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Fortinet FortiManager vs NetScaler comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 25, 2025

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
6.5
Fortinet FortiManager offers cost savings, enhanced visibility, and strong ROI, despite potential delays with new project deployments.
Sentiment score
8.1
NetScaler ensures data security and operational efficiency, providing significant cost savings and stability for medium enterprises.
Fortinet provides a strong ROI for organizations focused on comprehensive security.
The cost has been reduced for us by 24%.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.8
Fortinet FortiManager support is responsive and helpful but lacks consistency and promptness, with regional differences in expertise noted.
Sentiment score
6.1
Citrix support is responsive and knowledgeable, though some users report delays and prefer direct access to experienced engineers.
Fortinet's support has proven to be reliable, particularly as we've been engaged with them since the project's initiation.
They are responsive and resolve issues quickly when I raise a ticket.
Fortinet support is responsive and helpful.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
Fortinet FortiManager offers scalable, centralized management for diverse devices, excelling in virtual environments and large enterprise networks.
Sentiment score
7.8
NetScaler is praised for high scalability and flexibility, despite some challenges with licensing complexity and multi-tenancy support.
Whenever you are monitoring or managing more than 10 or 20 firewalls, it is evident that you need a single pane of glass, which Fortinet FortiManager is offering.
You can raise the capacity as you go, and there is no limit for hardware.
The problem is cloud connectivity and roaming profiles are not working, as there is no option for them.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Fortinet FortiManager is reliable with occasional minor bugs, requiring updates and good internet or hardware for optimal performance.
Sentiment score
7.6
NetScaler is highly rated for stability and performance, with some recommending regular maintenance for optimal reliability.
I rate the solution's stability ten out of ten.
95% of the time, there are no problems interacting with other devices.
It is an absolutely very stable product, and we have not encountered any kind of disruption as far as the product is concerned.
 

Room For Improvement

Fortinet FortiManager needs better support, documentation, integration, user interface, pricing, scalability, traffic monitoring, bug fixes, and feature improvements.
NetScaler needs improvements in usability, stability, security integration, and support while enhancing documentation, pricing transparency, and deployment processes.
FortiManager is a good tool, but there is a lack of really advanced documentation.
In such cases, their CPE or other devices on-site may become unreliable, leading to occasional configuration discrepancies.
The graphical user interface could use improvement as it appears complex and not user-friendly.
 

Setup Cost

Fortinet FortiManager offers competitive and reasonable pricing, with negotiable discounts, making it appealing for scalable network management.
NetScaler pricing is high but offers strong features; cost-saving options include alternatives or negotiating multi-year subscriptions.
I hope that the prices will become more competitive in subsequent releases, as the current pricing is perceived as somewhat elevated.
I would rate the price 8 out of 10 with 10 being the most expensive.
Some competing solutions in the market, like Sophos and SonicWALL, offer lower costs of up to 40 percent.
 

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiManager offers centralized management, automation, scalability, and comprehensive logging, enhancing efficiency and reducing manual effort in network operations.
NetScaler provides flexible deployment, security enhancements, and integration with Citrix for efficient application delivery and robust traffic management.
I can automate the installation of configurations using different programming languages like Python or HPE, and it's a GUI solution, so it's pretty easy to use, even for basic users.
Being able to push consistent firewall rules and configuration changes across multiple FortiGates saves a ton of time and reduces errors compared to managing each device individually.
FortiManager captures all devices and provides reports for security analysis.
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiManager
Ranking in Network Management Applications
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
70
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
NetScaler
Ranking in Network Management Applications
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
107
Ranking in other categories
Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) (1st), Web Application Firewall (WAF) (11th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiManager is 5.0%, up from 4.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetScaler is 1.7%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Management Applications Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Fortinet FortiManager5.0%
NetScaler1.7%
Other93.3%
Network Management Applications
 

Featured Reviews

SudeepMaydeo - PeerSpot reviewer
Ensures seamless integration and centralized visibility for network security operations
The version upgrade from a single dashboard for all the firewalls in one click is the beauty of Fortinet FortiManager as the most impactful feature in managing our network security. Fortinet FortiManager's policy management enhances our security protocols by enabling us and giving integrated centralized visibility, which has proven to be very healthy. Because of this, we have identified some of the vulnerabilities in our systems, and we mitigated them through Fortinet FortiManager. The central dashboards and the visibility are what appealed to us to go with Fortinet FortiManager. Fortinet FortiManager has adapted to changes in our network scale and complexity as we have geographically 18 international locations, all equipped with firewalls and some cybersecurity initiatives and IT infrastructure initiatives.
DEMİRHAN ÇAVUŞOĞLU - PeerSpot reviewer
A tool for centralized management including inventory and sales tracking
Citrix ADM has the ability to implement policies to tighten security. For instance, you can restrict access to your network from outsiders or lack necessary security measures such as antivirus programs. Additionally, there's the Delivery Controller, which allows for comprehensive monitoring and management tasks such as remote restarts, maintenance, and registration. Another essential component is the Director, which provides detailed insights into sessions, including identifying session failures, connection issues, user lockouts, etc. It presents a list of problems to address, enabling you to click on them and resolve them efficiently.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business34
Midsize Enterprise15
Large Enterprise19
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business45
Midsize Enterprise23
Large Enterprise57
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Fortinet FortiManager?
The most valuable feature is the centralized management console.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiManager?
I am satisfied with the licensing cost, and I would rate it an 8.5.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiManager?
In future updates, I would like to see more customization and AI integration. We have not actually validated Fortinet FortiManager with AI per se, but we would like to have AI inbuilt in Fortinet p...
What do you like most about Citrix ADC?
The most valuable feature for us is the application firewalling in Citrix NetScaler, ensuring only valid traffic enters our environment.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix ADC?
After deployment, Citrix Netscaler shifted to a subscription-based license scheme for support, which is slightly more expensive.
What needs improvement with Citrix ADC?
Citrix NetScaler is a robust product, but mastering it requires significant learning and training due to its complexity. While it could be easier to manage, it is like transitioning from driving a ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Citrix ADC, Citrix NetScaler VPX, NetScaler Console, NetScaler Web Application Firewall, NetScaler VPX - Customer Licensed
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
ABB Schweiz, Aer Lingus, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Amnet Technology Solutions, Aramex International, Ascenty, Atos, Autodesk
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiManager vs. NetScaler and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
872,008 professionals have used our research since 2012.