pfSense vs Sophos XG
We performed a comparison between pfSense vs Sophos XG based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
"FortiGate firewalls are user-friendly, and I like the security profiling features."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the analytics."
"The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the APIs. They are the most widely known."
"Overall, the pricing of the solution is very good. The product offers good value."
"The secure web gateway module and the application control module are valuable. HA operations are very easy."
"Fortinet has a very good solution for Secure SD-WAN. One very good feature is that they have robust and simple FortiOS through which they provide all solutions. That's their strength. There's not much complexity involved with the Secure SD-WAN solution of Fortinet as compared to Cisco's solution, which has a lot of flexibility but complexity also comes with that flexibility."
"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 most valuable feature is the VDOM, which allows the customer to have multiple firewalls in a single campus."
"What I like about pfSense is that it works well and runs on an inexpensive appliance."
"The firewall sensor is highly effective, and it's easy to deploy. You can deploy pfSense with limited hardware resources. It's not necessary to have an appliance with much RAM to make it work. It's cost-effective and performs well."
"I like pfSense's reports and how I can control access to the policies on the firewall."
"The classic features such as content inspection, content protection, and the application-level firewall, are the most important."
"pfSense helped us during COVID-19 because we used OpenVPN to connect from home."
"It is much simpler than other solutions such as Fortinet."
"pfSense allows us to spread the hours of connection and do the filtering on the pfSense site."
"I am happy with the EPLS, the radius, and I am happy with the captive portal."
"The stability of Sophos XG is good, it has good performance."
"IPS and advanced threat protection (ATP) are the most valuable features. I am able to segment my network traffic and block incoming connections. It is also easy to use."
"The most valuable feature is the VPN aspect."
"The user interface is very good. It's already quite simple and easy to use."
"The stability has been excellent."
"What I have found most valuable with the Sophos XG is it's a key component of the Intercept X EDR environment. You have to have it to receive the full benefit. If you've you are using Sophos SG firewalls, they're great firewalls and in many ways, I prefer them to the Sophos XG. Since I have set them up, programmed them, and manipulate firewall rules, et cetera, the Sophos SG's a better interface. However, the Sophos XG's very powerful. I prefer it over other solutions I have used, such as Cisco Meraki and SupportNet, I don't like them. They're not very friendly to people who have to set them up and implement them."
"The tool's most valuable feature is threat protection and DLP features. So far, basic DLP features like content protection and blocking. Furthermore, for remote users, features such as back filtering and application control are available, allowing for command and control from our side. It is very easy to understand policy applications."
"Sophos began with a basic version and evolved into something more efficient in terms of performance."
"I would like Fortinet to add more automation to FortiGate."
"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."
"One area for improvement is the performance on bandwidth demands for smaller devices, as well as better web filtering."
"Fortinet FortiGate could improve by having a frequent ask questions(FAQ) area for people to receive quick answers to popular questions. Additionally, it would be beneficial to have an SMS notification feature. For example, if you cannot access your email you could receive an SMS message."
"The cloud features and integration could be improved."
"It could use more templates for third-party site-to-site VPN setups other than FortiGate and Cisco."
"The monitor and the visibility, in this proxy, is very weak."
"Currently, without the additional reporting module, we only have access to basic reporting."
"Network monitoring and device inventory could use some improvements. I'm using SpiceWorks for this because it never really worked in pfSense."
"I have been using WireGuard VPN because it is a lot faster and more secure than an open VPN. However, in the latest version of pfSense, they have removed this feature, which is one of the main features that I need. They should include this feature."
"I believe improving integration with various antivirus vendors could be beneficial."
"The solution could use better reporting. They need to offer more of it in general. Right now, the graphics aren't the best. If you need to provide a report to a manager, for example, it doesn't look great. They need to make it easier to understand and give users the ability to customize them."
"Layer 7 advanced firewall features are not included in the solution."
"The solution could improve by having centralized management and API support online."
"The configuration of the solution is a bit difficult."
"The solution requires a lot of administration."
"Lacks improved throughput performance in a box."
"I've had experience with Sophos XG's threat intelligence features, and they provide good coverage, although I wouldn't say they're the best in the industry. The sandbox feature is available with top-tier subscriptions, allowing you to test content in a cloud sandbox. One improvement I'd suggest for Sophos XG is to make certain functionalities, like CR functionality, part of the default firewalling rather than exclusive to premium subscriptions. Enhancing DLP capabilities at the gateway level could significantly boost security for organizations."
"The user interface could be improved and more bandwidth management would be helpful."
"There have been some issues when upgrading. For some reason, parts of the configuration become unconfigured, I then have to reconfigure it. I should not need to keep reconfiguring it after upgrades."
"Support could be improved."
"I can't use the product's application control feature, making it a disadvantage of the solution where improvements are required."
"In feature releases of the solution, I would like there to be an increase in the detection capability."
"Sophos XG could improve by making the remote access and VPN better."
Netgate pfSense is ranked 1st in Firewalls with 128 reviews while Sophos XG is ranked 7th in Firewalls with 192 reviews. Netgate pfSense is rated 8.6, while Sophos XG is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Netgate pfSense writes "User-friendly, easy to manage the firewall, rule-wise and interface-wise". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Sophos XG writes "Easy to use and deploy with an improved pricing structure in place". Netgate pfSense is most compared with OPNsense, Sophos UTM, KerioControl, Cisco Secure Firewall and WatchGuard Firebox, whereas Sophos XG is most compared with OPNsense, Sophos XGS, SonicWall TZ, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls and Meraki MX. See our Netgate pfSense vs. Sophos XG report.
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