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Fortinet FortiClient vs SonicWall SMA comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 6, 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 FortiClient
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
102
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (8th), Endpoint Compliance (1st)
SonicWall SMA
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
16th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.6
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Universal Access Gateways (2nd), SSL VPN (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiClient is 4.7%, down from 11.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall SMA is 2.7%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiClient4.7%
SonicWall SMA2.7%
Other92.6%
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
 

Featured Reviews

KL
Senior Technical Manager at Flexaccel
Remote access has become seamless and secure while deployment remains simple for our users
Performance could be improved today. People are now moving toward SASE, which stands for Secure Access, Secure Edge Solution. Fortinet also has that offering, which would be easier since it operates through the cloud, acting as a first line of defense. When the user connects to the internet, they connect to the cloud first for posture assessment and monitoring before connecting to the outside world. The impact is significant because nowadays people are adopting SASE. During COVID time, many users were trying to connect back to their office, causing the performance or CPU utilization of the firewall to increase tremendously, which slowed down performance. I have not worked with endpoint telemetry in Fortinet FortiClient that could have been helpful for threat mitigation.
BA
Owner at ThinkEzIT
Security enhances through autonomous protection and strong support while multi-factor authentication secures access
I haven't utilized the high availability and scalability features of SonicWall SMA yet because I've never had a need to. I don't know where they can focus their energy on continuous improvements, as I haven't been looking at what they're releasing. We're a small shop, so we drop stuff in and manage it and do what we need to do to maintain it. If we run into an issue, we contact support. There's a learning curve, but it comes down to getting support to train you on the product, and then once you have the training you need, you're able to make the changes and updates that you need to.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"What I like most about FortiClient is that it's easy to use. The way it displays information is very straightforward."
"It's got a very friendly user interface."
"If having a fancy system is not important to the person, but he is simply looking for a workable and stable solution, then FortiGate is the way to go."
"The EMS server gives us good control and central management."
"The most valuable features are the dynamic connectors, the ability to log into the Linux server, and the automatic linking of the FortiGate web filter."
"I would recommend FortiClient; this is a really good security product in the market."
"FortiClient benefits us by allowing control over internal and external users of the Fortinet network."
"The solution is stable, we have not had any issues in the time we have been using it."
"SonicWall SMA has the most valuable feature of proprietary security technologies like Capture ATP."
"My advice to others is this solution is reliable, feature-rich, and reasonable-priced."
"The advanced threat protection and the endpoint control features of SonicWall SMA have helped improve security measures tremendously."
"The SonicWall SSL-VPN solution offers the best protection with the least effect on services."
"These are very nice appliances and they give us all that we need for our work in the hospital."
"This solution has many options for remote desktop and access."
"The management and the dashboard are the solution's most valuable features."
"Blocklisting and allowlisting are the most beneficial features for network security."
 

Cons

"I think that for additional functions, there should be some deeper analysis into what is happening, such as trend analysis. The analytics part could be better."
"The documentation of this product could be improved."
"Compatibility issues between different versions."
"The features for application control and device control must be improved."
"Improvements are needed in the compatibility between different versions, as sometimes the latest version does not work, requiring a downgrade."
"Everybody else is doing AI, machine learning, self-healing, next-generation features. It needs more next-generation features. Everybody else is doing AI, machine learning, self-healing, next-generation features. It needs more next-generation features."
"Working with Distribution sometimes comes at a cost due to a lack of knowledge of the current status of your licensing and products."
"Sometimes there are issues when we are trying to connect. The error doesn't give us the proper feedback."
"There are some features that are available on Palo Alto or Cisco that don't exist. The solution could integrate better with other platforms."
"The pricing for the solution could be a lot less."
"The timed synchronization between the network appliance needs improvement."
"The product itself is very good, but Dell needs to work on product visibility in their advertising."
"The only thing that they could try to improve is the support for enterprise customers."
"Enhancing live tracking capabilities could improve the product, particularly in monitoring user activity and request statuses in real-time on the web interface."
"This solution is very slow, and the competitors have much higher speeds."
"The only thing that they could try to improve is the support for enterprise customers. Normally enterprises and SMBs can create a ticket, but for enterprises, SonicWall SMA needs to provide a global view, and this is what's currently missing. It's not even a question of timing. It's a question of the global vision because currently, it's lacking. They concentrate on the topic, but not on the means and not on the global picture. In most cases, there's something wrong with the integration of SonicWall SMA with other products, so that could also be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing fee varies with what one is trying to accomplish. It can range from being free to costing several hundred thousand dollars per year."
"The price of the solution depends on the type of firewall you have from FortiGate. I am satisfied with the price of the solution."
"It is not that expensive. It was within the range. A dollar per user per month is nothing."
"Fortinet FortiClient comes free with the purchase of the FortiGate solution. There is a license required for this solution. You later can upgrade from the free version which will allow more endpoints. The cost of the license subscription is based on how many endpoints you require."
"The pricing is good because you get and end-to-end security solution in one package price."
"Anyone can download this product for free, but you have to have a FortiGate gateway that you are connecting to."
"An annual license costs about 1.5 to 3,000 US dollars. There are no additional costs."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"This solution is priced well and we currently have the maximum number of licenses allowed."
"The platform has medium pricing."
"All the costs are included in a bundled license."
"I don't know about the pricing of the SSL-VPN box. I know the SSL-VPN software is free. Global VPN client, by comparison, is licensed for around $150 or something like that. But the SSL-VPN software is free. It is already built-in with the box."
"The cost of the licensing is based on the maximum number of concurrent users, and it costs a lot to add them."
"Our licenses are stackable and can be anywhere from five users to a million users."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Construction Company
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Construction Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business59
Midsize Enterprise23
Large Enterprise25
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

How does Fortinet FortiClient compare with Open VPN Access Server?
Fortinet FortiClient is a feature-rich solution that is easy to use and deploy without sacrificing safety and security. It has a very fast connection rate and has a built-in VPN. With this solution...
What's the difference between Fortinet's FortiEDR and FortiClient?
I suggest Fortinet’s FortiEDR over FortiClient for several reasons. For starters, FortiEDR guarantees solid protection because it continually scans servers for emerging vulnerabilities, which gives...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiClient?
The solution is not cloud-based; it comes from the firewall itself.
What needs improvement with SonicWall SMA?
I haven't utilized the high availability and scalability features of SonicWall SMA yet because I've never had a need to. I don't know where they can focus their energy on continuous improvements, a...
What is your primary use case for SonicWall SMA?
I have experience with the SonicWall SMA; we have rolled it back into our stack. We use SonicWall SMA for all of our clients that need VPNs, including doctor's offices and lawyer offices. Our clien...
 

Also Known As

FortiClient
SonicWall Aventail, SonicWall SMA SSL-VPN, SonicWall Secure Mobile Access
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
UnitedStack, Newport City Homes, Faith Lutheran College Redlands, PRIME aerostructures GmbH, Celtic Manor Resort
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiClient vs. SonicWall SMA and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
908,800 professionals have used our research since 2012.