Juniper Session Smart Router vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform comparison

Juniper and Versa Networks are both solutions in the Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions category. Juniper is ranked #12 with an average rating of 9.0, while Versa Networks is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.0. Juniper holds a 2.4% mindshare in SDW, compared to Versa Networks’s 5.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Juniper users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Versa Networks users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 1, 2025

Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge Platform and Juniper Session Smart Router are competing solutions in the network infrastructure industry. Versa has an advantage in support and setup cost, appealing to cost-conscious buyers, while Juniper offers advanced router features justifying its pricing.

Features: Versa SASE Platform provides integrated security and networking, with centralized management that simplifies configuration and monitoring. Juniper Session Smart Router offers application-based routing, zero-trust security, and optimized data flow.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Deployment of Versa SASE Platform is smoother due to integrated solutions, reducing compatibility issues, and it is frequently praised for strong customer support. Juniper’s complex deployment process is mitigated by reliable installation guidance despite its sophisticated router configurations.

Pricing and ROI: Versa SASE Platform is generally more budget-friendly with lower initial setup costs, delivering quick ROI due to cost-effective integration. Juniper Session Smart Router entails a higher initial cost, but its features can provide substantial long-term benefits, appealing to those prioritizing long-term functionality.

To learn more, read our detailed Juniper Session Smart Router vs. Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Juniper Session Smart Router vs. Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

December 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 January 2026, in the Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 13.9%, down from 20.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper Session Smart Router is 2.4%, down from 3.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform is 5.6%, up from 4.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	13.9%
Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform	5.6%
Juniper Session Smart Router	2.4%
Other	78.1%

Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions

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.

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SRI GANESH PHANIYAPPA

Sub Divisional Engineer NOC Bangalore at Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited

Delivered tailored features and meets requirements effectively

We are using it as a DNG. This means all subscriber PPPoE sessions or ILS Smart VPN connections are terminated through the access network to this BNG, Uniphore BNG. From there, they are managed Everything has been fine. Although we did not explore much about the solution, they provided us with a…

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Aashiesh Sharrma

Senior Client Partner at NTT DATA

Has improved network performance and strengthened data protection with flexible multi-tenancy support

The most valuable feature I find in Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform is multi-tenancy. This is part of the feature list when discussing its Zero Trust Network Access. It has benefited my customer's network performance. The underlay network has become very independent in the sense that we no longer need to position MPLS services. On the internet itself, we are able to give the best features as far as SD-WAN is concerned. Even in MPLS, it was end-to-end encryption itself, but SD-WAN has further enhanced the aspect of security on the open internet link, which has helped my customers in protecting sensitive data. The flexibility and application optimization is one feature which my customers have benefited from the most.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Reliability is the best feature. We faced some issues when we were setting it up, but the service, portal, and administration are good."

"Customers keep on improving their licenses. The solution remains scalable and flexible. On-premises deployments may have some limitations. However, cloud deployments offer a high degree of flexibility."

"Virtual Domains (VDOMs) are a feature that we found valuable."

"FortiOS is quite good in my experience with Fortinet FortiGate, and it works very effectively and is stable for companies. The customers have given feedback that FortiOS has been very stable for a long time."

"It offers web filtering capabilities at a more affordable price compared to other solutions like PSMs or NETGEAR."

"FortiGate Next Generation Firewall has a stateless balance proposition"

"The solution is user-friendly and easy to operate."

"The SD-WAN function is very developed. It has SD-WAN functionality with security features in one device. We can manage from one single console SD-WAN and the security policy."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"They provided us with a customized product according to our requirements."

"Customer service is very prompt."

"As compared to the other major vendors in the SD-WAN market, such as VeloCloud, Cisco, and others, the tunnel-free and secure vector routing technology is its major USP, which gives plenty of room to discuss with the customer why IPSec from 1998 is a bit outdated."

"The most valuable feature of Juniper Session Smart Router is its unique SDR channel."

"The solution is especially Session's smart, application-aware, AI-based."

"The granularity when it comes to configuration and security features are valuable."

"Versa FlexVNF is a scalable product because it does not have any hardware dependencies. This makes it a versatile solution that can be easily integrated with any firewall."

"Their dashboard is also a good point for us and the customer. The solution is very clean and easy."

"Our organization finds the application routing features extremely useful."

"This integration between SASE and SD-WAN is beneficial, as we have tested it with various customers."

"There are great security and ops features without the need for having a different box for security."

"The initial setup is simple."

"I like all the features. We utilize different LAN, bandwidth transferring, bandwidth balancing, and mappings. We use it as a centralized solution, and use the same product at all our locations."

More Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform pros

Cons

"We would like to see better pricing."

"Like any hardware, it has finite scalability restrictions."

"The room for improvement is about the global delivery time period. Usually I need to wait for almost one month to deliver it overseas. So if you can shorten the deliver time it'd be great."

"The solution could have licensing fees reduced in the future."

"Bandwidth usage in reporting could be improved for Fortinet FortiGate."

"The non-error conserve mode has room for improvement."

"They should improve high CPU and memory usage that occurs."

"To some degree, it's almost a question as to why some of this stuff isn't simpler. For example, for an AP deployment, while it's integrated, the number of steps that you have to go through in order to get the AP up, seems like a lot."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"Juniper Session Smart Router can improve the integration for Wi-Fi devices and add additional Sassy deployments."

"The UI of the SSR conductor is the main part where improvements can be done. Today, for every configuration step, you have to do a series of clicks. What we are missing there are wizards. For example, I have two applications, and I want one application to be prioritized against the other. In such a case, a wizard for assigning policies to a service without configuring each step by hand would be very helpful. There should be an overhaul of the GUI of the conductor. The functionality they have got in the Mist portal should be baked into the conductor itself. It would be really great, but as we all know, that won't happen."

"Juniper Session Smart Router could be better in terms of software performance."

"Regarding improvement, we still need to see what it can do."

"We are thinking about how to make customers consolidate the loads to an SD-WAN network so that the customers can have bigger chunk from the SD-WAN side so that customers can have critical data be transferred with NPS VPN and non-critical data or some labeled traffic can be transferred by the SD-WAN network. I think it's a very important direction for digital transformation."

"The web interface can be improved."

"There are limitations when you connect from multiple locations. It does not work as expected. If you have more than 400 users, then it will choke. It will not perform as expected."

"There are complications in terms of getting it implemented, but Versa professional services have been of great support to us."

"Certainly, there are areas that require enhancement, and the current focus is on improvements. Presently, I believe that the emphasis should be on enhancing user interface (UI) features, particularly over end devices. The issue arises when attempting to log in to Versa from other devices, as the UI is not device-specific. Consequently, guiding someone to log in to Versa antivirus becomes challenging. Despite the absence of issues on the website, the lack of a login scope impedes graphical representation of user data or databases. Since work databases support only a limited range of features, I recommend augmenting features for end devices to address these limitations."

"The solution lacks a mobile version where small, manageable platforms can be developed."

"With the pandemic and changing work models, it would be ideal if the product more accessibility options or more diversity within the solution itself."

"I heard about them for the first time just before I started working on Versa. They do have blogs for information, but they could publicize more about the documentation and architecture. It doesn't seem to have that much exposure, and they should work on their customer base more."

More Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is perfect."

"It has a competitive price."

"Go for long term pricing negotiated at the time of purchase."

"It is an expensive solution."

"The licensing costs are very competitive."

"FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is an expensive solution with a yearly subscription."

"FortiGate SWG is a cost-effective solution well-suited for organisations of all sizes."

"We pay about $4,000 for a yearly license, and there aren't any additional fees."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"It is a simple bandwidth-based license and the orchestration comes bundled with the solution by default."

"We are currently renegotiating the offer for the licenses and the license bundle model. The license for an ISP has to be different from the license for an end customer. This is something we are currently renegotiating with Juniper, but, of course, the pricing for the licensing is always an issue when you want to get more customers."

"The price is expensive but it makes sense for the market."

"While I cannot provide too much commentary on the price, I feel it to be fair for the moment."

"It is neither cheap nor expensive. I rate the pricing a five out of ten on a scale where one is cheap and ten is expensive."

"We provide subscriptions for our customers on a yearly, not monthly, basis."

"I find Versa a little more expensive than VMware in terms of remote access and secure web gateway elements."

"Price wise, it's more expensive than is the competition. I would give pricing a rating of three out of five."

"It is not very expensive because of the white box support. Its hardware is much cheaper than other products. With the support for x86 and white box, it is one of the most cost-effective platforms that are currently available."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

18%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Computer Software Company

Government

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	357
Midsize Enterprise	133
Large Enterprise	188

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	10

Questions from the Community

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When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage a...

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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 Juniper Session Smart Router?

I did not find any problem with Juniper. Regarding improvement, we still need to see what it can do.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Juniper Session Smart Router?

We are using it as a DNG. This means all subscriber PPPoE sessions or ILS Smart VPN connections are terminated throug...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Juniper Session Smart Router?

On a scale of one to ten, I rate the solution nine.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Versa Titan?

As a reseller, I see their pricing as competitive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Versa Titan?

So far, none of my customers have delved into much detail about Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platf...

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What is your primary use case for Versa Titan?

I'm in sales, so I'm a seller for Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform. I usually recommend Versa...

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Comparisons

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 20% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 6% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

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Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Juniper Session Smart Router

Compared 17% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Juniper Session Smart Router

Compared 11% of the time

Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform vs Juniper Session Smart Router

Compared 10% of the time

NFX Series Network Services Platform vs Juniper Session Smart Router

Compared 8% of the time

Peplink SpeedFusion vs Juniper Session Smart Router

Compared 4% of the time

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Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

Compared 20% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

Compared 8% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

Compared 6% of the time

Barracuda SecureEdge vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

Compared 6% of the time

Juniper Secure Edge (SASE) vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

Compared 5% of the time

More Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

January 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Routers

January 2026

Download Juniper Session Smart Router product report

Buyer's Guide

Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

December 2025

Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform report

Download Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

128T Networking Platform, 128 Technology SD-WAN, Juniper SSR Series

Versa FlexVNF, FlexVNF, Versa Titan

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate is a versatile network security tool offering features like VPN, firewall, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and scalability. It is known for its performance and integration with other Fortinet products, making it a preferred choice for robust cybersecurity.

Fortinet FortiGate stands out as a comprehensive cybersecurity solution with strong performance and ease of configuration. It delivers unified threat management, integrating features such as dynamic routing, SD-WAN support, and centralized management. Despite its strengths, improvements in the web interface's stability, pricing structures, and reporting capabilities are needed. Users seek better integration with third-party tools and automation advancements to enhance the experience further. These enhancements, alongside improvements in bandwidth management and the reduction of licensing costs, are points of interest for users looking to capitalize on FortiGate's extensive capabilities.

What are Fortinet FortiGate's key features?

VPN: Ensures secure remote connections.
Firewall: Protects against unauthorized access.
Web Filtering: Blocks malicious sites and content.
Application Control: Manages and controls applications.
Intrusion Prevention: Detects and prevents vulnerabilities.
SSL Inspection: Enhances security by inspecting encrypted traffic.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating Fortinet FortiGate?

Affordability: Offers cost-effective security solutions.
Reliability: Known for consistent and stable performance.
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other Fortinet products.
Comprehensive Protection: Provides broad threat protection capabilities.

Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries as a primary firewall system for securing internet gateways and safeguarding data centers. It supports businesses in achieving SD-WAN integration and enhances cybersecurity by providing essential features like antivirus, web filtering, and application control. Enterprises utilize FortiGate for securing remote connections and ensuring compliance with security standards, making it adaptable for different network sizes and industries.

Fortinet

The 128T Networking Platform (128T) natively provides network-based security, control, and insight across data centers, wide-area networks (WAN), and edge locations for enterprises, service providers, and cloud companies alike. 128T is reshaping the way organizations design, deploy, and operate real-world networks by making them dramatically simpler, smarter, and more secure — it’s going to fix the router — and ultimately the network — as we know it.

Juniper

The Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform is a comprehensive solution that provides secure access to cloud applications and services. It combines networking and security functions into a single platform, making it easier for organizations to manage their network infrastructure. The platform includes features such as SD-WAN, VPN, firewall, web filtering, and more. It also offers advanced security capabilities such as intrusion prevention, malware protection, and threat intelligence. With the Versa SASE Platform, organizations can ensure secure access to their cloud applications and services from any location, while also reducing costs and simplifying network management.

Versa Networks

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

Revation Systems

CenturyLink, RCN Business, Colt Technology Services

Buyer's Guide

Juniper Session Smart Router vs. Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

December 2025

Free Report: Juniper Session Smart Router vs. Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

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