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Fortinet FortiGate vs Sophos XGS 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)
Sophos XGS
Ranking in Firewalls
15th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
81
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 Sophos XGS is 1.7%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewalls
 

Q&A Highlights

RS
Dec 13, 2022
 

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…
MarounAbboud - PeerSpot reviewer
Gives us peace of mind with network security, application control, and web server protection
Having previously worked with the Astaro Security Gateway platform (now called Sophos UTM), I can attest that the configuration and dashboard for this older platform was easier to manage than that of both Sophos XG and XGS. If it were up to me, I would prefer to go back to the older SG dashboard. I am hoping that in future, the dashboard for Sophos XGS will be simpler and easier.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We were looking for the VPN feature and controlling the inflow and outflow of all the traffic within the site and across the sites. We are also using it for the VPN and VLANs."
"It has very easy management and an amazing ETM configuration."
"The solution is very user-friendly."
"The FortiGate controls the user's activities and maximizes my bandwidth use overall."
"One of the nice things about FortiGate is that it can be deployed on the cloud or on-premises. You can actually do both. That's the biggest reason why I stick with this solution as opposed to something like Cisco Meraki. Another nice thing is that I can log directly into a FortiGate or get to it through their FortiCloud access products. They're pretty reliable and consistent. One of the reasons why I started using the product was their single pane of management. I can deploy their line of firewalls in conjunction with their switching and access points, and I can manage the entire network from one interface. I don't have to log into one interface for the firewall, another one for the access points, and another one for the switches. These firewalls have access point controller functionality built right into the system, so I don't even have to purchase additional devices to manage them."
"We purchased Fortinet because of the pricing, its functionality, because it met our requirements, and the total cost of ownership over five years was quite reasonable. In the market, Fortinet is rated quite well."
"Web filtering and two-factor authentication are great features."
"The solution is very easy to understand. It's not overly complex."
"It is very stable. I have not heard of any issue where clients would have to replace hardware. It's been really stable for a long while."
"It provides good protection services."
"The solution is stable."
"Sophos XGS is cost effective and provides all necessary security features and throughput."
"Sophos XGS' most valuable features are protection and intrusion prevention detection."
"The security heartbeat feature and MDR are the best for customer security."
"I like the Sophos UI. It interface has a more comfortable feel than the competitors."
"I find DLP, API, IP, SDK, and web control to be valuable features."
 

Cons

"Pricing for it is a bit high. It could be cheaper."
"One area for improvement is the performance on bandwidth demands for smaller devices, as well as better web filtering."
"In some cases, its initial setup could be hard for customers."
"The pricing could always be better."
"The stability of Fortinet FortiGate could improve."
"It would be ideal if they had some sort of GUI interface for troubleshooting and diagnostics."
"The support costs and licensing are sometimes so expensive."
"Fortinet needs to overhaul its documentation."
"Having previously worked with the Astaro Security Gateway platform (now called Sophos UTM), I can attest that the configuration and dashboard for this older platform was easier to manage than that of both Sophos XG and XGS. If it were up to me, I would prefer to go back to the older SG dashboard."
"All the security features could be better."
"There are issues with some designs being able to work on high availability."
"The technical support could be improved as it is currently not competent and pretty slow."
"The solution could have a bit more functionality."
"A feature that could be improved in Sophos XGS is the ability to perform internal vulnerability checks."
"Sophos pricing is very high. The last instance I purchased was for three years, around $3,700 for SDG 125."
"Sophos should work on its marketing strategy as it seems to lag behind Fortinet."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pricing is lower than Cisco."
"If the customer is looking for SD-WAN, it comes free with FortiGate."
"The cost of Fortinet FortiGate is competitive and not expensive compared to other enterprise- grade solutions. On average, the license cost per year is around seventy percent of the firewall's purchase price."
"Before choosing a piece of equipment you have to take into account the cost-benefit offered by each one. Sometimes it is not worth paying a very cheap price to have a minimum level of security."
"In the Asian economy in which we operate, FortiGate is expensive."
"It is a good product from a price perspective versus functionality."
"We have the full version of Fortinet FortiGate and we are on a three-year contract with a commitment of five years."
"I had to pay for the license for the firewall, but it is guaranteed to have updates. I expect a good service for it. It was about €1000 for a year, and there was no additional cost."
"The price of Sophos XGS depends on the type of license. However, the licensing cost is approximately 60 percent of the total cost."
"Sophos XGS is competitively priced."
"Sophos XGS costs around $6,000 for a basic license."
"The cost of Sophos XGS is based on per unit, per appliance, and capacity."
"A central firewall on the cloud with a cluster might be 70,000 to 80,000 euros for a three-year license."
"The price of Sophos XGS is less than competitors worldwide. However, in Turkey the solution is expensive."
"The cost is comparable to other similar solutions."
"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
18%
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?
If the pricing model is more flexible or lower, it would be highly preferable, making it a more competitive option for users.
What needs improvement with Sophos XGS?
The user interface has improved significantly over the past few years, and having a more competitive price model could make it a preferable choice for customers. It would be beneficial if Sophos XG...
 

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: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.