Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Fortinet FortiAnalyzer vs syslog-ng comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

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 FortiAnalyzer
Ranking in Log Management
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
103
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
syslog-ng
Ranking in Log Management
19th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Log Management category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is 2.0%, down from 2.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of syslog-ng is 2.5%, down from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Log Management
 

Featured Reviews

Juan Solano - PeerSpot reviewer
Gaining deep insights into network traffic analysis with detailed dashboards
The usability and the information that Fortinet FortiAnalyzer provides are very valuable. It offers many details within a good dashboard, making it easy to use. The visibility it gives us over traffic and incidents is especially beneficial. It provides deep insights into network performance, allowing for efficient traffic analysis and investigation.
FlavioSantos - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to set up and very stable performance
We use it for compliance issues, like law enforcement for the Brazilian government For us, the most valuable feature is the use of compound search for searching logs at a specific time, by a specific user, or specific behavior. There is room for improvement in terms of observability.…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It has a simplified and user-friendly interface."
"The user interface is good and it is quite easy to use."
"The solution is quite easy to deploy."
"The ability to gather all gateway information and logs in a single location is the most valuable feature."
"There are customizable workflows that you can work with. You can automate certain tasks in FortiAnaylzer in the incidents and events sections."
"The report templates are valuable. It works very well, and integrations also work well."
"The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiAnalyzer are the dashboards and supporting services."
"One of the greatest advantages of Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is its ability to integrate with a variety of software and solutions, providing comprehensive visibility into the network. The solution's strength lies in its capability to work with Fortinet's own products, such as the FortiAP access point, which allows for deep monitoring, automation, correlation, and incident management. However, this functionality is not present when utilizing other products, such as those from Cisco, limiting the visibility and benefits that can be gained."
"Syslog-ng provides easy access to all my logs. It helps me show managers and other clients precisely where an incident occurred. I also like it because you can integrate syslog-ng with multiple solutions to allow real-time monitoring."
"For us, the most valuable feature is the use of compound search for searching logs at a specific time, by a specific user, or specific behavior."
"Syslog-ng has built-in features that we can use to create alerts for a SIEM solution. It isn't a true SIEM solution, but it's sufficient for the time being."
"Syslog-ng has a separate config file in addition to the core configuration."
"The ability to extract and store the logs is the most valuable feature of syslog-ng."
 

Cons

"The solution could use more graphics and be more specific in the dashboard. This way, I'm able to understand everything and effectively understand what's going on, including what's incoming and outgoing. Right now, I have to look up everything. I need a dashboard so that I can see specific items right there in one place."
"We would like to see some improvement on the upgrade process around this solution. There are sometimes communication issues when a new version of the firewall is implemented, and it fails to report back to this product."
"I believe that its technical support is the only aspect that requires significant improvement."
"The cost of FortiAnalyzer could be cheaper, especially when you are installing to a VM. For 90 percent of customers, the VM solution is enough."
"The solution costs too much."
"Software reports are good but should match the dashboard and include top-level output instead of just base or low-level devices."
"The support could be better for Fortinet FortiAnalyzer here in Mexico."
"The integration with other vendors for log collection could be enhanced."
"There is room for improvement in terms of observability."
"Syslog-ng has built-in features that we can use to create alerts for a SIEM solution. It isn't a true SIEM solution, but it's sufficient for the time being."
"The filtering has room for improvement."
"It's hard to find people who know how to use syslog-ng. I often find problems with configurations, and solutions aren't integrated correctly with syslog-ng. For example, there might be data with extra decimals, or the collector agents are incorrectly named. It isn't a problem with the solution; it's a lack of professionals."
"There is always the potential for additional integration and protocol extensions."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I won't say the solution is too costly since it is available at a fair price."
"Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is quite an expensive tool."
"The program is expensive."
"I rate Fortinet FortiAnalyzer's pricing as five out of ten."
"The company's choice to utilize Fortinet FortiAnalyzer was based on the overall security strategy and compatibility with existing solutions. It was deemed the best fit as it provided a centralized point of visibility for all of their security solution, including Fortinet FortiGate firewall, FortiClient, Forti EMS, and FortiAP. The company conducted a thorough evaluation of various solutions in the market but found that none of them could fully integrate and manage all their solutions as effectively as Fortinet FortiAnalyzer."
"The number of licenses required directly corresponds with the number of devices connected."
"The solution is quite expensive"
"The price of Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is expensive."
"Syslog-ng is open-source."
"Syslog-ng is a free open-source solution."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Log Management solutions are best for your needs.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Government
13%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Fortinet FortiAnalyzer?
The reporting features, which offer customization, real-time insights, and compliance support, are particularly noteworthy aspects.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiAnalyzer?
We pay roughly $5,000 for a solution that we needed specifically, but I do not remember the exact price. Overall, I find the pricing to be good compared to other tools in the market.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiAnalyzer?
The only area where it could improve is in providing better training for the tool. Some training would be beneficial, even though it's not entirely necessary for its usage.
What do you like most about syslog-ng?
For us, the most valuable feature is the use of compound search for searching logs at a specific time, by a specific user, or specific behavior.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for syslog-ng?
The pricing is in the middle. I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with one being expensive and ten being cheap.
What needs improvement with syslog-ng?
There is room for improvement in terms of observability. Additionally, a possible new feature could be Kafka integration.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

General Directorate of Information Technology
Tecnocom, University of Victoria, University of Exeter, Datapath
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiAnalyzer vs. syslog-ng and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.