SonicWall NSv vs SonicWall TZ comparison

SonicWall NSv and SonicWall TZ are both solutions in the Firewalls category. SonicWall NSv is ranked #36 with an average rating of 7.8, while SonicWall TZ is ranked #17 with an average rating of 9.3. SonicWall NSv holds a 0.2% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to SonicWall TZ’s 3.0% mindshare. Additionally, 85% of SonicWall NSv users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of SonicWall TZ users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 13, 2025

SonicWall TZ and SonicWall NSv are security solutions in network protection. SonicWall NSv has the upper hand due to its advanced threat management capabilities.

Features: SonicWall TZ offers easy configuration, site-to-site VPN, and content filtering. Its user-friendly management and high availability make it a popular choice. SonicWall NSv excels with advanced threat management features, including an application firewall and sandboxing.

Room for Improvement: SonicWall TZ needs better reporting, cloud integration, and improvements in SSL inspection and GUI complexity. Pricing and scalability issues are prevalent. SonicWall NSv requires more competitive pricing and simpler upgrades, alongside enhancements in user experience and setup configurations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SonicWall TZ is versatile across environments, easily deployed but with inconsistent technical support. SonicWall NSv provides detailed technical assistance, yet support response time can vary. Both offer competent support needing better response and communication.

Pricing and ROI: SonicWall TZ features competitive prices with high subscription costs, offering significant ROI through improved security. SonicWall NSv presents moderate pricing, higher than competitors, but provides substantial ROI due to its security benefits despite additional licensing costs.

To learn more, read our detailed SonicWall NSv vs. SonicWall TZ Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall NSv vs. SonicWall TZ

July 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 July 2025, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 21.2%, up from 17.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall NSv is 0.2%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall TZ is 3.0%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

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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Sileesh Sivadasan

Director at Infosec Infra

Helps small businesses expand branches more easily

The price is a significant factor. Mostly in India, the customer service has many hurdles to get real support. If I want to talk to a customer executive, they ask many trivial questions. Even if I explain that I am asking for a Dell partner, they still ask specific questions, and they will explain many unnecessary questions.

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Rias Majeed

CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC

Robust VPN integration stands out despite needing enhanced vendor compatibility

The integrated VPN functionality is working well with the global VPN client, which is a fast client, though it comes at a cost. SonicWall TZ is functional depending on the service level taken by the user. For SMB segments, SonicWall performs well. Despite lacking certain features, it is still considered a good product. The appliance itself is functional and stable, offering integrated solutions.

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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

"The next-gen features, the unified threat management capabilities are something that just about everybody is interested in at this point."

"The dynamic segmentation feature in Fortinet FortiGate is pretty good."

"The most valuable feature is the VDOM, which allows the customer to have multiple firewalls in a single campus."

"This version is stable. I don't have any issues with this solution, in our environment, it works well."

"Fortinet FortiGate is a very good next-generation firewall."

"The initial installation is very straightforward."

"It is very flexible to use."

"Its performance in fulfilling our requirements has been satisfactory."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"I would rate the overall product a nine out of ten."

"SonicWall excelled in threat management, evident in how users handled it effectively."

"We are very impressed with it."

"We purchased the AGSS Bundle (Advanced Gateway Security Suite) for the security services, such as antivirus, intrusion prevention system, and anti-spyware botnet GUI."

"One of the standout features of SonicWall is its simplicity in creating and managing rules."

"For my small NFB banking services, when they are expanding their branches, I could incorporate a little bit easier."

"Out of ten, I would rate the solution at an eight."

"SonicWall NSV is easy to use, and you can use it to manage the logs easily."

More SonicWall NSv pros

"SonicWall TZ think it's a good, solid, and stable product."

"The site-to-site VPN connections, content filtering, and in our current remote working situation, SSL VPN remote desktop connectivity are the most valuable features."

"Offers the right amount of control without being incredibly convoluted and frustrating."

"The feature we found most valuable in SonicWall TZ is that it is user-friendly for an administrator."

"Technical support is good."

"It's been very easy to implement and deploy."

"The performance has been very good. Overall, the solution is quite stable."

"The most valuable features are security and technical support."

More SonicWall TZ pros

Cons

"The cloud management and automation capability could be improved."

"I prefer Palo Alto over Fortinet FortiGate. Its IPS engine is not better than the Palo Alto version. The monitoring tool needs improvement, and the syslog configuration needs enhancement."

"It needs more available central management."

"One drawback of Fortinet FortiGate is that they provide two types of models: one with a hard disk and another without. The model without a hard disk has very low ROM where you can store very few logs, after which you need to upload it to the cloud or purchase a firewall with SSD. That's the only drawback."

"Fortinet FortiGate could improve if it had a cloud-managed solution."

"Reporting is limited to providing an external appliance for improving the reporting capabilities of the FortiAnalyzer. It does not offer a central management and is also sold separably as an appliance."

"MTBF: Hardware failure is more common when compared to SonicWall or Cisco ASA."

"With FortiGate, the main complaint that I have heard is about the technical support."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"The price is a significant factor."

"The engine provided initially was quite heavy, creating a trade-off between software and hardware-based threat management."

"An area that could be improved is the export and import settings functionality."

"The engine provided initially was quite heavy, creating a trade-off between software and hardware-based threat management."

"SonicWall NSV's SSL VPN could increase its number of users to 100-plus users."

"Currently, we are getting challenges with user-wise reports and other reporting details. At present, they do not provide detailed reports compared to other products."

"SonicWall NSV's initial setup is complicated and requires good knowledge."

"I would like to see the reporting opened up and have several more opportunities for automatic reports."

More SonicWall NSv cons

"It would be good if Analyzer would be part of the stock license, so even if a layperson is getting the device, he or she doesn't forgets about ordering the Analyzer because it's already there."

"GUI interface could be improved."

"Getting support can be slow."

"In general, the company needs to think contingently and integrate more security options."

"I can't get the support that I need from SonicWall."

"The solution must provide more ports."

"There is a point I don't like about SonicWall in the past and now. Most of the destinations we look at when we're detecting some user using too much bandwidth or something like that, SonicWall just gave us destination IP address, instead of the full qualified domain name. I think that's the most important part that is still missing. I think that's the most important for us."

"The technology in this particular version is very old."

More SonicWall TZ cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"If you purchase a one-year subscription with the hardware and then you want to renew for the second year, it is very costly."

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

"If the customer is looking for SD-WAN, it comes free with FortiGate."

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

"You need to pay a license for this solution. Our licensing is now done in our subsidiary."

"The pricing is perfect."

"It's very competitive."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"SonicWall NSV is not very costly."

"The solution's pricing is good for the technology it offers."

"Our initial purchase, which included a three-year term of support, was about $25,000 USD."

"We are currently using the trial version."

"The solution’s pricing is less compared to other products."

"The tool is moderately priced."

"The solution is moderately priced, where it's neither cheap nor expensive."

"The price is fair."

"The product pricing is justified for the features provided."

"SonicWall has authorized distributors in our country. They have about two or three distributors in the country, so it makes it a bit easier. What we do is to request a quotation from these distributors, then we do a value for money analysis and see which one of them is giving us a competitive price."

"Customers are required to pay for a yearly subscription."

"You need to purchase multiple licenses to manage multiple devices which is cost-prohibitive for the value you would receive."

"The prices are expensive."

"The price of SonicWall TZ is good for medium-sized companies."

More SonicWall TZ pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

28%

Retailer

Educational Organization

Real Estate/Law Firm

Computer Software Company

17%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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 SonicWall NSV?

The product helps improve our security.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall NSV?

I am somewhat satisfied with the price for SonicWall NSv, rating it as eight because, compared to other products, the...

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What needs improvement with SonicWall NSV?

Currently, we are getting challenges with user-wise reports and other reporting details. At present, they do not prov...

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Would you choose Fortinet Fortigate or Sonicwall TZ?

I’ll say it depends on your needs. Fortinet FortiGate and SonicWall TZ are both next-gen firewalls (NGFW) with simila...

See all answers

What do you like most about SonicWall TZ?

The most valuable feature of SonicWall TZ is the double authentication, where it asks for one password and again asks...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall TZ?

The price is normal. It is a nominal cost for an SMB TZ used for SMB businesses. However, more licenses are required ...

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Comparisons

Sophos XG vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 20% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 12% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 11% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

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SonicWall NSa vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 28% of the time

Azure Firewall vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 28% of the time

Stormshield Network Security vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 21% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs SonicWall NSv

Compared 14% of the time

More SonicWall NSv Competitors

Sophos XG vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 17% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 9% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 7% of the time

Meraki MX vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 6% of the time

OPNsense vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 6% of the time

More SonicWall TZ Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

July 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Firewalls

July 2025

Download SonicWall NSv product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall TZ

June 2025

Download SonicWall TZ product report

Also Known As

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

SonicWall Network Security Virtual

Dell SonicWALL TZ

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

SonicWall NSV is a software-based virtual firewall that provides additional security for customers with public-facing servers or services on Microsoft Azure. The AGSS Bundle is considered the most valuable feature, providing security services such as antivirus, intrusion prevention system, and anti-spyware botnet GUI.

Additionally, customization of firewall rules provides great value to customers, allowing them to lock things up in the way they desire. SonicWall NSV offers extensive security control options to protect customers' valuable information and assets.

SonicWall

The secure, sophisticated SonicWALL TZ is widely deployed at small businesses, retail, government, remote sites and branch offices. It combines high-performance intrusion prevention, malware blocking, content/URL filtering and application control.

SonicWall

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

Comlogic, Depaul, Hutt City Council

AeroM_xico Delta TechOps, Unimat

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall NSv vs. SonicWall TZ

July 2025

Free Report: SonicWall NSv vs. SonicWall TZ

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