Appgate SDP vs FortiSASE comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Appgate and Fortinet are both solutions in the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) category. Appgate is ranked #16 with an average rating of 8.5, while Fortinet is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.1. Appgate holds a 2.9% mindshare in SASE, compared to Fortinet’s 5.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Appgate users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 89% of Fortinet users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 6, 2024

Appgate SDP and FortiSASE are enterprise security solutions, with FortiSASE having the upper hand due to its extensive feature set and capabilities.

Features: Appgate SDP offers dynamic access controls, robust integration capabilities, and flexible security policies. FortiSASE includes advanced threat protection, enhanced scalability, and comprehensive analytics. FortiSASE is stronger with its extensive functionality and advanced security measures.

Room for Improvement: Appgate SDP requires enhancements in scalability, reporting tools, and user interface design. FortiSASE could improve with a more intuitive configuration, reduced complexity, and better documentation. FortiSASE's complexity is a noteworthy concern that users have highlighted.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Appgate SDP facilitates a straightforward deployment process and offers excellent customer support. FortiSASE may need a longer deployment time but the support provided is responsive and helpful. Users find Appgate SDP’s deployment more seamless and less complicated.

Pricing and ROI: Appgate SDP has competitive setup costs and a favorable ROI, appealing to cost-conscious enterprises. FortiSASE’s higher costs are justified by its advanced features, which users find valuable and worth the investment. Appgate SDP is known for its economic value, while FortiSASE leverages its feature offering to justify its pricing.

To learn more, read our detailed Appgate SDP vs. FortiSASE Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Appgate SDP vs. FortiSASE

September 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

iboss

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) category, the mindshare of iboss is 3.2%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Appgate SDP is 2.9%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of FortiSASE is 5.0%, down from 7.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
FortiSASE	5.0%
iboss	3.2%
Appgate SDP	2.9%
Other	88.9%

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

Featured Reviews

Ashok Ananthula

Senior Consultant Proxy Engineering at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Cloud gateway has strengthened remote web security and now needs better Mac and ISP support

The problem our organization had is that iboss failed for the Mac devices. It is not able to give a successful agent for the Mac agents. That is where in 2025, we had to migrate to the Palo Alto-based platform. If your use case is for just Windows laptops,you can consider this platform as an option One issue is the data center resiliency part. In India especially, they are not tied up with the Tier 1 ISPs like Tata or Airtel; they were having Tier 2 ISPs and encountered many issues reaching few major sites that my organization depends on, and they were having problems that they could not fix quickly. They also lack a mechanism to route that traffic within their data center; rather, they ask customers to make a pac file change to route it to Singapore explicitly. It would be better if they route from their backend , i mean even if I send it to India DC, they should be able to route it internally to make that work; however, they fail to do that and ask the customer to route it in the pac file. Another suggestion is that in China, they do not have the proper setup; they used to have numerous problems with slowness and lack of premium circuits in China as well. That leads to multiple sites working slowly with latency-related issues. So the main issue is the ISP-related problems that need to be solved.

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Joseph Koomson

Ip Network Security Specialist at MTN Ghana

Zero trust access has strengthened remote connectivity and secures diverse office devices

Appgate SDP support is always available to assist, which is the primary strength. However, there are areas for improvement. When a user is unable to connect, the platform should display detailed information such as the user's IP address, MAC address, and specific reasons for connection failure. Currently, aside from invalid username and password errors, Appgate SDP provides generic errors related to policy, such as a policy admin error. The system should provide deeper diagnostics to explain why a user cannot connect. The dashboard could also be enhanced with additional features and logins to provide better visibility. Sometimes there is no immediate clarity about what is happening. After using Appgate SDP for a long time and experiencing various errors, we have learned where to investigate, but this would be problematic for new users trying to resolve issues. The dashboard could display user connection times, failure reasons, and other relevant information. The user activity logs and accounting features should be improved in particular.

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reviewer2805150

IT Director at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees

Secure remote access has protected users and simplified centralized policy control

I would rate FortiSASE a 10 out of 10. I give it a 10 because the features are very good, and it's very easy to administer and use from an IT perspective. There's a lot of security features built in within both the endpoint software as well as the FortiSASE platform, and the pricing is good. I enjoy working with the vendor. Regarding FortiSASE's AI capabilities, I think it has good capabilities around governance and security, and the policies have to be built. With our FortiSASE license, they also have a managed SOC that monitors and actively alerts us. FortiSASE is deployed in my organization using a public cloud; it's a GCP for the Fortinet SASE POPs. I did not purchase FortiSASE through the GCP Marketplace. My advice for others looking into using FortiSASE is that it is a great solution for customers who are already using Fortinet firewalls in their environment because the integration with the whole Fortinet platform is seamless, and FortiSASE adds a lot of value to that setup.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"We chose iboss for both zero trust and proxy (SWG) because their SWG was superior."

"The security aspect of the solution, particularly the malware behind it, is excellent."

"Content filtering is the most useful feature of iboss."

"We were impressed by the solution's mental health function, which can detect if someone needs help. It scans what users are browsing and flags warning signs so we can check to see if they are okay. We've had to use it a couple of times."

"From a corporate perspective, I understand that it's important to keep the company data safe."

"Valuable features: Within the filter: Controls (Web categories, applications, and Allow/Block list) and Network (local Subnets). Within the reporter: Logs (Event Log) and Reports."

"The iboss system is highly reliable. The false positive rates are small compared to some other systems we've experienced through other partner agencies who use competing solutions."

"Because of iboss, I did not have to assign web filtering tasks to my techs on a daily basis."

More iboss pros

"It is pretty stable."

"Previously, with AnyConnect, we experienced frequent issues, and in comparison to that solution, we have seen significant improvement and minimum downtime."

"Appgate SDP is the best solution for micro-segmentation and supplying VPN solutions."

"The interface is really friendly. It's simple to understand."

"The simplicity of the SDP platform is a standout feature; instead of navigating through intricate details, users can seamlessly connect to the company's network or switch to the internet with minimal effort."

"It is a scalable solution...The support answers your questions very fast."

"One of the most important features is stopping lateral movement across our network."

"Appgate SDP has positively impacted my organization, as we are using it to securely access the internet after the cyber attack."

More Appgate SDP pros

"The integration with the company's existing security infrastructure enhanced our security posture since it was a straightforward process."

"It is easy to integrate with Fortinet."

"Deep packet inspection is easier to deploy in the FortiSASE environment. It's much simpler to configure one-touch deployment. It was considerably more convoluted to get that to work using FortiClient. All that processing horsepower is happening in Fortinet's cloud infrastructure, reducing the load on our local routers and on-prem FortiGate firewalls."

"The best feature of FortiSASE is SD-WAN."

"The solution is scalable, it is highly scalable."

"The efficiency of FortiSASE's Zero Trust Network Access feature in preventing unauthorized access to critical resources is quite mature."

"I find Fortinet to be competitive with its firewalls."

"I feel that it is a stable solution...It is a scalable solution."

More FortiSASE pros

Cons

"One thing I would like to see differently with their Zero Trust platform is that some of the AI aspects related to high-risk activities have more false positives."

"SSL decryption: We had issues with learners using apps instead of using web browsers. This type of encryption is tough for any appliance in a BYOD environment."

"The dashboards for local use could be better."

"Fold that in with the risk intelligence they're getting from all of the different subscriptions they are a part of. Now, these security companies subscribe to things like emerging threats, databases, etc. You can fold all this intelligence to decide what's happening on an endpoint. I would love to see them start moving into that space. That would compete directly with Microsoft. Maybe that's why they haven't. Having that ability native within the solution would be great. The other area in which I would love to see improvement is more detailed descriptions of why they block websites."

"Their on-premise hardware's network interface is capped at one gigabit, which is sort of a problem. If you stand a filter up where all traffic flows through that, according to them, in order to go above a gigabit, you have to have multiple devices, which in today's IT seems a little bit silly. They could easily put in an SFP port into their device that could accommodate 10 gigs or at least offer a box."

"File integrity monitoring would be very advantageous as an additional feature."

"Iboss is growing so fast that it is often hard for them to keep up with the challenges."

"Sometimes the agent stops working in iboss, and we have to reinstall the agent."

More iboss cons

"One limitation is that it's harder to provide access to multiple applications in the company with Appgate, but that's probably because of poor management."

"If I could change or improve anything about Appgate SDP, it would be to enhance the user experience by improving the UI so that it is more explanatory."

"It would be better to connect to an application portal from any device. Documentation and support could be better."

"They could provide a single-box solution to manage tools for 4000 users. Additionally, they could add extra features to enhance remote micro connection."

"One thing that kind of sticks out to me is the ability to do a proper non-split tunnel."

"One thing that kind of sticks out to me is the ability to do a proper non-split tunnel. VPN tunnel-wise, it is not really a true unsplit tunnel, but I think that's just because of the way it's designed. A split VPN basically allows your system to talk to other systems without being forced down the tunnel. A VPN running in a non-split tunnel mode forces all the traffic down the tunnel to wherever you're VPNing to. It forces the traffic down so that the traffic is subject to the firewall and rules that you have in your corporate environment and such. It helps to prevent remote malicious folks that may be talking directly to that box from piggybacking into the corporate environment through it. They do it partially, but it would be nice to see more of an enterprise-level solution there."

"On the cloud, when you make some changes, it may be difficult."

"When a user is unable to connect, the platform should display detailed information such as the user's IP address, MAC address, and specific reasons for connection failure."

More Appgate SDP cons

"While stability is generally good, we faced some difficulties during updates."

"Some of the solution's back-end connectivity and visibility are not robust and could be improved."

"There are some issues at the agent level, and then we have to sign out and sign in."

"I do not recommend FortiSASE for everyone."

"They are trying to improve the features of FortiSASE, however, many FortiSASE gates still cannot connect. While connectivity from outside to inside is okay, inside to outside is not."

"Security and support are two areas with certain shortcomings in the product where improvements are required."

"The main concern is that if the client is using another firewall, they cannot establish a private channel with the Cisco cloud."

"FortiSASE is a work in progress. One area where there is room for improvement is the ability to use FortiSASE on an endpoint that doesn't have the client on it. Other solutions do that by building a VPN tunnel from their on-prem router into the SASE environment. FortiSASE doesn't have that feature yet, but it is on the roadmap for Q3 of this year. I've seen it in their development environment."

More FortiSASE cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The overall pricing for iboss is very competitive and transparent."

"It is not expensive, and it is also not cheap. iboss is priced right in the sweet spot for the number of features it offers."

"We have not priced the solution recently, but they were competitive with other vendors in the past."

"It is expensive compared to one of its competitors."

"We had the cost of purchasing a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs. However, the following year, the cost of just licensing was similar to what was paid the previous year for a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs."

"It is probably in line with other solutions, but I do not deal with the financial side."

"We pay $100 per user per month. One license for the site is around $17."

"The pricing is according to the market price. It is not a very cheap solution. They have some very aggressive promotions to sell the product in the market."

"It is a pretty expensive tool. It is maybe about $20,000 per year for a hundred users or so."

"I can only speak about the pricing for education users because we get discounts. Other users aren't going to get the same price, but FortiSASE is competitive with the other products out there. All the solutions came in at the same price, so it just came down to the product that works best for us."

"I rate the product's price a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."

"I rate the product price an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is high price, and ten is low price."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a three out of ten."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

Comms Service Provider

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Outsourcing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	14
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	15

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with iboss?

iboss could be improved by making the dashboard more user-friendly, providing more detailed real-time alerts, and imp...

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What is your primary use case for iboss?

iboss is primarily used for cloud security, helping to protect users when they access websites and cloud applications...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iboss?

The pricing and licensing for iboss were reasonable for the security features. The setup costs were manageable, thoug...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Appgate SDP?

Regarding pricing and setup cost, everything is already pre-installed in my organization, so I am not sure about pric...

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What needs improvement with Appgate SDP?

Appgate SDP support is always available to assist, which is the primary strength. However, there are areas for improv...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Appgate SDP?

Appgate SDP is used for user connectivity both in the office and outside the office for remote connectivity. When out...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FortiSASE ?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing has been that the pricing is very competitive, which is one of ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with FortiSASE ?

FortiSASE has really improved their services over the past two years that we've been a customer, and the features and...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for FortiSASE ?

My main use case for FortiSASE is network protection, secure internet access, and secure private access for our users...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 10% of the time

Netskope vs iboss

Compared 8% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs iboss

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs iboss

Compared 6% of the time

Zscaler Internet Access vs iboss

Compared 5% of the time

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Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Appgate SDP

Compared 10% of the time

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform vs Appgate SDP

Compared 7% of the time

Twingate vs Appgate SDP

Compared 4% of the time

Waverley Labs Open Source Software Defined Perimeter vs Appgate SDP

Compared 4% of the time

Check Point Harmony SASE (formerly Perimeter 81) vs Appgate SDP

Compared 4% of the time

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Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs FortiSASE

Compared 17% of the time

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform vs FortiSASE

Compared 10% of the time

Cisco Secure Access vs FortiSASE

Compared 9% of the time

Cloudflare One vs FortiSASE

Compared 7% of the time

Prisma SD-WAN vs FortiSASE

Compared 4% of the time

More FortiSASE Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

October 2026

Download iboss product report

Buyer's Guide

ZTNA

October 2026

Download Appgate SDP product report

Buyer's Guide

FortiSASE

October 2026

Download FortiSASE product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

No data available

Overview

iboss is the Zero Trust SASE platform that gives organizations complete visibility and governance over their AI, data, and applications through one unified platform, one console, one policy engine, and one data lake.

Your endpoints may already stop malware. Your data and application activity can still be invisible. iboss decrypts and understands every connection, then turns that signal into answers security leaders can act on.

The platform leads with three capabilities in this order: AI Security and Visibility, Data Security and Visibility, and App Visibility and Control. Zero Trust Network Access, VPN replacement, and SD-WAN sit underneath as the access fabric that carries those three. Trusted by global enterprises and government agencies.

What are the most important features of Iboss?

- AI Security and Visibility: conversation capture, shadow-AI discovery, AI DLP, and agent governance across Claude, Co-Work, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok, and emerging services.

- Data Security and Visibility: full SSL/TLS decryption, deep content inspection, MIP label compliance, and one-click compliance reporting.

- App Visibility and Control: signatureless CASB, dual risk scoring, in-app controls, and SSPM for major SaaS.

- Containerized Zero Trust SASE: dedicated containers, isolated SSL keys, one console, one policy engine, one data lake.

- Access fabric: ZTNA, VPN replacement, and SD-WAN under the same platform.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

- Complete visibility over AI, data, and applications from one platform instead of separate point tools.

- Encrypted traffic is inspected by default so data decisions use content and context together.

- Shadow SaaS and new web tools appear as they are used, with enforceable controls in one console.

- Native data sovereignty through dedicated containers, in-region inspection, and per-customer SSL key custody.

- Scale proven in published materials: 10M+ users, 100+ countries, 150B+ transactions, 2.5B+ threats blocked.

Economic buyers are CISOs, CIOs, and VPs of Security. Champions include security architects, network and infrastructure leaders, SecOps, and GRC. Primary segments: enterprise and business, financial services, government (including FedRAMP Gov Cloud), healthcare, manufacturing, legal and professional services, retail and hospitality, and MSP/MSSP partners. Education, including K-12, is one vertical among these.

iboss

Appgate SDP provides a comprehensive approach to network access control, optimizing security with robust configurations and a user-friendly interface, featuring flexible deployment and server concealment to mitigate risks.

Appgate SDP has been designed to enhance security operations through reliable access management. It prides itself on offering strong documentation, substantial scalability, and an interface that supports easy deployment, creating a seamless experience for local and remote connections. It enables organizations to implement micro-segmentation and integrate multifactor authentication, thus elevating their security posture. Recent updates reflect improvements, yet aspects like cost, cloud modification difficulties, VPN customization needs, and an upgraded interface remain areas for future enhancement. Ideal for hybrid environments, Appgate SDP aids transitions from traditional VPNs, protecting digital assets and preventing lateral network threats.

What are the key features of Appgate SDP?

Robust Configuration: Allows flexible setups to meet specific requirements.
User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies deployment, enhancing user experience.
Server Concealment: Minimizes exposure to threats by hiding servers.
Scalability: Accommodates growing organizational needs with stable performance.
Access Rule Granularity: Provides detailed options for managing network access.

What benefits should be considered in user reviews?

Security Enhancement: Improved protection against lateral movement and ransomware.
Deployment Ease: Streamlined processes for faster implementation.
Strong Support: Reliable assistance from the vendor ensures sustained use.
Remote Work Optimization: Facilitates safe remote access, vital for modern work environments.

Appgate SDP is prevalent in industries shifting from traditional VPNs to more secure architectures. It supports enterprises embracing cloud technologies by providing reliable network access solutions, especially in hybrid work settings, ensuring the security of digital assets while accommodating multifactor authentication and micro-segmentation strategies.

Appgate

FortiSASE offers AI-based threat detection and centralized management, ensuring robust security through features like Secure Web Gateway and SD-WAN. It's appreciated for ease of deployment, scalability, and support for global workforces, with potential for cost-saving cloud management.

FortiSASE integrates tightly with the Fortinet ecosystem, providing comprehensive cybersecurity features such as a firewall-as-a-service and deep packet inspection. It facilitates Zero Trust Network Architecture, replacing traditional VPNs for secure remote access. The platform enhances IT management capabilities by supporting micro-segmentation and protecting endpoint devices. Despite excellence in these areas, FortiSASE faces challenges in application segmentation security, agent reliability, and data classification. Criticisms include underwhelming GUI design, licensing complexity, and mobile device support. Improvements in agent installation, cloud management, and automation are priorities for expanding efficacy.

What are FortiSASE's key features?

AI-based Threat Detection: Provides proactive threat management to safeguard networks.
Centralized Management Console: Enables streamlined IT operations and oversight.
Secure Web Gateway: Protects against web-based threats ensuring safe internet usage.
Firewall-as-a-service: Delivers firewall capabilities without on-premises hardware.
SD-WAN: Offers optimized application performance across diverse network types.
Deep Packet Inspection: Inspects traffic for threats and compliance violations.
Posture Assessment: Assesses device security to enhance network protection.
VPN: Ensures encrypted remote access for users across locations.
Tenant Control: Manages multiple tenants efficiently, reducing administrative overhead.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Scalability: Efficiently supports growing business needs with flexible architecture.
Cost Savings: Reduces infrastructure expenses and operational costs.
End-to-End Visibility: Provides comprehensive insight into network performance.
Ease of Deployment: Simplifies introduction and implementation across environments.
Brand Presence: Leverages Fortinet's strong market position and credibility.
Global Support: Facilitates secure remote worker and branch operations worldwide.

Enterprises deploying FortiSASE in specific industries benefit from its ability to integrate cloud security, safeguard branch operations, and reduce latency to corporate data centers. Its robust features support industries needing secure connectivity for remote users and micro-segmentation to protect sensitive data and resources. Users find it helpful in managing access to corporate applications and reducing reliance on traditional VPNs, streamlining operational efficiencies and enhancing security postures.

Fortinet

Sample Customers

Trusted by global enterprises and government agencies.

United States Air Force FINRA Weight Watchers Rackspace DataDog SageNet Verdant Norwegian Cruise Line VoiceBase The Third Floor

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Appgate SDP vs. FortiSASE

September 2026

Free Report: Appgate SDP vs. FortiSASE

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