Fortinet FortiOS vs Sangfor NGAF comparison

Fortinet and Sangfor are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Fortinet is ranked #19 with an average rating of 8.7, while Sangfor is ranked #21 with an average rating of 8.4. Fortinet holds a 1.1% 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.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

Fortinet FortiOS and Sangfor NGAF compete in the network security solutions category. Fortinet FortiOS has an edge due to its comprehensive feature set and robust integration capabilities, whereas Sangfor NGAF stands out for its cost-effectiveness and ease of integration.

Features: Fortinet FortiOS offers a feature-rich environment including intrusion prevention, antivirus, web filtering, and SD-WAN capabilities. It emphasizes ease of use and high availability with excellent integration with Cisco products. Sangfor NGAF provides strong application control, WAN optimization, and an effective reporting system, along with a comprehensive security database for ransomware and viruses.

Room for Improvement: Users of Fortinet FortiOS seek improved VPN capabilities, simplified central management, and faster integration with third-party solutions. Additionally, they mention high licensing fees and slower support. Sangfor NGAF would benefit from a simplified web interface, easier deployment, and improved local technical support, alongside enhancing application control policies and reporting capabilities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortinet FortiOS is flexible with on-premises and hybrid cloud deployment options, though customer service receives mixed feedback, being occasionally slow yet experienced. Sangfor NGAF offers simple deployment with competitive pricing but could improve its regional support and responsiveness, though it is commended for its proactive post-sales support.

Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiOS is seen as a good investment for those seeking scalability and advanced features, despite being costly for smaller businesses with mid-to-high-end pricing. Sangfor NGAF is a more budget-friendly option, offering appealing pricing for smaller companies and a lower total cost of ownership, retaining strong ROI without sacrificing security features.

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

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiOS vs. Sangfor NGAF

June 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 900,747 peers since 2012

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 FortiOS is 1.1%, up from 1.0% 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 FortiOS	1.1%
Sangfor NGAF	1.1%
Other	82.7%

Firewalls

Featured Reviews

Paul-Drew

IT Consultant at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

Cloud features enhance security measures and simplify network management

I've dealt with many firewalls, such as SonicWalls, UniFi, pfSense, and Cisco. We found SonicWall very confusing for the average network engineer or network administrator. I don't recommend SonicWall due to its hard-to-find auditing process for exploits. Although they have fewer exploits, when they do occur, they're significant. With Fortinet FortiGate, you can access the whole firewall, with no hidden spots. pfSense is great, however, it requires a lot of manual work and has no Cloud Connect or easy management from an MSP's perspective. Palo Alto is another option that's great, but their price point isn't for everyone, especially for medium and small businesses; a $10,000 investment doesn't necessarily fit into most budgets. UniFi is another product we've started to use more alongside Fortinet FortiGate, as they have almost all features without a license, with advanced rules that are relatively inexpensive compared to Fortinet FortiGate's $1,500 a year. Fortinet FortiGate and UniFi are the two firewalls we primarily deal with. My opinion is that UniFi has better integration and oversight of the environments compared to Fortinet FortiGate.

Read full review

Mitul-Shah

Associate Director IT Operations at Procento

Single-pane management has simplified firewall control and has improved risk mitigation

I would not say that Fortinet FortiOS is not very scalable. Generally, what happens is that for enterprises, we hire consultants who do the capacity planning and sizing to determine what kind of firewalls to put in place. At the same time, it is not only the number of users; it also depends on the number of WAN links coming in and everything, because we have been using Fortinet for bandwidth shaping and many other bandwidth-related functions. They should improve their machine learning AI capabilities of Fortinet FortiOS because there is too much competition. Other players are also improving and making a lot of changes in their UI and overall operating system.

Read full review

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

"What I appreciate about Fortinet FortiGate is that the UI is easier than what I've previously known from Sophos."

"The IPsec tunnels are very easily created, and quite interoperable with devices from other vendors."

"FortiGate improved our security. It's one of the best hardware firewalls."

"On a scale of one to ten, I rate this solution 10 out of 10."

"The GUI configuration is its most valuable feature"

"Having IPS helps in ensuring that our network is protected from potential threats, which is crucial as we implement our payment gateway."

"FortiGate is on the cheaper end, and it offers good value."

"The solution is very easy to understand. It's not overly complex."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"For ten to 12 years it has been quite secure."

"The technical support is very good and the assistance they gave was very good and I learned a lot from them."

"I find filtering traffic, filtering web traffic, session traffic, and managing the network as valuable features."

"The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiOS are the granular control and their interoperability is good."

"In 10 years, we have had little to no issues with the functionality, stability of the product from my standpoint has been very stable, preventative maintenance schedules, and keeping up with the latest information on the product is key."

"All networks are security-driven, we get throughputs and security."

"The stability of Fortinet FortiOS is great."

"The user experience is great, and the graphical user interface is also good."

More Fortinet FortiOS pros

"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."

"I think the tool has the feature to detect and kill ransomware in three seconds."

"Sangfor's tech features and technologies are more powerful than those of the other solution providers in terms of security. They also have big solutions in terms of cybersecurity."

"SSL VPN is the best feature."

"The level of support provided to local companies is good. They transform their application control and other settings according to that country."

"The price versus value is good because the solution is less expensive than Sophos, Fortinet, or SonicWall."

"It enables us to not only detect but also prevent various types of incoming threats, allowing us to take appropriate corrective actions and exercise control over the network."

"The built-in features function as intended, providing exceptional value."

More Sangfor NGAF pros

Cons

"Part of the setup was straightforward and other parts were complex. They need to work on feature placements and menus."

"The firmware needs improvement because there are bugs when a new release comes through. Sometimes, the configuration changes, and it's a bit harder to see where the fail is. The first time that you have the firmware, it tends to have some issues, and it's better to wait a bit to update the equipment."

"Technical Support: This is where Fortinet stumbles. The support is farmed out overseas to techs that are not very knowledgeable about the Fortinet products."

"In terms of pricing, Fortinet needs to do more to compete effectively."

"With the standard support subscription, if the device goes down, the customer has to first ship the box, and then Fortinet sends the replacement. With the higher support, the customer has to ship the device after they have the replacement. It would be better for customers to get immediate replacements even with a standard subscription."

"What could be improved in Fortinet FortiGate SWG is its pricing because it's a bit higher."

"We have an issue with hotel guest vouchers."

"There are some tiny bugs that sometimes affect the operations. In the past revision of it, there was a bug. Because of the bug, we had to downgrade the version. It happened only with the last revision."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"Fortinet needs to make this solution even more robust. Sometimes when we get a DDoS attack, the cannot withstand it. We can run out of sessions very easily. That said, I suppose if you want more a robust system, then you could purchase higher-end solutions, which are more expensive. Still, I would like to see more protection from even in the low-end version."

"The complexity of the VPNs should be improved."

"FortiOS's bandwidth and interface could be improved."

"In terms of what needs improvements, the troubleshooting could use improvement. When we work with other products like Cisco ASA, Palo Alto, and Check Point, we see a big difference in the troubleshooting. It's not easy to find a report."

"In the AAA (Authentication Authorization and Accounting) some of the accounting and some of the VPN tunneling features are removed from Fortinet FortiOS due to some security configurations."

"The solution needs to adjust its pricing models. With the way they are structured, everything is very disparate and sold separately, and, depending on the solution, it can get quite pricey."

"There is room for improvement in the reporting part. The reporting is only for logging data, and it's just a tabulation of the log in the report. I would like to be able to take down more information in the event of an incident."

"The support is not very good, but the product is stable so it is not so much of a problem."

More Fortinet FortiOS cons

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

"I believe that IAM and NGFW need to merge into a single box, instead of there being two separate box solutions."

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

"They need to increase the number of ports in the firewall."

"We have deployed many firewalls and have faced two or three faulty devices that we have to replace over a year because their power supply was faulty."

"The user interface isn't user-friendly though."

"I would be happy if Sangfor developed a firewall designed specifically for home use, as well as for small businesses such as clinics and so on. A household version of the Sangfor firewall for your personal computer or laptop would be ideal, in my opinion."

"Lacks consistency in terms of filtering certain websites and applications."

More Sangfor NGAF cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We pay about $4,000 for a yearly license, and there aren't any additional fees."

"It is not a very costly product if you compare it with other products. The return on investment is also good. If you compare the return of investment and money that you are spending on this product with Palo Alto, Cisco, Check Point, and other solutions, the investment is very less. We are happy with this solution. The optional licenses are there, and you can choose which one you want and which one to avoid."

"It is more affordable than Check Point and Palo Alto. Another thing is that all the features and the OS remain the same irrespective of the size of the device. Pricing-wise, Fortinet typically provides one-year support with the firewall appliance. There is also an option for three years which is how their licensing works."

"There is an annual license to use this solution. The prices have been increasing over the years."

"The price of the license and warranty can be better because it is very expensive."

"When you look at these end security systems and firewalls, these firewalls even five years ago were $50,000 or perhaps $25,000 to implement in some types of customer sites. Now we're talking about tools that are $1,000. In this case, it might have been $500 or something like that."

"We pay for the solution annually."

"The pricing for the product is alright."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"It would be better if it were cheaper. We have the firewall in our office, and the license is expiring in 20 to 25 days. We got a quote for almost 80,000 Pakistani Rupees, which is a little costly."

"The pricing could always be lower."

"We pay $100,000. That covers the cost of the hardware that we run the VN's on. That also includes any SGNA costs for the internal support tech."

"The solution is quite affordable and I rate the cost a four out of ten."

"The licensing for FortiOS is good, with a security license included when we update the main license."

"The pricing is competitive for the medium and high markets but for the small markets it can be expensive."

"A medium 100 or 200 Series box costs around $3000, and the software cost is around 55% of the hardware cost."

"The price of Fortinet FortiOS is less than $10,000 annually. The price of the support is reasonable compared to competitors."

More Fortinet FortiOS pricing and cost advice

"I rate the product price as one on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."

"The price is unmatcheable."

"Price-wise, I would not consider Sangfor NGAF to be a cheap product. It is an expensive firewall solution, though not as expensive as something like Palo Alto, which is costly. However, the higher price point is justifiable given the feature set the tool provides that other firewalls may not offer in a single dedicated appliance."

"We purchased one year technical support and return to factory support, and we also purchased one-year technical support services. So those were additional."

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

"It is one of the cheapest tools in the market."

"Sangfor NGAF is a cheaply priced product, especially if I consider the previous product that was used in my company."

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

More Sangfor NGAF pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Firewalls solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

10%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Construction Company

11%

Manufacturing 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	43
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	23

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

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 a...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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 ...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiOS?

I rate the pricing for FortiOS as eight or nine out of ten. It is an affordable solution for us.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiOS?

I would not say that Fortinet FortiOS is not very scalable. Generally, what happens is that for enterprises, we hire ...

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

Fortinet FortiWeb vs Fortinet FortiOS

Compared 9% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiOS

Compared 7% of the time

Azure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiOS

Compared 5% of the time

Forcepoint Next Generation Firewall vs Fortinet FortiOS

Compared 5% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiOS

Compared 4% of the time

More Fortinet FortiOS 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

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 6% 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 FortiOS

June 2026

Download Fortinet FortiOS product report

Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF

May 2026

Download Sangfor NGAF product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

No data available

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 FortiOS is recognized for its intuitive interface, ease of use, and comprehensive security features, making it a valuable tool for network security and management. Its integration capabilities and affordability prove beneficial for small to mid-sized businesses.

Fortinet FortiOS stands out as a firewall operating system, offering solutions in network security with a user-friendly design. It provides strong management tools like Unified Threat Management, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and antivirus functionalities. Its scalability and robust support make it ideal for diverse business environments. Users can benefit from high availability, seamless integration with other networks, and SD-WAN capabilities. Though there is room for improvement in monitoring and logging features, as well as VPN complexity and browser compatibility, its comprehensive range of features supports secure operations.

What are some key features of Fortinet FortiOS?

Unified Threat Management: Consolidates multiple security features into one platform for streamlined protection.
Web Filtering: Blocks access to harmful websites to enhance browsing safety.
Intrusion Prevention: Identifies and mitigates network threats in real time.
Antivirus Capabilities: Detects and neutralizes malicious software before it infiltrates systems.
Advanced Threat Detection: Uses analytics to uncover sophisticated threats.

What benefits should users expect from Fortinet FortiOS?

Scalability: Easily adapts to an organization's growing security needs.
Stability: Provides consistent and reliable performance for network infrastructures.
Robust Support: Access to extensive resources and customer support for issue resolution.
Integration: Harmonizes efficiently with existing networks and third-party solutions.
Pricing: Offers a competitive and reasonable cost structure.

Fortinet FortiOS is leveraged across multiple industries for its strong security capabilities. Companies utilize it for secure connections, VPN setups, and traffic management. It is essential for organizations seeking to protect data centers, ensure secure branch connectivity, and deploy SD-WAN. Its design supports implementation in cloud environments and enhances virtual infrastructure protection, making it particularly suitable for small to mid-tier businesses looking for comprehensive security measures.

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

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data

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

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiOS vs. Sangfor NGAF

June 2026

Free Report: Fortinet FortiOS vs. Sangfor NGAF

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

DOWNLOAD NOW

900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Fortinet FortiOS vs. Sangfor NGAF report.

See our list of best Firewalls vendors.

We monitor all Firewalls reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.