SonicWall TZ provides robust network security with ease of use and VPN integration, favored for its scalability and performance optimized for small to medium businesses.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| SonicWall TZ | 1.8% |
| Fortinet FortiGate | 15.1% |
| OPNsense | 8.5% |
| Other | 74.6% |
| Type | Title | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Firewalls | Jun 23, 2026 | Download |
| Product | Reviews, tips, and advice from real users | Jun 23, 2026 | Download |
| Comparison | SonicWall TZ vs Fortinet FortiGate | Jun 23, 2026 | Download |
| Comparison | SonicWall TZ vs Netgate pfSense | Jun 23, 2026 | Download |
| Comparison | SonicWall TZ vs Sophos Firewall | Jun 23, 2026 | Download |
| Title | Rating | Mindshare | Recommending | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fortinet FortiGate | 4.2 | 15.1% | 92% | 592 interviewsAdd to research |
| Netgate pfSense | 4.3 | 8.0% | 94% | 221 interviewsAdd to research |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 56 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 12 |
| Large Enterprise | 13 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 475 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 134 |
| Large Enterprise | 260 |
SonicWall TZ is known for its comprehensive network security features, including advanced threat prevention, VPN integration, and content filtering. It is seen as reliable due to its scalability, performance, and thoughtful integration capabilities, tailored for small to medium businesses. Its cost-effectiveness and easy setup make it attractive, though users note that improvements could be made in pricing and the graphical interface. Reporting functions need enhancement to include more insightful and user-friendly options, and compatibility issues need addressing for advancement alongside competitors like Fortinet. The system supports site-to-site VPNs, deep packet inspection, and unified threat management, offering high security with dependable technical support.
What are the key features of SonicWall TZ?SonicWall TZ is widely implemented in sectors needing strong security measures such as finance, healthcare, and retail, where its firewall capabilities and network security facilitate robust protection and efficient traffic handling. It is particularly useful for businesses needing to secure multiple branch connections and ensure efficient remote access.
SonicWall TZ was previously known as Dell SonicWALL TZ.
| Author info | Rating | Review Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Pre-sales and Solutions Engineer - Cyber Security at Enterprise Technology (Pvt) Ltd | 3.0 | I recommend SonicWall TZ for SMBs needing a budget-friendly, easy deployment firewall with solid web filtering, DPI, SD-WAN load balancing, and monitoring. However, its threat intelligence, ML detection, GUI, documentation, scalability, and support lag competitors; stability has minor issues. |
| Project Engineer at IT Solution | 4.5 | I use SonicWall TZ for WAN‑to‑LAN filtering, NAT, and security with IPS/IDS/ATP plus content and application filtering. It’s stable, scalable, and support is good; it blocks threats and attacks. My main issue is paid VPN licensing. |
| CEO at Kapstone Technological Services LLP | 4.5 | I've used SonicWall TZ for over 14 years; it's easy to deploy, stable, scalable, and ideal for small businesses. The SSL VPN is great for remote work, though support could improve and performance should remain strong as features grow. |
| CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC | 3.5 | We implement SonicWall TZ alongside various other products based on client requirements. While SonicWall offers valuable VPN functionality and stability for SMBs, it falls short in dynamic DNS services and integration with other vendors, especially in VPNs. |
| Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees | 4.5 | I primarily use SonicWall TZ in my office to secure our network and support remote work during COVID. Its reliable performance and VPN capabilities are valuable, though I am considering upgrades due to outdated technology and exploring other options like Sophos. |
| Technical Associate at VSecure Networks | 4.0 | I've used SonicWall TZ primarily for firewall protection, SD-WAN, and SSL VPN for remote access. The ease of policy creation and effective security features stand out, though improvements are needed in SSL VPN licenses and simplifying DNAT and port forwarding configurations. |
| Chief Technology Officer at Nexa SecureIT | 4.5 | I use SonicWall TZ for firewalls, and I find its VPN functionality rock solid and user-friendly. However, I would like to see SD-WAN and content filtering features added. An agent on user laptops for site blocking would be beneficial. |
| Server & Cloud Architect at Icare | 4.0 | I use SonicWall TZ for VPN connections and user access control, enhancing web filtering and port configurations. However, generating reports requires additional licenses, hardware flexibility is limited, and the cost of large-scale firewalls could be lower. |
| IT Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees | 5.0 | I use SonicWall TZ to connect branches to our head office via site-to-site VPN. Its content filtering is valuable, though the logs need improvement, like adding a hard disk for retention. I previously used WatchGuard and considered Fortinet. |
| System And Network Engineer at POINTEC | 4.5 | I use the SonicWall TZ primarily as a firewall and find it to be a cost-effective solution providing good security. However, customer trust has diminished due to frequent company changes. I did not consider or use other solutions. |
I have been a reseller for SonicWall TZ. I work in the capacity of reseller and integrator.
I usually recommend SonicWall TZ for organizations that are looking for a solution without a big budget because it is quite budget-friendly and easy to deploy. It does not have any complex complications compared to other security solutions. I would recommend it to any SMB type of organizations.
I find the web filtering and the deep packet inspection feature to be quite reliable in SonicWall TZ.
The integration of SD-WAN in SonicWall TZ has been a positive impact. We have been able to load balance the traffic effectively on multiple internet links, which has helped customers significantly. The out-of-the-box monitoring is quite useful as well.
I assess the machine learning capabilities of SonicWall TZ in proactive threat detection to not be at the level of other vendors such as Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, and Check Point. It is somewhere in between, so I would not recommend it for a large enterprise-level organization to rely on because it is not at that level.
SonicWall TZ's content filtering service is reliable. We have used it, but it is not very reliable compared to brands such as Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, or Check Point.
What could be improved about SonicWall TZ is the threat intelligence, which by far is not at the level of vendors such as Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, and Check Point. Their threat intelligence needs to be improved, as does the GUI, which is not as user-friendly compared to devices such as Fortinet.
They could learn from their competitors by making the product more user-friendly. The product interface is not that user-friendly. By adopting a more user-friendly GUI, improving threat intelligence, and enhancing the available guides would be beneficial. In my understanding, in some cases, the KB articles and knowledge articles were not that efficient. They were useful, but they could have been more precise with the knowledge base articles.
They need to provide more information about SonicWall TZ, specifically more documentation and more troubleshooting articles.
Other than the threat intelligence and the user-friendly GUI, there are no other additional features that I can think of for SonicWall TZ in the future or at least in the next release to make it more competitive.
I have been working with SonicWall TZ for around two years.
Overall, the product is stable, but in some cases, it is stable and in some cases, it is not that stable. I would say it is stable, but there are minor issues with the product that would make me not recommend it to an enterprise-level customer.
There are some problems with the scalability of SonicWall TZ with the firmware and problems with firmware not being compatible.
I would rate SonicWall TZ's technical support as good but not at the level of other enterprise-level firewall vendors out there.
I would rate their technical support from one to ten somewhere around five or six.
Positive
I have not used the zero-touch deployment in SonicWall TZ, so I cannot comment on that exactly.
I use the metric of how frequently SonicWall TZ would be able to catch malicious files to evaluate the effectiveness of its threat protection.
SonicWall TZ is pretty cheap, so it will fit the budget of any company.
The biggest advantage SonicWall TZ has over its competitors is that it is mostly the biggest advantage you would have in the local market. Other than that, budget-wise is the biggest advantage. Other than that, I do not see a big advantage to choosing SonicWall TZ.
I would rate this product a six out of ten.
I am using SonicWall TZ for filtering the traffic through the WAN to LAN.
I have created multiple policies for traffic using SonicWall TZ. I have enabled IPS, IDS, ATP, and all security types as well as content filter and application filter.
With SonicWall TZ, we can easily NAT our traffic and use the ISP through the firewall.
SonicWall TZ gives us multiple features, such as Content Filter, Application Filter, ATP, IPS policy, Geo-Filter, Botnet filter, and many more.
I use Content Filter with SonicWall TZ most of the time because we need to create a policy on behalf of the content filter to track who is using what. If we want to block any types of websites for any specific user, we can do it from the firewall.
SonicWall TZ has multiple features, such as Application Filter as well.
SonicWall TZ has impacted our organization positively because it stops all threats. If any types of malware signature or any types of bad behavior malware appear, it prevents them.
SonicWall TZ can be improved. VPN licenses have been chargeable, and if they were added to the cost of the firewall licensing, it would be very good for us. Since SonicWall TZ has no free licenses for VPN, this is a consideration.
I have been using SonicWall TZ for the last two years.
SonicWall TZ is stable.
SonicWall TZ is scalable. Whenever we want to change the licensing, we can do it at any time.
Customer support is good for SonicWall TZ. There are multiple licenses for TZ, such as the APSS and the MPSS. If we purchase the APSS, the license is available 24/7, and MPSS as well. SonicWall Sentry team will manage our firewall. Customer support is good for SonicWall TZ.
I have seen Palo Alto, but Palo Alto is too costly for us. That is why I am switching to SonicWall TZ.
I evaluated Palo Alto before choosing SonicWall TZ.
All aspects are good with SonicWall TZ. The security of SonicWall TZ is very good. The licensing and cost are also good. All of the features, licensing, and cost-cutting are good from SonicWall.
We can save money with SonicWall TZ because if there is no security, anybody can hack our infrastructure and encrypt the data. For decrypting the data, they can take money from us.
I have seen multiple things with SonicWall TZ. Last month, there were some malicious behavior, malicious attack, and DoS attack from Russia, and SonicWall TZ prevented it.
After version 7.0, SonicWall TZ is very good because before the 6.0 or version 6, it looked like an older version of interfaces. As of now, it is acceptable.
I give this review a rating of 9 out of 10.
SonicWall TZ customers are very small customers. Small businesses, not even medium-sized ones. SonicWall TZ is suitable for the small segment.
It's a good product for small customers because they receive all the features they require in the SonicWall TZ boxes. It becomes pocket-friendly for them and is easy to deploy.
The SSL VPN feature of SonicWall TZ is very good for remote work. For the work-from-home culture, one of my customers has been using it to connect and access files from the server, which is very beneficial because users don't need to carry laptops, avoiding risks such as theft or damage. We prefer cybersecurity policies that keep the data in one place rather than moving around with it, making this a crucial feature at this juncture for SonicWall TZ.
The only suggestion would be to ensure there is no performance degradation while increasing features, so the firewall performance remains intact.
They should check for performance degradation when increasing the features.
I have been working with SonicWall TZ since it was introduced in 2007, which amounts to approximately 14-15 years.
There are no issues with the performance of SonicWall TZ; it just needs to be sized properly. SonicWall TZ is a beautiful product that needs to be sized appropriately.
SonicWall TZ is very easy to set up.
The deployment takes very little time; it's ready to go immediately.
The stability of SonicWall TZ is excellent, and it remains a stable product unless affected by external forces.
SonicWall TZ rates 10 out of 10 for stability.
SonicWall TZ is scalable, and all SonicWall products are very scalable, provided the sizing is done properly.
For support, I would rate SonicWall TZ five out of 10.
This rating is due to the quality and understanding of quality in handling the support they provide.
Neutral
SonicWall TZ is user-friendly, admin-friendly, and a beautiful product. I have been selling SonicWall since 2007 without any issues.
SonicWall has been working on it excellently. They are up to date, and their research team is good, making the box feature-rich.
Based out of India, I have had some issues with their faulty channel policy. It's a very good product, an awesome product for those who want to use SonicWall TZ. You can bet on it, but check out the channel policies in India.
They should check out the channels in the channel business. It's just a precaution, nothing more than that.
Overall rating: 9 out of 10.
We are working on various projects, not limited to Fortinet. We implement multiple products based on client requirements. We deal with different projects on a project-by-project basis as we are a solution-based company. We also manage mail archiving and Docker solutions.
The integrated VPN functionality is working well with the global VPN client, which is a fast client, though it comes at a cost. SonicWall TZ is functional depending on the service level taken by the user. For SMB segments, SonicWall performs well. Despite lacking certain features, it is still considered a good product. The appliance itself is functional and stable, offering integrated solutions.
SonicWall should incorporate dynamic DNS services to eliminate the need for third-party solutions, particularly for environments using dynamic IP addresses. Integration with other vendors, especially with VPNs, can be challenging and requires more effort when configuring.
In terms of stability, SonicWall doesn't have performance issues. However, before it was more popular, but recent acquisitions have caused confusion in the market.
We have also dealt with SonicWall, Juniper, and Raptor Firewall, among others.
A lot of shifts have happened from SonicWall TZ, especially during the pandemic, primarily due to acquisition and market changes.
Pricing is competitive. When comparing similar products across vendors, there may be a small difference in cost.
We have been working with Fortinet products, including FortiGate and others, yet are not limited to a single vendor.
It's critical to consider the price, as there's a price war in the market. I would give SonicWall TZ a rating of seven out of ten. Furthermore, SonicWall needs to address direct communication with end users, which has been bypassing resellers, causing issues.
I use SonicWall TZ primarily in my office to secure our network. During the COVID period, it enabled most of our staff to work remotely using its VPN capabilities.
SonicWall TZ offers security and easy firmware updates. It was beneficial during COVID for remote work through its VPN functionality. It is stable and provides good value for money. The solution stands out for its solid performance and reliability.
SonicWall TZ could benefit from newer technology. That is why I am looking to upgrade and researching other solutions.
I have had SonicWall TZ for approximately five years.
SonicWall TZ is definitely stable and offers a good value for money.
Customer service is excellent. They are really good whenever I have needed to call them.
Positive
The initial setup was easy because my IT people handled it.
I hire an IT firm to set up my firewalls and related technological infrastructure.
It is hard to quantify ROI because there have been no issues. That is a reason to buy a firewall, and it is challenging to put a monetary value on security.
The pricing of SonicWall TZ is reasonable. I would also position its pricing as a three, where one is the lowest price and ten is the highest.
I am evaluating other vendors, including Sophos, which seems more expensive. I am looking back at SonicWall to compare.
I would recommend SonicWall TZ for its value.
Overall, I would rate the product a nine out of ten.
The product's main use cases include firewall protection, SD-WAN, and SSL VPN for remote access.
The product's most valuable features include ease of policy creation, as the system automatically generates necessary policies and default routes when setting up LAN or LAN zones. The security features are also valuable, providing effective threat prevention. The technical support is prompt, often resolving issues quickly through remote sessions.
The product needs more free SSL VPN user licenses as the current offering is limited. Also, the process for configuring DNAT and port forwarding is complex, requiring multiple policies to be set up, which could be simplified.
I have been using SonicWall TZ for one year.
The product is stable. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.
The solution is highly scalable and suitable for SMBs and larger enterprises.
The technical support is excellent. They provide immediate responses and efficient problem resolution through remote sessions.
Positive
We did not switch from another solution; we offer multiple firewall options to our clients, including SonicWall TZ.
The initial setup is straightforward. Deployment takes 30 to 40 minutes, with most policies automatically generated.
We implemented the product with the help of our in-house team.
The product pricing is justified for the features provided.
SonicWall TZ is a great choice if you need easy configuration steps, robust security, and efficient remote support. We haven't had any security breaches.
I rate it an eight out of ten.
We use the solution for firewalls.
The VPNs are rock solid. I never have an issue with them. We also have rules to block encrypted traffic to specific sites and geolocations. The integrated VPN functionality is easy to use.
I expect to see SD-WAN in the tool's next release. The product should implement a content filtering feature. You need to put an agent on the user's laptop device. It would enforce security policies and block sites even if they were off-site. You can block sites from network sites.
I have been using the product for 19 years.
The tool works well for up to 100 endpoints, but for more than 100 endpoints, I'd recommend an NAC device. They are more scalable.
SonicWall TZ offers 24/7 support. Its technical support is good. They know the product well. They will even log in to your screen via a remote session to help you troubleshoot. They are pretty good, probably the best I've come across.
The firewall with the servers costs about 80 pounds a month. We get the device, and it is replaced every two or three years.
I rate the overall product a nine out of ten.
We looked at the access points, but they were too expensive. I don't doubt that they're good at what they do, but other access points are available for customers. It's quite a hard sell to get those access points. The switches are the same; they are also expensive. So, we tend to use the firewall.
We'd recommend them over UniFi. We'd recommend SonicWall if that's an option. But for anyone on a Fortinet or WatchGuard, I might suggest replacing SonicWall TZ only because of the interface. I'm not as familiar with WatchGuard, but I don't have much exposure to Fortinet, though I've heard good things about them. It's probably just what I'm used to with SonicWall. I've also used the NAC devices, which are pretty good. But again, they are very expensive.
We use the product for VPN connections. It allows establishing rules for user access control, specifying which types of websites and resources they can access. It defines restrictions for specific IPs. It helps us with web filtering templates, including white listings, black listings, and port numbers. We can configure port forwarding to allow specific services or applications like video and audio communications devices to be accessed outside the network. It involves configuring multiple ports to accommodate various types of use cases.
We encounter issues while generating new reports. We have to buy an extra license for it. There could be a subscription management feature. Along with this, the cost of large-scale firewalls could be reduced. There needs to be flexibility in terms of hardware. We should be able to implement and install external software on hardware, such as VMware or HP servers, etc.
I rate the product’s stability a nine out of ten.
The multi-core architecture allows the running of multiple instances for checking files, even handling more than 2 GB of data. It has inbuilt reporting features, reducing the cost of external monitoring software. It's well-suited for organizations that need to transfer and scan large files. The scalability is good for small and medium-sized enterprises, but for organizations with more than 200 users, the cost can become a limiting factor. It is more suitable for large enterprises, especially for organizations with over 4,000 users.
However, there could be flexibility in licensing, allowing organizations to cater to their specific needs and pay for the features and licenses they require. It can help reduce costs. I rate its scalability a seven out of ten.
The technical support services are good.
Positive
The product is easy to deploy. It takes five to ten ten minutes to complete.
It is highly priced and has a slow performance compared to other firewalls. I rate its pricing a nine out of ten for less than 50 users and a seven or six out of ten for more than 50.
I recommend SonicWall TZ an eight out of ten. If you are using multimedia applications with large-sized files, you should go for it.
Currently, I am using SonicWall TZ to connect our branches to the head office. We use it as a site-to-site VPN.
The primary benefit we have found with SonicWall TZ is its cost-effectiveness compared to other products like Palo Alto, which are more expensive.
One valuable feature of SonicWall TZ is the content filtering. Additionally, advanced features like real-time deep memory inspection are available in the head office's 2600 series.
The logs need improvement. SonicWall TZ should include a hard disk to keep log files for at least one week or maybe one month. This feature might be available in greater series but not in the basic product.
I have been working with SonicWall TZ for almost six months.
Stability is very good, even though the firewall has not been restarted for almost one month.
I would rate the scalability of SonicWall TZ a ten out of ten.
Technical support's response is delayed due to our process. We need to go through our reseller, who then contacts the local distributor, causing delays.
Positive
The initial setup of SonicWall TZ is complex.
We get initial support from our local partner for the setup. Our team does basic configurations when needed.
SonicWall TZ is priced average compared to other products. We usually compare prices from different local suppliers to get the best deal.
The main competitor I considered was Fortinet.
It's recommended that their logging feature be improved by adding an in-built hard disk to store logs.
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.
SonicWall TZ is mostly used for firewalls.
SonicWall TZ is a very cost-effective solution that provides good security.
The solution has lost the trust of its customers because of moving from one company to another.
I have around five to seven customers for SonicWall TZ.
The solution's initial setup is easy and not difficult.
The solution's installation is a simple plug-and-play process. You get the internet, and you have to go to the wizard to complete the customization for your network.
The sales of SonicWall TZ have been very low. The solution has lost the trust of its customers because of moving from one company to another. People have lost their trust in SonicWall TZ and are changing to other products. The marketing was very low for SonicWall TZ for some time. SonicWall TZ is a very cost-effective solution that provides good security. People who work with SonicWall more than Sophos find its interface very user-friendly.
Sophos completed its portfolio for security by having its own endpoint and email security. All of these products are synchronizing with each other. This is what gave Sophos a push-up to go through the market. Currently, SonicWall TZ has had its own endpoint for the last two to three years.
We ask customers who have experience with SonicWall TZ to continue using the same solution because it will be better for them. When a user has a better understanding of a solution, it's not good to change them to another product.
When a user changes the solution, they will have a lot of questions, and they will make a lot of mistakes during the installation and configuration. We don't prefer Sophos, SonicWall, or Fortinet, but we sell Sophos because we are a gold partner for Sophos and get a better rate and better margin.
Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
