We performed a comparison between Fortinet FortiGate and SonicWall TZ based on our users’ reviews in four categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: Based on the parameters we compared, SonicWall TZ outperforms Fortinet FortiGate in several key areas, including more satisfaction with features, service, and support and fewer complaints on pricing.
"This version is stable. I don't have any issues with this solution, in our environment, it works well."
"Customers want to load balance more than eight lines or six internet lines. FortiGate is the only solution that can accomplish this."
"Our security improved from being able to put in rules and close off unwanted traffic."
"From the firewall perspective, the rules and policies are very sufficient and easy to use."
"Their interface is very easy to use, it is without bugs."
"The signature database and zero-day detection are Fortinet FortiGate's most valuable features."
"Layer-3 firewall and routing are the most valuable features."
"A strong point of FortiGate is that the graphical interface is complete and easy to use, especially if we think there is a list of operations that we are able to perform inside."
"I have found the stability of this product to be excellent."
"Good VPN connection."
"The feature we found most valuable in SonicWall TZ is that it is user-friendly for an administrator."
"The most valuable features are security and technical support."
"It protects against intrusion while allowing needed access."
"The most valuable feature is the protection available, and then ease of use and flexibility."
"With the main firewall routing there, we can do connectivity point-to-point. On the low bandwidth we can connect in all the branches with my corporate office."
"The general feature is the antivirus policy, followed by the ransomware protection, and these are the features I was looking at."
"The user interface could be improved to make it less confusing and easier to set up."
"It would be ideal if they had some sort of GUI interface for troubleshooting and diagnostics."
"We had a minor problem where there was a major system upgrade on the hardware platfrom and the Mac client was not available as soon as it might have been. The PC client was available immediately, but we had to wait a month or so, before there was a mac client. I was slightly irritated that it was not ready on time, but it was eventually resolved."
"Some of the software stability could improve."
"It should have a better pricing plan. It is too expensive. It should also have a more granular view of the attack. I don't have FortiAnalyzer, and it is difficult for me to have a complete view when there is an attack on my server."
"Their software support needs improvement. I would prefer to have better support for bug fixes. Sometimes, we open a ticket, and it is very difficult to get a solution. Specifically, we are not at all happy with their support for load balancing."
"To the best of my knowledge, Fortinet does not have a CASB solution and Fortinet does not have a Zero trust solution."
"There are some problems that support cannot give you a logical reason as to why it happened. For example, I had a case where I was dealing with a WhatsApp application that was giving issues. Technical support gave more than one reason it could be giving issues, but none of them solved the problem. Eventually I solved the problem, but it was far from the solutions that support had given."
"The solution should provide some additional ports."
"Full monitoring obviously needs to be improved. We need full monitoring covered under the security licensing."
"We have experienced some issues with SonicWall TZ and they are lacking some advanced features other vendors have."
"I can't get the support that I need from SonicWall."
"The lack of support is having me look into other solutions to replace SonicWALL."
"I currently have two of the issues from SonicWall. One issue is that the IP is not the public IP. Sometimes it moves to an alternate source and I have to refresh the new IP then we can go on."
"FortiGate has a client DNS in the firewall, but SonicWall doesn't have that. To create or configure a site-to-site VPN tunnel, we have to give a DNS name. Currently, we have to get the DNS name from a third party and then include it in SonicWall, whereas FortiGate has its own client DNS, so it provides a DNS name, and it does not require a third party. There should be a graphical option to view the network utilization and bandwidth usage."
"I would like them to make the interface a little bit easier to use so you can find out where in the heck you're going instead of having to go to 15 different places to get something installed."
Fortinet FortiGate is ranked 2nd in Firewalls with 306 reviews while SonicWall TZ is ranked 12th in Firewalls with 78 reviews. Fortinet FortiGate is rated 8.4, while SonicWall TZ is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Fortinet FortiGate writes "It's a reliable solution that's easy to install and cheaper than competitors ". On the other hand, the top reviewer of SonicWall TZ writes "Has efficient user access control feature and good technical support services ". Fortinet FortiGate is most compared with Sophos XG, Cisco Secure Firewall, Netgate pfSense, Meraki MX and OPNsense, whereas SonicWall TZ is most compared with Sophos XG, Netgate pfSense, Meraki MX, SonicWall NSa and WatchGuard Firebox. See our Fortinet FortiGate vs. SonicWall TZ report.
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