license cost. This platform has a modular design, a clean web-based GUI, and frequent updates that prioritize security and usability. It competes with commercial firewalls such as Cisco ASA, FortiGate, and Palo Alto, but stands out because it's community-driven, cost-effective, and transparent. I find OPNsense's feature of acting as a central firewall and gateway most valuable, providing robust point segmentation between the internal network and DMZs in my capstone project, intrusion detection to monitor malicious traffic, VPN services for secure remote access, and logging and monitoring for compliance and auditing. This allows me to simulate a real-world enterprise environment on a smaller scale, demonstrating both security hardening and network efficiency. OPNsense impacts my projects and home network positively because its cost-effectiveness is perfect for lab and enterprise setup without expensive licensing. The flexibility, easy VLAN and DMZ configuration supports different zones such as web servers, mail servers, and log servers. The security-first design for IDS/IPS integration helps me showcase modern defense-in-depth strategies. The user-friendly management through the web GUI makes it possible to manage complex firewall rules clearly, which is critical when documenting and presenting a capstone. Scalability is also an advantage. Although my project is lab-based, OPNsense can scale into production deployments in SMBs and enterprise.

Read full review

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Firewalls solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Media Company

Comms Service Provider

16%

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	357
Midsize Enterprise	132
Large Enterprise	188

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	71
Midsize Enterprise	33
Large Enterprise	35

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	30
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	8

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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 ...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

Which would you recommend - FortiGate VM or Azure Firewall?

Both of these solutions are excellent options that provide flexible scalability and solid security. Fortinet Fortigat...

See all answers

What do you like most about Fortinet FortiGate-VM?

An enhanced security solution for any kind of alert that we have configured.

See all answers

What is the difference between PfSense and OPNsense?

Two of the most common and well recognized firewalls, PfSense and OPNsense both support site-to-site IPsec VPN and cl...

See all answers

What do you like most about OPNsense?

What I like the most about OPNsense is that it offers an easy-to-use dashboard for device management and control.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for OPNsense?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that since OPNsense is free, the licensing and setup was eas...

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 7% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Azure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 26% of the time

Palo Alto Networks VM-Series vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 4% of the time

Sophos XGS vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 3% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate-VM Competitors

Netgate pfSense vs OPNsense

Compared 43% of the time

IPFire vs OPNsense

Compared 12% of the time

Sophos XG vs OPNsense

Compared 7% of the time

Sophos XGS vs OPNsense

Compared 3% of the time

Sophos UTM vs OPNsense

Compared 3% of the time

More OPNsense Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

December 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate-VM

December 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate-VM product report

Buyer's Guide

OPNsense

December 2025

Download OPNsense product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

FortiGate Virtual Appliance, FortiGate-VM

No data available

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

FortiGate Virtual Appliances allow you to mitigate blind spots by implementing critical security controls within your virtual infrastructure. They also allow you to rapidly provision security infrastructure whenever and wherever it is needed. FortiGate virtual appliances feature all of the security and networking services common to traditional hardware-based FortiGate appliances. With the addition of virtual appliances from Fortinet, you can deploy a mix of hardware and virtual appliances, operating together and managed from a common centralized management platform.

Fortinet

OPNsense is an adaptable open-source firewall and routing platform appreciated for its flexibility, scalability, and user-friendly interface. It is equipped with robust security features and offers excellent reporting and visibility, essential for small businesses and home setups.

OPNsense stands out for its modular design, allowing cost-effective customization. This system supports VPNs and various firewall capabilities, making it suitable for securing networks from malicious traffic. Its frequent updates and extensive documentation, combined with a supportive online community, enhance user experience. However, there is room for improvement in integration with virtual servers and Azure. Scalability and hardware updates are important for large-scale environments, and users desire more reliable VPN solutions and enhanced threat intelligence tools.

What are OPNsense's most important features?

Flexibility: Easily customizable due to its open-source nature.
Robust Security: Advanced security features for network protection.
User-Friendly Interface: Simplified management and configuration.
Frequent Updates: Regular improvements and new features.
Dense Documentation: Extensive resources and community support.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Cost-Effectiveness: Open-source design reduces costs.
Scalability: Ability to grow with business needs.
Customizability: Tailored solutions for different requirements.
Community Support: Access to a strong network of resources and peers.

OPNsense is implemented in industries requiring VPN and firewall functions, supporting site-to-site connections, protecting servers, and managing commercial network traffic. Companies apply it for security, UTM, SD-WAN, content filtering, intrusion detection, and prevention, utilizing its open-source nature and effectiveness as a next-generation firewall.

OPNsense

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

Security7 Networks, COOPENAE

1. Deciso B.V. 2. iXsystems, Inc. 3. EuroBSDCon 4. Netgate 5. Claranet 6. Voleatech 7. Open Systems AG 8. Securebit AG 9. Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH 10. AVM Computersysteme Vertriebs GmbH Additional customers include: T-Systems International GmbH, Deutsche Telekom AG, Vodafone GmbH, 1&1 IONOS SE, OVHcloud, Hetzner Online GmbH, Strato AG, PlusServer GmbH, Host Europe GmbH, United Internet AG, 1&1 Versatel Deutschland GmbH, QSC AG, Bechtle AG, Cancom SE, Computacenter AG & Co. oHG, T-Systems Multimedia Solutions GmbH, Atos SE, Capgemini SE, Accenture plc, IBM Corporation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, Cisco Systems, Inc.

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. OPNsense

December 2025

Free Report: Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. OPNsense

Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. OPNsense and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. OPNsense report.

See our list of best Firewalls vendors.

We monitor all Firewalls reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.