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Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Fortinet FortiGate comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.7
Cato SASE Cloud offers quick ROI, cutting costs and improving reliability, despite high costs, with 246% return for some.
Sentiment score
7.4
Fortinet FortiGate provides cost savings, improved security, and quick ROI through reduced expenses and enhanced network performance.
Clients are now comfortable and not wasting productive hours on IT support.
There's definitely an ROI. Having a centralized way of managing and applying policies across the entire organization always helps.
there is a prominent ROI
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
8.0
Cato SASE Cloud Platform's support is responsive and knowledgeable, despite some inconsistencies and frequent sales communications.
Sentiment score
7.0
Fortinet FortiGate's support is effective and knowledgeable, though responsiveness and expertise vary by region and specific challenges.
Their knowledge portal and Cato Academy portal are excellent resources.
Our customer service experience is excellent
I would rate their support for FortiGate a nine out of ten.
They offer very accurate solutions.
The quick resolution of issues with Fortinet FortiGate is due to the support of the company and the fact that the equipment is easy to work with.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
Cato SASE Cloud Platform excels in scalability, efficiently supporting diverse industries and users with seamless expansion and adaptability.
Sentiment score
7.3
Fortinet FortiGate effectively scales with proper design, though complexities and hardware limits can arise, requiring accurate initial sizing.
As an MSSP, we find it scalable for end users across EPP platforms, network, and cloud sides.
They scale up really well from smaller models like the FortiGate 40 and 50 to bigger sites with the FortiGate 100 for more throughput - up to enterprise datacenters.
The variation comes in terms of the interfaces and throughputs, but from a security perspective, you get the same benefit, irrespective of whether you have an entry-level unit or an enterprise.
We determine sizing based on multiple factors: number of users, available links, traffic types, server count, services in use, and whether services will be published.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.5
Cato SASE Cloud Platform is praised for high stability and reliability, with users rarely experiencing outages or major issues.
Sentiment score
7.9
Fortinet FortiGate is reliable and stable with newer versions, requiring proper configuration to avoid minor glitches.
I would rate the stability of the solution as ten on a scale of one to ten.
We have not had any problems with the operating systems or maintenance of subscriptions.
The solution is very stable.
We have observed that the device is significantly more stable than before.
 

Room For Improvement

Cato SASE Cloud Platform could improve NAT, identity integration, security features, third-party integration, support, and reporting capabilities.
Fortinet FortiGate requires improved user interface, logging, compatibility, scalability, stability, VPN integration, and better documentation and support.
The platform lacks strong security features on the edge.
If I have put 10 GBPS of throughput on a firewall and I enable all of these features available, such as IPS or UTM functionalities, the throughput comes down to 1 GBPS.
By providing an integrated solution, users would have access to all features and functionalities within a single window, eliminating the need to navigate through multiple windows.
Investing in a solution that can accommodate such growth would be more cost-effective than repeatedly purchasing new hardware.
 

Setup Cost

Cato SASE Cloud Platform is costly but valued for its comprehensive, competitive features and flexible, subscription-based pricing.
Fortinet FortiGate is cost-effective compared to peers, with reasonable licensing costs despite initial setup fees and optional features.
The pricing is flexible due to our special partnership with Cato Networks.
The most expensive part is the renewal of the license subscription.
FortiGate is priced lower than Palo Alto.
Last year, I renewed the support for three years, which can sometimes be expensive but depends on the security benefits and how it helps us.
 

Valuable Features

Cato SASE Cloud Platform provides advanced security, management, and connectivity features with AI integration, optimizing performance and reducing costs.
Fortinet FortiGate offers robust VPN, strong security features, user-friendly management, high scalability, affordability, and seamless integration capabilities.
It is scalable for end users across network and cloud sides and saves operational costs.
The firewall, IPS, and VPN functions are the most valuable features.
FortiGate provides solid protection against viruses, malware, and other threats.
Within the same dashboard, you get to see the security profiles, the type of traffic that's passing through, the top applications that are being consumed, etc.
 

Categories and Ranking

Cato SASE Cloud Platform
Ranking in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions
5th
Ranking in WAN Edge
5th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
29
Ranking in other categories
WAN Optimization (1st), Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) (6th), ZTNA as a Service (4th), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) (5th)
Fortinet FortiGate
Ranking in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions
1st
Ranking in WAN Edge
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
334
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions category, the mindshare of Cato SASE Cloud Platform is 6.9%, up from 6.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 21.1%, up from 20.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions
 

Featured Reviews

Greg Altman - PeerSpot reviewer
Useful remote worker VPN, centralized management, and simple on-boarding process
Prior to using Cato Networks we had to buy individual licenses for our remote users for VPN, and the VPN was not always-on, they had to remember to turn it on and remember to turn it off. When we went to Cato Networks it was an always-on automatic VPN, it reduced our help desk calls by about 10 percent.
EhabAli - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient, user-friendly, and affordable
In the past, NSS Labs was utilized to test files and verify the numbers and datasheets. It would be beneficial to have an organization or testing lab that can verify the numbers in our datasheets since changes are frequently made, which can be inconvenient for review. For instance, when comparing different competitors such as Forcepoint, Palo Alto, and Check Point, the throughput or numbers in the datasheet may be lower than the actual numbers. Conversely, Fortinet typically reports very high numbers, but they cannot be replicated in the real world. Therefore, it would be advantageous for them to partner with a neutral testing organization such as NSS Labs to validate these numbers, thus providing more credibility and comfort to everyone regarding the accuracy of the datasheets. For the migration, everyone has a firewall in use and I am selling Fortinet. Typically, I am replacing another firewall. Previously, there was a tool available to convert configurations from one firewall, such as Palo Alto, to Fortinet, but this tool is no longer free. If it could be made free again, it would be very beneficial. This tool shows a lot of promise and is very good. Making it free would help many companies deliver their products in a more efficient and integrated way. It would also be more valuable to include the tool with the firewall package or license instead of having to pay extra for it. Paying extra puts more pressure on small companies to deliver the firewall and complete the configuration, especially if they have hundreds or thousands of policies. It's very painful to move through these policies line by line. The stability has room for improvement. When it comes to Secure SD-WAN, everything is fine. They are going the right way. SD-WAN is very promising. They can provide the SD-WAN solution separately, but they will not take this approach because even the smallest firewall can support the features, so there is no need to have a separate service or appliance. They are following the right steps, and there is nothing to be improved. Feature-wise, I'm really satisfied with the new release, and the features they have added. For now, it's fine.
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Comparison Review

it_user216600 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 3, 2016
Sophos UTM vs. Fortinet FortiGate
I have used both Sophos and Fortinet products in production and I have found the Sophos UTM appliances (hardware and virtual) to be a better fit most of the time -- with a few caveats which I will touch on below. In both instances, the transition from TMG will be mostly straightforward. The main…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
25%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Educational Organization
19%
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cato Networks?
The solution is a simple WAN solution. We've onboarded the socket on the Cato platform, and it provides connectivity. There is no complex routing.
What is your primary use case for Cato Networks?
I use Cato SASE Cloud Platform primarily as a single vendor, integrated SD-WAN plus SASE solution.
What advice do you have for others considering Cato Networks?
I rate Cato SASE Cloud Platform at 9.5 out of 10. There is always room for improvement, especially in edge security features.
Which is the better NGFW: Fortinet Fortigate or Cisco Firepower?
When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage at large. In my opinion, Fortinet would be the best option and l use Fortinet too...
What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?
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 upg...
What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?
As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite good. The most valuable features for me are their web and email filtering. I wou...
 

Also Known As

Cato Networks
FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate, Fortinet Firewall
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Paysafe, AdRoll, Pet Lovers Centre, Arlington Orthopedics, Humphreys & Partners Architects
Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP, Oracle, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Vodafone, Orange, BT Group, Telstra, Deutsche Telekom, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, CenturyLink, NTT Communications, Tata Communications, SoftBank, China Mobile, Singtel, Telus, Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, Telkom Indonesia, Telkom South Africa, Telmex, Telia Company, Telkom Kenya
Find out what your peers are saying about Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs. Fortinet FortiGate and other solutions. Updated: May 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.