Cisco Sourcefire SNORT vs Fortinet FortiGate comparison

Cisco and Fortinet are both solutions in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category. Cisco is ranked #14 with an average rating of 8.0, while Fortinet is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.5. Cisco holds a 3.1% mindshare in ID, compared to Fortinet’s 12.6% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of Fortinet users who would recommend it.

Cisco Sourcefire SNORT

Read 20 Cisco Sourcefire SNORT reviews

1,386 Views
1,192 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Fortinet FortiGate

Read 587 Fortinet FortiGate reviews

69,521 Views
5,562 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Cisco Sourcefire SNORT

Fortinet FortiGate

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 28, 2025

Cisco Sourcefire SNORT and Fortinet FortiGate both compete in the network security solutions category, with Fortinet FortiGate having the upper hand due to its extensive features and comprehensive security capabilities.

Features: Cisco Sourcefire SNORT is known for its intrusion detection and prevention, flexible integration with various systems, and robust threat detection. Fortinet FortiGate stands out with its unified threat management, integrated VPN capabilities, and extensive firewall support, providing a more comprehensive approach to network security.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Sourcefire SNORT could benefit from a more streamlined deployment process and reduced technical complexity for ease of use. Its open-source nature may require more resources for setup and maintenance. On the other hand, Fortinet FortiGate could improve its pricing model to better cater to smaller enterprises and enhance certain user interface elements for even greater usability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortinet FortiGate offers a smoother deployment process with detailed documentation and support, easing integration and ongoing maintenance. Cisco Sourcefire SNORT, despite offering flexible support options, may demand more technical expertise for deployment due to its open-source structure.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Sourcefire SNORT is attractive for budget-conscious buyers due to its lower setup costs, whereas Fortinet FortiGate delivers better ROI in the long run with its comprehensive security features that justify the higher initial investment. This makes Fortinet FortiGate a more valuable long-term investment for enterprises aiming for extensive network security capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Sourcefire SNORT vs. Fortinet FortiGate Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Sourcefire SNORT vs. Fortinet FortiGate

March 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 884,873 peers since 2012

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

Cisco Sourcefire SNORT

Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

14th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Fortinet FortiGate

Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

587

Ranking in other categories

Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (2nd), Firewalls (1st), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (1st), WAN Edge (1st), ZTNA (1st), Unified Threat Management (UTM) (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Cisco Sourcefire SNORT is 3.1%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 12.6%, down from 19.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	12.6%
Cisco Sourcefire SNORT	3.1%
Other	84.3%

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

Featured Reviews

reviewer2772102

Cloud Architect at a consultancy with 1-10 employees

Logging and customizable rules have helped improve threat monitoring and detection

The logging is mainly what I consider one of the best features with Cisco Sourcefire SNORT. Being able to log and store it in a file allows you to push it to a centralized repository. The logging and reporting help improve incident response. You should always be logging threats, any sort of misconfiguration, and anything that could be an issue. It's important to at least log and monitor it. The basic rules provide a good baseline in assessing Cisco Sourcefire SNORT's ability in providing real-time analytics for threat detection, but as a professional, you should look to constantly modify that baseline. They provide extensive customizability so you can define your own rules. The customizability allows it to be adaptable in protecting against diverse network threats to the constant change.

Read full review

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

A stable solution with an intuitive interface and quick customer service

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate, WatchGuard, Sophos, and SonicWall. I'm not as comfortable with SonicWall because of their UI and limitations. I prefer Fortinet above all other options. When it comes to configuration, I am confident in my ability to handle various tasks, including creating policies such as firewall rules, web policies, and application policies. Additionally, I can configure VPNs and implement load balancing, among other tasks. Overall, I feel much more comfortable working with Fortinet. Fortinet has made significant improvements by integrating AI with firewalls for threat analysis and prevention. In the past 2-3 years, they have launched FortiSASE and SIEM, and they also provide SOC services. Both Palo Alto and Fortinet FortiGate are excellent. While Fortinet FortiGate comes at higher prices, the functionality and support justify the cost. They promptly resolve firmware issues and inform all support providers about configuration changes.

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

"The URL filtering is very good and you can create a group for customized URLs."

"The whole solution is very good, and stable."

"It is quite an intelligent product."

"In general, the features are all great. However, if I need to take hardware for ASA, because they need to upgrade to Firepower, we want to create rules. For that, most of the time we go to the command line. Right now Firepower is working really hard on the grid. You can apply all those rules to the grid. Even if you want to monitor the logs, for example, the activity will tell you which particular user has been blocked because of that rule. Firepower's monitoring interface is very good, because you can see each and every piece. ASA also had it, but there you needed to type the command and be under the server to see all that stuff. In Firepower you have the possibility to go directly to the firewall. The way the monitoring is displayed is also very nice. The feature I appreciate most in Firepower is actually the grid. The grid has worked very well."

"The product is inexpensive compared to leading brands such as Palo Alto or Fortinet."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to automatically learn the traffic in our environment, and change the merit recommendations based on that."

"The most valuable feature is the visibility that we have across the virtual environment."

"The most valuable features of Cisco Sourcefire SNORT are the dashboard for monitoring events."

More Cisco Sourcefire SNORT pros

"The firewalls are valuable for threat prevention."

"The most important feature, normally for small business customers, is link load balancing."

"Two aspects I'm happy with regarding Fortinet FortiGate firewall are the easy user interface and its resilience during power interruptions."

"LinkGreat firewall capabilities"

"We are using the FortiGate 100D series. VPN, firewall, anti-malware, OTM, and intrusion prevention are useful features."

"The product's most valuable feature is the ease of deploying IoT security with a single click. Additionally, the frequent updates to the online database ensure that our security measures are always up to date, enhancing our protection against emerging threats."

"Generally, every aspect of it being a next-generation firewall provides good value."

"Fortinet FortiGate saves a lot of time in expert hours from an expert engineer because the administration of the Fortinet FortiGate solution is easy, which may lead to fewer hours of an engineer spent on Fortinet FortiGate."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

Cons

"The pricing needs to be improved. We have lots of low-budget clients around us. Budget constraints are always a deterrent in our market."

"I don't think this solution is a time-based control system, because one cannot filter traffic based on time."

"We are unhappy with technical support for this solution, and it is not as professional as what we typically expect from Cisco."

"I want to see a better dashboard for the product. The dashboard can be a bit modified or enhanced."

"The customization of the rules can be simplified."

"Cisco Sourcefire SNORT can scale, but if you have too much, you could fill up your log files, which I consider when discussing scalability."

"There are problems setting up VPNs for some regions."

"The implementation could be a bit easier."

More Cisco Sourcefire SNORT cons

"We would like to have the ability to disable some of the security functionalities."

"Lacks sufficient security options."

"I have used technical support and they could improve."

"The logging details need to be improved."

"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."

"FortiLink is the interface on the firewall that allows you to extend switch management across all of your switches in the network. The problem with it is that you can't use multiple interfaces unless you set them up in a lag. Only then you can run them. So, it forces you to use a core type of switch to propagate that management out to the rest of the switches, and then it is running the case at 200. It leaves you with 18 ports on the firewall because it is also a layer-three router that could also be used as a switch, but as soon as you do that, you can't really use them. They could do a little bit more clean up in the way the stacking interface works. Some use cases and the documentation on the FortiLink checking interface are a little outdated. I can find stuff on version 5 or more, but it is hard to find information on some of the newer firmware. The biggest thing I would like to see is some improvement in the switch management feature. I would like to be able to relegate some of the ports, which are on the firewall itself, to act as a switch to take advantage of those ports. Some of these firewalls have clarity ports on them. If I can use those, it would mean that I need to buy two less switches, which saves time. I get why they don't, but I would still like to see it because it would save a little bit of space in the server rack."

"The price could be improved."

"There could be more modifications."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"If one is an extremely expensive product, and ten is cheap, I rate the tool's price as a five."

"Licensing for this solution is paid on a yearly basis."

"I don't know the exact amount, but most of the time when I go to a company with a proposition, they will say, "This thing that you are selling is good, but it's expensive. Why don't you propose something like FortiGate, Check Point, or Palo Alto?" Cisco device are expensive compared to other devices."

"The cost is per port and can be expensive but it does include training and support for three years."

"We have a three-year license for this solution."

"Fortinet has one or two license types, and the VPN numbers are only limited by the hardware chassis make."

"Compared to Palo Alto, which we have used in the past, pricing and licensing are okay."

"The price of Fortinet FortiGate is better than Cisco, Check Point, and Palo Alto. In terms of pricing, it's probably a better-priced firewall solution overall."

"It is cheaper and more competitive compared to other options. For example, when comparing Palo Alto products to others, Palo Alto tends to be more expensive. If you compare Cisco's platform, including Cisco Meraki, with Fortinet products, you'll notice that Cisco's offerings are generally higher priced than Fortinet's firewall solutions."

"If you are looking for a quality product, it will come at a higher price. Expecting them to be significantly cheaper is unrealistic. In terms of pricing, it is a bit costly. However, the functionality and support offered are worth it."

"I give the pricing of the solution a six out of ten."

"The support subscription for the solution is annual. You are paying for support and there are two levels of support, professional and advanced."

"The licensing scheme of Fortinet is better than Cisco. It is more logical."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

884,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Comparison Review

it_user216600

Senior Technical Consultant with 51-200 employees

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…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

University

11%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	7

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	360
Midsize Enterprise	135
Large Enterprise	190

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco Sourcefire SNORT?

The product is inexpensive compared to leading brands such as Palo Alto or Fortinet.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Sourcefire SNORT?

If one is an extremely expensive product, and ten is cheap, I rate the tool's price as a five. There are some other tools in the market that are more expensive than Cisco. There are no additional c...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco Sourcefire SNORT?

I have not had much experience with the community-driven rule set while utilizing Cisco Sourcefire SNORT. I don't have experience with recognizing zero-day vulnerabilities, but based on my knowledg...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) vs Cisco Sourcefire SNORT

Compared 13% of the time

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention vs Cisco Sourcefire SNORT

Compared 10% of the time

ExtremeCloud IQ vs Cisco Sourcefire SNORT

Compared 8% of the time

TrendAI Tipping Point vs Cisco Sourcefire SNORT

Compared 8% of the time

Fortra's Tripwire Enterprise vs Cisco Sourcefire SNORT

Compared 7% of the time

More Cisco Sourcefire SNORT Competitors

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 19% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Sourcefire SNORT

March 2026

Download Cisco Sourcefire SNORT product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

March 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Also Known As

Sourcefire SNORT

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

Overview

Snort is an open-source, rule-based, intrusion detection and prevention system. It combines the benefits of signature-, protocol-, and anomaly-based inspection methods to deliver flexible protection from malware attacks. Snort gained notoriety for being able to accurately detect threats at high speeds.

Cisco

Fortinet FortiGate is a versatile network security tool offering features like VPN, firewall, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and scalability. It is known for its performance and integration with other Fortinet products, making it a preferred choice for robust cybersecurity.

Fortinet FortiGate stands out as a comprehensive cybersecurity solution with strong performance and ease of configuration. It delivers unified threat management, integrating features such as dynamic routing, SD-WAN support, and centralized management. Despite its strengths, improvements in the web interface's stability, pricing structures, and reporting capabilities are needed. Users seek better integration with third-party tools and automation advancements to enhance the experience further. These enhancements, alongside improvements in bandwidth management and the reduction of licensing costs, are points of interest for users looking to capitalize on FortiGate's extensive capabilities.

What are Fortinet FortiGate's key features?

VPN: Ensures secure remote connections.
Firewall: Protects against unauthorized access.
Web Filtering: Blocks malicious sites and content.
Application Control: Manages and controls applications.
Intrusion Prevention: Detects and prevents vulnerabilities.
SSL Inspection: Enhances security by inspecting encrypted traffic.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating Fortinet FortiGate?

Affordability: Offers cost-effective security solutions.
Reliability: Known for consistent and stable performance.
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other Fortinet products.
Comprehensive Protection: Provides broad threat protection capabilities.

Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries as a primary firewall system for securing internet gateways and safeguarding data centers. It supports businesses in achieving SD-WAN integration and enhances cybersecurity by providing essential features like antivirus, web filtering, and application control. Enterprises utilize FortiGate for securing remote connections and ensuring compliance with security standards, making it adaptable for different network sizes and industries.

Fortinet

Sample Customers

CareCore, City of Biel, Dimension Data, LightEdge, Lone Star College System, National Rugby League, Port Aventura, Smart City Networks, Telecom Italia, The Department of Education in Western Australia

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

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Sourcefire SNORT vs. Fortinet FortiGate

March 2026

Free Report: Cisco Sourcefire SNORT vs. Fortinet FortiGate

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Sourcefire SNORT vs. Fortinet FortiGate and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

884,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Cisco Sourcefire SNORT vs. Fortinet FortiGate report.

See our list of best Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) vendors.

We monitor all Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.