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Fortinet FortiGate vs Sophos XGS comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 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
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)
Sophos XGS
Ranking in Firewalls
14th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
82
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 20.3%, up from 17.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos XGS is 1.8%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewalls
 

Q&A Highlights

RS
Dec 13, 2022
 

Featured Reviews

EhabAli - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient, user-friendly, and affordable
In the past, NSS Labs was utilized to test files and verify the numbers and datasheets. It would be beneficial to have an organization or testing lab that can verify the numbers in our datasheets since changes are frequently made, which can be inconvenient for review. For instance, when comparing different competitors such as Forcepoint, Palo Alto, and Check Point, the throughput or numbers in the datasheet may be lower than the actual numbers. Conversely, Fortinet typically reports very high numbers, but they cannot be replicated in the real world. Therefore, it would be advantageous for them to partner with a neutral testing organization such as NSS Labs to validate these numbers, thus providing more credibility and comfort to everyone regarding the accuracy of the datasheets. For the migration, everyone has a firewall in use and I am selling Fortinet. Typically, I am replacing another firewall. Previously, there was a tool available to convert configurations from one firewall, such as Palo Alto, to Fortinet, but this tool is no longer free. If it could be made free again, it would be very beneficial. This tool shows a lot of promise and is very good. Making it free would help many companies deliver their products in a more efficient and integrated way. It would also be more valuable to include the tool with the firewall package or license instead of having to pay extra for it. Paying extra puts more pressure on small companies to deliver the firewall and complete the configuration, especially if they have hundreds or thousands of policies. It's very painful to move through these policies line by line. The stability has room for improvement. When it comes to Secure SD-WAN, everything is fine. They are going the right way. SD-WAN is very promising. They can provide the SD-WAN solution separately, but they will not take this approach because even the smallest firewall can support the features, so there is no need to have a separate service or appliance. They are following the right steps, and there is nothing to be improved. Feature-wise, I'm really satisfied with the new release, and the features they have added. For now, it's fine.
Jaffar Ali - PeerSpot reviewer
Has provided stability, security, ease of management, and better reporting options
People use Sophos XGS because the overall channel support is very good, so they don't face issues. Additionally, it is competitive in pricing against Fortinet in some cases, especially when considering high availability, email subscriptions, and gateways Sophos XGS has provided stability,…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"FortiGate is on the cheaper end, and it offers good value."
"We can use our devices to check all of the perimeters. It secures email websites."
"It can expand easily."
"It performs very well."
"The GUI is good."
"The multi-tenancy feature is most valuable. It integrates very well with FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer."
"Fortinet FortiGate's ease of management is the most valuable feature."
"Its user interface is good, and it is always working fine."
"Sophos XGS is cost effective and provides all necessary security features and throughput."
"The product was easy for us to install."
"We are happy and satisfied with all the features."
"The most valuable feature of Sophos XGS is the application control."
"The most valuable features in Sophos XGS are identity and VPN. It is a very good solution that is able to detect and prevent a lot of malicious activity."
"All the features are valuable, in my opinion, but for us the most important features are the network security, application control, and web server protection. Sophos Sandstorm is another good feature off the top of my head."
"Some features are free."
"The solution is stable."
 

Cons

"The command line is complicated, and the interface could be better."
"Lacks sufficient security options."
"I think the only issue that needs improvement is the interface."
"They need faster serviceability and more security features."
"The stability could be a bit better."
"Bandwidth usage in reporting could be improved for Fortinet FortiGate."
"Fortinet FortiGate can improve the integration with Active Directory. Additionally, I would like to have a Cloud Controller, such as they do in the Cisco Meraki solution."
"There are some license issues. Not every feature must have a separate license. There must be some of kind synergy between the license so we don't have to pay for every individual license that we would like to have."
"I would like to see them in third-party evaluation reports like Gartner, Magic Quadrant, or Forrester to make it easier for us to show our customers that Sophos is a leader in the market."
"The application is a little slow; it takes five to ten seconds to respond to every click when configuring. If we need to do significant configuration, it can take a lot of time. This might be because we have a low-end machine, and it could be faster with a high-end one."
"The support team are helpful when you eventually get hold of them which takes a long time. They can improve how quickly you get technical support."
"The price of Sophos XGS could improve, it is high."
"We need to know which feature is suited to different environments. More live sessions or time-bound training would help us understand better."
"The solution could have a bit more functionality."
"I feel Sophos should add more telemetry data to its products...Right now, I think there are only less than a dozen vendors or OEMs supported by Sophos."
"We'd like an interface that can monitor everything."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is highly competitive when compared to other brands that offer similar functionality."
"The license of Fortinet FortiGate should be reduced."
"For our organization, the licensing costs are approximately $7,000 per year."
"As far as I'm aware, in our case, it's just a yearly pricing arrangement with no additional licensing costs."
"A year or two years back, its price was competitive and reasonable. That was one of the reasons that people easily switched to Fortinet. Over the last two years, the prices have increased drastically. However, the prices of others have also increased. An advantage is there from the price point but not as much as it was previously."
"They are very competitive, but we like to have the factory warranty taken care of."
"The pricing for this solution is good."
"The price for the device and software is high. However, the solution is of good quality and has a lot of features."
"Sophos XGS is a cost-effective solution."
"The licensing cost for Sophos XGS is high. However, they do apply competitive discounts and different layers of discounts."
"The license for Sophos XGS is for three years, paid on a yearly basis. Everything is included with the license; there are no additional fees."
"Sophos XGS is a very expensive solution."
"Sophos XGS costs around $75,000 for fifty units."
"Sophos XGS's pricing is very affordable."
"The licensing cost is in the normal range and is not very costly."
"There is an annual licensing fee to use Sophos XGS. It is an expensive solution."
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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

RS
Dec 13, 2022
Dec 13, 2022
Hi Rahul, I'm an IT consultant, specializing in networking and firewalls. Actually, I'm implementing Fortigates 100F and Sophos XGS2100 in customers' infrastructures. They are two big advantages for Sophos XGS: 1) The second CPU XStream, dedicated to firewalling and UTM functions, like Web Filtering, Web Application Firewall, IPS, etc.: https://news.sophos.com/en-us/... 2) The Sophos "Synchroni...
2 out of 4 answers
AR
Dec 12, 2022
Hi Rahul, I'm an IT consultant, specializing in networking and firewalls. Actually, I'm implementing Fortigates 100F and Sophos XGS2100 in customers' infrastructures. They are two big advantages for Sophos XGS: 1) The second CPU XStream, dedicated to firewalling and UTM functions, like Web Filtering, Web Application Firewall, IPS, etc.: https://news.sophos.com/en-us/... 2) The Sophos "Synchronized Security", interaction with the client protection, centralized in a cloud console: https://www.sophos.com/en-us/c... With this Xstream processor (ASIC), an XGS2100 is more powerful than a Fortigate 100F...and no way with pricing, Sophos is cheaper. Regards, A.Rastello
Pieter Plas - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 12, 2022
We have a lot of Sophos firewalls in the field. I agree to the answer from Alexandre. The Sophos Firewall is the more powerfull firewall. But maybe it's a good idea to explore the XGS 3100 because of the hardware like 10gbit.With kind regards,
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
22%
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Educational Organization
5%
 

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...
What do you like most about Sophos XGS?
The policies are the greatest feature. They allow us to configure granular control over our network traffic.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sophos XGS?
The pricing is justified, and the solution is considered budget-friendly compared to other vendors.
What needs improvement with Sophos XGS?
Hardware stability needs improvement. I have experienced multiple hardware complaints, particularly during firmware updates that sometimes cause crashes. Improvements to the hardware would be a cri...
 

Also Known As

FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate, Fortinet Firewall
No data available
 

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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
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Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiGate vs. Sophos XGS and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,158 professionals have used our research since 2012.