Fortinet FortiGate vs Juniper NetScreen [EOL] comparison

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Fortinet and Juniper are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Additionally, 92% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Juniper users who would recommend it.

Fortinet FortiGate

Read 595 Fortinet FortiGate reviews

95,567 Views
65,941 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Juniper NetScreen [EOL]

Read 3 Juniper NetScreen [EOL] reviews

100% willing to recommend

Fortinet FortiGate

Juniper NetScreen [EOL]

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2026

Fortinet FortiGate and Juniper NetScreen EOL compete in the network security space. Fortinet FortiGate appears to have the upper hand due to its pricing and support advantages.

Features: Fortinet FortiGate offers comprehensive threat protection, seamless integration with other solutions, and an all-in-one security approach. Juniper NetScreen EOL provides strong traffic management capabilities, detailed logging options, and valuable control and monitoring tools.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortinet FortiGate is noted for its straightforward deployment and responsive customer support. It offers detailed documentation and a robust support network. Juniper NetScreen EOL presents a more complex deployment but benefits from dedicated service offerings.

Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiGate is seen as more cost-effective with lower upfront costs and a strong ROI, attracting cost-sensitive buyers. Juniper NetScreen EOL involves higher initial expenses but provides value with its advanced capabilities for buyers seeking comprehensive features.

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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

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

595

Ranking in other categories

Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (2nd), Firewalls (1st), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (2nd), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (2nd), WAN Edge (1st), ZTNA (2nd), Unified Threat Management (UTM) (1st)

Juniper NetScreen [EOL]

Average Rating

9.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Vijay Ramani

Practice Head at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

Unified security has protected diverse environments and supports consistent policies everywhere

I would say 8 out of 10 regarding the stability of Fortinet FortiGate. It requires a lot of bug fixing and what I understand, Fortinet is fast enough to provide bug fixes and patches, but usually I suggest Fortinet should do thorough testing of their releases and software releases and once probably they can reduce the frequency of new releases but make it stable. That's what my recommendation is. As far as the core objective of Fortinet FortiGate is concerned, I think they are meeting the targets but I guess for rolling out new features and new updates, they are doing a bit of hurry just to cope with the market dynamics. But possibly, I understand that they are compromising on the quality of the software and stability. So over there they have to improve. Rest of the aspects, I guess they are doing pretty good. We are happy. Regarding my experience with Fortinet FortiGate in comparison to maybe some other vendors such as CyberArk, Fortinet is in the top three and they give a lot of competition to their nearest peers in the market. But I guess Fortinet is really struggling in software-defined LAN, Wi-Fi, and FortiSwitches space. So they have to make their products more affordable in Forti-switching and Forti-WiFi space. They are not able to compete effectively with the nearest competitor HP Enterprise and HP Aruba.

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it_user701430

Network and Security Engineer

It is easy to use with access via CLI and GUI. It also has good stability.

It is easy to use with access via CLI and GUI. It also has good stability I am not able to answer this question. Features which could be improved include the search functions and the database size. From what I remember it wasn't very easy to search for specific objects or rules. One issue I…

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We can use our devices to check all of the perimeters, and it secures email websites."

"The GUI is good."

"For the performance they provide, the price is acceptable."

"Security solution with a straightforward and quick setup. It's a stable and scalable product."

"The services from Fortinet products are very, very good, the WIFI that Fortinet provides for us is fantastic, the VPN tunnel is very stable with more than one option which is helpful, and it is a very, very, very useful tool."

"We have received a very good ROI; it has provided significant time savings of almost 20-25%."

"FortiGate is the most effective solution for us and it's a cheaper option to Check Point or Palo Alto which we looked at."

"The best part of this product is that you have the same functionalities throughout the range of products, whether you deploy a small firewall or a big one, it's the same and you have the same functionality almost, so that's one of the benefits."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"It is easy to use with access via CLI and GUI."

"Retrospectively, I would definitely recommend this product because of its functionalities, its reliability, and the good support."

"Juniper NetsScreen is a pretty straightforward firewall appliance which is certainly a good fit from mid-size organizations to big enterprises."

Cons

"Palo Alto has a feature called WildFire Analysis that is unavailable in FortiGate. WildFire is better than a sandbox because it can address zero-day threats and vulnerabilities. It can immediately identify zero-day threats from the cloud."

"I would like to see improvements made to the dashboard and UI, as well as to the reporting."

"The room for improvement is about the global delivery time period. Usually I need to wait for almost one month to deliver it overseas. So if you can shorten the deliver time it'd be great."

"There should be some open-source training or free training for decision makers, or some webinars should be available. These would help understand the new product line and the existing product line features."

"I would evaluate customer support from Fortinet FortiGate as seven or eight out of ten. The reason I do not give 10 out of 10 for customer support is that while they follow the SLA and there is no issue with that, for them it might be P3, but for us, it might be P1 or P2 case."

"The licensing model and pricing need improvement."

"The price could be improved."

"The non-error conserve mode has room for improvement."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"Features which could be improved include the search functions and the database size."

"There has been some remote accessibility issues at times with older models."

"The initial setup was quite complex."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Fortinet FortiGate gives you most of the features in one license."

"Each feature costs money, so it is important to study your needs."

"FortiGate Next Generation Firewall is an expensive solution."

"The pricing is better compared to other solutions like Check Point, Arista, or Cisco."

"They are more expensive than others."

"The cost is too high... They have to focus on more features with less cost for the customer. If you see the market, where it's going, there are a lot of players offering more features for less cost."

"Fortinet FortiGate IPS is cheaper than other solutions like Cisco or Check Point."

"There is a license to use Fortinet FortiGate."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user216600

Senior Technical Consultant with 51-200 employees

Jan 3, 2016

Sophos UTM vs. Fortinet FortiGate

I have used both Sophos and Fortinet products in production and I have found the Sophos UTM appliances (hardware and virtual) to be a better fit most of the time -- with a few caveats which I will touch on below. In both instances, the transition from TMG will be mostly straightforward. The main…

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Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	373
Midsize Enterprise	139
Large Enterprise	195

No data available

Questions from the Community

Which is the better NGFW: Fortinet Fortigate or Cisco Firepower?

When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage at large. In my opinion, Fortinet would be the best option and l use Fortinet too...

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What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?

From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know the firewalls change every 5 to 7 years as stated but you really do need to upg...

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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 good. The most valuable features for me are their web and email filtering. I wou...

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Comparisons

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 15% of the time

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 12% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 6% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 2% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Netgate pfSense vs Juniper NetScreen [EOL]

Compared 58% of the time

Sophos UTM vs Juniper NetScreen [EOL]

Compared 17% of the time

More Juniper NetScreen [EOL] Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

October 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Firewalls

October 2026

Download Juniper NetScreen [EOL] product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

No data available

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

The Juniper Networks NetScreen Series is a line of purpose-built, high-performance security systems designed for large enterprise, carrier, and data center networks. Architected with both existing and future network design in mind, the NetScreen Series consists of two platforms: the 2-slot NetScreen-5200 and the 4-slot NetScreen-5400. Integrating firewall, VPN, traffic management functionality, Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection in a low profile modular chassis, the NetScreen Series delivers scalable performance for the most demanding network environments.

Juniper

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

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