Our clients use the solution to ensure their environment is secured on all the layers. The application layer all the way to the networking. That's one of the main reasons they use the product in their environment.
Core Network Team Lead at Green Enterprise Solutions (Pty) Ltd
A user-friendly and easy-to-install product that has a seamless performance
Pros and Cons
- "The product is user-friendly and not complex."
- "The solution must improve the support provided for customers around the globe, considering the time differences in different places."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
It's a seamless product, and it's not buggy. The updates we receive from FortiGate are one of the most important features. The product is user-friendly and not complex.
What needs improvement?
The solution must improve the support provided for customers around the globe, considering the time differences in different places. The product could add some functionalities and features provided by its competitors to stay ahead in the market.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for two years.
Buyer's Guide
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)
March 2025

Learn what your peers think about FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
842,690 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is stable. We haven't had issues so far. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable in most cases. It all depends on the customer's requirements. We haven't yet come across a situation whereby scaling is not possible. Our clients are small, medium, and enterprise businesses. Currently, one of our customers is not able to reach the specific level of scalability that they require so far. I rate the scalability an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The support is great. However, support needs to improve constantly. Even though they are good, they should try to stay ahead of the competitors.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The solution is easy to install. The ease of setup depends upon the customer’s requirements. I rate the ease of setup a ten out of ten.
What about the implementation team?
The time to deploy the product depends on the clients’ requirements because we have to work hand in hand with the service provider. If we have to terminate a link on the firewall and everything from the networking perspective is all in place, it might just take a couple of minutes to deploy.
We need just need one to three engineers to deploy the solution. It depends on the magnitude of the client. The solution requires maintenance. More than three people are needed to maintain the product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product is a little bit expensive. The certifications cost $400. Other vendors provide it for an average of $200 to $300. The product has an annual licensing fee. Additional costs depend on the user's requirements.
What other advice do I have?
People looking to use the product must ensure they have enough engineers who know how to work with it. Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner

Technical Officer at Leads Innovation
An easy-to-deploy solution with a seamless user interface and a helpful support team
Pros and Cons
- "The usability of the solution is its best feature."
- "Being a great product, some changes in the pricing would make it a great choice for even more organizations."
What is most valuable?
The usability of the solution is its best feature. The product has a great UI. The UI is seamless and easier to navigate compared to other firewalls. The reporting and logging are good too. Additionally, Fortinet Security Fabric is another great feature.
What needs improvement?
Being a great product, some changes in the pricing would make it a great choice for even more organizations.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for two to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the tool’s stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Currently, we have around ten customers. Our customers are mostly medium-sized businesses. We also have small and enterprise-level customers.
I rate the tool’s scalability a nine out of ten. FortiGate's VDOM is a great feature for scalability.
How are customer service and support?
Support is good. A local organization provides us with first-level support. I have raised a few cases with them.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
I rate the ease of setup a nine out of ten. Most organizations like to have everything deployed within the premises. The initial setup can be done within a few hours if the planning is done beforehand. The policies and other requirements are added gradually.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In our country, pricing is very important. The product is not cheap. Although companies do invest in one-time setup, retaining license renewal is not the same for every organization. I rate the pricing a five out of ten. Support should be purchased as per various levels and other licenses for security features, like Application Control and Web Filtering, should also be purchased.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, it is a great technology to use. It is imperative to train employees to get the best out of the product and robust implementation. FortiGate has a great learning platform and commendable documentation for that which should be utilized. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Buyer's Guide
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)
March 2025

Learn what your peers think about FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
842,690 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior Network Engineer at Dejpaad
Suitable for medium-range companies and user-friendly interface
Pros and Cons
- "It is a very user-friendly solution. Moreover, Foritgate offers good performance."
- "There should be better customization in the IPS."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is for protection. We have general use cases.
What is most valuable?
It is a very user-friendly solution. Moreover, Foritgate offers good performance, where it outperforms Cisco Firepower in various ways.
What needs improvement?
The solution doesn't cover all aspects of protection. There should be better customization in the IPS. The Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) and FortiGuard could benefit from enhancement.
So, in future releases, I want to see improvements in IPS, particularly in terms of customization.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The firewall is very stable and reliable.
I would rate the stability a nine out of ten. There's always room for improvement.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have around three to four customers using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
I can't use the technical support because of some sanctions in Iran.
How was the initial setup?
The setup process is easy and very fast. The setup process is very fast, typically taking only one to two days.
What about the implementation team?
The purchasing process is straightforward, and then the normal deployment process.
Moreover, a single person can handle the deployment and maintenance tasks.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a licensing fee; it is on a yearly basis. The pricing iss actually quite normally priced.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have used Cisco. I find impressive about Cisco is its powerful enterprise-grade solution, comparable to Fortinet firewall. FortiGate is not superior to Cisco, but it stands out for its user-friendly interface.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. It is a suitable solution for medium-range companies due to its well-designed user interface.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Sales & Support at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Enhancing network protection with advanced firewall and VPN features
Pros and Cons
- "The firewall and VPN features are the most valuable in protecting our customers' networks."
- "The firewall and VPN features are the most valuable in protecting our customers' networks."
- "I would like to see improvements in the IPS/IDS feature to enhance protection against attacks from attackers, including ransomware protection."
- "I would like to see improvements in the IPS/IDS feature to enhance protection against attacks from attackers, including ransomware protection."
What is our primary use case?
We use the FortiGate Next Generation Firewall for our customers. We mainly utilize firewall and VPN features.
How has it helped my organization?
The solution has helped us protect our customers' networks effectively due to its firewall and VPN capabilities.
What is most valuable?
The firewall and VPN features are the most valuable in protecting our customers' networks. The stability of the product is also appreciated.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see improvements in the IPS/IDS feature to enhance protection against attacks from attackers, including ransomware protection.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using FortiGate Next Generation Firewall for about five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We don't need scalability because our customers are small companies.
How are customer service and support?
We do not use FortiGate support directly; we must use distributor support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is competitive. The licensing cost is approximately thirteen thousand.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluate Palo Alto against FortiGate, and would be considering it if the price is lower.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate FortiGate Next Generation Firewall an eight out of ten. I would like to see AI capabilities in the future.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Last updated: Nov 12, 2024
Flag as inappropriateA highly scalable solution that can be used for network security
Pros and Cons
- "The solution's application control is very powerful."
- "The solution's stability should be improved because it is extremely unstable."
What is our primary use case?
We use FortiGate Next Generation Firewall mainly for network security.
What is most valuable?
The solution's application control is very powerful. Another valuable feature is the integration between the firewall and the switches we have. The FortiSwitch extended security fabric is one of the things that we like about the solution.
What needs improvement?
The solution's stability should be improved because it is extremely unstable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) for eight years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is a very scalable solution. Approximately 32 customers are working with the solution.
How are customer service and support?
The solution's technical support team needs more improvement. The technical support team has a slow response and needs more experienced support agents to interact with the customers.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup is easy and straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
Since it's a security solution, it needs considerable time to deploy. We need to analyze the network, the customer requirements, and the policies we need to add, which can take a couple of days.
For any security solution, there is no straightforward deployment process. It depends on the survey on the customer side and what we are doing for the customer. One security engineer is required for the deployment and maintenance of the solution.
What was our ROI?
Since FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is a slightly expensive solution, the use case determines the ROI. However, since it's quite expensive for general usage, it has a lower ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is an expensive solution with a yearly subscription. There are no extra costs in addition to the standard licensing fees.
What other advice do I have?
The solution has a lot of features that we like. We don't need additional features because they compromise the solution's stability when they add more features. As a security gateway, we need to be much more stable than adding more features.
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall comes in two versions, namely, the hardware version and the cloud version. For the on-premises version, hardware is to be implemented on-site; for the cloud, it's a cloud security solution. So it depends on which version your customer is using. The licensing is very different for the on-prem and the cloud solution.
When it comes to complex solutions, I highly recommend FortiGate Next Generation Firewall.
Customers looking for SD-WAN and good application control should go for FortiGate Next Generation Firewall. Customers looking for high stability should avoid the solution.
Overall, I rate FortiGate Next Generation Firewall an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
VP Sales/Pre Sales at Comstar - Information Systems Associates Ltd.
A high performing Solution with a valuable GUI configuration feature
Pros and Cons
- "The GUI configuration is its most valuable feature"
- "The licensing model and pricing need improvement."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is being used as a firewall.
What is most valuable?
The GUI configuration is its most valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
The licensing model and pricing need improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using FortiGate Next Generation Firewall for the last four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is a stable solution. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. Fifty users are using the solution. I rate the scalability a ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support team is good, but we haven't reached out to them on our own.
How was the initial setup?
FortiGate's initial setup is easy. The solution's deployment depends on the projects and the way clients use it. It takes approximately five days to deploy the solution. I rate the setup an eight out of ten.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is an expensive solution.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the overall solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
Senior Technical Consultant- Cyber Security at Ivalue Infosolution
A cost-effective and single-box solution that has a simple configuration
Pros and Cons
- "FortiGate Next Generation Firewall has a simple configuration."
- "FortiGate Next Generation Firewall's performance and threat intelligence could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
Customers require Next Generation Firewall features, UTM, URL filtering, and application filtering.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall has a simple configuration.
What needs improvement?
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall's performance and threat intelligence could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) for the last six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate FortiGate Next Generation Firewall a seven out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution’s scalability needs to be improved. I rate FortiGate Next Generation Firewall an eight out of ten for scalability.
How are customer service and support?
FortiGate Next Generation Firewall has a good technical support team that responds fast.
How was the initial setup?
The solution has a straightforward initial setup.
What about the implementation team?
It takes three to four days to deploy FortiGate Next Generation Firewall. Only one engineer is required for the solution’s deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Users need to pay for one-year, three-year, and five years licenses. FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is a very cheap solution.
What other advice do I have?
We recommend FortiGate Next Generation Firewall to people from the SMB segment looking for a cost-effective and single-box solution.
Overall, I rate FortiGate Next Generation Firewall an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Network Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees
Scalable and easy-to-manage solution
Pros and Cons
- "It is a stable solution compared to other vendors."
- "Its load balancing feature could be easy to configure."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution to protect our services published on the internet.
What is most valuable?
The solution is more reliable and easy to manage than Cisco Firewall Solutions. It provides a flexible interface for configuration.
What needs improvement?
The solution's load balancing feature could be easy to configure in terms of interface.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable compared to other vendors.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable for our medium enterprise.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is easy to access and configure in terms of GUI.
What about the implementation team?
The reseller for the solution helped us implement it.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Buyer's Guide
Download our free FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2025
Popular Comparisons
Fortinet FortiGate
Netgate pfSense
Juniper SRX Series Firewall
Fortinet FortiGate-VM
Buyer's Guide
Download our free FortiGate Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- What do you recommend for a corporate firewall implementation?
- Comparison of Barracuda F800, SonicWall 5600 and Fortinet
- Sophos XG 210 vs Fortigate FG 100E
- Which is the best network firewall for a small retailer?
- When evaluating Firewalls, what aspect do you think is the most important to look for?
- Cyberoam or Fortinet?
- Fortinet, Palo Alto or Check Point?
- If you could go back, would you change your decision to buy that firewall and why?
- Sophos XG vs Fortigate UTM
- Can you recommend a solution to replace Cyberoam 200ing Firewall?