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SonicWall TZ vs Sophos XGS comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 19, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
5.8
Fortinet FortiGate offers cost-effective, robust security, reducing expenses, enhancing efficiency, easy implementation, quick ROI, and improved network management.
Sentiment score
5.8
SonicWall TZ is favored by small businesses for its cost-effectiveness, security, and fast ROI within eight months.
Sentiment score
1.5
Sophos XGS is valued by users for effective ransomware protection and cost-efficiency despite recent price increases.
Clients are now comfortable and not wasting productive hours on IT support.
Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
The automation part is giving us a cost benefit and speed; we can react faster.
BDM Fortinet & BDM Teamlead at Exclusive Networks
It's a very useful tool to mitigate and protect your enterprise.
Staff Infrastructure & Security Engineer at Mozn Systems
That is a reason to buy a firewall, and it is challenging to put a monetary value on security.
Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees
The costs have increased with Sophos XGS in the last few years, with license prices going up by 30%, doubling from $2,500 to about $5,000, which is a big challenge for us.
IT Manager at Bavaria Egypt S.A.E.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.6
Fortinet FortiGate's customer service is generally praised for responsiveness, though some users experience delays in critical situations.
Sentiment score
3.9
SonicWall TZ receives mixed reviews on customer service, with technical support praised but improved response times requested.
Sentiment score
6.7
Sophos XGS customer support is knowledgeable but often slow, with mixed responsiveness impacting critical situations and language issues.
The quick resolution of issues with Fortinet FortiGate is due to the support of the company and the fact that the equipment is easy to work with.
IT Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
I would rate the technical support for Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.
NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd
As a solution provider, when I encounter problems, I connect directly with Fortinet support, and they provide solutions within a very short time.
Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch
Customer service is excellent.
Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees
For support, I would rate SonicWall TZ five out of 10.
CEO at Kapstone Technological Services LLP
Any issues are quickly addressed by their support team, which is not common among all OEM manufacturers.
Owner at a marketing services firm with 11-50 employees
The technical support of Sophos rates at 10.
it managar at rise tech
I would rate the support a perfect 10.
Ag Systems & Networks Head at UNBS
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
Fortinet FortiGate is scalable and popular for SMEs but requires careful design and may incur scaling costs and licensing constraints.
Sentiment score
7.1
SonicWall TZ suits small to mid-sized businesses but planning and model choice are key for extensive scalability.
Sentiment score
7.2
Sophos XGS offers scalable solutions for varying needs, though some larger setups may require extra hardware enhancements.
They scale up really well from smaller models like the FortiGate 40 and 50 to bigger sites with the FortiGate 100 for more throughput - up to enterprise datacenters.
IT Manager at Daltons Limited
The variation comes in terms of the interfaces and throughputs, but from a security perspective, you get the same benefit, irrespective of whether you have an entry-level unit or an enterprise.
Cewa Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
We determine sizing based on multiple factors: number of users, available links, traffic types, server count, services in use, and whether services will be published.
General Surgery Specialist at Helwan University Cairo
I can change what I want easily without interfering with other services or routines.
IT Manager at Bavaria Egypt S.A.E.
I would rate its scalability seven out of ten since modules can be added.
Security Engineer at Mavisco Resources Sdn Bhd
For scalability, you purchase it according to the number of users and traffic; scaling means you would have to buy another product if you exhaust resources.
Ag Systems & Networks Head at UNBS
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Fortinet FortiGate is praised for its stability, with effective long-term performance and improvements in newer firmware versions.
Sentiment score
6.3
SonicWall TZ is praised for reliability and security, though occasional minor issues and update disruptions may occur.
Sentiment score
7.2
Sophos XGS is stable and reliable, with occasional compatibility issues and rare downtimes, but generally receives positive ratings.
We're experiencing 99.999% availability consistently.
Manager, Information Technology at a consumer goods company with 11-50 employees
I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.
NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd
Currently, we are experiencing a general outage of one of the main internet service providers of the Dominican Republic, and we have not been impacted in our operations because with SD-WAN, we have another internet service provider and we are working with the second WAN connection without any disruption.
CISO at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
In terms of stability, SonicWall doesn't have performance issues.
CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC
SonicWall TZ rates 10 out of 10 for stability.
CEO at Kapstone Technological Services LLP
SonicWall TZ is definitely stable and offers a good value for money.
Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees
It is rated at nine out of ten for stability and is very reliable.
Director Technical Services at TechnoBIZ
Sophos XGS is stable now, and I would rate its stability as a ten out of ten.
IT Manager at Bavaria Egypt S.A.E.
When Sophos introduced firmware version twenty, there was a bug in DCC.
Assistant Manager - IT at PDS Limited
 

Room For Improvement

Fortinet FortiGate needs enhanced UI, simplified licensing, improved performance, reporting, third-party integration, and expanded automation features.
SonicWall TZ needs interface, reporting, and support improvements, while high pricing and complex licensing affect user satisfaction.
Sophos XGS needs improved integration, features, support, and scalability to better compete with rivals like Fortinet.
These sessions should be around five to ten minutes long, allowing users and partners to quickly grasp the information without disrupting their daily tasks.
Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
The solution should be able to implement machine learning and analytics of all the logs for threat detection and protection.
Senior Systems Engineer at Caribbean Development Company
It would be better for customers to get immediate replacements even with a standard subscription.
Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Integration with other vendors, especially with VPNs, can be challenging and requires more effort when configuring.
CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC
SonicWall TZ could benefit from newer technology.
Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees
The VPN license should be improved by providing more free SSL VPN licenses.
Pre-sales at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
It would be beneficial if Sophos XGS offered an end-to-end solution with competitive pricing.
Head of IT at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
The DDNS features are essential for any organization, as it is better not to have a static IP address from an ISP.
it managar at rise tech
After version 18.5, creating a NAT rule has become more complex, requiring the creation of a separate policy and an additional component.
Director Technical Services at TechnoBIZ
 

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers find Fortinet FortiGate costly initially, but cheaper overall, despite some high renewal and setup costs.
SonicWall TZ's flexible pricing and upgrade promotions offer competitive, cost-effective solutions for small to medium enterprises despite setup costs.
Sophos XGS offers competitive pricing from $150 to $33,000, suitable for SMEs, with options for additional support costs.
Last year, I renewed the support for three years, which can sometimes be expensive but depends on the security benefits and how it helps us.
Network & System Admin at Invoke Studios
It offers cost savings as it is generally cheaper than the competition.
IT Infrastructure Architect at Apotek 1
It is about 20% cheaper.
Network Security Engineer at TD SYNNEX
More licenses are required to purchase the perpetual license for SSL VPN and Global VPN.
Pre-sales at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
When comparing similar products across vendors, there may be a small difference in cost.
CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC
I would also position its pricing as a three, where one is the lowest price and ten is the highest.
Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees
The last instance I purchased was for three years, around $3,700 for SDG 125.
CEO at Tawassul Technology
pricing is rated eight out of ten, indicating that it may be relatively expensive.
Director Technical Services at TechnoBIZ
Sophos XGS is quite expensive, potentially a nine out of ten in terms of cost.
Security Engineer at Mavisco Resources Sdn Bhd
 

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiGate provides robust, flexible security solutions with key features like web filtering, SSL VPN, SD-WAN, and centralized management.
SonicWall TZ offers user-friendly configuration, robust security, VPN integration, remote access, and affordability, ideal for businesses.
Sophos XGS excels in user-friendliness, robust security features, and scalability, making it ideal for diverse organizations.
These features help reduce our downtime, manage the ISPs, and deploy SLAs for all the website traffic.
Head IT at Burraq Cyber Security Solutions
The most valuable feature of FortiGate is FortiView which provides proactive monitoring.
General Manager Group IT at DART GLOBAL LOGISTICS PTE. LTD.
We got a firewall and gave an SSL VPN to my client to connect to their servers, after which, such kind of activities involving ransomware attacks stopped.
Owner at Mindware Computer Solutions
For SMB segments, SonicWall performs well.
CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC
It was beneficial during COVID for remote work through its VPN functionality.
Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees
The advanced gateway security features such as web filter, application control filter, IPS, ideas, gateway antivirus, anti-spyware, and botnet filter are valuable.
Pre-sales at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
It's able to detect cloud applications like Zoom or Microsoft Teams and allows traffic shaping based on the application.
Security Engineer at Mavisco Resources Sdn Bhd
I find it much easier than others, like FortiGate, which is complicated in its installation, but Sophos XGS is really easy.
IT Manager at Bavaria Egypt S.A.E.
The threat detection capabilities are effective, especially against CNC and certain viruses not coming through emails.
Director Technical Services at TechnoBIZ
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate
Sponsored
Ranking in Firewalls
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
580
Ranking in other categories
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (2nd), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (1st), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (1st), WAN Edge (1st), ZTNA (1st), Unified Threat Management (UTM) (1st)
SonicWall TZ
Ranking in Firewalls
19th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
84
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Sophos XGS
Ranking in Firewalls
12th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
86
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 18.7%, down from 20.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall TZ is 2.4%, down from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos XGS is 2.2%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewalls Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate18.7%
Sophos XGS2.2%
SonicWall TZ2.4%
Other76.7%
Firewalls
 

Featured Reviews

Vasu Gala - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Subhadip Pakrashi - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at Kapstone Technological Services LLP
Provides reliable performance with strong features and simplicity
SonicWall TZ is user-friendly, admin-friendly, and a beautiful product. I have been selling SonicWall since 2007 without any issues. SonicWall has been working on it excellently. They are up to date, and their research team is good, making the box feature-rich. Based out of India, I have had some issues with their faulty channel policy. It's a very good product, an awesome product for those who want to use SonicWall TZ. You can bet on it, but check out the channel policies in India. They should check out the channels in the channel business. It's just a precaution, nothing more than that. Overall rating: 9 out of 10.
Nassif  Kaleny - PeerSpot reviewer
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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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Healthcare Company
6%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business357
Midsize Enterprise133
Large Enterprise188
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business62
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise13
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business62
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise17
 

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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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 ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sophos XGS?
I find the cost of the firewall to be moderate; it's reasonable.
What needs improvement with Sophos XGS?
One improvement I would like to see is a better activities log, such as a monitoring log that tracks activity more co...
What is your primary use case for Sophos XGS?
My use case is to use Sophos XGS as a firewall and it also handles our DHCP. We have our VPN connection to our enterp...
 

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall
Dell SonicWALL TZ
No data available
 

Overview

 

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
AeroM_xico Delta TechOps, Unimat
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about SonicWall TZ vs. Sophos XGS and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,768 professionals have used our research since 2012.