Sophos UTM vs Stormshield Network Security comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Sophos and Stormshield are both solutions in the Unified Threat Management (UTM) category. Sophos is ranked #5 with an average rating of 9.1, while Stormshield is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.0. Sophos holds a 10.3% mindshare in UTMU, compared to Stormshield’s 3.8% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Sophos users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Stormshield users who would recommend it.

Sophos UTM

Read 120 Sophos UTM reviews

14,020 Views
6,309 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Stormshield Network Security

Read 18 Stormshield Network Security reviews

4,439 Views
1,909 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Sophos UTM

Stormshield Network Security

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 7, 2024

Sophos UTM and Stormshield Network Security are two prominent competitors in the network security category. Sophos UTM stands out with robust features and comprehensive security bundles, while Stormshield Network Security shines in ease of use and cost-effective protection.

Features: Sophos UTM offers comprehensive features like centralized management, Web Application Firewall, and extensive reporting capabilities, making it a versatile choice for all business sizes. Conversely, Stormshield Network Security focuses on simplicity, providing an easy-to-configure and reliable firewall and IPS.

Room for Improvement: Sophos UTM could improve scalability and high availability, as well as simplify feature setup and enhance VPN connectivity. Meanwhile, Stormshield Network Security users suggest better web filtering, improved technical support, and more accessible features at competitive pricing.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Sophos UTM is known for diverse deployment options across various environments and generally positive customer service feedback, although support quality can vary. Stormshield Network Security equals deployment flexibility and is praised for excellent customer service and improving support responsiveness.

Pricing and ROI: Sophos UTM's pricing is competitive with complex licensing, deemed costly compared to certain alternatives, but offering great value in multi-year deals. Stormshield Network Security is considered expensive, yet recognized for good pricing strategies for mid-sized companies and high perceived ROI despite some additional feature costs.

To learn more, read our detailed Sophos UTM vs. Stormshield Network Security Report (Updated: October 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Sophos UTM vs. Stormshield Network Security

October 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 920,929 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

Sophos UTM

Ranking in Unified Threat Management (UTM)

5th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

120

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Stormshield Network Security

Ranking in Unified Threat Management (UTM)

12th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Unified Threat Management (UTM) category, the mindshare of Sophos UTM is 10.3%, up from 7.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Stormshield Network Security is 3.8%, up from 3.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Unified Threat Management (UTM) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Sophos UTM	10.3%
Stormshield Network Security	3.8%
Other	85.9%

Unified Threat Management (UTM)

Featured Reviews

Heinz Raecke

CEO at iSource GmbH

Integrated security tools have supported critical infrastructure and improved network performance

Regarding Secureworks Taegis VDR Vulnerability Management, I do not have all these shortcuts in my head. Perhaps I have to ask my technicians, but we are in full stress because we have to change this entire firewall equipment, also the entire access points, because of the end of life. We also have the full product in for XDR and extensions. We are also part of the webinars from Sophos. It would be better if there were also some important webinars in German. Everything needs improvement, because also the wireless, also RED box and so on. The handling was much easier on the old equipment than on the new XGS. I think there should also be a little more automatic for SD-WAN routing and so on. Because we have to learn some things from the basic completely new because it is different than Sophos UTM, the XGS. The features that could be improved about Sophos UTM include the new features we have in XGS with a simpler interface. For example, in Sophos UTM, we could define IP hosts and use this IP host. We did not have to insert on every, for example, for wide area networks, we had to put the IP addresses from the other side by hand. In Sophos UTM, we could define it under definitions and then use this IP host where we needed it. In the new XGS, if there is a change in the IP address, we have to do it on all, for example, site-to-site VPN tunnels and so on. We have much more work and it is not so easy because we have to check all the definitions. It is also, for example, some of the male technicians like me, we have a biology handicap. For example, male technicians in Europe also have a red-green problem. So we use these light colors on the interface. In some cases, it is not easy to see the, for example, letters or numbers because of the contrast.

Read full review

Zsolt Jónás

System Administrator at NaxoNet

Advanced GUI and layered security have supported compliance and simplified intrusion prevention

I haven't had a task that I couldn't solve with Stormshield Network Security. The active-active high availability solution would be beneficial because currently, if you build a high availability solution with Stormshield Network Security, you have a main device and another one is a backup device. The HA can switch between them, but it would be good to have a master-master solution, not just a master-slave one. I could set a URL that I can call to update the DNS record. Currently, Stormshield Network Security devices support DynDNS, which is not a usual feature request from a server environment. I have my own solution instead of DynDNS because I don't prefer it, so I have my own service for that. However, the GUI does not support using a custom service instead of DynDNS. I had to solve it in the console on Stormshield Network Security device, but it would be much better if it was reachable on the GUI. I had to figure out a trick for the IPsec configuration. In the IPsec config, we have to provide the remote side's IP address, but it's always changing. This means that an office, for example a company that has an office but without a fixed IP address, cannot be used with IPsec VPN.

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

"The solution can scale."

"Stability-wise, I rate this solution a ten out of ten...Scalability-wise, I rate this solution a ten out of ten."

"Monitoring and reporting are areas that need improvement."

"This solution improved our firewall capability, and we installed an identity process that is extremely helpful."

"Everything from the updates to the signatures has been very helpful for our business."

"The Sophos solution provides a branch to head office distributed network for a construction company across New Zealand, and the reliability of the equipment makes it possible to provide stable connections and is easy to implement and support."

"It does not take much effort or thinking to understand how it works."

"The IT Admin or IT Security in any organization would like to have Sophos UTM because it is full of all the features you think about for enterprise."

More Sophos UTM pros

"The StormShield solution has enabled us to fully implement best practices from Microsoft in the cloud : the hub and spoke architecture."

"Easily manageable in a variety of environments."

"Stormshield Network Security is a very stable solution and the solution works perfectly so we never had to contact technical support."

"Ease of use is the best feature of the product."

"The tool's most valuable feature is its dashboard, which helps you manage different aspects of a single page. The intrusion detection system helps our organization by automatically detecting and responding to potential threats. It operates similarly to Darktrace, which detects and responds automatically based on the security rules you apply. Initially, you configure everything to block, and then you can whitelist specific items as needed."

"Filters and URL filtering helped us to optimize our bandwidth."

"Stormshield is a very strong firewall and very easy to configure and maintain."

"The performance of this solution is good."

More Stormshield Network Security pros

Cons

"The reporting system needs to allow for customizations because many reports do not include details that we expect."

"Sophos should be more user-friendly, have more dashboards, and an easier implementation."

"The technical support team’s response time could be improved."

"It does have built-in policies, which enable you to disable USB devices, etc. It would be nice if they had more policies because there are not that many of them."

"It is a little too CPU resource intensive, so we would like to see improvements there."

"The memory and processing were problematic. The interface could be better."

"Reporting: We have had to work manually in many of our reports."

"Technical support used to be good but it's lagging a bit now. Support staff was better trained and more efficient than they are now."

More Sophos UTM cons

"Being more cost effective. I went with a pair of Watchguard M300 recently when buying a new firewall cluster for our own use because it was way cheaper than NetASQ/Stormshield N700 while being faster, and it offers true multi-master firewall clustering if needed."

"A more user-friendly interface would be helpful."

"This solution has a big problem with web filtering and it needs to be improved."

"It could be better if it were more user-friendly. It's too complicated for us to use it. The price could be better as well."

"Stormshield Network Security is quite expensive."

"I don’t recommend this product at all."

"The filtering configuration could be better. We have some difficulties with the filtering configuration and the filter extension. It's not that easy. It's not that straightforward. In the next release, I would like to see a reporting system. Stormshield doesn't have any tutorials on how to do the configuration and things like that. They just have documentation on the website. If you want to configure, for example, Cisco or Fortinet, you can find tutorials on YouTube. They show you how to configure the features, and so on. In Stormshield, there is nothing on social media or the internet on how to configure different things. The lack of documentation or the lack of material makes it difficult for others to adopt this solution."

"The SD card could be more secure."

More Stormshield Network Security cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For under 50 users, MSP licensing is profitable."

"It's reasonably priced."

"If you can afford it, go for a small Check Point, as it is easier to manage."

"I have no problem with the cost or licensing of this solution. This is a primary reason whay I wanted this solution. It does the same thing cheaper than other name brands."

"This product is free for home users. The more expensive products have better performance."

"I rate the product's price a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."

"The price of the license for Sophos UTM is approximately $5,500. The solution is less expensive than competitors."

"We purchased the appliance with five years onsite support and licenses."

More Sophos UTM pricing and cost advice

"The SN200 series costs between $500 USD and $600 USD per year, whereas the SN700 series costs approximately $1,000 annually."

"The pricing could be better."

"For mid-sized companies, they sell their appliances for good prices."

"The price of this solution and the price of support are ok."

"I think the price is good."

"We chose Stormshield for its price, as the Azure firewall was too expensive."

"We bought a three-year license, and we renew it whenever it expires. The price could be better. It's always very expensive."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Unified Threat Management (UTM) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

920,929 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Comparison Review

it_user216600

Senior Technical Consultant with 51-200 employees

Jan 3, 2016

Sophos UTM vs. Fortinet FortiGate

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

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

13%

Construction Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

17%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Construction Company

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	75
Midsize Enterprise	28
Large Enterprise	27

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	2

Questions from the Community

What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?

As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite good. The most valuable features for me are their web and email filtering. I wou...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sophos UTM?

The pricing for Sophos UTM is reasonable; I do not have an issue with it, though I was considering RED because I have different sites I wanted to connect, and instead of doing site-to-site, the RED...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Sophos UTM?

See all answers

What needs improvement with Stormshield Network Security?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Stormshield Network Security?

I already use Stormshield Network Security, and I am now looking for a new solution. I am already working with Stormshield Network Security, and the official reseller of Stormshield.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Stormshield Network Security?

The pricing is increasing, and I would say it is a bit expensive. Palo Alto and others are much more expensive, but Stormshield Network Security is also not inexpensive. My overall review rating fo...

See all answers

Comparisons

Fortinet FortiGate vs Sophos UTM

Compared 9% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Sophos UTM

Compared 7% of the time

OPNsense vs Sophos UTM

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Sophos UTM

Compared 7% of the time

Sophos Firewall vs Sophos UTM

Compared 4% of the time

More Sophos UTM Competitors

Fortinet FortiGate vs Stormshield Network Security

Compared 14% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Stormshield Network Security

Compared 11% of the time

OPNsense vs Stormshield Network Security

Compared 5% of the time

Sophos Firewall vs Stormshield Network Security

Compared 4% of the time

Palo Alto Networks WildFire vs Stormshield Network Security

Compared 4% of the time

More Stormshield Network Security Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Sophos UTM

October 2026

Download Sophos UTM product report

Buyer's Guide

Stormshield Network Security

October 2026

Download Stormshield Network Security product report

Also Known As

Astaro

NETASQ Firewalls

Overview

Sophos UTM delivers comprehensive network security with features like firewall, intrusion prevention, and endpoint protection. Its user-friendly interface and scalable options make it ideal for businesses of varying sizes, ensuring seamless integration with AWS, cloud services, and other Sophos offerings.

With robust Advanced Threat Protection, Sophos UTM offers a holistic approach to security through its intuitive platform. It includes a centralized console for enhanced threat visibility, integrated web application firewall, and secure remote access via SSL VPN and RED device. Critiques focus on limited reporting capabilities, complex licensing, and requiring improvements in VPN and email protection, centralized management, and application control.

What are the key features of Sophos UTM?

Advanced Threat Protection: Protects against sophisticated attacks by integrating multiple security technologies.
Firewall and Web Protection: Provides core security measures with intrusion prevention and application control.
Integrated WAF: Shields applications from vulnerabilities, ensuring secure user interactions.
Scalable Deployment: Supports diverse setups from small businesses to large enterprises, including cloud integrations.

What benefits should users expect from Sophos UTM?

Unified Management: Simplifies security operations through a single management console for cohesive control.
Secure Remote Access: Extends network security to remote users without compromising protection quality.
Cost Efficiency: Offers scalable, cost-effective security solutions to adapt to growing business needs.

Sophos UTM sees implementations in industries needing strong perimeter protection and secure remote access, such as finance, healthcare, and education. It supports seamless network integration, ensuring businesses maintain compliance and safeguard their digital environments effectively.

Sophos

Stormshield Network Security offers comprehensive protection with features like backup inspection, scalable interface, and load balancing, suitable for network security management.

Stormshield Network Security is designed for organizations requiring reliable IT infrastructure protection, providing firewall capabilities, intrusion detection, and application control. Users find VPN support, URL filtering, and UTM functions beneficial for network management. Models like SN200 and SN910 are used globally in clustered configurations, addressing different demands. Challenges include pricing, interface friendliness, filtering configurations, and technical support.

What are the key features of Stormshield Network Security?

Backup Inspection: Enhances reliability and recovery options.
Antivirus Controls: Provides robust virus protection.
Intrusion Detection: Alerts on potential threats.
Load Balancing: Distributes network traffic efficiently.
URL Filtering: Blocks malicious websites for safe browsing.

What benefits should users seek in reviews?

Scalability: Adapts to each organization's growing needs.
Reliability: Supports clustered configurations for uptime.
Management Ease: Intuitive dashboard aids network oversight.
Performance: High throughput with efficient clustering.

Stormshield Network Security is widely implemented in industries needing IT infrastructure protection, like finance or healthcare. Organizations deploy it in data centers or branch offices, benefiting from features ensuring safety and performance. The tool supports environments that demand high security levels and robust network monitoring.

Stormshield

Sample Customers

One Housing Group

ACESUR group, Ministry of Education Oman, Anios Laboratories, Zain, DLM Location

Buyer's Guide

Sophos UTM vs. Stormshield Network Security

October 2026

Free Report: Sophos UTM vs. Stormshield Network Security

Find out what your peers are saying about Sophos UTM vs. Stormshield Network Security and other solutions. Updated: October 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

920,929 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Sophos UTM vs. Stormshield Network Security report.

See our list of best Unified Threat Management (UTM) vendors.

We monitor all Unified Threat Management (UTM) 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.