We use it as an end-server and to block traffic.
Senior Information Technology Auditor at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
User-friendly, easy to operate, reliable, and easy to set up
Pros and Cons
- "It's user-friendly and easy to operate."
- "The command line is complicated, and the interface could be better."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
It's user-friendly and easy to operate.
What needs improvement?
The command line is complicated, and the interface could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with this solution for three years.
We are using the latest version.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
January 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable project. We plan to keep using it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable.
We have 300 users in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is a local vendor. We are satisfied with the support that we have received.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we used a MikroTik firewall.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not complex, it's easy. It took 30 minutes to deploy.
It only requires one person to deploy and maintain.
What about the implementation team?
We have a vendor to support us.
What other advice do I have?
There is really nothing to complain about with this product. It's a very good product to use, and it has just started to get the top ratings for firewalls.
This is a good product and I would recommend it.
I would rate this solution a 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.
CIO at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees
Scalable and stable, fair pricing, and the VPN helps us with global site connectivity
Pros and Cons
- "I like that they have given me a solution at a fair price."
- "The user interface could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We are using this solution to filter communication to and from the website or our site.
We also use it to create a VPN connection for all of our sites in the world.
What is most valuable?
I like that they have given me a solution at a fair price.
What needs improvement?
The user interface could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with FortiGate for more than ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution, we have not had any issues. It works.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable product. We have 600 users in our organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have not contacted technical support. We have been fortunate in that we did not have any issues that needed it.
How was the initial setup?
I am working as a manager, and I am not doing any of the configurations.
We only require one person for the maintenance of this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is fair.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others who are interested in using it. That said, nothing is perfect and there is always room for improvement.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate 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.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate
January 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Firewall Engineer at a marketing services firm with 1-10 employees
Scalable solution with a straightforward setup
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is scalable."
- "There are some problems that support cannot give you a logical reason as to why it happened. For example, I had a case where I was dealing with a WhatsApp application that was giving issues. Technical support gave more than one reason it could be giving issues, but none of them solved the problem. Eventually I solved the problem, but it was far from the solutions that support had given."
What is our primary use case?
I use the solution primarily for the VPN connections in local area. In some cases, I use it at universities in order to secure the local network in the university, such as servers and backup devices.
I have also used the solution as a load balancer and the EMS functionality, which I use as a controller for wireless devices.
What needs improvement?
The PPPoE server protocol with a connection to a Radius server is used a lot by ISPs and not so much by the end user. I think it would be great to see this solution with the protocol developed for ISPs.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for more than two or three years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
There are some problems that support cannot give you a logical reason as to why it happened. For example, I had a case where I was dealing with a WhatsApp application that was giving issues. Technical support gave more than one reason it could be giving issues, but none of them solved the problem. Eventually I solved the problem, but it was far from the solutions that support had given.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before choosing Fortigate, I was using Cisco and pfSense.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very easy and straightforward.
The time it takes to setup the solution depends on the case. It may take less than a day or more than two months, it depends on the technology that is being used. For example, a hospital I am working with has 20 switches with two firewalls, but there are issues in the physical place and not in Fortinet. In this case, the environment limits the speed of setup.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate FortiGate a nine 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. Partner
Senior solution architect at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Flexible to use and easy to set up
Pros and Cons
- "It is very flexible to use."
- "It is stable, but its stability can be improved."
What is our primary use case?
The typical next-generation firewall use case is to restrict access to the users by using a firewall.
What is most valuable?
It is very flexible to use.
What needs improvement?
It is stable, but its stability can be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for maybe four or five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability is just okay. It should be better.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of the device is limited.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is okay. They could be more knowledgeable and faster.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I was using Sophos. We switched because it was very unstable in terms of both software and hardware. I found a lot of vulnerabilities. Even though they provide a lot of features for a minimum cost, these features don't do what they are supposed to do.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy. The deployment duration depends on the situation. I have done the installation in one to three days.
What about the implementation team?
I installed it myself. You just need one technical guy to maintain and manage the firewall. It is a small product for 200 to 500 users.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It has a competitive price.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution. We plan to continue using it. Even though it has a few stability issues, its price is competitive.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate 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. Partner
Chief Information Officer at a analyst firm with 10,001+ employees
A stable and scalable solution but the setup is pretty complex and not easy to implement
Pros and Cons
- "Fortinet FortiGate appears to be scalable."
- "The setup is pretty complex and not easy to implement."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for our paralegal security, our internet operations, and network zone segmentation.
What needs improvement?
It could be more stable and secure. They can improve the ability to make changes, change requests, and provide more rounded monitoring in terms of security and potential threats.
For how long have I used the solution?
My team has been using Fortinet FortiGate for a few years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate appears to be stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate appears to be scalable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Palo Alto.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is pretty complex and not easy to implement.
What about the implementation team?
Implemented by our in-house team.
What other advice do I have?
I would give Fortinet FortiGate a seven 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.
Information Security at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Great web tutor and automated rules by schedule features
Pros and Cons
- "The web tutor and automatic rules by schedule are good features."
- "They've become quite expensive."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case of this solution is for the UTM it offers and the access to VPN. We have branches in Rio, Singapore and the UK. I'm an information security manager and we are customers of Fortinet.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features for me are the web tutor and the automated rules by schedule - the VPN itself.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet is huge in today's market and they've become quite expensive. I think there are products at the same level as Fortinet, but with better prices. They've changed their subscription plan and are now forcing companies to subscribe 24/7.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for around five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We never had any issues or problems related to stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are other products on the market that are a little better than FortiGate in terms of scalability, but in general it's a good solution. We have about 200 users in the company.
How are customer service and technical support?
We didn't need to contact technical support very much. We had a local partner and if there were problems we contacted them directly.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. We were implementing on a large project and it took a weekend to completely deploy with all the features, connections and everything.
What other advice do I have?
They have very good documentation and if you've had experience with other products I'm pretty sure that you'd be able to deploy just by reading the documentation.
I would rate this solution an eight out of 10.
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.
COO at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Reliable, scalable, easy to setup, and has good security and support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are security and vision, and all of the UTM functionality."
- "The user interface needs a bit of upgrading."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of this solution is for the integral firewall, monitoring, and all types of security.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are security and vision, and all of the UTM functionality.
What needs improvement?
The user interface needs a bit of upgrading.
Pricing could be better.
Customers are looking for 24/7 protection, but it's not as critical in the end. The pricing is preventing them for adopting it so they should be competitive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for approximately six years
I am working on the most up-to-date version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's very stable, it can take a lot.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's scalable and we have not had any problems at all.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is very good. I have no issues with them.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we were using another solution. Fortinet FortiGate IPS, was recommended to us, and once we tried it we liked it and we stuck with it.
I am not happy with WatchGuard.
How was the initial setup?
For me, after using it for six years, the initial setup is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
They are more expensive than others.
What other advice do I have?
If you are looking for a lifestyle solution, then FortiGate is my choice.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
CEO e confundador at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Good application control features and very stable and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "The application control features, such as Facebook blocking and Spotify blocking, are the most valuable."
- "The license renewal process, annual renewal price, and the web application firewall features should be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use it to protect our or our customers' full environment by using features such as IPS signatures, VPN, endpoint protection, and antivirus.
What is most valuable?
The application control features, such as Facebook blocking and Spotify blocking, are the most valuable.
What needs improvement?
The license renewal process, annual renewal price, and the web application firewall features should be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It has been very stable and reliable. We are comfortable with its stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is good enough for us. We have about 15 employees who use this solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
I would rate them a nine out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The set up was a little complex, but the interface and the process are user friendly.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The license is too expensive to renew. The license renewal process is also complex.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise others to use the documentation. The official documentation is very comprehensive and complete. I use the Cookbook Reference Guide.
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortinet FortiGate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2026
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How are these are unbiased reviews? It's Fortinet Fortinet Fortinet. There is very little concrete details. I distrust user reviews in general because they can easily be coaxed / paid. Most of these supposed reviewers demonstrate they aren't actively involved in using / managing the device. In the "Sonicwall vs Fortinet" under the guy who chose Sonicwall after looking at Fortinet talks more about what is good about Fortinet than he does about Sonicwall! It will be interesting to see if my comments here stick.
@Jeff-S Thanks for commenting. Reviews on IT Central Station are written by users with a varying range of experience, ranging from those who have daily hands-on experience to those that interact with the solution on a less regular basis. We have a strict policy whereby we do not offer gift cards or incentives in return for providing reviews.
Ensuring reviews are only written by real users is a core value of ours. We only publish reviews from users who have used the solution in the past 12 months. We prefer to err on the side of caution and not publish reviews that are suspected of being bogus unless we can confirm that the reviewer has experience with the solution.
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