Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs Sangfor NGAF comparison

Fortinet and Sangfor are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Fortinet is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.2, while Sangfor is ranked #21 with an average rating of 8.4. Fortinet holds a 2.2% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to Sangfor’s 1.1% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Sangfor users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

Fortinet FortiGate-VM and Sangfor NGAF both compete in the network security solutions category. While Fortinet boasts an extensive feature set suitable for complex infrastructures, Sangfor is more accessible for smaller businesses due to its ease of use and affordability.

Features: Fortinet FortiGate-VM offers advanced security with integrated management, SD-WAN, and unified threat management capabilities. Its security fabric allows seamless integration with other Fortinet solutions. Sangfor NGAF is noted for its easy deployment and user-friendly interface, featuring real-time threat detection, bandwidth management, and comprehensive security options.

Room for Improvement: Fortinet FortiGate-VM could benefit from addressing the costs associated with its pricing model, enhancing deployment ease, and refining its technical support responsiveness. On the other hand, Sangfor NGAF could improve by expanding its advanced features, simplifying the user interface, and increasing its market presence.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortinet FortiGate-VM supports various deployments including public and private clouds, while being responsive in technical support, although inconsistently. Sangfor NGAF excels in on-premise deployment simplicity and generally faster, more straightforward customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiGate-VM is priced higher to reflect its comprehensive features and advanced capabilities, offering good ROI for larger infrastructures. Sangfor NGAF provides excellent ROI through competitive pricing, appealing to budget-conscious organizations looking for effective security solutions at a lower cost.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. Sangfor NGAF Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. Sangfor NGAF

June 2026

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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:

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 15.1%, down from 21.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate-VM is 2.2%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sangfor NGAF is 1.1%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	15.1%
Fortinet FortiGate-VM	2.2%
Sangfor NGAF	1.1%
Other	81.6%

Firewalls

Featured Reviews

Mageshwaran S

Solution Architect at airtel

Enables customers to manage security effortlessly with intuitive features and easy integration

In terms of improvements for Fortinet FortiGate, they could offer evaluation licenses, as compared to Meraki, which provides a 90-day evaluation. In Fortinet FortiGate, they do not provide standard evaluation licenses; instead, we need to request them from the OEM through the account manager for POCs. If we want to conduct a demo, we need to work with real hardware. In comparison to Cisco, we have DCloud, which helps with providing demos to customers, but in Meraki, I need to reach out to them, book a lab, and they need to provide all the hardware. I need remote access and L3 engineers to program it; only then can I offer a real-time demo to the customer.

Read full review

Karel Ondracek

Network Administrator at THK Co Ltd

Faced hardware limitations and setup challenges but have improved network protection over time

I spent much time finding exact firmware on Aruba which was working with these guns, but it is not optimal because it is not the latest version, so there could be potential security problems. We decided to replace those access points with another one. I personally have trouble because I don't know the exact life cycle of Fortinet FortiGate-VM boxes. I don't know if the life of boxes is five years or something else; we moved from our previous company, which sold us to other companies. Before 10 years, we had a special department that took care of core networks, including firewalls. After that, this responsibility fell to me and my colleague. It is not easy to set up these Fortinet FortiGate-VM boxes properly because we didn't have previous experience with this kind of solution. At first, we set up only a few rules that were not secure enough, and over a couple of years, we improved the settings and security of these Fortinet FortiGate-VM boxes. Currently, I have one Fortinet FortiGate-VM that needs to be replaced next year, and this box is not so powerful, so I need to redirect some traffic to another Fortinet FortiGate-VM. It is stable, but because the CPU processor of this box is not powerful, I need to redirect some traffic to another box. In the future, I need to choose a higher-level box to prevent potential troubles with the power of this box.

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Zaid Farooqui

CIO at Indus Motor Company

Enhanced threat detection with integrated security features and good support

We are using application firewalling, WAF, and SD-WAN. The capabilities are mostly within the box. For example, you will get web application firewall WAF as part and parcel of this. SD-WAN is also bundled. It integrates with their SIEM and SOAR solutions very nicely. Lastly, the pricing point is very cost-efficient as well.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The wireless control is helpful."

"Fortinet scores very high against security threats when you compare it with Check Point and Palo Alto."

"The integration with Active Directory is one of the good features. Most of the customers are now looking for the Single Sign-on feature. So, being able to integrate Active Directory with the firewall is useful. It is also easy."

"When you start looking at the cost of the license for all the things that you get, Fortinet is by far the best option."

"The customization potential is quite impressive."

"Offers good security and filtering."

"Our company uses the solution to prevent traffic that is not supposed to be traveling through our firewalls, and when we find log issues, we easily fine tune the IPS to block that traffic so it cannot penetrate our environment."

"Technical support is acceptable, and they're good in terms of local support and global support."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"The best part about FortiGate-VM is its strong security."

"All the security features that are built into the product are valuable."

"It is scalable because it is a virtual appliance. You can probably scale it up more."

"Fortinet FortiGate has positively impacted our organization by allowing us to scale fast."

"I really like that it's internationally deployable."

"The solution's initial setup process was very easy."

"I would recommend stopping waiting to use Fortinet Fortigate; it's really a great solution and their support is very good."

"The FortiGate 60E is a top product for these Austrian companies for all cases of Internet usage."

More Fortinet FortiGate-VM pros

"It offers application control features."

"Sangfor NGAF specializes in ransomware detection and helps to protect our network from ransomware threats and malware."

"Sangfor is a good solution that provides a WAF and firewall solution; most other vendors, like Sophos and Fortinet and Cisco, only provide one solution, and that's a valuable feature of Sangfor."

"The most valuable features are the WAN optimization, the internet access gateway (IAG), and the central console, which allows us to implement on their firewall."

"We've found the technical support to be helpful."

"The product is very fast and reliable."

"The tool's performance is good."

"We use Sangfor NGAF primarily for security, which has helped save our files from being encrypted by ransomware."

More Sangfor NGAF pros

Cons

"I would like to see improvements in the support from Fortinet. Here in the Philippines, whenever we have problems with a Fortinet product, we mostly ask for support from distributors and resellers and not directly from Fortinet."

"It is somewhat expensive compared to other solutions such as Sophos."

"It would be better if they had a dashboard where we could see what attacks were happening. It would be good to see who's trying to get into our network."

"IP tracing works only so-so."

"To the best of my knowledge, Fortinet does not have a CASB solution and Fortinet does not have a Zero trust solution."

"The dashboard is not user friendly so is a bit complicated."

"It can be a little bit more user-friendly in terms of policy definition and implementation. It seems a little bit complicated, and it could be simplified."

"One of the problems I was having was with user mapping, and it is an issue for which I have escalated tickets with Fortinet support."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"Customization needs improvement."

"The solution should provide more useful GUI features."

"Their offering for MFA isn't the cleanest."

"The WAF is extremely limited."

"The product may not be as robust as Palo Alto. However, unless you are a big bank, you probably won't need it to be."

"In terms of room for improvement, logging could be improved. Sometimes the logs are more difficult to read and to identify root cause analysis."

"The tech support calls were not the best and could be improved. There have been times when we felt as if we knew more about the device than the support person on the phone."

"Technical support could be better."

More Fortinet FortiGate-VM cons

"It does not offer any recommendations on how to mitigate or control attacks."

"It has an issue with the Sangfor Cloud Platform rather than the firewall. When we run a virtual machine, the window tabs display Chinese characters."

"The interface and user experience are horrible."

"Scalability for any network device is not very easy in terms of vertical scalability."

"An area of improvement for Sangfor NGAF could be in the field of reporting and logging."

"The tool is expensive."

"I think the GUI needs to be improved, there are a lot of areas where the panes do not make sense."

"The support offered by the product has certain shortcomings where improvements are required. The knowledge levels and response time of the support team need improvement."

More Sangfor NGAF cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is okay."

"Our licensing costs are on a yearly basis."

"The pricing of the solution is very competitive."

"The pricing is perfect."

"It was worth the money overall. It's good value."

"They need to be competitive with other solutions."

"Fortinet FortiGate SWG is an affordable solution."

"The pricing for this solution is good."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"For large enterprises, price is not a problem because they need that solution. However, in the Philippine market, many of our clients are still small to medium businesses, so the price can be challenging. The license for Fortinet FortiGate-VM costs 100K to 150K Philippine pesos per year for VM1 or VM2."

"There is an annual license required to use the solution."

"The license can be purchased at intervals of one, three, and five years."

"This solution is very expensive."

"The basic pricing in Austria is OK, but asking for special offers, e.g., NPOs, NGOs, trade up, and/or trade in, is always useful."

"I rate Fortinet FortiGate-VM's pricing a six out of ten."

"Installation does not require another license making it an inexpensive solution."

"The price of the solution is competitive. Fortinet FortiGate-VM had a lot of advantages when it came to pricing. However, the competition has also geared up to a larger extent and it has become comparable now to the other solutions."

More Fortinet FortiGate-VM pricing and cost advice

"The product is very cost-effective compared to other brands or vendors."

"The price is unmatcheable."

"When it comes to the price of firewall solutions, Sangfor NGAF takes the cake."

"The price falls in the mid-range, neither exceptionally low nor high."

"In my opinion, the price of the tool is good in the Pakistani market. We can easily get discounts if needed."

"The license of Sangfor NGAF can be purchased at different interval lengths, such as annually or three years. They offer a range of packages to choose from, such as combo or hybrid packages. We are using the complete solution package which includes IM, NGF and SSL VPN, and WAF."

"For four to five physical appliances for a licensed firewall, it costs approximately $4,000."

"If you know you have around 200+ computer users on your network, then the Sangfor NGAF 5200-F-I model would be the minimum recommended model for that amount of users. This model includes modules for packet filtering, deep packet inspection, malware scanning, DSCP filtration, and many other features."

More Sangfor NGAF pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

10%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Construction Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	370
Midsize Enterprise	138
Large Enterprise	195

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	72
Midsize Enterprise	34
Large Enterprise	39

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	10

Questions from the Community

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What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?

As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite ...

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Features comparison between Palo Alto and Fortinet firewalls

In the best tradition of these questions, Feature-wise both are quite similar, but each has things it's better at, it...

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Which would you recommend - FortiGate VM or Azure Firewall?

Both of these solutions are excellent options that provide flexible scalability and solid security. Fortinet Fortigat...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiGate-VM?

From our perspective, it's quite good. When we have the visibility, we will make our policies depending on the threat...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sangfor NGAF?

The licensing cost is quite high compared to other available firewalls in the market.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Sangfor NGAF?

The cost of licensing is very high compared to other firewalls available here. There should be improvements in hardwa...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Sangfor NGAF?

We are hosting applications over the platform, including websites and NAT traffic from our side. Because it's deploye...

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 16% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 5% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Azure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 14% of the time

Palo Alto Networks VM-Series vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 9% of the time

Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 6% of the time

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate-VM

Compared 4% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate-VM Competitors

Sophos Firewall vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 12% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 8% of the time

H3C SecPath Firewalls vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 8% of the time

Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security) vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 7% of the time

OPNsense vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 2% of the time

More Sangfor NGAF Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

June 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate-VM

June 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate-VM product report

Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF

May 2026

Download Sangfor NGAF product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

FortiGate Virtual Appliance, FortiGate-VM

Sangfor NGAF Firewall Platform

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate is a versatile network security tool offering features like VPN, firewall, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and scalability. It is known for its performance and integration with other Fortinet products, making it a preferred choice for robust cybersecurity.

Fortinet FortiGate stands out as a comprehensive cybersecurity solution with strong performance and ease of configuration. It delivers unified threat management, integrating features such as dynamic routing, SD-WAN support, and centralized management. Despite its strengths, improvements in the web interface's stability, pricing structures, and reporting capabilities are needed. Users seek better integration with third-party tools and automation advancements to enhance the experience further. These enhancements, alongside improvements in bandwidth management and the reduction of licensing costs, are points of interest for users looking to capitalize on FortiGate's extensive capabilities.

What are Fortinet FortiGate's key features?

VPN: Ensures secure remote connections.
Firewall: Protects against unauthorized access.
Web Filtering: Blocks malicious sites and content.
Application Control: Manages and controls applications.
Intrusion Prevention: Detects and prevents vulnerabilities.
SSL Inspection: Enhances security by inspecting encrypted traffic.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating Fortinet FortiGate?

Affordability: Offers cost-effective security solutions.
Reliability: Known for consistent and stable performance.
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other Fortinet products.
Comprehensive Protection: Provides broad threat protection capabilities.

Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries as a primary firewall system for securing internet gateways and safeguarding data centers. It supports businesses in achieving SD-WAN integration and enhances cybersecurity by providing essential features like antivirus, web filtering, and application control. Enterprises utilize FortiGate for securing remote connections and ensuring compliance with security standards, making it adaptable for different network sizes and industries.

Fortinet

Fortinet FortiGate-VM delivers robust security services and advanced network management suitable for cloud environments, providing solutions like firewall and SD-WAN, with seamless integration across Fortinet devices.

FortiGate-VM is designed for enterprise security, offering comprehensive features like intrusion prevention and application filtering. It's known for its scalability and flexibility, supporting cloud platforms such as Azure and AWS. It enhances threat response and network management efficiency, thanks to real-time threat response, intuitive integration with existing systems, and cost-effectiveness.

What are the key features of Fortinet FortiGate-VM?

Strong Security: Offers firewall, intrusion prevention, and application filtering.
SD-WAN Capability: Improves network connectivity and performance.
Scalability: Efficient scaling in cloud environments.
Integration: Seamlessly connects with other Fortinet devices.

What benefits can users expect from Fortinet FortiGate-VM?

Enhanced Network Management: Simplifies deployment with real-time threat response.
Cost-Effectiveness: Optimal for managing network protocols at reasonable costs.
Flexibility in Deployment: Suitable for secure virtual machine operations on platforms like Azure or AWS.

Fortinet FortiGate-VM is predominantly employed in industries requiring stringent data center security, enabling network segmentation and VPN services. It's particularly favored by organizations using virtual and cloud networks due to its Unified Threat Management capabilities, making it an efficient solution for protecting virtual environments from threats.

Fortinet

Sangfor NGAF offers a user-friendly firewall solution with a strong virus database and competitive pricing. It supports SSL VPN connectivity, intrusion detection, and is known for easy deployment and integration capabilities.

Sangfor NGAF is a comprehensive security platform providing robust network protection through its application control and detailed threat insights. While effective in preventing threats and ensuring network security, it has areas needing improvement such as real-time reporting and system support. It delivers secure internet and VPN connections, proficiently handling malware threats. However, it faces challenges with user experience, reporting capabilities, hardware scalability, and needs better third-party integration. Licensing costs are noted to be high, and there are performance variations between versions.

What are the key features of Sangfor NGAF?

User-friendly deployment: Offers an uncomplicated setup process.
Robust virus database: Provides reliable threat detection.
SSL VPN connectivity: Ensures secure remote access.
Application control: Manages application usage for enhanced security.
Intrusion detection: Detects unauthorized access attempts.
URL filtering: Prevents access to malicious websites.

What benefits should users expect when evaluating Sangfor NGAF?

Affordability: Competitive pricing compared to peers.
Integration: Good capabilities with existing systems.
Support: Noted for providing reliable customer service.
Threat prevention: Effective in securing networks against various threats.

Sangfor NGAF is widely used across industries including education, healthcare, and finance for its reliable network security. It is favored for securing internal servers, offering robust threat protection, and managing bandwidth efficiently at a budget-friendly rate.

Sangfor

Sample Customers

Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP, Oracle, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Vodafone, Orange, BT Group, Telstra, Deutsche Telekom, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, CenturyLink, NTT Communications, Tata Communications, SoftBank, China Mobile, Singtel, Telus, Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, Telkom Indonesia, Telkom South Africa, Telmex, Telia Company, Telkom Kenya

Security7 Networks, COOPENAE

The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (Indonesia), Lawson, Inc. (Philippines), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (Indonesia), TEK Automotive (Italy), etc.

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. Sangfor NGAF

June 2026

Free Report: Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. Sangfor NGAF

Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiGate-VM vs. Sangfor NGAF and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.

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