Sangfor NGAF vs Sophos Firewall comparison

Sangfor and Sophos are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Sangfor is ranked #23 with an average rating of 8.1, while Sophos is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.3. Sangfor holds a 1.1% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to Sophos’s 9.8% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Sangfor users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Sophos users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 19, 2026

Sophos Firewall and Sangfor NGAF are leading contenders in the competitive landscape of network security solutions. Sophos Firewall seems to hold an edge in seamless endpoint integration and robust threat protection, while Sangfor NGAF impresses with its application control and affordability.

Features: Sophos Firewall offers comprehensive threat protection, synchronized security, and web and application filtering with over 90 URL categories. Sangfor NGAF is known for its strong application control, web application firewall (WAF) capabilities, and efficient threat detection features, particularly within its security operations center (SOC) offerings.

Room for Improvement: Sophos Firewall users often seek improvements in scalability, technical support response times, and a more intuitive interface for complex configurations. Sangfor NGAF users suggest enhancements in its user interface, reporting and logging features, and better integration with other systems to improve operations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Sophos Firewall provides thorough deployment guidance with comprehensive documentation and partner support, though experiences with technical support can vary. Sangfor NGAF offers a straightforward setup process and is valued for its cost-effectiveness, appealing particularly to smaller enterprises, but its technical support is considered to need enhancement.

Pricing and ROI: Sophos Firewall presents itself as a mid-range solution offering flexible licensing options with bulk discounts, though users cite a gradual increase in pricing over time. Sangfor NGAF positions itself as a cost-effective alternative, delivering lower overall costs compared to competitors like Fortinet and Check Point, though users should be mindful of rising maintenance costs, affecting long-term return on investment.

To learn more, read our detailed Sangfor NGAF vs. Sophos Firewall Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF vs. Sophos Firewall

February 2026

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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 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 18.7%, down from 20.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sangfor NGAF is 1.1%, down from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos Firewall is 9.8%, down from 11.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	18.7%
Sophos Firewall	9.8%
Sangfor NGAF	1.1%
Other	70.4%

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.

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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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Nassif Kaleny

IT Manager at Bavaria Egypt S.A.E.

Dynamic web and mail filtering contribute to improved security measures

The reporting system is very poor. I cannot trace any traffic to our site if it feels some threats. It just tells me that there is something during a certain time but does not provide information about the type of threats or how to get rid of them. This needs improvement.

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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

"I'm looking forward to FortiGate's dashboard features, insights, application oversight, and monitoring, which could help us significantly."

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

"I am content with its user interface and functionalities."

"It enables our organization to become more productive. Also, it protects our NEtWare from viruses and malware."

"Anti-Spam web content filterinG."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is Quota."

"The ECC management and the GUI that offers single interface management are the most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate."

"FortiGate Next Generation Firewall's design is good...I am very impressed with the product's stability."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"The top functionality is the reporting feature."

"The level of support provided to local companies is good. They transform their application control and other settings according to that country."

"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."

"The VPN connectivity feature is really nice."

"The product is very fast and reliable."

"Sangfor NGAF works accordingly with our customers. The solution has good performance, easy to use, and integrates well with the endpoints."

"Sangfor's tech features and technologies are more powerful than those of the other solution providers in terms of security. They also have big solutions in terms of cybersecurity."

"The stability of Sangfor NGAF is good."

More Sangfor NGAF pros

"Dashboard is easy to use and the reporting offers a lot of detail."

"Orchestration of the firewall is the most valuable feature. It is a fast and agile solution. It is good with protection. It is also very easy to deploy and manage, and its user interface is easy to use."

"The solution is scalable."

"The solution is easy to use and configure, once you know how to apply the policies."

"We can configure rules with the user, traffic, etc., making it a very versatile solution for our network."

"it's user-friendly, not complex."

"Sophos XG's price is right, and it's easy to manage. It's a good fit for our current needs at the moment."

"We are able to trace any user and pinpoint any vulnerability or any malicious software. We are able to synchronize between the local and active directories so we can catch users easily through their login names and IDs."

More Sophos Firewall pros

Cons

"A lack of integration between our data centers."

"The graphical user interface of Fortinet's FortiGate product does not function well with text-based interfaces."

"The initial setup is medium complex and takes between five days and a week."

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

"Fortinet FortiGate could improve by adding FortiAnalyzer to its solution, we should not have to use another solution. FortiAnalyzer can provide more detailed information."

"The monitor and the visibility, in this proxy, is very weak."

"We haven't tapped into most of the functionalities that Fortinet FortiGate offers because we're using it just for gateway security. One of the things that I would prefer is a more expansive use of their analyzer. They could do more work on FortiAnalyzer in terms of the data and the information coming from it."

"The solution's framework needs to be frequently updated in order to have a stable solution."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"The tool is expensive."

"There is room for improvement in dependency on certain infrastructure, like the DNS dependency on the current DNS server that the company has. It should be standalone. It should not depend on any other DNS server."

"It has an issue with the Sangfor Cloud Platform rather than the firewall. When we run a virtual machine, the window tabs display Chinese characters."

"The GUI needs to be improved, lacks logic in some areas."

"An area for improvement would be the number of ports defined on the box. In the next release, I would like them to develop their provisioning stage of enrolling end devices."

"I believe that IAM and NGFW need to merge into a single box, instead of there being two separate box solutions."

"An area of improvement for Sangfor NGAF could be in the field of reporting and logging."

"The cost of licensing is very high compared to other firewalls available here."

More Sangfor NGAF cons

"The solution could be improved if it offered more documentation or at least provided more information about the products themselves."

"I am struggling with the licensing model of Sophos XG because we don't have a license. Our licenses expired and we're not supposed to renew the licenses at this time."

"I'd like to see better reporting. While the logs are great, the reports are not."

"Level one technical support is not good at all and needs to be improved."

"There have been some issues when upgrading. For some reason, parts of the configuration become unconfigured, I then have to reconfigure it. I should not need to keep reconfiguring it after upgrades."

"The UI needs improvement because it can be a little weird at times."

"Sophos XG could improve by making the remote access and VPN better."

"Sophos XGS could improve the price."

More Sophos Firewall cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Fortinet FortiGate is cheaper than Palo Alto. It is about 20% cheaper."

"It is very cost-effective. You get features similar to other firewalls, such as Palo Alto, but at a lower price."

"The price could be lower."

"It is a cost-effective solution that meets the user's needs."

"We have the full version of Fortinet FortiGate and we are on a three-year contract with a commitment of five years."

"Each feature costs money, so it is important to study your needs."

"When I look around at other products, such as Sophos, Fortinet FortiGate is 20% to 30% more expensive with our current cost."

"Fortinet bundles FortiGate with other products and because of this, the price is a little expensive to some SMB enterprises."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"When it comes to the price of firewall solutions, Sangfor NGAF takes the cake."

"It is one of the cheapest tools in the market."

"Sangfor NGAF is a cheaply priced product, especially if I consider the previous product that was used in my company."

"It costs about 8 to 10 thousand dollars per year for 500 users, standard licensing fees included."

"If one is very cheap and ten is very expensive, I rate the tool's price as three out of ten."

"The price is unmatcheable."

"The price could be more competitive."

"The product is very cost-effective compared to other brands or vendors."

More Sangfor NGAF pricing and cost advice

"Sophos XGS is competitively priced."

"Sophos XG is expenses."

"The cost could be lower especially if you want to add other features."

"The product is well priced."

"The price of Sophos in PTR is significantly higher compared to Fortinet."

"We prepaid in advance to get the max discount."

"The Palo Alto solution is expensive and the FortiGate is less expensive than Palo Alto. The Sophos XG would be priced in the middle of the two."

"The price is reasonable but it would be great if it was reduced to half the price."

More Sophos Firewall pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	10

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	203
Midsize Enterprise	62
Large Enterprise	52

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 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.

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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...

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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

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 14% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 6% of the time

H3C SecPath Firewalls vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 5% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 5% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 5% of the time

Check Point CloudGuard Network Security vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 4% of the time

More Sangfor NGAF Competitors

OPNsense vs Sophos Firewall

Compared 9% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Sophos Firewall

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs Sophos Firewall

Compared 4% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs Sophos Firewall

Compared 3% of the time

SonicWall NSa vs Sophos Firewall

Compared 2% of the time

More Sophos Firewall Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

January 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF

January 2026

Download Sangfor NGAF product report

Buyer's Guide

Sophos Firewall

January 2026

Download Sophos Firewall product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

Sangfor NGAF Firewall Platform

Sophos XG, Sophos XGS

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

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

Sophos Firewall provides comprehensive network security with web filtering, VPN capabilities, and cloud integration. Users highlight its effective threat prevention and flexibility for customizable policies, enhancing network visibility and management.

Renowned for its robust security, Sophos Firewall simplifies network protection through advanced features like intrusion prevention and endpoint protection integration. Its user-friendly interface allows seamless remote management and tailored rule creation, making it ideal for varied environments like healthcare and education. While the system excels in threat detection, areas such as interface navigation, support response times, and VPN integration face challenges. Enhanced reporting and bandwidth management are essential for improved performance.

What are the standout features of Sophos Firewall?

Web and Application Filter: Secure browsing with advanced filtering options.
VPN Capabilities: Facilitates secure remote access and connectivity.
Cloud Integration: Seamless collaboration with cloud platforms.
Intrusion Prevention: Robust threat detection and prevention features.
Comprehensive Reporting: Detailed insights into network activities.

What benefits and ROI should users expect in reviews?

Enhanced Security: Comprehensive protection against diverse cyber threats.
Increased Flexibility: Tailor rules and policies to meet specific organizational criteria.
Improved Network Visibility: Better oversight and threat detection across networks.
Efficient Management: Simplifies remote and centralized firewall administration.

Industries such as healthcare, education, and finance implement Sophos Firewall for secure VPNs, improved threat management, and effective traffic monitoring. Its load balancing and email security features support compliance and governance, ensuring robust protection tailored to sector-specific 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

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

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF vs. Sophos Firewall

February 2026

Free Report: Sangfor NGAF vs. Sophos Firewall

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