Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Sangfor NGAF comparison

Palo Alto Networks and Sangfor are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Palo Alto Networks is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.7, while Sangfor is ranked #19 with an average rating of 7.9. Palo Alto Networks holds a 3.2% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to Sangfor’s 1.2% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Palo Alto Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Sangfor users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 5, 2025

Palo Alto Networks and Sangfor compete in the next-generation firewall market. Palo Alto seems to have the upper hand due to its advanced security features like machine learning and WildFire, appealing to enterprises requiring high-level threat protection.

Features: Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls provide robust threat prevention, application visibility, and machine learning capabilities. Features like WildFire distinguish it for advanced threat protection. Sangfor NGAF offers strong application control, built-in WAN optimization, and competitive pricing, making it attractive for budget-conscious businesses. Both offer next-generation firewall abilities, but Palo Alto's additional features offer a slight edge in terms of comprehensive security.

Room for Improvement: Palo Alto NG Firewalls could improve in pricing, support, and ease of configuration, as some users report complex setups and maintenance requirements. Sangfor NGAF would benefit from enhancements in interface and reporting functions, better market exposure outside China, and expanded support and operation simplification for an improved user experience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls support versatile deployment options in cloud and hybrid environments but are noted for complexity that requires expertise. They offer premium support with mixed feedback. Sangfor NGAF is recognized for straightforward deployment and affordability, though it would benefit from improved customer support, especially outside China, and more comprehensive support packages.

Pricing and ROI: Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are known for their high cost but are justified by extensive features and strong security offerings, making them suitable for enterprises that can afford premium pricing for high-tier security. Sangfor NGAF is more economically priced, appealing to smaller businesses or those with budget constraints. While both focus on providing ROI through security, Palo Alto offers more capabilities, whereas Sangfor emphasizes cost-effectiveness.

To learn more, read our detailed Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs. Sangfor NGAF Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs. Sangfor NGAF

January 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 February 2025, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 20.7%, up from 17.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is 3.2%, up from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sangfor NGAF is 1.2%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls

Featured Reviews

EhabAli

Sr. Cybersecurity Solutions Architect at BMB

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.

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AmjadKhan1

Head of data centers at a non-profit with 10,001+ employees

Provides inline protection with a unified view and anti-spyware capabilities

I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls ten out of ten because it is the best. Our disaster recovery site utilizes Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls. We are also in the process of upgrading the firewalls at our 365 sites in Pakistan to Palo Alto Networks firewalls. While budget firewalls may advertise comparable features, they often fall short of effectively detecting viruses, threats, and ransomware. In contrast, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls, combined with Cortex XDR, provide comprehensive threat intelligence and detection capabilities, ensuring superior security coverage. I recommend conducting a proof of concept before selecting a firewall. This will allow you to evaluate different options and determine which best suits your needs. While Palo Alto offers robust firewall solutions, it's essential to compare them with other vendors to ensure you make an informed decision.

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Zaid Farooqui

CIO at Indus Motor Company

Enhanced threat detection with integrated security features and good support

We are using application firewalling, WAF, and SD-WAN. The capabilities are mostly within the box. For example, you will get web application firewall WAF as part and parcel of this. SD-WAN is also bundled. It integrates with their SIEM and SOAR solutions very nicely. Lastly, the pricing point is very cost-efficient as well.

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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

"LinkGreat firewall capabilities"

"The flexibility and ease of configuration are the most valuable features."

"A strong point of FortiGate is the graphical interface is complete and easy to use."

"The application control features, such as Facebook blocking and Spotify blocking, are the most valuable."

"Its stability is the most valuable."

"The simplicity of the configuration and the stability of the product are most valuable. The VPN concentrator is very useful."

"The solution is highly scalable because they have devices that can handle a large amount of traffic."

"I only deal with it from a security analyst's point of view. I don't really get into the features of the actual FortiGate. From the security point of view, it works, and it does its job."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"The most significant benefit is threat protection. Anti-malware uses signatures, so dynamic analyzers like WildFire are the best way to protect the company. It is a firewall based on application control, user ID, and security policy. We can use it based on user and application ID without a stateless firewall or TCPIP ports."

"When we put it on the border, it was blocking everything that we were getting ahead of time, and we weren't getting any hits. This includes URL filtering, spam prevention, and anti-virus."

"It's one of the best products I've worked with. It's typically a market leader on Gartner. It's a very respected brand."

"The management options are good."

"The solution provides web security, application security, and network security."

"Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have a Single Pass Parallel Processing (SP3) Architecture, which has a different kind of code doing the work. It increases the packet processing rate. Whereas, without the SP3 Architecture, you are waiting for each job to complete, even if you have 100 jobs assigned."

"The structure is much faster and more sophisticated than Cisco."

"The solution is scalable"

More Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls pros

"In four steps one can configure the entire firewall."

"So far, the performance and reliability of the product have supported our company's critical network traffic."

"The absolute best part of Sangfor NGAF is their support. It's a 24/7 support channel, and the last time I requested their assistance I got a reply within three minutes. They helped solve the problem immediately."

"Sangfor NGAF specializes in ransomware detection and helps to protect our network from ransomware threats and malware."

"The most valuable features are the WAN optimization, the internet access gateway (IAG), and the central console, which allows us to implement on their firewall."

"It offers application control features."

"I think the tool has the feature to detect and kill ransomware in three seconds."

"The product is very fast and reliable."

More Sangfor NGAF pros

Cons

"The initial setup and configuration are not intuitive and require training."

"In some cases, its initial setup could be hard for customers."

"The price of FortiGate should be reduced because there are some other leading products that are cheaper."

"The customization could be improved. Cisco, for example, is much better at this. They need to work to be at least as good as they are."

"I would like to see better pricing in the next release, as well as a simplification of the installation."

"We have an issue with hotel guest vouchers."

"To the best of my knowledge, Fortinet does not have a CASB solution and Fortinet does not have a Zero trust solution."

"One of the features that I would like to have is to do with endpoint production, it should be integrated. For example, the firewall gets notified of any kind of forensic event that needs to be done, such as if there is a ransomware attack and how it originated, all those records have to be available from the firewall, which is not."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"Understanding the flow and application of securities can be complex, requiring navigation across different sections. Further integration into a unified system could improve usability."

"I would like to see more integration."

"The biggest thing that needs to be improved with them is their training. I took a training class for the 8.0 build, then I took it again for the 9.0 and 10 builds. They add new features every time that they do a new major release, but the training doesn't keep up. It is the same basic training that probably was with the 3.0 build, and they just change the screenshots. I would love to see them do some more work since they have all these bells and whistles, but we don't know how to use those features on a large scale."

"Its scalability for on-prem deployments can be better. For an on-prem deployment, the hardware has to be replaced if the volume goes up to a certain level."

"The user interface is a bit clumsy and not very user-friendly."

"The dashboard needs improvement as I find it more complicated compared to Sophos."

"I would like to see some Machine Learning because I have observed new types of attacks that are able to bypass existing security rules."

"Based on the features that I have seen so far, I do not see any room for improvement, but they can improve their CLI documentation. I haven't really seen much when it comes to CLI documentation."

More Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls cons

"The tool's support is an area of concern where improvements are required."

"The reporting and log management could be improved."

"Scalability for any network device is not very easy in terms of vertical scalability."

"They need to improve their research team and they need to study their data to analyze it and build the product."

"The solution has too many bugs and these slow down the implementation."

"The web interface needs to be improved, making it more user-friendly."

"Sangfor NGAF could improve the policies and default criteria. They could be much better."

"Our experience with its customer support was quite challenging."

More Sangfor NGAF cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"In terms of the market, it's not a cheap product, but it's cost-effective."

"Fortinet FortiGate's price can be reduced."

"Its pricing is fine. It is on a yearly basis. Other than the licensing fee, there is no extra fee."

"The price is highly competitive when compared to other brands that offer similar functionality."

"Its licenses cost the same for different subscription plans."

"It was probably about $2,500 per firewall. It was all included. It included support, services, threat management software, and 24/7 FortiCare on it. Cisco products are more expensive."

"It is expensive. You need to pay for the subscription every year, which is very expensive. The subscription includes technical support and hardware exchange in case of failure."

"It scales well if you know what to buy from a physical box standpoint. They seem to offer something for every level."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"Its price can be better. Licensing is on a yearly basis."

"I am not from presales or sales, but as a brand, Palo Alto is more expensive than other firewalls."

"Palo Alto can be priced higher than some less capable firewalls. However, they are exceptional when you consider the completeness of the solution and its ability to handle threats. Palo Alto is better than other solutions, which justifies a slightly higher price point. You have other tools that are easier to deploy, reducing your total cost of ownership. The newer models are faster, making the pricing more attractive."

"If the cost is your main priority, Palo Alto would be a bit high. However, if you are ready to hear about return of investment, then I would convince you to go for Palo Alto."

"It is very expensive. You pay for a year."

"The price of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is high, but it is worth it if you have the budget for it."

"Paul Alto is the most expensive solution in this category."

"Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are affordable, and we get what we pay for."

More Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls pricing and cost advice

"In my opinion, the price of the tool is good in the Pakistani market. We can easily get discounts if needed."

"The price falls in the mid-range, neither exceptionally low nor high."

"We purchased one year technical support and return to factory support, and we also purchased one-year technical support services. So those were additional."

"The solution has a TCO that is 32% to 50% less than Sophos, Fortinet, and SonicWall."

"The price is unmatcheable."

"For four to five physical appliances for a licensed firewall, it costs approximately $4,000."

"For over 2000 users, the cost is around 5000 to 6000 USD. If you want a web application firewall, you have to purchase an additional license for it."

"The license of Sangfor NGAF can be purchased at different interval lengths, such as annually or three years. They offer a range of packages to choose from, such as combo or hybrid packages. We are using the complete solution package which includes IM, NGF and SSL VPN, and WAF."

More Sangfor NGAF pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

22%

Computer Software Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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Azure Firewall Vs. Palo Alto Network NG Firewalls Both solutions provide stellar stability and security. Azure Firew...

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Features comparison between Palo Alto and Fortinet firewalls

In the best tradition of these questions, Feature-wise both are quite similar, but each has things it's better at, it...

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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 do you like most about Sangfor NGAF?

I think Sangfor NGAF is more valuable than Cisco products because of its simplicity and ease of management. If I comp...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sangfor NGAF?

The licensing cost is quite high compared to other available firewalls in the market.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Sangfor NGAF?

The cost of licensing is very high compared to other firewalls available here. There should be improvements in hardwa...

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos XG vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 23% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 11% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

Fortinet FortiOS vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 2% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Check Point NGFW vs Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

Compared 12% of the time

Azure Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

Compared 11% of the time

Meraki MX vs Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

Compared 10% of the time

Sophos XG vs Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

Compared 9% of the time

Palo Alto Networks VM-Series vs Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

Compared 1% of the time

More Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls Competitors

Sophos XG vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 17% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 4% of the time

Sophos XGS vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 4% of the time

Check Point NGFW vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 3% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 3% of the time

More Sangfor NGAF Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

February 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

February 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF

January 2025

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Also Known As

FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate, Fortinet Firewall

Palo Alto NGFW, Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall

Sangfor NGAF Firewall Platform

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate offers comprehensive network security and firewall protection across multiple locations. It effectively manages data traffic and secures environments with features like VPN, intrusion prevention, and UTM controls.

Organizations rely on Fortinet FortiGate for its robust integration with advanced security policies, ensuring significant protection for enterprises, cloud environments, and educational sectors. It facilitates network segmentation, application-level security, and authentication management, securing communication within and between locations such as branches and data centers. Its efficient SD-WAN and UTM features enable streamlined data management and enhanced threat protection capabilities. Users appreciate its centralized management, facilitating seamless operations across diverse environments.

What are the key features of Fortinet FortiGate?

VPN Capabilities: Ensure secure remote access for users and seamless site-to-site connections.
Intrusion Prevention System (IPS): Detect and prevent security threats and vulnerabilities.
Advanced Firewall: Offers robust firewalling with application control and web filtering.
SD-WAN: Optimizes application performance and enhances bandwidth management.
SSL VPN: Provides reliable and secure access for remote workers.

What benefits should users expect from Fortinet FortiGate?

High-performance Security: Delivers effective threat mitigation with high availability.
Centralized Management: Simplifies network operations with cloud-based management tools.
Detailed Analytics: Provides comprehensive insights into network activity and security threats.
Load Balancing: Ensures optimal resource distribution and traffic management.

Fortinet FortiGate is crucial in sectors like education, offering robust networks for secure data flow between campuses and facilitating remote learning. In enterprise environments, it allows efficient management of application traffic and security across multiple branches, while in the cloud, it seamlessly integrates with diverse platforms to enhance security infrastructure.

Fortinet

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls offer comprehensive security, including application control, traffic shaping, threat prevention, and load balancing, designed to secure internal networks, perimeter protection, VPN services, and cloud environments.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are a key choice for managing and protecting data centers, securing remote access, network segmentation, malware prevention, and ensuring high availability and performance for business-critical applications. Known for stability and strong security, these firewalls use application-aware identifiers and IPS/IDS subscriptions to offer advanced threat protection. The unified platform facilitates seamless integration, while GlobalProtect and centralized management via Panorama enhance ease of use. However, there are areas for improvement, including pricing strategies, training, user support, and integration with third-party applications.

What are the essential features?

Stability: Reliable performance in different environments.
Application Control: Identifies applications to manage traffic.
Advanced Threat Protection: Includes DNS security, WildFire, and machine learning.
GlobalProtect: Secure remote access for users.
Centralized Management: Managed via the Panorama platform.

What benefits or ROI should users expect?

Security: Protects against threats with robust features.
User-Friendly: Simplified interface and easy configuration.
High Availability: Ensures performance for critical applications.
Integration: Seamless with existing systems and applications.
Support: Reliable technical support and resources.

In industries like finance, healthcare, and retail, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls secure sensitive data and meet regulatory requirements. These firewalls help manage large-scale networks in these sectors, providing essential security features and maintaining high-performance standards. They are implemented to ensure compliance, protect patient information, secure financial transactions, and safeguard customer data.

Palo Alto Networks

Sangfor Next Generation Firewall (also known as NGAF) is a converged security solution providing protection against advanced threat, malware, viruses, ransomware and web-based attacks using integrated security features like firewall, IPS, anti-virus, anti-malware, APT, URL filtering, Cloud Sandbox, and WAF. As the world's first AI-enabled and fully integrated Next Generation Firewall & Web Application Firewall (WAF), NGAF offering the security visibility, real-time detection and response, simplified operation and maintenance and high-performance application layer security needed to operate an enterprise network in total security. Tested and proven to provide cutting-edge network security by ICSA Labs and endorsed by Gartner Inc., NGAF harnesses the power of Sangfor’s Neural-X threat intelligence and analytics platform and Engine Zero’s innovative malware detection to provide next-generation protection for today’s enterprise.

Sangfor

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

SkiStar AB, Ada County, Global IT Services PSF, Southern Cross Hospitals, Verge Health, University of Portsmouth, Austrian Airlines, The Heinz Endowments

The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (Indonesia), Lawson, Inc. (Philippines), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (Indonesia), TEK Automotive (Italy), etc.

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs. Sangfor NGAF

January 2025

Free Report: Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs. Sangfor NGAF

Find out what your peers are saying about Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs. Sangfor NGAF and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.

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