Fortinet FortiGate vs WatchGuard XTM [EOL] comparison

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Fortinet FortiGate and WatchGuard XTM [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Netgate, Fortinet, OPNsense and others in Firewalls.
To learn more, read our detailed Firewalls Report (Updated: February 2024).
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Q&A Highlights
Question: What Is The Biggest Difference Between Fortinet FortiGate and WatchGuard XTM?
Answer: The main difference between Watchguard and Fortinet is the operating system, and how it uses the hardware features. The user interface in Fortinet is cleaner and we can adjust network and security needs in a logical way. Point-of-care only for SSO, certificate usage does not work sometimes, but this issue is handled in new OS releases.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"User-friendly and affordable security solution that's recommended for SMB customers. This solution has good technical support.""We are very happy with the general bandwidth agility we have seen from one website to another website.""Its administrative panel is very intuitive and simple. It is simpler than the other solutions that we had. As an administrator, we are always looking for the easiest solution to manage network policies. We are able to filter everything on our network and also use the VPN feature, which is important these days when people are working remotely during COVID.""The stability and scalability of this solution are satisfactory. Its SD-WAN, VPN, and URL filtering features are very useful.""It has improved our security capabilities.""The most valuable feature of this solution is Quota.""Fortinet FortiGate is easy to use.""The tool is a nice product and easy to handle. The software's user interface is also good. You can easily implement remote access in the solution."

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"It configures in all-in-one place.​""It is stable and does not require you to reboot all the time.​""After installing the product, we achieved awareness of our data protection needs and email misuse.""Reputation Enabled Defense indicates that some websites are so infested that it's not even worth visiting them, and therefore saving the bandwidth of going through the detection process.""Application Control is fantastic with over 2,500 applications and the granularity that we can either allow people to view but not be able to log on to Facebook; or view it and log onto it if they're in the marketing department, but not play Facebook games. There are all sorts of different options like that. So it's highly granular.""I like the hostwatch because I can see what traffic uses the most bandwidth and I can block that site.""​Monitoring of network activity is included in the box.​""SNMP status monitoring and the Central Management Software."

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Cons
"I would like reporting to be improved and should offer a lot more tools to monitor the products.""The logging details need to be improved.""Fortinet FortiGate could improve by adding enhancements to FortiMail, FortiSOAR, and FortiDeceptor.""With the reports, you can see it, and you can get good feelings so upper management can go, "Oh, wow. That looks pretty." However, it's very basic.""The security of Fortinet FortiGate could improve.""Fortinet FortiGate could improve by adding FortiAnalyzer to its solution, we should not have to use another solution. FortiAnalyzer can provide more detailed information.""It does not have key authentication for admin access.""They should make the rule sets more understandable for the end user. When you're trying to explain to somebody how a computer network is secured, sometimes it's difficult for an end user or customer to understand. If there was a way to make the terminology more accessible to the end user, the set up could be easier. They should translate the technical jargon to an easily relatable and understandable conversation for the end user, the customer, that would be brilliant. Particularly in an environment where the IT structure is audited regularly, there's always pressure from the auditor to up the standards and up the security and you get your USCERT's that come out and there's a warning about this and the customer will want to lock out so much and when you apply it they run into issue where they can't search the internet or print to their remote office. Of course they can't print to your remote office, they just locked it up. They should make the language more understandable for the customer. If there's a product out there that made the jargon understandable to John Q. Public, I would buy that."

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"The VPN errors are not helpful when troubleshooting.""I would like them to improve the product's overall protections. This would be good for all product users.""WatchGuard doesn't have a product that allows them to get into the data center. And that's just because there is no hardware to do the job. The software could do it, but there's no hardware that allows that to happen at the moment. So it doesn't scale as well as some other products, that's for sure.""Sometimes we have had issues with stability of the product.""Syslog (Dimension) is focused on presentation, but needs more focus on utility like SonicWall syslog (GMS/Analyzer).""The setting policies need improvement. It needs an easier way to do static NAT and check on what policy is being used for that specific traffic.""The initial setup is neither simple nor complex. If you know the base in networking and how the firewall works, you will be able to figure it out.​""One huge issue with WatchGuard XTM is that I'm not getting reports in a readable format. Readable means, I don't want Excel online. We repeat auditing when we trigger the report or setup calendar. That functionality is what we are looking for from WatchGuard XTM here."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "Fortinet has one or two license types, and the VPN numbers are only limited by the hardware chassis make."
  • "These boxes are not that expensive compared to what they can do, their functionality, and the reporting you receive. Fortinet licensing is straightforward and less confusing compared to Cisco."
  • "Go for long term pricing negotiated at the time of purchase."
  • "Work through partners for the best pricing."
  • "The value is the capability of having multiple services with one unique license, not having the limitation per user licensing schema, like other vendors."
  • "Easy to understand licensing requirements."
  • "​We saved a bundle by not needing all the past appliances from an NGFW.​"
  • "The cost is too high... They have to focus on more features with less cost for the customer. If you see the market, where it's going, there are a lot of players offering more features for less cost."
  • More Fortinet FortiGate Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Get at least a maintenance contract for the updates and take a larger WatchGuard than you need. A WatchGuard creates new ways to secure your network."
  • "It costs less than the SO works and others (like SonicWall, Cisco, and Barracuda) without increasing so much CPU use."
  • "Like all other manufacturers, there are a lot of features and different pricing. The best is to talk to a representative.​"
  • "The licensing and renewal is very expensive."
  • More WatchGuard XTM [EOL] Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Answers from the Community
    Miriam Tover
    reviewer779877 - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer779877 (Senior Software Engineer with 501-1,000 employees)
    Reseller

    Technically, watchguard can't scale in terms of performance and features protection for network, endpoint and cloud like FortiGate.

    FortiGate has chipset that can support software turn on in the form of fabric technology.

    Lastly, FortiGate has API which allow integration with 3rd parties technology to share policy, context and intelligence.

    Nilanka Costa - PeerSpot reviewerNilanka Costa
    User

    Fortinet FortiGate is a firewall with assured performance since it has ASSIC based purpose build processors. Also it has very reputed signature base worldwide. WatchGuard is good for SMBs where performance is not a major factor at perimeter security.

    reviewer199935 - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer199935 (systems engineer at a retailer with 11-50 employees)
    Real User

    I have worked with only 2 FortiGate routers, remember them as having Sonicwall similar traits for management. Ok, but not that intuitive, so you had to learn and remember the management rules.
    The WG units are more familiar to me, as I have setup dozens of these units in various models. I know the management Watchguard System Manager software more completely, so I understand it better, and remember it more.
    The management is still just as exact as the Fortigate, but more intuitive in my understanding.
    WG can be managed using a browser interface, but the WSM software is still more complete, in my opinion.

    Pravin Kolge - PeerSpot reviewerPravin Kolge
    User

    Fortinet fortiGate have large products portfolio as compare to watchGuard.

    Francisco Vargas - PeerSpot reviewerFrancisco Vargas
    User

    The difference is the poor performance that Fortigate has when it has all its services in use. Compare which customers have fortinet and which watchguards and see why the institutions in greatest need of security have watchguards.

    Zou TRAORE - PeerSpot reviewerZou TRAORE
    User

    UTMs option in fortiGate in better. High-performance network security solutions, users, and data from continually evolving threats.

    Anoop P - PeerSpot reviewerAnoop P
    User

    Fortinet FortiGate is a firewall with assured performance since it has
    ASSIC based purpose build processors. Also, it has a very reputed signature
    base worldwide. WatchGuard is good for SMBs where performance is not a
    major factor at perimeter security. So I suggest better choose Fortinet for
    your requirement.

    Swaminathayer Muralidhar - PeerSpot reviewerSwaminathayer Muralidhar
    User

    Fortinet are portable – cheap and easy to use

    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer: When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage at large. In my opinion, Fortinet would be the best option and l use Fortinet too.… more »
    Top Answer:From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know the firewalls change every 5 to 7 years as stated but you really do need to… more »
    Top Answer:As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite good. The most valuable features for me are their web and email filtering. I would… more »
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    Ranking
    2nd
    out of 59 in Firewalls
    Views
    126,666
    Comparisons
    92,626
    Reviews
    64
    Average Words per Review
    574
    Rating
    8.4
    Unranked
    In Firewalls
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate
    Learn More
    Overview

    Fortinet FortiGate enhances network security, prevents unauthorized access, and offers robust firewall protection. Valued features include advanced threat protection, reliable performance, and a user-friendly interface. It improves efficiency, streamlines processes, and boosts collaboration, providing valuable insights for informed decision-making and growth.

    Small businesses need big security, too, and the WatchGuard XTM Series firewall/VPN appliances deliver that strong protection, but without the hefty price tag. Enterprise-grade security includes full HTTPS content inspection, VoIP support, and optional security subscriptions like Application Control and Intrusion Prevention Service.

    Sample Customers
    1. Amazon Web Services 2. Microsoft 3. IBM 4. Cisco 5. Dell 6. HP 7. Oracle 8. Verizon 9. AT&T 10. T-Mobile 11. Sprint 12. Vodafone 13. Orange 14. BT Group 15. Telstra 16. Deutsche Telekom 17. Comcast 18. Time Warner Cable 19. CenturyLink 20. NTT Communications 21. Tata Communications 22. SoftBank 23. China Mobile 24. Singtel 25. Telus 26. Rogers Communications 27. Bell Canada 28. Telkom Indonesia 29. Telkom South Africa 30. Telmex 31. Telia Company 32. Telkom Kenya
    AVG, Cyren, Kaspersky Lab, Lastline, NCP engineering, Trend Micro, Websense
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider16%
    Computer Software Company9%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization20%
    Computer Software Company15%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    Manufacturing Company6%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm38%
    Logistics Company15%
    Import And Exporter8%
    Healthcare Company8%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business48%
    Midsize Enterprise23%
    Large Enterprise30%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business27%
    Midsize Enterprise32%
    Large Enterprise41%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business70%
    Midsize Enterprise21%
    Large Enterprise9%
    Buyer's Guide
    Firewalls
    February 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Netgate, Fortinet, OPNsense and others in Firewalls. Updated: February 2024.
    763,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Fortinet FortiGate is ranked 2nd in Firewalls with 67 reviews while WatchGuard XTM [EOL] doesn't meet the minimum requirements to be ranked in Firewalls. Fortinet FortiGate is rated 8.4, while WatchGuard XTM [EOL] is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Fortinet FortiGate writes "Efficient, user-friendly, and affordable". On the other hand, Fortinet FortiGate is most compared with Sophos XG, Cisco Secure Firewall, Netgate pfSense, Meraki MX and Check Point NGFW, whereas WatchGuard XTM [EOL] is most compared with .

    See our list of best Firewalls vendors.

    We monitor all Firewalls reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.