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SonicWall TZ vs Sophos XGS comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 29, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.0
Fortinet FortiGate's customer service is responsive and helpful, though technical support experiences vary and can be inconsistent.
No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
6.4
Opinions on Sophos XGS support vary, with some praising responsiveness and others citing slow response times and delays.
The response time for a critical priority one issue was over four hours and they only responded because we threatened legal action for them violating our support contract.
They say they will respond in 24 hours, but I have received responses in a maximum of one hour, which is impressive.
The technical support from Fortinet FortiGate is 24 hours a day seven days a week, and 365 days a year.
Technical support from Sophos is always available.
 

Room For Improvement

Sentiment score
4.6
Fortinet FortiGate needs better documentation, UI, integration, troubleshooting tools, scalability, reporting, and reduced impact on performance and fees.
No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
4.4
Sophos XGS requires better directory integration, SD-WAN, reporting, interface, support, pricing, security features, performance, automation, and marketing.
FortiWAN supports OSPF but does not support the BGP protocol.
Fortinet VPN and DDoS capabilities are great, yet we need to provide a solution that enables CASB and integration to the cloud.
The relationship between their accounts team and my leadership team seems to be the reason for phasing out FortiGate.
It would be beneficial if Sophos XGS offered an end-to-end solution with competitive pricing.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
Fortinet FortiGate provides effective scalability and adaptability, though careful budgeting and upgrades are needed for high-demand scenarios.
No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
6.6
Sophos XGS is scalable with varied user support, though some users note hardware limitations and mixed opinions on scalability.
The devices will usually fail way before reaching the capacity advertised in the data sheets, especially when you activate several of the features the device can handle.
The solution is working and it is still stable even across all of these devices and servers.
We have over 10,000 users behind it.
 

Setup Cost

Sentiment score
7.6
Fortinet FortiGate's initial costs are high, but offers competitive pricing and value compared to Cisco and Palo Alto.
No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
6.7
Sophos XGS provides cost-effective, competitive pricing for SMEs with flexible licensing, often more affordable than Fortinet or Palo Alto.
The cost of the original deployment fell below £5,000, and licenses are priced at around £3,000.
Every time you upgrade your license, you also get insurance for the equipment.
Overall, FortiGate is affordable.
The pricing of Sophos XGS is not very high or very low; it's medium.
If the pricing model is more flexible or lower, it would be highly preferable, making it a more competitive option for users.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Fortinet FortiGate is highly stable and reliable, with improved performance in newer versions, praised for its consistent robustness.
No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
7.7
Sophos XGS is stable and efficient but experiences slowdowns when overcapacity, with room for improvement in support and firmware.
All of these issues were resolved in v5.2.
Stability has dramatically improved over the previous main version branch of FortiOS; 5.2.x and 5.4.x are stable enough for critical environments.
Overall, the devices have been very stable.
 

Valuable Features

Sentiment score
8.0
Fortinet FortiGate is valued for its robust security, ease of use, scalability, and comprehensive threat management features.
No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
8.3
Sophos XGS offers fast processing, robust security features, easy management, and seamless integration, ensuring effective protection and scalability.
The two most valuable features are VPN and firewalling.
WiFi network for visitors isolated from our corporate WiFi network using only one unit
Allows for firewall rules to be programmed and named in a way that makes it 'readable'
I find DLP, API, IP, SDK, and web control to be valuable features.
Sophos XGS is cost effective and provides all necessary security features and throughput.
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate
Sponsored
Ranking in Firewalls
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
316
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (1st), WAN Edge (1st)
SonicWall TZ
Ranking in Firewalls
10th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
81
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Sophos XGS
Ranking in Firewalls
17th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
76
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 19.8%, up from 17.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall TZ is 2.6%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos XGS is 1.6%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewalls
 

Featured Reviews

DineshKumar28 - PeerSpot reviewer
Effective threat prevention with responsive customer support
We are using Fortinet FortiGate as a firewall Fortinet FortiGate has been invaluable. It has helped save costs due to its various features, reliable performance, very good UI, low latency, and stability. The Threat Intel engine in Fortinet FortiGate is highly rated for its effectiveness in…
Sathish  Ravichandran - PeerSpot reviewer
Has efficient user access control feature and good technical support services
The multi-core architecture allows the running of multiple instances for checking files, even handling more than 2 GB of data. It has inbuilt reporting features, reducing the cost of external monitoring software. It's well-suited for organizations that need to transfer and scan large files. The scalability is good for small and medium-sized enterprises, but for organizations with more than 200 users, the cost can become a limiting factor. It is more suitable for large enterprises, especially for organizations with over 4,000 users. However, there could be flexibility in licensing, allowing organizations to cater to their specific needs and pay for the features and licenses they require. It can help reduce costs. I rate its scalability a seven out of ten.
MarounAbboud - PeerSpot reviewer
Gives us peace of mind with network security, application control, and web server protection
Having previously worked with the Astaro Security Gateway platform (now called Sophos UTM), I can attest that the configuration and dashboard for this older platform was easier to manage than that of both Sophos XG and XGS. If it were up to me, I would prefer to go back to the older SG dashboard. I am hoping that in future, the dashboard for Sophos XGS will be simpler and easier.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
22%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Computer Software Company
19%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Construction Company
6%
Educational Organization
6%
Computer Software Company
18%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
5%
 

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...
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?
SonicWall TZ is priced average compared to other products. We usually compare prices from different local suppliers t...
What do you like most about Sophos XGS?
The policies are the greatest feature. They allow us to configure granular control over our network traffic.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sophos XGS?
On a scale of one to ten, I would rate the pricing of Sophos XGS at an eight out of ten. Cost and pricing of the prod...
What needs improvement with Sophos XGS?
Some features need remuneration and there are performance improvements required.
 

Also Known As

FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate
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: October 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.