Hillstone E-Series vs Sophos XG comparison

Hillstone Networks and Sophos are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Hillstone Networks is ranked #38 with an average rating of 8.0, while Sophos is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.3. Hillstone Networks holds a 0.3% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to Sophos’s 9.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Hillstone Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Sophos users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 13, 2025

Sophos XG and Hillstone E-Series are well-known in the firewall market, each providing unique features tailored to varied user needs. Sophos XG is favored for its integrated security and comprehensive management capabilities, while Hillstone E-Series is acclaimed for its robust hardware innovations and cost-effective solutions.

Features: Sophos XG integrates endpoint protection with firewall functions, boasting strong threat management, comprehensive reporting capabilities, and scalability. Hillstone E-Series is notable for its hardware capacity and performance, along with user-friendly virtual switching and routing features, which eliminate the need for additional third-party hardware.

Room for Improvement: Sophos XG needs enhancements in cloud integration and executive-level reporting, as well as faster support response times. Hillstone E-Series requires more frequent updates and better memory management, in addition to improved technical support and user interface updates.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Sophos XG is versatile, supporting hybrid, on-premises, and public cloud infrastructures. Hillstone E-Series focuses on on-premises and cloud deployments. Both products have room to improve technical support and customer service, with shared challenges in responsive and knowledgeable support.

Pricing and ROI: Sophos XG is priced mid-range, with flexible licensing but can be expensive with added features, affecting its ROI. Hillstone E-Series offers economical pricing and functional features, presenting good ROI and attractive to budget-conscious buyers.

To learn more, read our detailed Hillstone E-Series vs. Sophos XG Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Hillstone E-Series vs. Sophos XG

September 2025

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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

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 20.4%, up from 19.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Hillstone E-Series is 0.3%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos XG is 9.6%, down from 9.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	20.4%
Sophos XG	9.6%
Hillstone E-Series	0.3%
Other	69.7%

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

TahirMahmood

IT Manager at Zubair Feeds

Offers good features like URL filtering, IPS, and IDS to users

We received an update for the tool in July. The update was provided for the tool as there was a problem with the firewall, where too much memory was consumed, and the firewall was hanging a lot. When we updated the tool's features, everything became okay. The tool only had some memory-related problems. It took the tool a month to fix the issues.

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TarunPanchal

IT Manager , SAP HANA Administrator at Tara Paints & Chemicals

Decades of expertise lead to seamless installations and robust security

I typically use the Sophos XG Firewall to enhance my cybersecurity by using all layers. The intrusion prevention system impacts my security posture effectively, as we have not faced any ransomware or cyber threats. I have more than 800 servers live from Sophos. The synchronized security feature has proven to be very beneficial, and I have not encountered any issues. Sophos XG Firewall has contributed to reducing overall costs because it helps save money. We purchased endpoint security for the first time last year, and even without endpoint security, it provides comprehensive security. Sophos XG uses AI effectively to enhance threat detection and response, securing from AI at the packet level.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The initial setup is very easy."

"The tool is a nice product and easy to handle. The software's user interface is also good. You can easily implement remote access in the solution."

"Previously, we were using another firewall device, Sophos. Compared to that, Fortinet FortiGate provides more features and better security."

"Using this product makes the VPN seamless and almost invisible to me in the sense that I don't have to think about it."

"I think that the UTM features are the most value, as it truly protects my infrastructure."

"The firewalls are valuable for threat prevention."

"Fortinet FortiGate is a very stable solution."

"Fortinet FortiGate has helped me reduce Mean Time To Respond, or MTTR, and helped my organization consolidate all of the tools in one application."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"I am impressed with the application filtering feature."

"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"This solution has two main features that we find very valuable; a threat-intelligence option, and a web/application filtering option. The technical support team are very good and very quick."

"Five out of five ROI."

"Working with the Hillstone E-Series has, from a remote perspective, allowed me to give my clients a secure connectivity."

"The initial setup was straightforward. It only took a few hours to deploy."

"Very reliable solution with good scalability and straightforward implementation."

"The most valuable feature of the Hillstone E-Series is its user-friendliness."

More Hillstone E-Series pros

"If you want to install antivirus and firewalling on endpoints, then Sophos is the best option."

"The product has a console that is based in the cloud for all their products. In this console, they have email security, firewall security, endpoint security, et cetera. All of the products on offer in the console are very useful for us."

"The most valuable feature is the intrusion prevention system."

"The most valuable feature is the central dashboard"

"The solution has very good security features, is easy to use for administrators and users, and has informative reports."

"The performance is good."

"Sophos XG's most effective features for threat detection and management are its UTM components, which are useful for malware prevention and intrusion detection."

"Web publishing is important, as well as the importance of the antivirus patch."

More Sophos XG pros

Cons

"I feel that the reporting needs to be improved."

"The stability of Fortinet FortiGate could improve."

"The tool is expensive for small businesses, making it an area where the tool can improve the product by making it available at a cheaper rate."

"There could be more integration between the logging and analytical platforms to make it more seamless and integrated."

"I don't like that anything more than very basic reporting is not included."

"Fortinet FortiGate could be improved in terms of user friendliness at the policy level and assigning URL based and keyword based features."

"The search tool needs improvement. It's very difficult to search for policies right now."

"The main area needing improvement is the user-friendliness of FortiGate's integration with other Fortinet tools like FortiAuthenticator and VPN services."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"The tool only had some memory-related problems."

"The tool provides just a general report. It does not provide a granular report. Hence, the tool should work on its reporting feature."

"The tool needs to improve its price."

"The solution doesn't have a web proxy built into the system like Sophos. This is something they should work to change."

"Having frequent live webinars on a monthly basis would really help."

"The current usage reporting is very basic."

"I am not sure if this solution offers active directory integration. Adding that feature will definitely be an advantage."

"SSL VPN license cost is not cheap."

More Hillstone E-Series cons

"They need to improve the SD-WAN feature."

"The knowledge base needs improvement, particularly in terms of community support and training videos on platforms like YouTube. Compared to other firewalls, Sophos XG documentation is somewhat confusing and can be difficult to use."

"The support service level agreement in regard to the amount of time needed to upgrade things is too low. It should be higher."

"I would like to have more artificial intelligence in the web monitoring service that comes with it. It should alert us when particular events happen. It has already got some of that. I know that it is more of a service, and Sophos is already looking at it. It is called SIEM."

"The VPN is in need of improvement."

"Support could be improved."

"I've had experience with Sophos XG's threat intelligence features, and they provide good coverage, although I wouldn't say they're the best in the industry. The sandbox feature is available with top-tier subscriptions, allowing you to test content in a cloud sandbox. One improvement I'd suggest for Sophos XG is to make certain functionalities, like CR functionality, part of the default firewalling rather than exclusive to premium subscriptions. Enhancing DLP capabilities at the gateway level could significantly boost security for organizations."

"The first area that needs to be improved is customer support."

More Sophos XG cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is cheap."

"Pricing and licensing is a little bit complicated in FortiGate. They are always on the higher side. This is one issue that we always raise with the company that they should reduce the price according to Indian market requirements. There are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees."

"It is affordable. Palo Alto is much more expensive than Fortinet."

"The license of Fortinet FortiGate should be reduced."

"FortiGate Next Generation Firewall costs our company around $12000 per year."

"It's expensive, but compared to the competition it's okay."

"The support subscription for the solution is annual. You are paying for support and there are two levels of support, professional and advanced."

"We saved a bundle by not needing all the past appliances from an NGFW."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"Hillstone's pricing is economical and neither very high nor very low."

"The tool's pricing is reasonable. It depends on the model. The product's pricing is around 600 USD. You need to buy a software license to activate the features. You need to pay around 150 USD for that."

"The licensing model is very complex with many subcategories of licenses you can purchase. They could make it more simplified for customers to understand."

"The cost per year for licensing, and hardware, is approximately $850 for the basic plan."

"They have different options for the license."

"It is fairly priced."

"We pay for two licenses for the use of Sophos XG annually and it is a flat fee. We do not have everyone going through both of the Sophos XG firewalls a the same time and the Sophos XG on Microsoft Azure is only accessible from the VPN."

"I don't believe we have a license for this product."

"Over the last two years of the COVID-19 crises, most users required an SSL VPN license, something for which SonicWall charges but which Sophos offers for free."

"I don't think that it is expensive when you compare it with other solutions available on the market."

"There is no need to get one edition, just the licensing, as we are talking about a common bundle which encompasses all the features."

"When comparing with Palo Alto and Cisco, Sophos is cheaper."

More Sophos XG pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

15%

Non Profit

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	351
Midsize Enterprise	130
Large Enterprise	187

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	1

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	140
Midsize Enterprise	50
Large Enterprise	37

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...

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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...

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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 ...

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What needs improvement with Hillstone E-Series?

We received an update for the tool in July. The update was provided for the tool as there was a problem with the fire...

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What is your primary use case for Hillstone E-Series?

I use the solution in my company for site-to-site VPN, SSL VPNs, URL filtering, IPS, IDS and all the other features w...

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What advice do you have for others considering Hillstone E-Series?

Our company did not use the tool's micro-segmentation features. There were no issues while integrating the tool. I ha...

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Which is better - Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls or Sophos XG?

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have both great features and performance. I like that Palo Alto has regular threat si...

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What are the main differences in features between Sophos XG and FortiGate 80F?

Hi Arvind P , The Sophos XG firewall has a number of models right from XG86 to XG135w under the 1U Desktop Form Fact...

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What do you like most about Sophos XG?

IPS works smoothly.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 11% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 9% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

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OpenVPN Access Server vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 20% of the time

Hillstone A-Series vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 14% of the time

Sangfor SSL VPN vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 6% of the time

A10 Networks Thunder CFW vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 6% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 5% of the time

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OPNsense vs Sophos XG

Compared 10% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Sophos XG

Compared 8% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs Sophos XG

Compared 5% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Sophos XG

Compared 4% of the time

Sophos XGS vs Sophos XG

Compared 3% of the time

More Sophos XG Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

October 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Firewalls

September 2025

Download Hillstone E-Series product report

Buyer's Guide

Sophos XG

September 2025

Download Sophos XG product report

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate excels in providing integrated VPN, firewalling, and Unified Threat Management (UTM) with centralized management and high availability. It supports remote access and comprehensive threat protection, making it a preferred choice for securing networks.

Fortinet FortiGate offers a robust security platform with features such as strong intrusion prevention, application control, and web filtering. Its integration with Active Directory and SD-WAN functionality provides scalable solutions for large networks. Users appreciate its ease of use through centralized management interfaces, ensuring robust security with flexible configurations. However, FortiGate could enhance its graphical interface and technical support responsiveness, address firmware bugs and costly licensing, improve logging, integrate better with third-party tools, and strengthen scalability and memory for log storage. Complexity in configuration and the need for intuitive features are noted challenges, and there's a demand for advanced security, zero-trust capabilities, and AI integration.

What are the key features of Fortinet FortiGate?

VPN: Secure remote access and connectivity.
Firewalling: Protects networks from unauthorized access and attacks.
UTM: Offers a comprehensive approach to threat management.
SD-WAN: Optimizes traffic routing for efficient network performance.
Web Filtering: Controls and monitors web access and ensures Internet security.

What benefits or ROI should be considered?

Centralized Management: Simplifies administration and monitoring.
High Availability: Ensures consistent security and network availability.
Scalability: Adapts to the needs of growing networks.
Comprehensive Threat Protection: Provides robust security measures.
Ease of Use: Minimizes the complexity of security management.

Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries like education, finance, and government. Companies use it for firewall protection, VPN, and SD-WAN capabilities, ensuring secure perimeter and data center security. It facilitates remote access management and traffic routing optimization, offering reliable security and connectivity solutions.

Fortinet

Hillstone E-Series is a comprehensive network security solution designed to protect organizations from advanced threats. It offers a range of features including a firewall, intrusion prevention system (IPS), virtual private network (VPN), and application control.

With its advanced threat intelligence capabilities, E-Series can detect and prevent sophisticated attacks, ensuring the security of critical data and systems. It also provides granular control over applications, allowing organizations to enforce policies and optimize network performance.

E-Series is easy to deploy and manage, with a user-friendly interface and centralized management console. It offers high-performance throughput and scalability, making it suitable for small businesses to large enterprises. With its robust security features and ease of use, Hillstone E-Series is an ideal choice for organizations looking to enhance their network security posture.

Hillstone Networks

Sophos XG provides robust security capabilities, offering features like web filtering, VPN, and user-friendly management. Its intuitive setup and policy adjustments enhance security while synchronized endpoint protection ensures comprehensive defense.

Sophos XG is a network security solution with web and application filtering, VPN features, and a management interface that simplifies configuration. It offers email protection, threat prevention, and reporting capabilities, all contributing to a comprehensive defense strategy. Synchronized security with endpoints enhances protection, and advanced threat protection with efficient bandwidth management supports secure remote work environments. However, users suggest improvements in log interfaces for real-time actions and better email protection. Enhancements in link load balancing, RAM, VPN stability, and central management are needed. HTTPS filtering, certificate management, technical support, and scalability of the SD-WAN feature can see advances.

What are the key features of Sophos XG?

Web and application filtering: Blocks inappropriate content and apps, maintaining network security.
VPN features: Secure remote access and connectivity for remote work.
Intuitive management: Simplifies setup and policy changes for efficient security management.
Threat prevention: Protects against intrusions, malware, and malicious sites.
Reporting and dashboards: Enhance visibility and decision-making ability.
Synchronized security: Integrates with endpoint protection for a cohesive defense.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Enhanced security: Comprehensive features protect against network threats.
Remote work support: Secure VPN connectivity for remote and mobile employees.
Ease of management: Simple setup and configuration save time and resources.
Visibility: Detailed reports and dashboards aid continuous monitoring and analysis.
Scalability: Suitable for medium to large organizations with growing security needs.

In industries such as healthcare, education, and financial services, Sophos XG acts as a mainline defense for network security, VPN connectivity, and web filtering. It supports secure remote access, intrusion prevention, antivirus scanning, and secure web gateways integrated with endpoint systems, tailoring its extensive security capabilities to meet specific industry requirements.

Sophos

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

Bank of China Macao, Instituto Tecnológico Bolivariano, Ministry of Labor in San Salvador, FEDCO

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Hillstone E-Series vs. Sophos XG

September 2025

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