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FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) vs Fortinet FortiGate Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 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
6.9
FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall offers cost savings, enhanced security, and value with favorable pricing and comprehensive features over competitors.
Sentiment score
4.0
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud boosts efficiency, reduces costs by 40%, and offers significant savings over alternatives like Palo Alto or Cisco.
FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall provides the same features that higher-end models offer, but at a much lower cost.
Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud has improved our clients' cost savings and efficiency.
Broadband Tech Expert at New Sky Internet Limited
The cloud aspect provides flexibility in disaster recovery and cost management.
Vice President of Infrustructure at Core Technologies Limited
In terms of cost savings or efficiency in our company's IT network management, I would say that the tool is very efficient because we have no problems with it at all.
Chief Executive Officer at EE Solutions GmbH
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.6
FortiGate CNF offers effective customer support, scoring high user ratings, yet there's room for improvement, particularly with technical training.
Sentiment score
7.2
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud support is praised for knowledge and reliability, though response times vary; premium support enhances satisfaction.
There is local support through the distributor, which is efficient and provides a friendly relationship.
Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים
For technical support from the vendor, I would give it probably an eight as they are fairly responsive and usually fairly knowledgeable.
Systems engineer at The IT Team (New Zealand)
Technical support from Fortinet is rated high, a nine out of ten, though there is always room for improvement.
Senior Cyber Security Specialist Architect at a tech consulting company with 11-50 employees
I have received good support from FortiGate, and I would rate it a ten out of ten.
Group IT Manager at Araliya Group of Companies
Technically, the support team is good, and they have very good relations with users and even partners.
Tecnical manager at Watronix Information Technology Ltd
The team is responsive, and most cases are handled promptly.
Vice President of Infrustructure at Core Technologies Limited
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.0
FortiGate CNF is scalable, flexible, but faces challenges with hardware compatibility and seeks improvement in open-source integration.
Sentiment score
7.8
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud is praised for scalability and flexibility, despite potential hardware limitations requiring careful sizing.
Unfortunately, FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) is not very scalable.
Key Account Manager at ITBiz Solutions
The scalability allows for increasing the capacity through configuration adjustments.
Director at Movate
For scalability, if the hardware isn't fit or working, the box needs changing.
Senior Manager Tech Compliance at Qenta Inc.
We plan to deploy VoIP in the future and aim to leverage more VoIP capabilities for our remote operations.
Senior Network Engineer at Association of Village Council Presidents
I rate the product's scalability a ten out of ten.
IT manager at a agriculture with 10,001+ employees
It's very easy to add new devices and push the configuration templates.
Consultant at SKYE AS
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.5
FortiGate CNF is praised for stability, rarely experiences issues, and is highly valued for reliable infrastructure security.
Sentiment score
7.8
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud is highly stable and dependable, with minimal issues and high user satisfaction ratings.
I would rate the stability of FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) as nine out of ten, indicating it is very stable.
Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.
The stability of FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) is highly appreciated by the people I work with, as they love its reliability.
Senior Cyber Security Specialist Architect at a tech consulting company with 11-50 employees
The FortiGate firewall is stable and supports all our requirements for infrastructure security.
Senior Manager Tech Compliance at Qenta Inc.
We weren't bothered even by a single incident for the past three years.
IT manager at a agriculture with 10,001+ employees
But in three or four years, I only had problems logging in three times.
Engineering manager at Solcomp Technologies
It is a very stable solution.
Chief Executive Officer at EE Solutions GmbH
 

Room For Improvement

FortiGate CNF faces criticism for high pricing, limited customization, performance issues, and lagging behind competitors in AI and threat monitoring.
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud needs better integration, security, interface, support, scalability, and cost reduction, plus SD-WAN features.
The Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) in Fortinet products, including FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF), is not very strong; we often prefer Cisco IPS instead.
Key Account Manager at ITBiz Solutions
It is a tool that we have used quite heavily, but it has a lot of vulnerabilities and they are starting to be dropping support for it.
Systems engineer at The IT Team (New Zealand)
The prices for FortiGate are way too high and are perceived as overpriced.
Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים
There's a need to improve or invest more in an application that can follow users wherever they go.
IT Manager at Plasser do Brasil
The Linux version currently lacks some of the latest features, notably in the IPv6 tool stack, which is available for Windows clients.
Network Engineer at Static IPs Bremerhaven-2
It would be advantageous if it were more cost-effective.
Senior Network Engineer at Association of Village Council Presidents
 

Setup Cost

FortiGate CNF pricing is mixed, seen as costly yet cost-effective, balancing value with enterprise needs amid currency challenges.
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud pricing varies, with mixed perceptions of cost-effectiveness, especially where security value outweighs expense concerns.
A $80 or $200 device translates to approximately 8,000 to 10,000 Rand, which includes licensing costs.
Senior Cyber Security Specialist Architect at a tech consulting company with 11-50 employees
FortiGate's cost-effectiveness is noticeable as it provides many features with one license, saving costs compared to Cisco ASA.
Senior Manager Tech Compliance at Qenta Inc.
The pricing is considered too high and does not justify the value provided by the devices.
Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים
There are no additional costs.
Network Engineer at Static IPs Bremerhaven-2
Therefore, the cost-benefit is quite significant.
IT Manager at Plasser do Brasil
You shouldn't prioritize cheapness over security or other poor technology.
Engineering manager at Solcomp Technologies
 

Valuable Features

FortiGate CNF is valued for scalability, advanced threat protection, cost-effectiveness, and seamless integration with robust support.
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud provides robust security, centralized management, and scalability, excelling in SD-WAN, VPN, and integration features.
The visibility and exposure to logs provide valuable insights for our InfraSec team, aiding in monitoring and managing communication and policies.
Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.
It enables better segregation and integration with on-premise firewalls and infrastructure so that I can seamlessly handle both on-prem physical firewalls and cloud firewalls.
Senior Cyber Security Specialist Architect at a tech consulting company with 11-50 employees
Threat detection and prevention features are the most effective aspects of FortiGate CNF.
Director at Movate
The solution's most valuable feature is log reporting.
Head of Presales at AcSys Networks Private Limited
The solution's most valuable feature is its ease of use.
Chief Executive Officer at EE Solutions GmbH
The most valuable feature is its user-friendly interface - even those unfamiliar with firewalls can easily manage it.
Solution architect at NETS International
 

Categories and Ranking

FortiGate Cloud-Native Fire...
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
8th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
80
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Firewall Security Management category, the mindshare of FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) is 2.0%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate Cloud is 4.5%, down from 5.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewall Security Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud4.5%
FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF)2.0%
Other93.5%
Firewall Security Management
 

Featured Reviews

Andrew_Jackson - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems engineer at The IT Team (New Zealand)
Centralized management has streamlined access for staff and support has consistently addressed issues quickly
I see areas for improvement, particularly around the SSL VPN. It is a tool that we have used quite heavily, but it has a lot of vulnerabilities and they are starting to be dropping support for it. So we kind of see that they have left a vacuum by removing that feature. The VPN feature is indeed the main concern so far. Security around it is a concern, and then the fact that they have just dropped it and have not really provided a solution that fits for us. Their solution was either IPsec or ZTNA, which is not as flexible as the SSL VPN was for our customers.
FS
Security Engineer at Exclusive Networks
Cloud logs have supported long-term auditing but security vulnerabilities still raise concerns
It depends on the user. When he needs maybe data retention for one year, for three months or more, I recommend Fortinet FortiGate Cloud. If he doesn't want to set the log on FortiAnalyzer, I will recommend him with Fortinet FortiGate Cloud. It depends. As I mentioned before, if they don't have a syslog server or any other SIEM, I will recommend it. If they need an audit for one year of data retention, I will recommend it because it's worth the money for one year of log retention. It's straightforward. If I enable Fortinet FortiGate Cloud feature on the FortiGate on-premise or VM, it will copy the configuration on the cloud. Depending on my license, I can configure it or have it as read-only with a limited license. That's one of the main purposes of Fortinet FortiGate Cloud for me. The report doesn't have many templates, but the log retention is so good with one-year retention. If you compare it with the FortiAnalyzer or maybe with any other product such as a FortiSIEM template, with the limited license, you only get the 360 template, it's called. I think the security function, I mainly use it for configuration purposes and log retention purposes. The security is the same as the VM or the hardware, I think. The sandbox. I think it has it, but not a lot if you only have the default capability with only 10 files per minute. I think the user needs to be selective with the files that they want to send to the sandbox on the cloud.
report
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Media Company
6%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business50
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise22
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF)?
The pricing is a bit expensive, primarily due to licensing fees. Extra expenses include upgradations beyond licensing.
What needs improvement with FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF)?
I see areas for improvement, particularly around the SSL VPN. It is a tool that we have used quite heavily, but it has a lot of vulnerabilities and they are starting to be dropping support for it. ...
What is your primary use case for FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF)?
The major use case for this product is if customers have on-prem hardware to protect, along with the other use cases with SD-WAN and VPN connectivity.
What do you like most about Fortinet FortiGate Cloud?
Fortinet FortiGate Cloud has valuable firewall, SSL VPN, and web filtering features.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiGate Cloud?
I am very satisfied with the price and licensing cost of Fortinet FortiGate Cloud, rating it an eight out of ten.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiGate Cloud?
Some disadvantages include future limitations, issues with FortiAnalyzer, and data residency concerns, which create less control. I think Fortinet FortiGate Cloud could benefit from additional feat...
 

Also Known As

No data available
FortiCloud, FortiGate Cloud
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

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 FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) vs. Fortinet FortiGate Cloud and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.