Netgate pfSense vs SonicWall TZ comparison

Netgate and SonicWall are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Netgate is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.8, while SonicWall is ranked #18 with an average rating of 9.2. Netgate holds a 9.9% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to SonicWall’s 2.4% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Netgate users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

Netgate pfSense and SonicWall TZ compete in the network security and firewall market. Netgate pfSense seems to have an advantage in terms of cost-effectiveness and flexibility, while SonicWall TZ excels in robust security features and ease of use.

Features:Netgate pfSense offers high flexibility through its open-source nature. It supports modular add-ons like Snort for intrusion detection and Squid for proxy filtering, providing scalability and strong community support. SonicWall TZ features strong security capabilities, including real-time threat detection, VPN support, and ease of rule configuration, making it suitable for small to medium-sized businesses.

Room for Improvement:Netgate pfSense could improve its centralized management interface, ease plugin installation, and enhance the user interface for better user-friendliness. SonicWall TZ could enhance SSL inspection, reporting, and simplify complex configurations to better serve its users. Both devices could benefit from streamlined management for multiple appliances.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:Netgate pfSense can be deployed on various hardware, both on-premises and in the cloud, and often depends on community support, requiring technical expertise for self-deployment. SonicWall TZ offers a more straightforward on-premises setup with accessible customer service but can incur costs due to licensing fees.

Pricing and ROI:Netgate pfSense is known for its cost-effectiveness, offering a high ROI by eliminating costly recurring fees. It is an open-source solution with low hardware requirements, appealing to small to medium businesses. SonicWall TZ offers bundled services with competitive annual licensing costs. Its flexible pricing can lead to good ROI, although some fees may be comparably high.

To learn more, read our detailed Netgate pfSense vs. SonicWall TZ Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Netgate pfSense vs. SonicWall TZ

December 2025

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Helped 881,082 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:

ROI

Sentiment score

5.8

Fortinet FortiGate offers cost-effective, robust security, reducing expenses, enhancing efficiency, easy implementation, quick ROI, and improved network management.

Sentiment score

5.5

Netgate pfSense provides high ROI by reducing hardware and licensing costs, enhancing reliability, and lowering support and maintenance expenses.

Sentiment score

5.8

SonicWall TZ is favored by small businesses for its cost-effectiveness, security, and fast ROI within eight months.

Clients are now comfortable and not wasting productive hours on IT support.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

The automation part is giving us a cost benefit and speed; we can react faster.

Bart Homblé

BDM Fortinet & BDM Teamlead at Exclusive Networks

It's a very useful tool to mitigate and protect your enterprise.

Bernard Samontanes

Staff Infrastructure & Security Engineer at Mozn Systems

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

Since the memory leak fixes, it's been incredibly stable and requires minimal maintenance.

Hunor Dori

Network Engineer at a media company with 51-200 employees

In four years of using it, that payment of 189 dollars per year has already paid off.

Reymond Rivera

L2 Systems Administrator at a comms service provider with 201-500 employees

It's very favorable to have the inclusion of firewall, VPN, and router functionalities.

Brad Hodge

Owner at SimpleIT

For more quotes and insights, download the Netgate pfSense report

That is a reason to buy a firewall, and it is challenging to put a monetary value on security.

reviewer2618802

Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall TZ report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.6

Fortinet FortiGate's customer service is generally praised for responsiveness, though some users experience delays in critical situations.

Sentiment score

7.9

Netgate pfSense users often rely on forums, yet paid support is praised for its responsiveness and problem-solving expertise.

Sentiment score

3.9

SonicWall TZ receives mixed reviews on customer service, with technical support praised but improved response times requested.

The quick resolution of issues with Fortinet FortiGate is due to the support of the company and the fact that the equipment is easy to work with.

Alexandre Menezes

IT Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

I would rate the technical support for Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

AnishKumar

NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd

As a solution provider, when I encounter problems, I connect directly with Fortinet support, and they provide solutions within a very short time.

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

When I provide detailed information about the problem, they've been able to reply quickly with a solution or go research the problem and get back to us quickly with a fix.

SeanCox

NOC / Network Engineering Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

They are highly responsive.

Steve Gleason

Network Administrator at a healthcare company with 51-200 employees

I couldn't imagine having better support.

Tim Lambert

Director of IT at Cutting Edge Hair Salon RSS

For more quotes and insights, download the Netgate pfSense report

Customer service is excellent.

reviewer2618802

Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees

For support, I would rate SonicWall TZ five out of 10.

Subhadip Pakrashi

CEO at Kapstone Technological Services LLP

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall TZ report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.1

Fortinet FortiGate is scalable and popular for SMEs but requires careful design and may incur scaling costs and licensing constraints.

Sentiment score

6.5

Netgate pfSense offers exceptional scalability and performance, efficiently managing various environments with seamless hardware integration and virtualization.

Sentiment score

7.1

SonicWall TZ suits small to mid-sized businesses but planning and model choice are key for extensive scalability.

They scale up really well from smaller models like the FortiGate 40 and 50 to bigger sites with the FortiGate 100 for more throughput - up to enterprise datacenters.

Ian Manton

IT Manager at Daltons Limited

The variation comes in terms of the interfaces and throughputs, but from a security perspective, you get the same benefit, irrespective of whether you have an entry-level unit or an enterprise.

reviewer2667480

Cewa Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

We determine sizing based on multiple factors: number of users, available links, traffic types, server count, services in use, and whether services will be published.

FatmaSamy

General Surgery Specialist at Helwan University Cairo

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

If I put things into a certain context and say that we have a network that has around 100 people, then you don't put up a device that can manage 100 people. Instead, you need to get a device that can manage 150 to 200 people, and then you can create room for growth.

UdochiOdodo

CTO at Vigon Business Solutions Limited

I don't think Netgate pfSense can offer much scalability for big enterprises.

reviewer2510328

Director at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees

Even with a jump from a 50 megabit to a 500 megabit internet connection and approximately 65 active VPN clients, our firewall operates smoothly without any strain.

reviewer2512578

IT Manager at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Netgate pfSense report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall TZ report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.7

Fortinet FortiGate is praised for its stability, with effective long-term performance and improvements in newer firmware versions.

Sentiment score

7.0

Netgate pfSense is highly stable and reliable, with user-reported issues typically tied to hardware or outdated versions.

Sentiment score

6.3

SonicWall TZ is praised for reliability and security, though occasional minor issues and update disruptions may occur.

We're experiencing 99.999% availability consistently.

Ricardo Biggs

Manager, Information Technology at a consumer goods company with 11-50 employees

I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

AnishKumar

NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd

Currently, we are experiencing a general outage of one of the main internet service providers of the Dominican Republic, and we have not been impacted in our operations because with SD-WAN, we have another internet service provider and we are working with the second WAN connection without any disruption.

Juan Frias

CISO at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

I rate the solution's stability a ten out of ten.

Mohmad Saqib

Infrastructure and integration Architect at CommunityForce

I've noticed a substantial improvement in stability and ease of use for upgrades and patching over the past year or two.

Damon Martin

Technical Sales Specialist at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

When I replace consumer routers with pfSense for small businesses with two or three employees, they are often amazed to discover the router can run for a year without a reboot.

Vinc Duran

Partner and Owner at Free Range Geeks

For more quotes and insights, download the Netgate pfSense report

In terms of stability, SonicWall doesn't have performance issues.

Rias Majeed

CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC

SonicWall TZ rates 10 out of 10 for stability.

Subhadip Pakrashi

CEO at Kapstone Technological Services LLP

SonicWall TZ is definitely stable and offers a good value for money.

reviewer2618802

Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall TZ report

Room For Improvement

Fortinet FortiGate needs enhanced UI, simplified licensing, improved performance, reporting, third-party integration, and expanded automation features.

Netgate pfSense users seek improvements in interface, management, features, reporting, and third-party integration for enhanced usability.

SonicWall TZ needs interface, reporting, and support improvements, while high pricing and complex licensing affect user satisfaction.

These sessions should be around five to ten minutes long, allowing users and partners to quickly grasp the information without disrupting their daily tasks.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

The solution should be able to implement machine learning and analytics of all the logs for threat detection and protection.

Elvis Mahadeo

Senior Systems Engineer at Caribbean Development Company

It would be better for customers to get immediate replacements even with a standard subscription.

Pravin Mandlik

Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

If I need to go between different VLANs, I have VLAN 19.1 and VLAN 19.2, and I strictly use Netgate pfSense, but it doesn't route very efficiently and works quite slowly.

Christos Adamidis

Information Security Manager at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

They should support the idea of configuration management as code from source code and provide a more robust API for managing the pfSense configuration.

Timothy Plimpton

Co-Owner at Steffi and Tim

Monitoring is crucial. The easier the monitoring and user interface, the simpler our team can work on and investigate issues.

Mohmad Saqib

Infrastructure and integration Architect at CommunityForce

For more quotes and insights, download the Netgate pfSense report

Integration with other vendors, especially with VPNs, can be challenging and requires more effort when configuring.

Rias Majeed

CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC

SonicWall TZ could benefit from newer technology.

reviewer2618802

Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees

The VPN license should be improved by providing more free SSL VPN licenses.

Niranjan Prajapati

Pre-sales at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall TZ report

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers find Fortinet FortiGate costly initially, but cheaper overall, despite some high renewal and setup costs.

Netgate pfSense offers enterprises cost-effective, open-source security with free software and optional, competitively-priced support subscriptions.

SonicWall TZ's flexible pricing and upgrade promotions offer competitive, cost-effective solutions for small to medium enterprises despite setup costs.

Last year, I renewed the support for three years, which can sometimes be expensive but depends on the security benefits and how it helps us.

AiméKouchade

Network & System Admin at Invoke Studios

It offers cost savings as it is generally cheaper than the competition.

NilsPaley

IT Infrastructure Architect at Apotek 1

It is about 20% cheaper.

MithatBulut

Network Security Engineer at TD SYNNEX

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

The product is free of cost.

Romani Labib

Director of Information Technology at MASFinancials

Opting for twenty-four-seven support significantly increases the price, reaching around ten thousand to thirteen hundred dollars.

JoseMorales3

IT Manager at Gandia Consulting Group

It is far cheaper than big brand names like FortiGate and Cisco while delivering a feature set that's nearly the same across the entire list.

SeanCox

NOC / Network Engineering Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Netgate pfSense report

More licenses are required to purchase the perpetual license for SSL VPN and Global VPN.

Niranjan Prajapati

Pre-sales at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd

When comparing similar products across vendors, there may be a small difference in cost.

Rias Majeed

CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC

I would also position its pricing as a three, where one is the lowest price and ten is the highest.

reviewer2618802

Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall TZ report

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiGate provides robust, flexible security solutions with key features like web filtering, SSL VPN, SD-WAN, and centralized management.

Netgate pfSense is a cost-effective, scalable, customizable firewall offering security, VPNs, traffic management, and strong community support.

SonicWall TZ offers user-friendly configuration, robust security, VPN integration, remote access, and affordability, ideal for businesses.

These features help reduce our downtime, manage the ISPs, and deploy SLAs for all the website traffic.

Syed Ali Waqas

Head IT at Burraq Cyber Security Solutions

The most valuable feature of FortiGate is FortiView which provides proactive monitoring.

Viraj Fernandopulle

General Manager Group IT at DART GLOBAL LOGISTICS PTE. LTD.

We got a firewall and gave an SSL VPN to my client to connect to their servers, after which, such kind of activities involving ransomware attacks stopped.

VINAY GUJARATHI

Owner at Mindware Computer Solutions

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

We had downtime before pfSense. We've never gone down using the solution.

reviewer2644617

Head of IT at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

It is very stable, and it works very well.

reviewer2649828

Works

With pfSense, network configurations adhere to standard practices, facilitating troubleshooting without the need for complex overlays or policies.

JoseMorales3

IT Manager at Gandia Consulting Group

For more quotes and insights, download the Netgate pfSense report

For SMB segments, SonicWall performs well.

Rias Majeed

CTO at Exceed NetSec LLC

It was beneficial during COVID for remote work through its VPN functionality.

reviewer2618802

Administration IT at a engineering company with 11-50 employees

The advanced gateway security features such as web filter, application control filter, IPS, ideas, gateway antivirus, anti-spyware, and botnet filter are valuable.

Niranjan Prajapati

Pre-sales at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd

For more quotes and insights, download the SonicWall TZ report

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 18.8%, down from 20.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Netgate pfSense is 9.9%, down from 16.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall TZ is 2.4%, down from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	18.8%
Netgate pfSense	9.9%
SonicWall TZ	2.4%
Other	68.9%

Firewalls

Featured Reviews

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

A stable solution with an intuitive interface and quick customer service

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate, WatchGuard, Sophos, and SonicWall. I'm not as comfortable with SonicWall because of their UI and limitations. I prefer Fortinet above all other options. When it comes to configuration, I am confident in my ability to handle various tasks, including creating policies such as firewall rules, web policies, and application policies. Additionally, I can configure VPNs and implement load balancing, among other tasks. Overall, I feel much more comfortable working with Fortinet. Fortinet has made significant improvements by integrating AI with firewalls for threat analysis and prevention. In the past 2-3 years, they have launched FortiSASE and SIEM, and they also provide SOC services. Both Palo Alto and Fortinet FortiGate are excellent. While Fortinet FortiGate comes at higher prices, the functionality and support justify the cost. They promptly resolve firmware issues and inform all support providers about configuration changes.

Read full review

Michael-Collins

Chief information security officer at Center for Information Management, Inc.

Provides visibility that enables users to make data-driven decisions

pfSense flexibility overall is pretty good. They are making some really big improvements. That said, they're a long way from enterprise. They advertise things that they don't have. I've worked for probably 30% of the Corporate 100, and they won't tolerate the high availability and it being as buggy as it is. The fact that if you configure it incorrectly without any visual indications that it's not done in the way Netscape does, then it will not only break the firewall, it will break both firewalls. The only way you can even try to recover is by getting new images from Netgate. You have to open up a tech support case, download the image for, then reimage the firewalls, and reapply your configuration. The fact that you can completely brick your firewalls just by having a configuration that they allow, and they don't even don't tell you there's a problem until they both go down. That's totally unacceptable in an enterprise. As a standalone firewall, they're excellent. As an enterprise, we're not touching it with a ten-foot pole. It’s difficult to configure and use add-on features. It's really easy to add them. On the website, they say “Oh, we do this, this, and this.” However, they do a lot through third-party add-ons. The problem is, if there's any problems at all, the very first thing they want you to do is disable those add-ons. So that's not really supporting anything. There are two ways that firewalls are viewed: talking to the firewall and talking through the firewall. If you're talking about “to the firewall,” then it's a very robust, very secure firewall. However, it doesn't have things that they claim helps with protecting data, most of it's third party. If you want to do all these things that are typically associated with enterprise-level firewalls, most of them are done by a third party. It's not actually cooked into their product. I like their OSPF. I wish it was more current. The only bugs that are in the OSPF are ones that have been known about for almost two years. Maybe they're they're victims of their own success. Their growth curve has outstripped their technical support and has outstripped their ability to develop. They're just growing so fast. They're trying to do everything. Updates from third parties can take too long. For example, if there's a problem with a package and no available update is available, you have to wait. Since it's via a third party, there's no definable schedule, as the update needs to come from a third-party open organization with no financial interest to make the process faster. Sometimes, there's more finger-pointing than resolution. In, OSPF, they give you lots of information. However, when it comes to hardcore troubleshooting of different routing zones or things like that, then you had to keep dropping down to the CLI in order to get it. And that's where your experience can change quite a bit. If you're running OSPF on Cumulus or some of the other big routing or switching solutions, then they're running much newer versions of it, which are all bug-patched and fixed. However, pfSense is running on an operating system that is not theirs. They don't necessarily have full control over it. When you get a real enterprise firewall, and when you hook up the redundancy, you expect redundancy to work and be predictable. And never ever will the redundancy crash your system. If you don't create the interfaces in the exact same order on both firewalls every single time, if so much as one interface is out of order, if the command line is different because of the way the operating system works, you will slowly corrupt your configuration to the point where it'll break.

Read full review

Subhadip Pakrashi

CEO at Kapstone Technological Services LLP

Provides reliable performance with strong features and simplicity

SonicWall TZ is user-friendly, admin-friendly, and a beautiful product. I have been selling SonicWall since 2007 without any issues. SonicWall has been working on it excellently. They are up to date, and their research team is good, making the box feature-rich. Based out of India, I have had some issues with their faulty channel policy. It's a very good product, an awesome product for those who want to use SonicWall TZ. You can bet on it, but check out the channel policies in India. They should check out the channels in the channel business. It's just a precaution, nothing more than that. Overall rating: 9 out of 10.

Read full review

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Answers from the Community

Rafahavelo Onja

Works at FIU

Jul 6, 2021

How do I deploy anti-spam in pfSense or SonicWall TZ?

Just purchase an anti-spam license and activate it at the SonicWall license portal. I would like to recommend you SONICWALL HOSTED EMAIL SECURITY ADVANCED. It is more helpful and if you are using Office365 or GSuite, go for SonicWall Cloud App Security. It is more powerful.

See 2 answers

Pedro Escalona

Executive at BRIES COMSYS

Jul 5, 2021

Hi, for SonicWall you buy a license and on the same firewall you can activate the antispam only in the ingress mode. But there is a catch, at the moment they don't support TLS for SMTP so I would recommend their other solution, that has email security for appliance and virtualized on VMware or Hyper-V.

Read full answer

Tan Jun

Works at Innovix Distribution, a member of Jardine Matheson Group

Jul 6, 2021

Read full answer

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

14%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	357
Midsize Enterprise	133
Large Enterprise	188

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	168
Midsize Enterprise	33
Large Enterprise	29

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	62
Midsize Enterprise	16
Large Enterprise	13

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Two of the most common and well recognized firewalls, PfSense and OPNsense both support site-to-site IPsec VPN and cl...

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What do you like most about SonicWall TZ?

The most valuable feature of SonicWall TZ is the double authentication, where it asks for one password and again asks...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall TZ?

The price is normal. It is a nominal cost for an SMB TZ used for SMB businesses. However, more licenses are required ...

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Comparisons

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 20% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

OPNsense vs Netgate pfSense

Compared 52% of the time

Sophos Firewall vs Netgate pfSense

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Netgate pfSense

Compared 2% of the time

KerioControl vs Netgate pfSense

Compared 2% of the time

Zyxel Unified Security Gateway vs Netgate pfSense

Compared 1% of the time

More Netgate pfSense Competitors

Sophos Firewall vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 16% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 8% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 7% of the time

SonicWall NSa vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 6% of the time

OPNsense vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 5% of the time

More SonicWall TZ Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

January 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Netgate pfSense

January 2026

Download Netgate pfSense product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall TZ

January 2026

Download SonicWall TZ product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

No data available

Dell SonicWALL TZ

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

Netgate pfSense is an open-source firewall and router software known for scalability, cost-effectiveness, and community support. It includes customizable packages for varied network management needs, offering solid performance and straightforward management for diverse setups.

Netgate pfSense provides an impressive range of functionalities including firewall capabilities, VPN options, and extensive customization through packages. Its low resource usage and high availability make it viable for businesses of all sizes, especially when dealing with tailored network demands. Despite its strengths, users suggest improvements in ease of use, mobile compatibility, and support for plug-ins. Enhanced centralized management, better documentation, and additional security features are frequent requests.

What are the key features of Netgate pfSense?

Scalability: Suits any network size from small home setups to large enterprises.
Open-source: Offers transparency and flexibility, allowing for community-driven development.
Firewall Capabilities: Provides robust protection against unauthorized access.
VPN Options: Supports secure remote connectivity with various VPN protocols.
Customizable Packages: Allows users to personalize functionalities to fit network needs.
High Availability: Ensures continuous network operations with redundancy features.
Load Balancing: Distributes traffic efficiently across multiple paths or connections.
Traffic Shaping: Manages bandwidth allocation to optimize network performance.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

Cost-effectiveness: Significant savings due to low operational costs and open-source nature.
Performance: Reliable service delivery with minimal hardware demands.
User-friendly Interface: Intuitive design that simplifies complex network management.
Community Support: Access to extensive community resources for troubleshooting and advice.
Comprehensive Documentation: Detailed guides and tutorials to facilitate installation and configuration.

In education and healthcare, Netgate pfSense is employed for secure connectivity and efficient traffic management, accommodating distinct demands of remote access and content filtering. Organizations in these sectors often utilize features such as load balancing and VPNs to maintain secure and reliable network operations while integrating with services like Active Directory for streamlined identity management. Small to medium-sized enterprises benefit from its affordability and robust functionality, making it a go-to choice for managed service environments requiring effective network security and control.

Netgate

The secure, sophisticated SonicWALL TZ is widely deployed at small businesses, retail, government, remote sites and branch offices. It combines high-performance intrusion prevention, malware blocking, content/URL filtering and application control.

SonicWall

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

Nerds On Site Inc., RKC Development Inc., Expertech, Fisher's Technology, Ncisive, Consulting, CPURX, Vaughn's Computer House Calls, Imeretech LLC, Digital Crisis, Carolina Digital Phone, Technigogo Technology Services, The Simple Solution, SwiftecITInc, Rocky Mountain Tech Team, Free Range Geeks, Alaska Computer Geeks, Lark Information Technology, Renaissance Systems Inc., Cutting Edge Computers, Caretech LLC, GoVanguard, Network Touch Ltd, P.C. Solutions.Net, Vision Voice and Data Systems LLC, Montgomery Technologies, Techforce, Concero Networks, ASONInc, CPS Electronics and Consulting, Darkwire.net LLC, IT Specialists, MBS-Net Inc., VOICE1 LLC, Advantage Networking Inc., Powerhouse Systems, Doxa Multimedia Inc., Pro Computer Service, Virtual IT Services, A&J Computers Inc., Envision IT LLC, CommunicaONE Inc., Bone Computer Inc., Amax Engineering Corporation, QPG Ltd. Co., IT 101 Inc., Perfect Cloud Solutions, Applied Technology Group Inc., The Digital Sun Group LLC, Firespring

AeroM_xico Delta TechOps, Unimat

Buyer's Guide

Netgate pfSense vs. SonicWall TZ

December 2025

Free Report: Netgate pfSense vs. SonicWall TZ

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