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Fortinet FortiManager vs NetScaler comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 1, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
4.9
Fortinet FortiManager offers cost-effectiveness with 24% reduced administration costs and high ROI through integrated security and centralized management.
Sentiment score
8.1
NetScaler improves security, stability, and cost-efficiency, enhancing operations and supporting medium enterprises with effective load balancing.
Fortinet provides a strong ROI for organizations focused on comprehensive security.
Network Security Engineer/ Firewall Engineer at Charter Communications
The cost has been reduced for us by 24%.
Global Head of IT Infrastructure at EPL Americas
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.0
Fortinet FortiManager is efficient and reliable, though improvements in wait times, technical depth, and local support are desired.
Sentiment score
6.1
Citrix's NetScaler support is generally helpful but inconsistent, with issues like delays, expertise gaps, and slow complex problem resolution.
The people are very good, and they are very attentive.
Engineer of Preventa Sir at InterNexa S.A
They are responsive and resolve issues quickly when I raise a ticket.
Senior Associate at City Union Bank Ltd
Fortinet support is responsive and helpful.
Global Head of IT Infrastructure at EPL Americas
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
Fortinet FortiManager is praised for scalability and centralized management, supporting various environments while requiring potential licensing upgrades.
Sentiment score
7.8
NetScaler is praised for scalability and flexibility, though licensing complexity and multi-tenancy limitations pose challenges for some users.
Whenever you are monitoring or managing more than 10 or 20 firewalls, it is evident that you need a single pane of glass, which Fortinet FortiManager is offering.
Global Head of IT Infrastructure at EPL Americas
You can raise the capacity as you go, and there is no limit for hardware.
Security Architect at Bouygues Telecom Mobile
The problem is cloud connectivity and roaming profiles are not working, as there is no option for them.
Network engineer at JOYALUKKAS
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Fortinet FortiManager is stable and reliable with proper hardware, though performance slightly varies; maintenance and updates are crucial.
Sentiment score
7.6
NetScaler is highly stable and reliable, with minor configuration issues not significantly affecting its overall functionality.
95% of the time, there are no problems interacting with other devices.
Security Architect at Bouygues Telecom Mobile
It is an absolutely very stable product, and we have not encountered any kind of disruption as far as the product is concerned.
Global Head of IT Infrastructure at EPL Americas
 

Room For Improvement

Fortinet FortiManager needs better documentation, UI, third-party integration, and improved performance amidst pricing, licensing, and support challenges.
NetScaler needs improved documentation, user experience, support, integration, scalability, security, and licensing to enhance user satisfaction and efficiency.
FortiManager is a good tool, but there is a lack of really advanced documentation.
Security Architect at Bouygues Telecom Mobile
The graphical user interface could use improvement as it appears complex and not user-friendly.
Senior Network Engineer at SP SYSNET PTE. LTD.
Fortinet FortiManager could benefit from integrations with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions.
Senior Associate at City Union Bank Ltd
 

Setup Cost

Fortinet FortiManager's pricing is competitive, with varying opinions, cost-effective for larger deployments, and negotiable for existing customers.
NetScaler is robust but considered expensive, with high subscription fees and pricing often above competitors like A10.
I find Fortinet FortiManager to be a bit more expensive, especially when considering the environment.
Head of Presales at AcSys Networks Private Limited
I am satisfied with the licensing cost, and I would rate it an 8.5.
Global Head of IT Infrastructure at EPL Americas
 

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiManager offers centralized management, automation, scalability, and integration, enhancing security and efficiency across complex network environments.
NetScaler offers load balancing, security, and integration with Citrix, praised for customization, management, high availability, and user-friendly interface.
I can automate the installation of configurations using different programming languages like Python or HPE, and it's a GUI solution, so it's pretty easy to use, even for basic users.
Security Architect at Bouygues Telecom Mobile
Being able to push consistent firewall rules and configuration changes across multiple FortiGates saves a ton of time and reduces errors compared to managing each device individually.
Network Security Engineer/ Firewall Engineer at Charter Communications
I centrally log in to one portal, which is Fortinet FortiManager, and after that, I can access any FortiGate devices and manage them.
Technical Manager at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiManager
Ranking in Network Management Applications
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
74
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
NetScaler
Ranking in Network Management Applications
13th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
107
Ranking in other categories
Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) (3rd), Web Application Firewall (WAF) (20th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiManager is 4.1%, down from 5.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetScaler is 3.2%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Management Applications Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiManager4.1%
NetScaler3.2%
Other92.7%
Network Management Applications
 

Featured Reviews

SudeepMaydeo - PeerSpot reviewer
Global Head of IT Infrastructure at EPL Americas
Ensures seamless integration and centralized visibility for network security operations
The version upgrade from a single dashboard for all the firewalls in one click is the beauty of Fortinet FortiManager as the most impactful feature in managing our network security. Fortinet FortiManager's policy management enhances our security protocols by enabling us and giving integrated centralized visibility, which has proven to be very healthy. Because of this, we have identified some of the vulnerabilities in our systems, and we mitigated them through Fortinet FortiManager. The central dashboards and the visibility are what appealed to us to go with Fortinet FortiManager. Fortinet FortiManager has adapted to changes in our network scale and complexity as we have geographically 18 international locations, all equipped with firewalls and some cybersecurity initiatives and IT infrastructure initiatives.
MP
Senior Data Center Engineer at Axians
Load balancing and secure access have supported complex migrations and automation at scale
NetScaler has positively impacted my organization because I work for a system integrator and deploy it for customers. Many customers are really happy with NetScaler, except for the pricing, as Citrix has changed a lot of their pricing in the last two or three years when they transitioned to Cloud Software Group. However, despite that, I know customers are really satisfied with the technical capabilities that NetScaler provides. While I do not have specific outcomes or metrics from my customers, I think using Core Logic has made it much easier for the big municipality I mentioned to implement NetScaler as a total solution, thus speeding up their automation. There are likely many benefits, but I lack benchmarks or timing figures to quantify that.
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Top Industries

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

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business34
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise21
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business44
Midsize Enterprise24
Large Enterprise59
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiManager?
I am satisfied with the licensing cost, and I would rate it an 8.5.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiManager?
I think Fortinet FortiManager can be improved as the web page loading is slightly slow.
What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiManager?
My main use case for Fortinet FortiManager is to manage multiple FortiGate devices. I can confirm that I use Fortinet FortiManager perfectly in my main use case.
What advice do you have for others considering Citrix NetScaler?
My advice to others looking into using NetScaler is simply to go use it. I give this product an overall rating of 8.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix ADM?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing has revealed that the licensing recently changed to a plus model, which is manageable if you know what you are doing. However, the transition f...
What needs improvement with Citrix Web App and API Protection?
I think NetScaler can improve in pricing, and with the recent release of version 15.1, the successor to 14.1, there are claims of improved performance due to the kernel change. I believe that integ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Citrix ADC, Citrix NetScaler VPX, NetScaler Console, NetScaler Web Application Firewall, NetScaler VPX - Customer Licensed
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
ABB Schweiz, Aer Lingus, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Amnet Technology Solutions, Aramex International, Ascenty, Atos, Autodesk
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiManager vs. NetScaler and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,683 professionals have used our research since 2012.