Sangfor NGAF vs SonicWall TZ comparison

Sangfor and SonicWall are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Sangfor is ranked #26 with an average rating of 8.1, while SonicWall is ranked #17 with an average rating of 9.3. Sangfor holds a 1.0% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to SonicWall’s 2.1% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Sangfor users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

SonicWall TZ and Sangfor NGAF compete in the firewall market. Sangfor NGAF has an edge due to its user-friendly deployment and cost-effective solutions.

Features: SonicWall TZ is praised for its straightforward firewall policy configuration, VPN fail-over capabilities, and comprehensive security features, while Sangfor NGAF is notable for effective application control, WAN optimization, and user-friendliness.

Room for Improvement: SonicWall TZ could improve its complex interface, outdated hardware, and support. Sangfor NGAF needs enhancements in user interface experience, reporting capabilities, and market presence.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SonicWall TZ, suitable for on-premises setups, faces support issues, while Sangfor NGAF is applauded for easy deployment in hybrid environments and generally satisfactory support.

Pricing and ROI: SonicWall TZ operates on an al a carte pricing model with upfront hardware costs and yearly subscriptions, which some find costly long-term. Sangfor NGAF is considered more affordable with competitive licensing costs, offering a better total cost of ownership.

To learn more, read our detailed Sangfor NGAF vs. SonicWall TZ Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF vs. SonicWall TZ

March 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 March 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 18.3%, down from 21.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sangfor NGAF is 1.0%, down from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall TZ is 2.1%, down from 2.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	18.3%
SonicWall TZ	2.1%
Sangfor NGAF	1.0%
Other	78.6%

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.

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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.

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Fernando Kavindra Fernando

Senior Pre-sales and Solutions Engineer - Cyber Security at Enterprise Technology (Pvt) Ltd

Web filtering and traffic balancing have improved security for SMBs but threat insight still needs work

I assess the machine learning capabilities of SonicWall TZ in proactive threat detection to not be at the level of other vendors such as Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, and Check Point. It is somewhere in between, so I would not recommend it for a large enterprise-level organization to rely on because it is not at that level. SonicWall TZ's content filtering service is reliable. We have used it, but it is not very reliable compared to brands such as Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, or Check Point. What could be improved about SonicWall TZ is the threat intelligence, which by far is not at the level of vendors such as Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, and Check Point. Their threat intelligence needs to be improved, as does the GUI, which is not as user-friendly compared to devices such as Fortinet. They could learn from their competitors by making the product more user-friendly. The product interface is not that user-friendly. By adopting a more user-friendly GUI, improving threat intelligence, and enhancing the available guides would be beneficial. In my understanding, in some cases, the KB articles and knowledge articles were not that efficient. They were useful, but they could have been more precise with the knowledge base articles. They need to provide more information about SonicWall TZ, specifically more documentation and more troubleshooting articles. Other than the threat intelligence and the user-friendly GUI, there are no other additional features that I can think of for SonicWall TZ in the future or at least in the next release to make it more competitive.

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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

"The solution is easy to configure and maintain remotely."

"With Fortinet FortiGate, we improved security significantly."

"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."

"The security features that they have are quite good. On top of that, their licensing model is quite nice where they don't charge you anything for the SD-WAN functionality for the firewall."

"The firewalls are valuable for threat prevention."

"ROI is exceptionally good."

"In terms of security, we have not experienced any security flaws or loopholes, and it has proven to be quite stable."

"Routing and reporting are two areas where the product has an added advantage compared to any other product."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

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

"It is a stable solution."

"You might try Sangfor if you are on a tight budget. The price is affordable, and Sangfor offers a lot of features. We don't have any complaints about 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."

"The capabilities are mostly within the box."

"The VPN connectivity feature is really nice."

"In four steps one can configure the entire firewall."

"Sangfor NGAF works accordingly with our customers. The solution has good performance, easy to use, and integrates well with the endpoints."

More Sangfor NGAF pros

"I usually recommend SonicWall TZ for organizations that are looking for a solution without a big budget because it is quite budget-friendly and easy to deploy."

"It's sophisticated enough without breaking the bank."

"I have found the stability of this product to be excellent."

"Configuration of firewall policies is very easy."

"The network security is great."

"Always saves time for any implementation."

"I like the firewall product, the security server, and the content filter."

"The installation is straightforward and took approximately 30 minutes."

More SonicWall TZ pros

Cons

"One of the weaknesses of the solution is something we noticed, especially after comparing the tool with SD-WAN features, since, unfortunately, in a massive scale size environment, the solution is not good. I"

"At the moment, the main concern is the pricing and the type of licensing."

"FortiGate can only retain logs for 24 hours or 7 days. I'm not sure if it holds them for a longer period, such as for a month."

"Fortinet FortiGate is not very easy to use. The navigation could be improved to make it easier to use."

"I think there could be more QoS features"

"I'm not sure if it's something that they already have or are developing something, however, we need some dedicated features for container security."

"MTBF: Hardware failure is more common when compared to SonicWall or Cisco ASA."

"They could simplify their deployment process, especially when customers have existing devices."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"The firewall system needs gradual improvements because there are more threats and challenges every day."

"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."

"The solution has too many bugs and these slow down the implementation."

"They need to improve their research team and they need to study their data to analyze it and build the product."

"The reporting and log management could be improved."

"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."

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

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

More Sangfor NGAF cons

"In general, the company needs to think contingently and integrate more security options."

"The reporting analytics could be improved, it is very unstable."

"The price could be better for us in Bolivia."

"I would like to see lower antivirus pricing."

"Sonic Analyzer could be improved. It's difficult to manage and not very intuitive."

"I assess the machine learning capabilities of SonicWall TZ in proactive threat detection to not be at the level of other vendors such as Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, and Check Point."

"I would like to see more integration with other platforms."

"Pricing could be lowered slightly."

More SonicWall TZ cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Fortinet FortiGate allows you to purchase licenses for hardware and software."

"Setup cost may be not so low, as you expect, because it depends on different factors, but TCO for 5 years may pleasantly surprise you."

"There is a license required to use Fortinet FortiGate with all the features. It has to be updated with the threats on an ongoing basis for the signatures to prevent threats and a license is needed to receive those security updates."

"The platform offers a reasonable price point compared to its competitors."

"Fortinet bundles FortiGate with other products and because of this, the price is a little expensive to some SMB enterprises."

"Its price could be better."

"The solution requires a license annually, it is not a user license, you can have as many users as your want. I must renew the license regularly per device."

"It is not expensive as compared to Cisco."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"The solution has a TCO that is 32% to 50% less than Sophos, Fortinet, and SonicWall."

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

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

"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."

"It costs about 8 to 10 thousand dollars per year for 500 users, standard licensing fees included."

"The pricing is reasonable."

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

"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

"It is an expensive solution compared to one of its competitors."

"The license that we purchased is good for three years."

"Licensing fees are on a monthly basis."

"The price of SonicWall TZ is good for medium-sized companies."

"It comes to a range between five hundred to seven hundred dollars."

"It is a bit expensive. We have to purchase the license and the reporting part separately, which makes it a bit pricey. This is the main reason why we have thought of moving to another firewall. It would be good if they combine both of these."

"The pricing was a factor for us, and we felt that the price was good."

"Its price is very high, which makes it difficult to convince the clients to buy this solution."

More SonicWall TZ pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	360
Midsize Enterprise	135
Large Enterprise	190

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

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	63
Midsize Enterprise	16
Large Enterprise	14

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...

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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...

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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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What do you like most about Sangfor NGAF?

I think Sangfor NGAF is more valuable than Cisco products because of its simplicity and ease of management. If I comp...

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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...

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Would you choose Fortinet Fortigate or Sonicwall TZ?

I’ll say it depends on your needs. Fortinet FortiGate and SonicWall TZ are both next-gen firewalls (NGFW) with simila...

See all answers

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 ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with SonicWall TZ?

I assess the machine learning capabilities of SonicWall TZ in proactive threat detection to not be at the level of ot...

See all answers

Comparisons

Sophos Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 19% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 13% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Sophos Firewall vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 16% of the time

H3C SecPath Firewalls vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 6% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 5% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Sangfor NGAF

Compared 5% of the time

More Sangfor NGAF Competitors

Sophos Firewall vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 13% of the time

Cisco Meraki MX vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 8% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 7% of the time

WatchGuard Firebox vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs SonicWall TZ

Compared 5% of the time

More SonicWall TZ Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

March 2026

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF

February 2026

Download Sangfor NGAF product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall TZ

February 2026

Download SonicWall TZ product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

Sangfor NGAF Firewall Platform

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

Sangfor Next Generation Firewall (also known as NGAF) is a converged security solution providing protection against advanced threat, malware, viruses, ransomware and web-based attacks using integrated security features like firewall, IPS, anti-virus, anti-malware, APT, URL filtering, Cloud Sandbox, and WAF. As the world's first AI-enabled and fully integrated Next Generation Firewall & Web Application Firewall (WAF), NGAF offering the security visibility, real-time detection and response, simplified operation and maintenance and high-performance application layer security needed to operate an enterprise network in total security. Tested and proven to provide cutting-edge network security by ICSA Labs and endorsed by Gartner Inc., NGAF harnesses the power of Sangfor’s Neural-X threat intelligence and analytics platform and Engine Zero’s innovative malware detection to provide next-generation protection for today’s enterprise.

Sangfor

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

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

AeroM_xico Delta TechOps, Unimat

Buyer's Guide

Sangfor NGAF vs. SonicWall TZ

March 2026

Free Report: Sangfor NGAF vs. SonicWall TZ

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