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Barracuda SSL VPN[EOL] vs Fortinet FortiClient comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 19, 2026

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

Barracuda SSL VPN[EOL]
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiClient
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
102
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (12th), Endpoint Compliance (1st), Enterprise Infrastructure VPN (1st)
 

Featured Reviews

Ikh-Erdene Namsrai - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior System Administrator at Mongolian Mining Corporation
Provides good scalability and has a simple setup process
We use Barracuda SSL VPN for network connection The product is easy to connect. There could be more security features included in the product. We are the latest version of Barracuda SSL VPN. I rate Barracuda SSL VPN's stability an eight or nine out of ten. We have 30-40 Barracuda SSL VPN…
KL
Senior Technical Manager at Flexaccel
Remote access has become seamless and secure while deployment remains simple for our users
Performance could be improved today. People are now moving toward SASE, which stands for Secure Access, Secure Edge Solution. Fortinet also has that offering, which would be easier since it operates through the cloud, acting as a first line of defense. When the user connects to the internet, they connect to the cloud first for posture assessment and monitoring before connecting to the outside world. The impact is significant because nowadays people are adopting SASE. During COVID time, many users were trying to connect back to their office, causing the performance or CPU utilization of the firewall to increase tremendously, which slowed down performance. I have not worked with endpoint telemetry in Fortinet FortiClient that could have been helpful for threat mitigation.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product is easy to connect."
"The most valuable feature would be that you can actually narrow down your session to one application on one server, which is really nice."
"The setup is straightforward and hassle-free."
"It's a stand alone system that functions well."
"Fortinet FortiClient can be used with FortiManager to observe all actions that are happening."
"A valuable feature of FortiClient is that we can connect from anywhere if we have Fortinet access."
"It's got a very friendly user interface."
"The interface of Fortinet FortiClient is clean and easy to use."
"The return on investment was very reasonable. It was low cost and it functioned, so the return on investment was excellent."
"The stability is pretty good."
"This solution is very stable."
"The solution offers great stability."
 

Cons

"There could be more security features included in the product."
"Reporting could be improved."
"Since it's not going to be getting any more software updates as per the end of this year, we have to move off to a different product.."
"Barracuda should find other ways to stir up interest about this product."
"Sometimes users stay on the old version of FortiClient. When new releases are not compatible, I need to reinstall newer versions, which can be problematic."
"Its stability can be improved. It is not as reliable as I would like it to be. There are times when things don't work quite right. Our biggest pain point is not related to Fortinet FortiClient and the whole scheme of things. It is related to one of the additional services called FortiGuard. They are the arm that does all of the updates to definitions, keeps all the signatures updated, and responds to new threats and whatnot. What we have found is that they react quickly, but sometimes their solutions aren't compatible with all of the components of the Fortinet security suite, specifically around FortiSandbox."
"There should be more frequent releases or updates."
"I would like for the next release to be more user-friendly for users to do not have as much of a technical background."
"One area for improvement in FortiClient is the speed of connectivity."
"I would like Fortinet to improve FortiClient's compatibility with macOS."
"I would like to see endpoint detection and response included."
"The cost of FortiClient could be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Barracuda SSL VPN is inexpensive."
"The product is affordable and reasonably priced so it would make a lot of sense for people to use it long-term."
"FortiClient is costly."
"Fortinet FortiClient comes free with the purchase of the FortiGate solution. There is a license required for this solution. You later can upgrade from the free version which will allow more endpoints. The cost of the license subscription is based on how many endpoints you require."
"As a technical team member, I am not responsible to look into the pricing matters. These aspects are typically handled by the management team, who have the authority to obtain the necessary licenses based on certain established principles."
"The product's licensing is yearly and expensive."
"Pricing is an area that I would like to see improved, as it could be lower."
"It is not that expensive. It was within the range. A dollar per user per month is nothing."
"The solution's scalability is inexpensive."
"Generally, Fortinet is not cheap. The features that are available for free are only for FortiClient VPN clients, not other solutions. It includes web security, antivirus, and one more feature."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
20%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Educational Organization
10%
Performing Arts
10%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business59
Midsize Enterprise23
Large Enterprise25
 

Questions from the Community

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How does Fortinet FortiClient compare with Open VPN Access Server?
Fortinet FortiClient is a feature-rich solution that is easy to use and deploy without sacrificing safety and security. It has a very fast connection rate and has a built-in VPN. With this solution...
What's the difference between Fortinet's FortiEDR and FortiClient?
I suggest Fortinet’s FortiEDR over FortiClient for several reasons. For starters, FortiEDR guarantees solid protection because it continually scans servers for emerging vulnerabilities, which gives...
 

Also Known As

No data available
FortiClient
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet, OpenVPN, Check Point Software Technologies and others in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN. Updated: January 2026.
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