FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) vs Palo Alto Networks Panorama comparison

FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) vs. Palo Alto Networks Panorama

December 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:

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

3.2

URL filtering and a single interface enhance efficiency, with quick benefits for large networks, despite high pricing challenges.

FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall provides the same features that higher-end models offer, but at a much lower cost.

Rahool Sharma

Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.

For more quotes and insights, download the FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks Panorama report

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

6.5

Palo Alto Networks Panorama support is responsive and knowledgeable, but some users experience delays, especially for complex issues.

There is local support through the distributor, which is efficient and provides a friendly relationship.

Uri Harf

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.

Andrew_Jackson

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.

For more quotes and insights, download the FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) report

Senior Cyber Security Specialist Architect at a tech consulting company with 11-50 employees

The technical support from Palo Alto is rated around nine out of ten.

Amar-Patil

Security Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

The technical support by Palo Alto Networks is great because the response time is solid.

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks Panorama report

Application Support Administrator at Meridian Port Services

The tech support I've encountered has been good, prompt, and fast.

Kim Ejby Lorentzen

Senior Principal Solutions Architect, HPE Aruba Networking - Full Stack Platform Expert at Danoffice IT ApS

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

7.3

Palo Alto Networks Panorama offers adaptability and scalability for managing large networks, praised for flexibility despite some cost concerns.

Unfortunately, FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) is not very scalable.

ІгорКузьменко

Key Account Manager at ITBiz Solutions

The scalability allows for increasing the capacity through configuration adjustments.

VIJAICYRIAC

Director at Movate

For scalability, if the hardware isn't fit or working, the box needs changing.

MuhammadJahangir

Senior Manager Tech Compliance at Qenta Inc.

For more quotes and insights, download the FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) report

Scalability is primarily enhanced by Strata Cloud Manager as it is much easier to scale in the cloud than in an on-premises installation.

Kim Ejby Lorentzen

Senior Principal Solutions Architect, HPE Aruba Networking - Full Stack Platform Expert at Danoffice IT ApS

Scalability depends on whether it's a hardware or virtual machine model.

reviewer1526976

IT Security Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks Panorama report

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

7.5

Palo Alto Networks Panorama is praised for its stability, reliability under load, and performs well on cloud platforms like AWS.

I would rate the stability of FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) as nine out of ten, indicating it is very stable.

Rahool Sharma

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.

For more quotes and insights, download the FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) report

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.

MuhammadJahangir

Senior Manager Tech Compliance at Qenta Inc.

Palo Alto Networks Panorama is very stable.

Cliff Girodo

Consultant at a computer software company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks Panorama report

Room For Improvement

FortiGate CNF faces criticism for high pricing, limited customization, performance issues, and lagging behind competitors in AI and threat monitoring.

Palo Alto Networks Panorama needs improvements in updates, integration, user interface, pricing, analytics, security, and storage for efficiency.

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.

ІгорКузьменко

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.

Andrew_Jackson

Systems engineer at The IT Team (New Zealand)

The prices for FortiGate are way too high and are perceived as overpriced.

Uri Harf

Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים

For more quotes and insights, download the FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) report

In terms of operation, it is quite important that the staff managing the Panorama should be technically sound enough, and they should know exactly what they are doing.

Aditya-Wagh

Sr. Staff Network Engineer at Blackhawk Network India

The AI module should be on-premises, not in the cloud.

Waleed Aboda

Senior Network Engineer at UPS

I would like to improve the dashboards on Palo Alto Networks Panorama, especially because I work in an environment where my managers are not really that technical.

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks Panorama report

Application Support Administrator at Meridian Port Services

Setup Cost

FortiGate CNF pricing is mixed, seen as costly yet cost-effective, balancing value with enterprise needs amid currency challenges.

Palo Alto Networks Panorama is costly but offers robust, reliable features, with negotiable pricing and possible discounts for bulk purchases.

A $80 or $200 device translates to approximately 8,000 to 10,000 Rand, which includes licensing costs.

For more quotes and insights, download the FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) report

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.

MuhammadJahangir

Senior Manager Tech Compliance at Qenta Inc.

The pricing is considered too high and does not justify the value provided by the devices.

Uri Harf

Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים

Virtual Panorama is well-priced and is sold every time there's a solution.

Kim Ejby Lorentzen

Senior Principal Solutions Architect, HPE Aruba Networking - Full Stack Platform Expert at Danoffice IT ApS

Commercially, compared to Fortinet, Palo Alto is more expensive.

Amar-Patil

Security Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Palo Alto Networks Panorama is expensive but provides good value for money.

Cliff Girodo

Consultant at a computer software company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks Panorama report

Valuable Features

FortiGate CNF is valued for scalability, advanced threat protection, cost-effectiveness, and seamless integration with robust support.

Palo Alto Networks Panorama centralizes firewall management, enhancing security with user-friendly interfaces, advanced reporting, and scalable integration features.

The visibility and exposure to logs provide valuable insights for our InfraSec team, aiding in monitoring and managing communication and policies.

Rahool Sharma

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.

For more quotes and insights, download the FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) report

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.

VIJAICYRIAC

Director at Movate

I find this solution valuable for full monitoring, centralized control for reporting, and centralized management.

Waleed Aboda

Senior Network Engineer at UPS

We do not currently have a SIEM solution, so we are heavily relying on the monitoring features of Palo Alto Networks Panorama to conduct our investigations and log reviews.

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks Panorama report

Application Support Administrator at Meridian Port Services

Palo Alto Networks Panorama has positively impacted our organization by allowing a couple of network engineers to use Panorama simultaneously with different templates or device groups, which helps us save time and reduce the complexity of the network.

Pasan Jayarathna

Network Security Engineer at Cyberwell Solution

Categories and Ranking

FortiGate Cloud-Native Fire...

Ranking in Firewall Security Management

8th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Palo Alto Networks Panorama

Ranking in Firewall Security Management

3rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

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 Palo Alto Networks Panorama is 7.0%, down from 8.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewall Security Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Palo Alto Networks Panorama	7.0%
FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF)	2.0%
Other	91.0%

Firewall Security Management

Featured Reviews

Andrew_Jackson

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.

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Monitoring and managing multiple firewalls has become more efficient through centralized oversight and reliable logging

Application Support Administrator at Meridian Port Services

I would say that while Palo Alto Networks Panorama reporting capability is functional, it is not really intuitive. The presentation is not really as advanced as what an advanced solution would have provided. I would like to improve the dashboards on Palo Alto Networks Panorama, especially because I work in an environment where my managers are not really that technical. They do a great job leading us, but they do not have a technical background. If the dashboard could be improved to suit more executive use cases when it comes to reporting, that would be excellent. It is basic as far as I am concerned, and from an executive standpoint, it is not really that good. I would rate Palo Alto Networks Panorama as a product nine or 9.5 out of ten because there is always room for improvement, especially on the dashboard. I think if they could improve the dashboard, I would give them ten out of ten because from a technical standpoint, the dashboard is good, but at an executive level, it is not really that good. I usually struggle when doing presentations to my bosses because the dashboard and reporting from Palo Alto Networks Panorama are not as polished as they could be.

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881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Comms Service Provider

Media Company

Comms Service Provider

13%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	12
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	33
Midsize Enterprise	15
Large Enterprise	46

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)?

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 Palo Alto Networks Panorama?

The most valuable aspect of Palo Alto Networks Panorama for me is the centralized management of multiple firewalls.

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

If you go with the cloud-based deployment, it is pretty much affordable. If you go with the physical bare-metal hardware, then it is quite expensive.

What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks Panorama?

Azure Firewall Manager vs FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF)

Comparisons

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Compared 18% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate Cloud vs Palo Alto Networks Panorama

Compared 10% of the time

Tufin Orchestration Suite vs Palo Alto Networks Panorama

Compared 9% of the time

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Product Reports

FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF)

January 2026

FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) report

Download FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) product report

Palo Alto Networks Panorama

January 2026

Download Palo Alto Networks Panorama product report

Interactive Demo

Fortinet

Demo not available

Palo Alto Networks

Overview

FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) is a scalable, enterprise-grade cloud-native firewall delivered as a service, providing robust threat protection to cloud environments like AWS and Azure.

FortiGate CNF offers advanced capabilities like IPS, web filtering, and DNS security, managed through a single interface to secure multiple accounts and networks across various regions. It integrates seamlessly with cloud service provider tools for simplified management and policy enforcement, reducing operational costs and maintaining security efficiency. Customers benefit from comprehensive threat prevention without the need for complex infrastructure deployments, ensuring cloud workloads remain protected.

What features does FortiGate CNF offer?

Advanced Threat Protection: Guards against malware and data exfiltration.
Scalability: Automatically adapts to dynamic cloud demands.
Intrusion Prevention System (IPS): Stops threats before they impact cloud workloads.
Web Filtering: Blocks access to malicious websites.
DNS Security: Protects against malicious domain name activities.

What benefits can users expect?

Ease of Setup: Quick setup reduces time to deployment.
Centralized Management: Single interface for managing security policies.
Cost-Effectiveness: Reduces infrastructure expenses.
Integration Capabilities: Connects with existing cloud tools for seamless operations.
Enhanced Security: Protects against evolving cyber threats with minimal administrative overhead.

Financial institutions, healthcare providers, and telecom companies deploy FortiGate CNF for robust cybersecurity across cloud environments. It supports compliance mandates like PCI DSS, enables zero trust policies for APIs, extends protection to high-bandwidth tasks, and integrates with on-premises infrastructure for comprehensive security strategies.

Fortinet

Panorama network security management provides static rules and dynamic security updates in an ever-changing threat landscape. Reduce administrator workload and improve your overall security posture with a single rule base for firewall, threat prevention, URL filtering, application awareness, user identification, file blocking and data filtering.

Palo Alto Networks

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

University of Arkansas, JBG SMITH, Temple University, Telkom Indonesia