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Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs UserLock comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 11, 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 FortiAuthenticator
Ranking in Authentication Systems
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
64
Ranking in other categories
Single Sign-On (SSO) (10th), Identity Management (IM) (15th), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) (2nd)
UserLock
Ranking in Authentication Systems
30th
Average Rating
10.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
Access Management (34th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Authentication Systems category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is 3.0%, down from 7.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of UserLock is 1.0%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Authentication Systems Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator3.0%
UserLock1.0%
Other96.0%
Authentication Systems
 

Featured Reviews

Sachin Vinay - PeerSpot reviewer
Assistant Manager-Networks at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Supports secure remote authentication and provides comprehensive user activity tracking
The most important feature is the security capability because it provides a substantial amount of security for admin-related activities. Fortinet FortiAuthenticator can be used from anywhere in the world, and the authenticator services function globally. This global accessibility is one of the critical advantages, particularly since admin features are critical and security is a real concern. With Fortinet FortiAuthenticator, secure usage of firewall services and related functions is achieved. A complete log of all users who access the authenticator setup is maintained. Monthly logs are reviewed to check for any unnoticed activities. Each authenticated user's complete activity history is recorded. This logging capability allows for providing access to more admin users while ensuring security is not compromised and all users can be monitored.
Bill H. - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology at City Of Keizer
Affordable, easy to use, and integrates well with Active Directory
The product and service are already great as it is but if I could add one feature, I guess it would be nice to have another factor of authentication (two additional factors) like your phone and a token for example, for when people forget their phone at home. It’s not that I mind not having two factors, but I do get that question from time to time from some of our users who think it would be really useful. From what I’ve heard, they’re working on it and it should be coming in the next version so that’s great news.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I really like the two-step authentication, it provides a higher level of security that we didn't have previously."
"FortiAuthenticator is easy to use."
"Features the addition and removal of access as needed for the VPN."
"In terms of benefits, the tool provides both cost savings and efficiency, but efficiency is more important for our customers."
"It integrates very tightly with the rest of the Fortinet ecosystem."
"If you want a more efficient way to manage two-factor authentication for your users, or implement the unit as a cluster member role, the FortiAuthenticator can be incorporated very well into your environment."
"Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is an easy-to-use solution."
"The most valuable aspect of the solution is the security; it's great."
"The most valuable features are two-factor authentication and real-time logon monitoring."
"We mainly implemented UserLock for multi-factor authentication, but the user login insights are also nice."
"UserLock was pretty easy to set up and simple to use, and the documentation covered everything."
"It is affordable, integrates easily with Active Directory, and is simple to install and maintain."
 

Cons

"Integration with FortiGate could be more fluid."
"The technical support could be improved as some staff lacks the necessary knowledge to assist effectively."
"Technical support used to be much better. Fortinet seems to be downgrading, so everything takes longer to get a response in comparison to the past."
"The integration with third-party tools must be better."
"There is room for improvement in stability and support."
"The customization capability of Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is not very flexible."
"The integration with other products, for example, some SAML authentications, would make it more flexible."
"One of our clients has faced a lot of issues with FortiAuthenticator. For example, one of the devices restarted by itself, and the database was corrupted."
"I would like to see UserLock add the ability to automatically create a group policy in Active Directory. That might streamline the setup process."
"The product and service are already great as it is but if I could add one feature, I guess it would be nice to have another factor of authentication (two additional factors) like your phone and a token for example, for when people forget their phone at home."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"You can pay as you go with them. You purchase a base license and add to it as needed."
"I would start off with a VM including the base license and scale according to the number of users you need to authenticate."
"The platform provides a user-based pricing model rather than a subscription pricing model."
"Between paying them to help with the configuration, the box itself, and the support, it came to like $12,500, including a three-year service agreement."
"The price seems okay. It's not that expensive compared to other authenticators."
"The licensing structure is cost-effective for us compared to some of the other solutions that have recurring monthly costs."
"I price of the solution is expensive."
"I would rate the pricing a four out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive. It is not that costly. It is cheap, easy to manage, easy to install, and easy to configure."
"You will be hard-pressed to find better pricing."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Construction Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
19%
Construction Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Outsourcing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business38
Midsize Enterprise18
Large Enterprise11
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiAuthenticator?
Fortinet can make Fortinet FortiAuthenticator better by having a cloud version of it. Currently, Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is only available for on-premises, and it is an on-premises solution. It...
What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiAuthenticator?
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is primarily used for authenticating admin users, including remote admin use cases. Remote admin use cases utilize Fortinet FortiAuthenticator to securely authenticate a...
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Also Known As

FortiAuthenticator
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Barclays, US Department of Justice, National Bank of Kuwait, Turkish Aerospace, New York Albany School District, Regtransfers, University of Kent, Camden City School District, Oklahoma City Public Schools, Bank of Cyprus, Detran-PE: Pernambuco State Traffic Department
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs. UserLock and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,683 professionals have used our research since 2012.