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Fortinet FortiGate vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate
Ranking in Firewalls
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
317
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (1st), WAN Edge (1st)
Fortinet FortiGate-VM
Ranking in Firewalls
9th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
118
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 20.5%, up from 17.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate-VM is 1.9%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewalls
 

Q&A Highlights

RT
Jun 14, 2021
 

Featured Reviews

DineshKumar28 - PeerSpot reviewer
Effective threat prevention with responsive customer support
We are using Fortinet FortiGate as a firewall Fortinet FortiGate has been invaluable. It has helped save costs due to its various features, reliable performance, very good UI, low latency, and stability. The Threat Intel engine in Fortinet FortiGate is highly rated for its effectiveness in…
SHUBHAM BHINGARDE - PeerSpot reviewer
A tool to help businesses create a blockage for external traffic
The tool improved the security in our company's virtualized environment, as it was helpful in creating an additional layer of security for the organization and for the use of the internet. The tool was the most important product to be implemented in the organization. To be able for our organization to build our services, we need to operate inside a certain network while ensuring that the outside traffic gets blocked by using the firewall services from the tool, as it helps to create a secure network inside our company. Without the tool in our organization, our network would have been compromised. The aforementioned area consists of details related to how the tool helps with the workload protection aspect. I recommend the solution to others who plan to use it since it helps in areas where it helps block a particular website with the help of the firewall functionalities that it possesses. The tool also helps block outside traffic, and it is mandatory to implement a firewall as an organization grows for the smooth operations of business. I rate the tool a ten out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Layer-3 firewall and routing are the most valuable features."
"The solution is stable."
"Secure, user-friendly, stable, and scalable network security solution. Installation is straightforward."
"Their interface is very easy to use, it is without bugs."
"The GUI is good."
"Their reliability and their policy of pre-shipping replacements when a unit has failed."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the analytics."
"The web tutor and automatic rules by schedule are good features."
"It has allowed us to centralize every network service into one appliance."
"Regarding specific features, I appreciate the option for external selection, where you can choose either to use a default or create a self-description. This simplifies the process compared to other vendors that require creating a test extension profile and then applying it to the installation. With FortiGate, there is a streamlined approach. From the benefits perspective, clients mainly see cost reduction, especially with FortiGate VM Firewall, as it eliminates the need for additional hardware."
"We work in the archiving domain where a secure environment is very important. We have some special requirements regarding the security of infrastructure."
"The most valuable features of this solution are the integration within the environment, with centralized reporting."
"An enhanced security solution for any kind of alert that we have configured."
"The dashboards are a good feature."
"FortiGate-VM's firewall is excellent."
"While the stability maybe isn't quite to the level of Cisco, it is a very cost-effective solution. It's cheap compared to Cisco."
 

Cons

"The feature which gives us a lot of pain is ASIC architecture."
"We have an issue with hotel guest vouchers."
"This product needs to have an analysis feature, rather than having the analysis done through the integration of a different product."
"It is very expensive, and their support is not very good. I hope that their technical support will be better in the future."
"Improvement is needed in the Web Filter quotas to restrict users with allocated quotas."
"I would like to see improvements with the antivirus and IPS as they are not working properly all the time."
"Fortinet FortiGate can improve by integrating the web application firewall and the DDoS protection part of the solution. Having a WAF feature, web application firewall, and proxy together would be a good benefit."
"The solution could be more secure and stable."
"The biggest area for improvement is storage configuration. It could be smoother."
"Right now, we have two data centers that are a thousand kilometers apart. It would be nice to be able to string them together."
"The solution could use very well-defined support for resellers."
"The stability of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The graphical user interface should be enhanced."
"There is always room for improvement in any solutions, including Fortinet's FortiGate-VM. Although the solution claims to have a superior throughput compared to other OEMs, upon closer examination and comparison, there is potential for significant improvement in this area. In today's rapidly evolving technology world, it is important to continuously strive for enhancement and development, and I believe Fortinet can make significant strides in this direction for the FortiGate-VM."
"The solution can improve by adding separate interfaces for proxy and flow-based usage."
"The security offered by the tool has certain shortcomings, making it in area where improvements are required."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its price is normal. If I compare it with other vendors, such as Palo Alto, it's normal. Palo Alto is expensive."
"You need to pay a license for this solution. Our licensing is now done in our subsidiary."
"The pricing for the product is alright."
"By default, they give SD-WAN along with the firewall. They don't have separate licensing for the SD-WAN functionality. However, they have security licenses that are sold separately on a subscription basis. Customers can consume these security features to protect their users from internet traffic."
"Our licensing costs are on a yearly basis."
"I do not have first-hand experience with the rice of Fortinet FortiGate, but I have heard the price was reasonable."
"The price of the license and warranty can be better because it is very expensive."
"Fortinet FortiGate has different licensing models, depending on what you're going to do. Services included would depend on the license model. Licenses can be renewed annually."
"VMs can be affordable, but for high-demand scenarios, I'd still recommend the hardware. For the cost, it's a ten out of ten."
"It's not a cheap solution but it comes with its benefits."
"The price is expensive compared with other vendors, like Cisco and Huawei."
"We are on an annual license for this solution and it could be cheaper."
"The customer must buy his own license."
"The cost of this product is too high."
"The license can be purchased at intervals of one, three, and five years."
"The price is similar to Symantec Endpoint, but it's more expensive than Forcepoint solutions. Fortinet is better than Forcepoint."
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Comparison Review

it_user216600 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 3, 2016
Sophos UTM vs. Fortinet FortiGate
I have used both Sophos and Fortinet products in production and I have found the Sophos UTM appliances (hardware and virtual) to be a better fit most of the time -- with a few caveats which I will touch on below. In both instances, the transition from TMG will be mostly straightforward. The main…
 

Answers from the Community

RT
Jun 14, 2021
Jun 14, 2021
Purpose-built appliances offer tested performance measures and provide proven results for the specified traffic and service configuration. VM can only provide vCPUs, RAM, and hard disk resources. However, in some cloud environments, you only have the VM option, no appliances accepted. We have several Fortigate VM firewalls operating for 3 years now in the cloud and appliances in our center...
2 out of 4 answers
William Yragui - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 11, 2021
Fortigate appliance is purpose built with NPU and SPUs designed to increase throughput while maximizing the ability to decrypt packets in search of malware.  VM deployments are software only and do not include the NPU and SPUs. 
AT
Jun 13, 2021
FortiGate VM  FortiGate-VM delivers the same FortiOS and FortiGuard real-time threat intelligence as the hardware models, in a virtual form factor. FortiGate-VM offers flexible licensing and provisioning for virtual network deployments. Support for multiple virtualizations and cloud platforms. Full support for Forti Hypervisor deployments enabling line-speed security in vCPE requirement. The architecture of a VM is a little more complex than that of Hardware. Virtual machines are less efficient than real machines because they access the hardware indirectly. FortiGate Hardware The hardware firewall is an ASIC-based device. It has hardware limitation, for example, Memory, CPU, etc Easy deployment in the network No complexity
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
22%
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
21%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 at large. In my opinion, Fortinet would be the best option and l use Fortinet too...
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 the firewalls change every 5 to 7 years as stated but you really do need to upg...
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 good. The most valuable features for me are their web and email filtering. I wou...
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 do you like most about Fortinet FortiGate-VM?
An enhanced security solution for any kind of alert that we have configured.
 

Also Known As

FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate, Fortinet Firewall
FortiGate Virtual Appliance, FortiGate-VM
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

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
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiGate vs. Fortinet FortiGate-VM and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.