Compare Fortinet FortiGate vs. Sophos XG
Fortinet FortiGate is ranked 1st in Firewalls with 56 reviews while Sophos XG is ranked 7th in Firewalls with 15 reviews. Fortinet FortiGate is rated 8.6, while Sophos XG is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Fortinet FortiGate writes "Don't underestimate FortiAnalyzer. It can give you a better understanding of what is going on in your network". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Sophos XG writes "Gives us customizable policies, modifiable templates, and customized rules for single users". Fortinet FortiGate is most compared with Cisco ASA NGFW, Meraki MX Firewalls and pfSense, whereas Sophos XG is most compared with Sophos UTM, Fortinet FortiGate and pfSense. See our Fortinet FortiGate vs. Sophos XG report.
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 Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiGate vs. Sophos XG and other solutions. Updated: January 2020. 398,259 professionals have used our research since 2012. | ||||||||
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros | ||
Unfortunately in Cisco, only the hardware was good. For us, the most valuable features are the IPX and the Sourcefire Defense Center module. That gives us visibility into the traffic coming in and going out, and gives us the heads-up if there is a potential outbreak or potential malicious user who is trying to access the site. It also helps us see traffic generated by an end device trying to reach out to the world. The information coming from Talos does a good job... I like the fact that Cisco is working with them and getting the information from them and updating the firewall. The firepower sensors have been great; they do a good job of dropping unwanted traffic. The most important point is the detection engine which is now part of the next-generation firewalls and which is supported by Cisco Talos. The most valuable feature of this solution is AMP (Advanced Malware Protection), as this is really needed to protect against cyber threats. I like the Cisco ASDM (Adaptive Security Device Manager), which is the configuration interface for the Cisco firewall. The technical team is always available when we have problems. | FortiGate Secure SD-WAN includes best-of-breed next-generation firewall (NGFW) security, SD-WAN, advanced routing, and WAN optimization capabilities, delivering a security-driven networking WAN edge transformation in a unified offering. Advanced routing (RIP, OSPF, BGP, PBR). It gives you a seamless and simple integration into a large network. The most valuable feature is the VDOM, which allows the customer to have multiple firewalls in a single campus. The security features are about the best that I've seen anywhere. It blocks the vulnerabilities that can negatively impact us. Anti-Spam web content filterinG. This solution has solid UTM features combined with a nice GUI. This is a quality product with ok support, and it is better than the competition we've tried. | This kind of strategic technology makes it much easier to remove malware and address vulnerabilities quickly. All of the features are amazing, especially Sandstorm, which prevents bad traffic or downloaded files from reaching our customers' and partners' networks. We are able to trace any user and pinpoint any vulnerability or any malicious software. We are able to synchronize between the local and active directories so we can catch users easily through their login names and IDs. Price-wise the solution offers acceptable rates. You can find cheaper solutions on the market but when you go cheaper you have fewer features. Today, based on iQuate market the price is very reasonable and affordable, and it's good if you get a good discount. Discounts can be offered by the vendor. If it's a competitive upgrade which means the customer is upgrading from another vendor, Sophos provides extra discount so they can win the deal. In general, it is a good price. I like the fact that it can self remove malware and do updates on the cloud via Sophos Central. The solution seems pretty stable. We've had no issues so far. What I like about his program, is that it is easy to use and easy to manage. The filtering is very easy to do. You can segment and create profiles for usage very easily. |
Cons | ||
In NGFW, Cisco should be aligned with the new technology and inspection intelligence because Cisco is far behind in this pipeline. We were also not too thrilled when Cisco announced that in the upcoming new-gen ASA, iOS was not going to be supported, or if you install them, they will not be able to be managed through the Sourcefire. However, it seems like Cisco is moving away from the ASA iOS to the Sourcefire FireSIGHT firmware for the ASA. We haven't had a chance to test it out. Our latest experience with a code upgrade included a number of bugs and issues that we ran into. So more testing with their code, before it hits us, would help. The software was very buggy, to the point it had to be removed. Most users do not have awareness of this product's functionality and features. Cisco should do something to make them aware of them. That would be quite excellent and useful to organizations that are still using legacy data-center-security products. I have found that Cisco reporting capabilities are not as rich as other products, so the reporting could be improved. The Sandbox and the Web Censoring in this solution need to be improved. It will be nice if they had what you traditionally would use a web application scanner for. If the solution could take a deeper look into HTTP and HTTPS traffic, that would be nice. | There is a lot of improvement needed with SSL-VPN. I think there could be more QoS features Improvement is needed in the Web Filter quotas to restrict users with allocated quotas. Technical support for this solution can be improved. I would like to have logs, monitoring, and reporting for a month without extra fees. The Web-filter in this solution is not very good. FortiOS is not simple. This product could be improved with Active directory integration and better handling in IPsec and GRE Tunnels. | It would be great if the user can have a portal to check on activities related to their account. Network security is in need of improvement. There needs to be a way that we can distinguish between educational institutions on Youtube and other Youtube videos. You can do this on Fortinet. Basically, they can block all other Youtube videos besides those that are from educational institutions. With Sophos, you either allow for all Youtube videos or none at all. They need to allow for more specification on different websites. They should expand their DDoS feature. It's basic. They need to enhance it. On reports, they sometimes give a summary, but it lists different users as unknown. There are times that I really want to know which user or which IP is causing a problem. It's easy to use, but it's hard to configure exact settings. They need to make it easier to access advanced features. The program is rather expensive. The UTM itself needs improvement. When you're navigating it seems like it takes forever to load anything. The hardware is okay. It's just the software that could be more responsive. |
Pricing and Cost Advice | ||
Always consider what you might need to reduce your wasted time and invest it in other solutions. Pricing varies on the model and the features we are using. It could be anywhere from $600 to $1000 to up to $7,000 per year, depending on what model and what feature sets are available to us. We used Check Point and the two are comparable. Cost was really what put us onto the ASAs... the price tag for Check Point was exorbitantly more than what it is for the ASA solution. We are in the process of renewing our three-year license, which costs approximately $24,000 USD for the thirty-six months. The pricing for Cisco products is higher than others, but Cisco is a very good, strong, and stable technology. The program is very expensive. The cost of this solution is high. Some of our customers would be more likely to standardize on Cisco equipment if the cost was lower because a lot of people install cheap equipment. | Fortinet Secure SD-WAN delivered the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) per Mbps among all other vendors. Setup cost may be not so low, as you expect, because it depends on different factors, but TCO for 5 years may pleasantly surprise you. The pricing for this solution is good. Before choosing a piece of equipment you have to take into account the cost-benefit offered by each one. Sometimes it is not worth paying a very cheap price to have a minimum level of security. Each feature costs money, so it is important to study your needs. I would say that all things considered, the pricing is pretty good. Fortinet is reasonable in pricing and licensing. Overall, FortiGate is affordable. The licensing fee can be a little high, depending on the budget for your project. Our licensing costs are on a yearly basis. | We are paying about $1,500 yearly for the Enterprise Plus. As far as I know, there aren't costs above this standard fee. It's a suitable price and license. For licensing the XG 210, we paid approximately $3000 for three years. There are no additional fees on top of this. |
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Answers from the Community | ||||
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Top Comparisons | ||||
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Also Known As | ||||
| Cisco ASA, Adaptive Security Appliance, ASA, Cisco Sourcefire Firewalls | FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate | |||
Learn | ||||
| Cisco | Fortinet | Sophos | ||
Overview  | ||||
Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) is Cisco's end-to-end software solution and core operating system that powers the Cisco ASA product series. This software solution provides enterprise-level firewall capabilities for all types of ASA products, including blades, standalone appliances and virtual devices. Adaptive Security Appliance provides protection to organizations of all sizes, and allows end-users to access information securely anywhere, at any time, and through any device. Adaptive Security Appliance is also fully compatible with other key security technologies, and so provides organizations with an all-encompassing security solution. Block more threats and quickly mitigate those that do breach your defenses with the industry’s first threat-focused NGFW. | The FortiGate family of NG firewalls provides proven protection with unmatched performance across the network, from internal segments, to data centers, to cloud environments. FortiGates are available in a large range of sizes and form factors and are key components of the Fortinet Security Fabric, which enables immediate, intelligent defense against known and new threats throughout the entire network. | Sophos XG Firewall is next gen firewall that is optimized for today’s business, delivering all the protection and insights you need in a single, powerful appliance that’s easy to manage. | ||
Offer | ||||
Learn more about Cisco ASA NGFW | Learn more about Fortinet FortiGate | Learn more about Sophos XG | ||
Sample Customers | ||||
| There are more than one million Adaptive Security Appliances deployed globally. Top customers include First American Financial Corp., Genzyme, Frankfurt Airport, Hansgrohe SE, Rio Olympics, The French Laundry, Rackspace, and City of Tomorrow. | Pittsburgh Steelers, LUSH Cosmetics, NASDAQ, Verizon, Arizona State University, Levi Strauss & Co. Whitepaper and case studies here | Information Not Available | ||
Top Industries | ||||
Financial Services Firm19% Manufacturing Company10% Comms Service Provider9% University6% Software R&D Company28% Comms Service Provider18% Media Company8% Retailer5% | Comms Service Provider13% Financial Services Firm9% Healthcare Company7% Real Estate/Law Firm7% Software R&D Company23% Comms Service Provider17% Media Company8% Cloud Provider6% | Mining And Metals Company20% Financial Services Firm20% Construction Company10% University10% Software R&D Company22% Comms Service Provider17% Media Company9% Construction Company6% | ||
Company Size | ||||
Small Business36% Midsize Enterprise25% Large Enterprise40% Small Business38% Midsize Enterprise19% Large Enterprise44% | Small Business49% Midsize Enterprise26% Large Enterprise25% Small Business56% Midsize Enterprise26% Large Enterprise17% | Small Business63% Midsize Enterprise22% Large Enterprise15% Small Business47% Midsize Enterprise30% Large Enterprise23% | ||
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiGate vs. Sophos XG and other solutions. Updated: January 2020.
398,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.
See also Fortinet FortiGate Reviews, Sophos XG Reviews, and our list of Best Firewalls Companies.
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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 upgrade any firewall due to hardware at least every 5 years. You haven't specified your environment so it's not easy to scale which firewall will be best.
Here are my reasons for choosing FortiGate:
1. Sophos firewall has limited capability when it comes to security. FortiGate has much more security and web filtering options to really bring control to a granular level.
2. FortiGate is easier to manage and in my experience much more stable and reliable.
3. Sophos is trying to go to cloud the same as Cisco Meraki does but with a lot of bugs and issues on their cloud platform. We have endless issues at one of our clients regarding this.
4. FortiGate has limited reporting but you can keep 7 days worth of reporting for free on FortiCloud.
Again most of the comments are for smaller networks. You will have to scope each individual company or site to make a decision. Sophos is a small to medium company for me (we would rather use Cisco than Sophos). FortiGate is for large to enterprise size companies who need more granular security and IPSec tunnels. We manage over 40 clients on one FortiGate for internet breakout and have had no issues what so ever. We would not be able to do it with a Sophos device.
And on the point of WiFi access points, it doesn't matter what firewall you use, FortiGate will only manage Fortinet and Sophos will only manage Sophos (Via Web portal or on device)
On SD-WAN I would really prefer FortiGate's as well. Tried and tested and breaks with Sophos.
My current UTM is FortiGate 1200D and I have finished a POC for Sophos XG450 trying to deduct the cost of the license renewal of the UTM
There is big difference between FortiGate and Sophos. There are some features of FortiGate that Sophos doesn’t provide, and the visibility of network, internet lines, and devices is very poor with Sophos but it’s excellent with FortiGate. Also, the "Traffic Shaping" for bandwidth doesn’t work correctly at all with Sophos but works perfectly with FortiGate.
I strongly don't recommend at all to replace FortiGate with Sophos. Maybe Sophos would be good for a kind of customers who hasn't used UTM appliance before.
I do not know more about Sophos but I would like to highlight some FortiGate features:
- Number of IP-sec and SSL VPN user clients. (Minimum 100 with lowest Model FG30E)
- Fortisandbox and Forticloud Free with some good features for managing firewalls from FortiCloud.
- FortiTocken (Dual Authentication) - Two Token Free with every FortiGate device.
- FortiAP (Guest Network without Any L2 and L3 Switch over Wi-Fi and you can also manage FortiAP using FortiCloud too.)
- Secure SD-wan, not only useful for multiple WAN but also useful for MPLS and VPN connectivity fail-over between multiple locations.
- More application list and inbuilt SLA for SD-Wan.
- Web-filter is common in All UTM but google domain-specific feature in FortiGate is awesome.
- Internet-Service-Database list is also very helpful and an advanced feature.
- The Fortiswitch controller is also a good feature.
For comparison purpose i.e. Sophos XG 310 & Fortinet FortiGate FG-200E, to my understanding, Fortinet appliance has an upper hand if you are looking for IPSec or VPN Tunnelling and FortiGate has the capability for High Availability configuration options i.e. Active/Active, Active/Passive and clustering.
Also Note Sophos XG 310 has a higher firewall throughput as 28Gbps. Fortinet FG 200E has multi Ethernet fixed port, but only 2 WAN interface while Sophos XG 310 can add up to 8 WAN ports.
I have extensively used Sophos (previously Cyberoam) and FortiGate also. The biggest differences are as below:
1. For FortiGate, it is required to use a Fortinet wifi access point only.
2. In case of expiry of the license in FortiGate, the entire service goes kaput except basic firewall services. The other UTM only updates and support ceases to work.
3. Every 5 - 7 years FortiGate changes its model and the old device becomes trash.
4. Any changes in the policies will need to wait for total version changes and you need to wait till then
Because of the above reasons, presently we are trying our hands with WiJungle UTM. However, the bottleneck is Fortinet WiFi access points which are denied to work in tandem with any UTM other than FortiGate.
We have around 700 Fortinet WiFi access points and it is ridiculous that going away from FortiGate costs a fortune.
In one sentence, the biggest difference between Sophos and FortiGate is the “RED” option in Sophos XG.
The main points between both are Sophos hardware in all of its models except the smallest one, XG 86, have SSD hard desk. It has a total security solution especially when you get the benefits of synchronized security with its Endpoint interceptX as it is amazing when it works with the XG firewall. You can also have benefits if you got the encryption solution and the Wireless.
The reporting on the XG firewall is an amazing feature that does not exist on one box with Fortinet.
The DLP solution on the XG firewall is impressive.
Fortinet in performance is better than Sophos.
For the small and medium businesses, I recommend XG firewall but for large data centers, I recommend Fortinet.
I hope it is informative, please feel free to contact me with any further queries.
I evaluated both and in the end, I decided to go with Sophos. It has a good application filter & Web filter, WAF is included, report integrated, has a VPN of any kind, and synchronized security with the endpoint.