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reviewer2144703 - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal Software Engineer at Infopulse
User
Mar 31, 2023
Unstable, with lots of false positives and poor filtering
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easy to configure and manage."
  • "It has a horrible performance. It is one of the most unstable VPNs I have ever used."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use of Fortinet FortiClient is to protect endpoint devices against various types of cyber threats, such as viruses, trojans, spyware, and phishing attacks. It also helps to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data and networks and can be used to control access to specific applications and websites.

In addition to endpoint protection, FortiClient can also be used to create secure VPN connections to enable remote access to company resources like Jira, code repositories, corporate Wiki, etc. 

How has it helped my organization?

It has a horrible performance. It is one of the most unstable VPNs I have ever used. 

Since the project was pushed to use, many employees complained about its instability. 

Sure, it has some advanced features, and it is not fair to evaluate it as a VPN only. Unfortunately, the company policies bring most of the resources through protection, and without the VPN, you will be simply blocked. 

Therefore, we are paying so much attention to it. With a slow or unstable internet connection, Fortinet becomes a nightmare. I personally numerous times printed tasks from Jira to PDF for other employees due to VPN issues.

What is most valuable?

The solution is easy to configure and manage.

It is designed to bring additional safety to the machine (it is hard to uninstall by an ordinal user, and it has an in-built web filter). However, implementation is far behind industry standards. 

For instance, the Web filter is a component that provides protection against web-based threats by blocking access to malicious or inappropriate websites. It might bring additional safety. However, in the real world, it constantly produces:

  1. False Positives, which can result in legitimate websites being blocked. This can be frustrating for end-users and potentially impact their productivity.
  2. FortiClient's Web filter may also over-block certain websites, even if they are not malicious or inappropriate. This could result in users being unable to access legitimate websites that are important for their work, causing delays or disruptions.

What needs improvement?

The solution needs network stability, especially when the internet connection is not stable. 

Forticlient should provide proper polling functionality to try to keep the session alive by all possible means. We have seen certain improvements over the past year. However, it is simply not enough to be treated as a good yet even acceptable tool to use. It is currently producing more issues than adds value.

The web filter quite often blocks random sites, including online dictionaries, governmental sites, etc. Review of the wrong block reports simply doesn't work. 

Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiClient
May 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiClient. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
893,438 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for around a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is not stable enough.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution offers a weak performance.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

After the merger, our project was forced to use Forticlient.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I know nothing about pricing.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We had no options to choose from.

What other advice do I have?

If your employees might have a weak internet connection (for instance, mobile) think twice before choosing this configuration. If you decide to have FortiClient, never use the WebFilter component. Even Microsoft analog works better (if you really need it).

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Security architect at ASD
Real User
Mar 1, 2023
Easy to configure and access in a work from home setup
Pros and Cons
  • "I find it very easy to configure and also very stable."
  • "An area of improvement could be better integration with the active directory. I did not find it easy to configure."

What is our primary use case?

It's useful to permit users working from home to connect to the internal infrastructure, sort of as an on-prem resource, in a secure way.

What is most valuable?

I find it very easy to configure and also very stable. It integrates well with Windows 10.

What needs improvement?

An area of improvement could be better integration with the active directory. I did not find it easy to configure.

For how long have I used the solution?

I worked with different versions of Fortinet for two years, specifically in 2019 and 2020. I used it to configure the server part of the FortiClient.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's not very scalable. We don't have a lot of availability. We only have one gateway and the clients connect to it.

It depends on the product you buy based on the performance, but you can start from 200 and above.

How are customer service and support?

The customer service and support are good. Although, the only point I don't like is that they take too much time to escalate the case. You have to do a lot of things yourself, even if it's something that needs their attention, so it's quite difficult to escalate it a little bit.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is quite easy. It's not so much about the technical staff as it is about the initial configuration on the firewall side. This includes setting up certificates for secure connections and creating groups for users. It requires understanding what is needed for each group and user and then configuring it accordingly. If it's a new deployment, it's quite easy. However, it could be more difficult if you need to replicate it from other systems.

What about the implementation team?

The deployment process involved several steps to ensure the solution was properly configured and accessible.

First of all, we had to configure the company's firewall to ensure it was deployed correctly. Then we had to configure the interface to connect to the system, set up certificate group user policies, and configure all the necessary steps. After that, we had to install FortiClient and configure it correctly to ensure the resources were accessible.

The deployment process took around two weeks to complete, but that was because we had to ensure everything was configured correctly and tested thoroughly before it could be fully implemented.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There are no licensing fees for the VPN.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate it an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiClient
May 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiClient. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
893,438 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Manager at Inspira Enterprise
Real User
Sep 1, 2022
Easy to install with useful security features
Pros and Cons
  • "FortiClient's most valuable features are that it's easy to install and connect and has OTP on email IDs and two-factor authentication."
  • "FortiClient's most valuable features are that it's easy to install and connect and has OTP on email IDs and two-factor authentication."
  • "FortiClient's encryption key could be stronger so that it's not broken too easily."
  • "FortiClient's encryption key could be stronger so that it's not broken too easily."

What is our primary use case?

I mainly use FortiClient to connect my laptop to my data centers.

What is most valuable?

FortiClient's most valuable features are that it's easy to install and connect and has OTP on email IDs and two-factor authentication. 

What needs improvement?

FortiClient's encryption key could be stronger so that it's not broken too easily.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using FortiClient for about three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

FortiClient is stable.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate FortiClient nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Janderson Mira - PeerSpot reviewer
Diretor Técnico at TND Brasil
Reseller
Aug 3, 2022
An endpoint security solution with VPN and web filtering capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "The integration of VPN services with endpoint security is valuable."
  • "The integration of VPN services with endpoint security is valuable."
  • "The features for application control and device control must be improved."
  • "The features for application control and device control must be improved."

What is most valuable?

The integration of VPN services with endpoint security is valuable. Web filtering and application control are also valuable.

What needs improvement?

The features for application control and device control must be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

We are a reseller, and we have been working with this solution for three years.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate it an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
PeerSpot user
Senior Engeneer
MSP
Jul 22, 2022
High performance, reliable, and simple deployment
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiClient is its performance."
  • "I would recommend this solution to others because it is very good."
  • "Fortinet FortiClient could improve the compatibility with mobile applications that are allowed and sometimes they do not respond. However, Microsoft Windows applications are very good."
  • "Fortinet FortiClient could improve the compatibility with mobile applications that are allowed and sometimes they do not respond."

What is our primary use case?

I'm using Fortinet FortiClient to connect to servers on my company while working remotely from home. Additionally, I use it to connect to cloud applications and cloud servers. It's my company's gateway.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiClient is its performance.

What needs improvement?

Fortinet FortiClient could improve the compatibility with mobile applications that are allowed and sometimes they do not respond. However, Microsoft Windows applications are very good.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortinet FortiClient for approximately four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Fortinet FortiClient is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 4,000 technology employees using this solution.

How are customer service and support?

Our internal network team does the support for Fortinet FortiClient. I have not contacted Fortinet FortiClient support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have not used another solution other than Fortinet FortiClient.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Fortinet FortiClient is very easy.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others because it is very good.

I rate Fortinet FortiClient an eight out of ten.

I would rate the solution higher if the solution has better compatibility with the mobile application.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1901067 - PeerSpot reviewer
Junior Network Administrator at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
MSP
Jul 18, 2022
Reliable with good documentation and the ability to integrate well with other Fortinet solutions
Pros and Cons
  • "There is a lot of documentation available online."
  • "It works well with the Fortigate Firewall."
  • "We've got one client where it was blocking the smartphones, and there's a way to set it up on Fortigate that's supposed to do that. However, it didn't work with them since they had a 2FA multi-factor."
  • "We've got one client where it was blocking the smartphones, and there's a way to set it up on Fortigate that's supposed to do that. However, it didn't work with them since they had a 2FA multi-factor."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use it for the SSL VPN. That's what we use it for pretty much exclusively.

What is most valuable?

It works well with the Fortigate Firewall. It works like a VPN for our customers.

We haven't really integrated it with much else other than Fortigate. However, it does integrate well with other Fortinet solutions.

There is a lot of documentation available online.

It's reliable and stable. 

The solution can scale. 

What needs improvement?

I don't use it enough to be able to say what could be improved.

We've got one client where it was blocking the smartphones, and there's a way to set it up on Fortigate that's supposed to do that. However, it didn't work with them since they had a 2FA multi-factor. It was integrated with a Microsoft NPS server, and it does not work with that. It just blocks everything. Therefore, it doesn't integrate well. If they like to update the Fortigate so that you can VPN in, it’s fine. However, not from smartphones. That doesn't work at all. For somebody with the NPS server, it just screwed everything up. We're still trying to fix that.

For how long have I used the solution?

I’ve used the solution for a couple of years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. It’s reliable. The performance is good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn’t crash or freeze.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is scalable.

From the customer side, I don't know how many users there are per client. I don't know how many clients they all have. We've got a bunch of clients that use it. I don't know how many actual people are using it. They create groups, and people get added to groups, and the groups have access. We're not involved in all that. It's probably more like hundreds, or less than 100. Probably most of our clients would've less than 100 people.

How are customer service and support?

I’ve dealt with support. It's okay. It depends on who you get on the other side. Some of them are very knowledgeable, and others seem to miss the mark. It can be hit and miss.

How was the initial setup?

The solution does not require a lot of maintenance. You might just need an administrator to handle it. Occasionally when things stop working, we have them check what version they have as sometimes they need to upgrade it to the latest. However, in most cases, It's pretty maintenance-free.

What about the implementation team?

We’re integrators. We can handle the setup.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

They've got a free version that most of our clients have. I'm not sure of the costs beyond that. When you get into the licenses with the EMS and all that, I don't know how much it costs. I'm not on the sales side.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Without really having much in the way of experience with others, it's hard for me to compare it to others.

What other advice do I have?

We’re integrators and resellers.

I don't have the full version, though, as we don't run EMS. However, one of our clients does.

There's a lot of good documentation. Just Google it. You can find what you need about the solution.

I’d rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
PeerSpot user
reviewer1426398 - PeerSpot reviewer
Business Development Manager at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
MSP
Jun 3, 2022
Simple to use, simple to download, and reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "It is very simple to use. I've used some of the others in the past, such as Cisco AnyConnect, which was a nightmare. I've used a couple of others, but FortiClient is very simple to use."
  • "It is a good solution, and we don't have any plans to switch to another solution."
  • "With the lower-end licenses, it tends to kick you out after eight hours. There is a function where it automatically kicks you out after eight hours. They could improve that and not kick you out after eight hours. Other than that, it is already pretty good."
  • "With the lower-end licenses, it tends to kick you out after eight hours. There is a function where it automatically kicks you out after eight hours."

What is our primary use case?

We use Fortinet FortiClient as our VPN client. We have about 50 users.

What is most valuable?

It is very simple to use. I've used some of the others in the past, such as Cisco AnyConnect, which was a nightmare. I've used a couple of others, but FortiClient is very simple to use.

What needs improvement?

With the lower-end licenses, it tends to kick you out after eight hours. There is a function where it automatically kicks you out after eight hours. They could improve that and not kick you out after eight hours. Other than that, it is already pretty good.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for two and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is reliable.

How are customer service and support?

Their support is very good.

How was the initial setup?

It is easy to set up. You just download the client, and then you put your details in, and it takes you in. 

What other advice do I have?

It is a good solution, and we don't have any plans to switch to another solution. It is simple to use, simple to download, and reliable. It is the best VPN client I've used.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner, Reseller
PeerSpot user
Benny Sumitro - PeerSpot reviewer
GM Technical Management at PT. DATACOMM DIANGRAHA
Real User
Top 20
May 30, 2022
Connects the data VPN from the remote office to the headquarters
Pros and Cons
  • "It works well and the performance is good."
  • "We use this to connect the data VPN from the remote office to the headquarters."
  • "The solution could be more secure. I would like to see more safety features."
  • "The solution could be more secure. I would like to see more safety features."

What is our primary use case?

We use this to connect the data VPN from the remote office to the headquarters.

This solution is deployed on-prem.

We have 20-30 users, and we plan on increasing usage.

What is most valuable?

It works well and the performance is good.

What needs improvement?

The solution could be more secure. I would like to see more safety features. They could integrate access scanning from the VPN account. We have servers integrated with our firewall. When we changed the firewall, we needed to change the VPN.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's scalable.

How was the initial setup?

Installation is standard. You can do the installation in-house. Deployment takes about five minutes.

You need a technical team of two or three engineers for installation.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution 8 out of 10.

I would recommend this solution for people who want to start using it.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiClient Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: May 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiClient Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.