Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention comparison

The compared Forcepoint and Palo Alto Networks solutions aren't in the same category. Forcepoint is ranked #27 in Firewalls , with an average rating of 7.2, and holds a 0.4% mindshare in the category. Palo Alto Networks is ranked #6 in ID , with an average rating of 8.4, and holds a 7.4% mindshare. Additionally, 77% of Forcepoint users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Palo Alto Networks users who would recommend it.

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall and Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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March 2025

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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

Fortinet FortiGate

Mindshare comparison

Firewalls

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

Featured Reviews

EhabAli

Sr. Cybersecurity Solutions Architect at BMB

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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OusaidAbaz

Security Network Architect at Inmac

Provides decent protection for the LAN but complicated interface

We had some licensing issues with its web filtering capabilities. That's why we migrated our web filtering to Cisco Umbrella. Moreover, the interface is complicated. It's difficult to locate all the necessary menus and functions. For example, one of the many issues is with SSH. Even now, we haven't successfully opened the port to connect using SSH mode when we want to change the configuration. It's like a black box—not very open to changes and customization. It's simply not easy to configure. There are other problems, too. For example regarding Forcepoint's Websense component. We had a lot of problems managing the web settings within Websense. That's why we migrated to Cisco Umbrella for cloud-based web filtering. It's not that Forcepoint is inherently bad. The issue is that it's not user-friendly. It is not easy to use. The developers need to redesign the interface (GUI) for better management. It is very difficult to manage. For example, simple actions require too many clicks compared to FortiGate or Palo Alto. That's the main problem.

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Carlos Bracamonte

Senior Network Support Engineer at Amadeus

Robust, reliable, simple to install and good technical support

We are attempting to improve the use of URL filtering beyond threat protection. I'm not sure what the remaining threat protection features are off the top of my head. But beyond that, we use URL filtering. We have three approved cases for using external dynamic lists that are stored in a bucket repository. Then, for each URL site that needs to be whitelisted, we add it to the external dynamic list in order to gain access to this email. I would like Wildfire to be implemented. We use the equivalent in Cisco is the integration policies. We have the Wildfire but we are not currently implementing it. We don't have the license to use it, but we are not currently implementing it until we present the use cases that the company gives some value to and they approve the use of it.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I like that you are able to manage FortiGate from the FortiManager to create a more centralized environment."

"We are very happy with the general bandwidth agility we have seen from one website to another website."

"The product is very stable, easy to troubleshoot, and configure, so it has reduced the time it takes for support."

"This solution made it very easy to manage our bandwidth."

"Their interface is very easy to use, it is without bugs."

"FortiGate's ability to perform as expected and fulfil our needs has been the most compelling feature for network security."

"The pricing is great and very reasonable."

"Some of the key features of the solution is that it has good reporting, you can receive many details from the connection, for example, clients and website information."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"The people we deal with is a local partner in Cambodia and we can get good support from them."

"When comparing this solution to others this one has better reporting, user management, and is easy to use."

"The support is great. They also have very good categorization. It's very good. It captures a lot of threats."

"We like the scalability of Forcepoint because with the Forcepoint NGFW solution, we can scale anything. The solution has central management, so we can manage all the branches and devices centrally in one controller."

"The simplicity of the solution is its most valuable asset. It's very user-friendly."

"We're trying to use all the firewall's features. Most of the features were effective, but the usability is a huge concern."

"We find the product to be stable and reliable in terms of performance."

"The central security management center and the content management center are very good."

More Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall pros

"For those who want a next-gen firewall that's easy to configure and easy to operate, I think you should go for Palo Alto."

"The most valuable features are that it's user-friendly, has interesting features, URL filtering, and threat prevention."

"It is a stable product."

"It's very easy to use and configure. What is nice about Palo Alto is that even if you don't understand how to use it, you can just click on upload and upload everything that needs to be blocked."

"I like the solution's interface."

"The most valuable features are the simplicity, transparency, and overall ease of management."

"The initial setup was straightforward. It's quite easy. Deployment took one to two weeks."

"We are currently using the URL filtering feature, which is the most popular."

More Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention pros

Cons

"It needs more available central management."

"With the addition of some features, it is possible that FortiGate can be used in all verticals."

"The cloud features and integration could be improved."

"I haven't had a single issue since using Fortinet."

"I would like reporting to be improved and should offer a lot more tools to monitor the products."

"The stability of Fortinet FortiGate could improve."

"Fortinet doesn't provide multiple virtual firewalls which would facilitate end users and customers."

"With the reports, you can see it, and you can get good feelings so upper management can go, "Oh, wow. That looks pretty." However, it's very basic."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"The company should update the URL filtering database. They need to enhance the URL filtering and make it easier to customize."

"The security features need to be improved."

"It is really hard to work with their customer support. For example, unlike Fortinet where you can escalate an issue and quickly get responses from the development team, Forcepoint's process seems slow and challenging."

"While they offer a comprehensive bundled solution, some users may prefer on-premise deployments for certain features, such as URL filtering."

"It's a complicated firewall. Until you come to know the firewall inducers, most people don't like the firewall because the components for the firewall are a little bit complex. User-friendliness is a little bit tough. It needs to be user-friendly when creating policies, and pushing policies. Committing takes more time compared to Palo Alto."

"Management could be better. They can improve the management. I think all our customers can't accept firewalls that have standalone management. So, they prefer Fortinet or Palo Alto. But overall, inspection and other features are working fine."

"The interface is complicated. It's difficult to locate all the necessary menus and functions."

"The network interface could be better, and it could be cheaper."

More Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall cons

"Palo Alto's maintenance needs to be improved."

"The solution could benefit from improved AI analytics to predict potential attacks before they occur, similar to NDR systems."

"The cost involves the price of the hardware, which is expensive. However, most of the Palo Alto solutions are expensive."

"Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention could improve the commercial offing. Other solutions, such as Fortinet provide better commercial features."

"It's not so easy to set up a test environment, because it's not so easy to get the test license. The vendor only gives you 90 days for a test license; it's a tough license to get."

"In Africa, the technical support is probably not as good as in Europe and the USA because it's a specific premium support, partner-enabled premium support and all of that. But it's really good, I don't really have any complaints, it's fairly good. I'll give them 80%."

"The organization mail security solutions could be improved. There is no mail security solution available."

"The documentation needs to be improved. I need better information about how to configure it and what the best practices are."

More Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price depends on the size of the company. From the beginning, you just want to know the internet bandwidths, speed, and the number of users to be able to offer the right product and model. They have a lot of products in FortiGate according to the size of the company, like 200D and 300D."

"I do not have first-hand experience with the rice of Fortinet FortiGate, but I have heard the price was reasonable."

"The initial setup is super straight forward and as far as the licensing goes for the small product that we have, the pricing was pretty competitive. It wasn't as simple and as cheap as a SonicWall but for the service we would get it was a good price."

"If you purchase a one-year subscription with the hardware and then you want to renew for the second year, it is very costly."

"We find the most valuable aspect of this solution is the price. It is affordable, and cheaper than other firewalls."

"Fortinet FortiGate allows you to purchase licenses for hardware and software."

"We are on an annual license to use Fortinet FortiGate."

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

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"The pricing of the solution is normally competitive with other products."

"It could be cheaper like Fortinet."

"It requires a yearly subscription."

"There is a license required to use this solution and we can purchase it for one, two, three, or five years."

"There is a need to make payments towards the licensing charges attached to the product. The product is not expensive."

"The big advantage of this solution is that we can select the right model for our requirements, which is not too expensive."

"Forcepoint is very expensive but it's really secure."

"It is an affordable product. We purchase its yearly license."

More Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall pricing and cost advice

"The pricing and the licensing are pretty competitive at this stage. As a reseller, I would like to see the price come down a little bit so I can compete better against other firewalls because we do that all the time."

"It's not too expensive."

"It is an expensive solution and I would like to see a drop in price."

"The price of the solution is higher than others on the market. A price reduction would be beneficial if it does not impact their database quality."

"There is an initial, expensive investment but the return is good."

"If you want to have all of the good features then you have to pay extra for licensing."

"The product’s pricing is expensive for small companies."

"From one to ten, with one being the most expensive, I would rate the pricing of Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention a one out of ten. It is my understanding that Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention is the most expensive one."

More Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

22%

Computer Software Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

17%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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 a...

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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...

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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 ...

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What do you like most about Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall?

The product's initial setup phase is easy.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall?

In terms of pricing, I would place Forcepoint in the middle when compared to other firewalls like Fortinet and Palo A...

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What needs improvement with Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall?

There is a lot of technical stuff that could be improved. We've encountered scenarios that were really hard to set up...

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Which is the best DDoS protection solution for a big ISP for monitoring and mitigating?

Arbor would be the best bid, apart from Arbor, Palo Alto and Fortinet have good solutions. As this is an ISP, I would...

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What do you like most about Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention?

It is a stable product.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention?

The pricing is competitive, and with current campaigns and discounts, it provides an excellent device for a reasonabl...

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Comparisons

Sophos XG vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 23% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 10% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Check Point NGFW vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 15% of the time

Sophos XG vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 7% of the time

OPNsense vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 5% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 4% of the time

Trellix Intrusion Prevention System vs Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

Compared 4% of the time

More Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall Competitors

Fortinet FortiGate IPS vs Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention

Compared 16% of the time

Check Point IPS vs Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention

Compared 12% of the time

Darktrace vs Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention

Compared 10% of the time

Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB vs Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention

Compared 9% of the time

Trend Micro TippingPoint Threat Protection System vs Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention

Compared 8% of the time

More Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

March 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall

March 2025

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall report

Download Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall product report

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention

March 2025

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention report

Download Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention product report

Also Known As

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

Forcepoint NGFW, Stonesoft Next Generation Firewall, McAfee Network Security Platform, Intel Security Network Security Platform

No data available

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate offers comprehensive network security and firewall protection across multiple locations. It effectively manages data traffic and secures environments with features like VPN, intrusion prevention, and UTM controls.

Organizations rely on Fortinet FortiGate for its robust integration with advanced security policies, ensuring significant protection for enterprises, cloud environments, and educational sectors. It facilitates network segmentation, application-level security, and authentication management, securing communication within and between locations such as branches and data centers. Its efficient SD-WAN and UTM features enable streamlined data management and enhanced threat protection capabilities. Users appreciate its centralized management, facilitating seamless operations across diverse environments.

What are the key features of Fortinet FortiGate?

VPN Capabilities: Ensure secure remote access for users and seamless site-to-site connections.
Intrusion Prevention System (IPS): Detect and prevent security threats and vulnerabilities.
Advanced Firewall: Offers robust firewalling with application control and web filtering.
SD-WAN: Optimizes application performance and enhances bandwidth management.
SSL VPN: Provides reliable and secure access for remote workers.

What benefits should users expect from Fortinet FortiGate?

High-performance Security: Delivers effective threat mitigation with high availability.
Centralized Management: Simplifies network operations with cloud-based management tools.
Detailed Analytics: Provides comprehensive insights into network activity and security threats.
Load Balancing: Ensures optimal resource distribution and traffic management.

Fortinet FortiGate is crucial in sectors like education, offering robust networks for secure data flow between campuses and facilitating remote learning. In enterprise environments, it allows efficient management of application traffic and security across multiple branches, while in the cloud, it seamlessly integrates with diverse platforms to enhance security infrastructure.

Fortinet

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall is a versatile and comprehensive solution for perimeter security, offering features such as SD-WAN, IPS, VPN, and cloud or on-premises subscription keys. It is preferred by many clients over Cisco and is used for obligation redundancy, VPN access, and as the main point of security in infrastructure.

The product is praised for its simplicity, flexibility, complete feature set, scalability, and central management capabilities. Other valuable features include IPS, firewall, sandbox, application control, filtering, security management center, connectivity, and integration capabilities.

Forcepoint

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention is a cloud-based security service that combines cutting-edge technologies, including machine learning, artificial intelligence, and expert human monitoring, to effectively thwart advanced threats like malware, zero-day attacks, and command-and-control threats. It offers inline protection, scrutinizing all network traffic irrespective of port, protocol, or encryption. An integral component of Palo Alto Networks' security platform, it enjoys widespread adoption across diverse organizations. With its robust security capabilities, it's an ideal choice for entities of all sizes, particularly those in high-risk sectors such as finance, healthcare, and government agencies, seeking to safeguard their networks from a broad spectrum of advanced threats.

Palo Alto Networks

Sample Customers

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

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR)

University of Arkansas, JBG SMITH, SkiStar AB, TRI-AD, Temple University, Telkom Indonesia

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