Web filtering is the most useful feature.
It manager at MMA2
Useful web filtering features with a straightforward setup
Pros and Cons
- "Web filtering is the most useful feature."
- "We can't identify which users are causing challenges when we have issues."
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
We can't identify which users are causing challenges when we have issues. For example, we may know we have a challenge with our network, but many want to know where it is and the particular user. That would help us to blacklist the user if needed and manage the user data.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for about six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the stability an eight out of ten.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate SWG
May 2025

Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate SWG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is very scalable, and I rate the scalability an eight out of ten. We have about a hundred users.
How are customer service and support?
I rate the technical support a seven out of ten because I don't use them often.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward and not difficult. I rate the setup an eight out of ten, and it did not take long to deploy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing is an issue and is a bit high. I rate the pricing a six out of ten because it is expensive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated other options like Zoho and Cisco. We chose Fortinet FortiGate SWG because the network we were using was poor.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the solution a nine out of ten. It is good, and I would recommend it to others.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Security System Consultant at Secureway Tecnologia da Informação Ltda
Useful inspection capabilities, helpful support, and simple deployment
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate SWG is inspection."
- "Fortinet FortiGate SWG could improve the price, it is expensive."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Fortinet FortiGate SWG to control the user's web access to certain places, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, or streaming sites.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate SWG is inspection.
What needs improvement?
Fortinet FortiGate SWG could improve the price, it is expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate SWG for approximately six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Fortinet FortiGate SWG is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Fortinet FortiGate SWG is good.
We have approximately 100 people using this solution in my company.
How are customer service and support?
The service provided by Fortinet FortiGate SWG is very good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate SWG is simple.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
When comparing the price of Fortinet FortiGate SWG to other solutions it is expensive. The price could be better.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others is for them to research the installation mode to see if it will be transparent or not.
I rate Fortinet FortiGate SWG a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Fortinet FortiGate SWG
May 2025

Learn what your peers think about Fortinet FortiGate SWG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Chief Technical Officer at Provision Technologies LLP
Security solution with an intuitive user interface and knowledgable technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The user interface is intuitive. Anyone can configure the firewall with little knowledge of the product. The back-end is robust with good security."
- "We have experienced a number of failures when trying to upgrade firmware and the process takes a long time. We only experienced this when doing major upgrades between versions."
What is our primary use case?
We use the firewall to protect our internal network and endpoints or servers and to establish the VPN with our other locations. We also use this solution to aggregate multiple WAN links using SD-WAN.
What is most valuable?
The user interface is intuitive. Anyone can configure the firewall with little knowledge of the product. The back-end is robust with good security.
All entries in the firewall are linked to all relevant items. For example, if I create one IP address for a LAN segment and I use that IP address in a particular group or if I create a policy or rule inside the firewall, it will be tagged and linked. This makes it easy to identify where and how a particular object is being used.
By clicking on a single point, we can view to all other relevant records. I found this very useful for our tech team and IT admins.
What needs improvement?
We have experienced a number of failures when trying to upgrade firmware and the process takes a long time. We only experienced this when doing major upgrades between versions. We have not experienced this challenge with other solutions.
Fortinet has a policy of pushing all logs into the cloud but the log management is sluggish and slow. The problem is on the site or application where the cloud is hosted.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have used this solution for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution. I have many customers whose firewalls have been running for a couple of years without any periods of downtime.
How are customer service and support?
The Fortinet back-end team are quite experienced and very helpful. In some cases they take more time than expected. The ETA for resolution could be better.
We are a partner of Fortinet and have a dedicated support team for our Fortinet customers. When they need assistance, we encourage them to contact us instead of Fortinet so that we can resolve their queries faster.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing for this solution is reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 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
IT Security & CyberSecurity Consultant at digitalDefense Information Systems GmbH
Improves speed and response to IT threats
Pros and Cons
- "FortiGate SWG's most valuable feature is integration with vulnerability management."
- "The initial setup is medium complex and takes between five days and a week."
What is our primary use case?
FortiGate SWG is mainly used for threat detection and response.
How has it helped my organization?
FortiGate SWG has helped our IT security teams to be faster and more responsive.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate SWG's most valuable feature is integration with vulnerability management.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using FortiGate SWG for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
FortiGate SWG is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate SWG is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Fortinet's technical support is very good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is medium complex and takes between five days and a week.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
FortiGate SWG is reasonably priced.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate FortiGate SWG nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
IT Management at a government with 201-500 employees
A good solution for a mid-sized company and not too expensive
Pros and Cons
- "FortiGate is easy to use, and I also like its VPN."
- "FortiGate's reporting features could provide a better picture of what is happening in the box."
What is our primary use case?
FortiGate SWG is primarily an antivirus but it also features application control and intrusion prevention.
How has it helped my organization?
FortiGate SWG has helped us control what employees do on the internet because people waste a lot of time using social networks, watching videos, etc.
What is most valuable?
FortiGate is easy to use, and I also like its VPN.
What needs improvement?
FortiGate's reporting features could provide a better picture of what is happening in the box.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using FortiGate for a few years, and I think it's a good solution for a medium-sized company.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
FortiGate is highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
FortiGate is scalable. They have a new few solutions to solve some reports in the cloud and send the information. And I believe FortiGate can integrate with different products to make it stronger. The product has about a hundred end-users. However, we're considering switching to other options because we're looking for stronger routing capabilities to be more secure.
How are customer service and support?
I've never used technical support directly from Fortinet. The last time I needed support, I contacted our partner. He knows the configuration very well and resolved the problems.
How was the initial setup?
I'd say that setting up FortiGate is moderately complex. It isn't too easy and took about four days to deploy. We had to set up the box and start making the configurations. One engineer is enough to handle it.
What about the implementation team?
We used a partner to deploy. The experience was good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay about $4,000 for a yearly license, and there aren't any additional fees.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated something called Planet Solutions, but its administration wasn't strong like Fortinet's.
What other advice do I have?
I rate FortiGate SWG nine out of 10. It's a good solution and not too expensive. FortiGate is an all-in-one solution, unlike Cisco's, where you have to pay extra for web filtering. The traffic control is included, so it's a good solution for a medium-sized company.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Student at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
A comprehensive web filtering and security solution for enhanced protection
Pros and Cons
- "It offers web filtering capabilities at a more affordable price compared to other solutions like PSMs or NETGEAR."
- "Integrating OpenVPN with FortiGate would provide a powerful combination of secure remote access and comprehensive network security."
What is our primary use case?
It provides features such as web filtering, antivirus, data loss prevention, and application control.
What is most valuable?
It offers web filtering capabilities at a more affordable price compared to other solutions like PSMs or NETGEAR.
What needs improvement?
Integrating OpenVPN with FortiGate would provide a powerful combination of secure remote access and comprehensive network security.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been testing it for few weeks now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
After using it for several weeks, I found it to be operating smoothly and stable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
When comparing Fortinet FortiGate with DSOS and NETGEAR, it is important to note that FortiGate does not have native support for OpenVPN, whereas other options offer those features. However, FortiGate excels in terms of comprehensive network security, with a wide array of antivirus and security solutions available.
How was the initial setup?
It is easy to set up and configure, instilling confidence in its reliability.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is a cost-effective solution that meets the user's needs.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it ten out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Jefe de Infraestructura y Servicios de TI at Grupo ASD
Highly stable, quick setup, and helpful support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate SWG is its stability."
- "We are providing VoIP and the IP licensing could improve in Fortinet FortiGate SWG."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Fortinet FortiGate SWG as a firewall.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has helped our organization because it is connected to the internet and has provided us with stable VPNs and networking solutions.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Fortinet FortiGate SWG is its stability.
What needs improvement?
We are providing VoIP and the IP licensing could improve in Fortinet FortiGate SWG.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Fortinet FortiGate SWG for approximately one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate SWG a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the scalability of Fortinet FortiGate SWG a ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
I rate the support of Fortinet FortiGate SWG a ten out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Fortinet FortiGate SWG is simple and quick.
What was our ROI?
We have received a return on investment.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Fortinet FortiGate SWG a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Data Center Consultant at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Very secure, stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "The security for endpoints is the most valuable. It is very secure for our workers. It allows us to secure a transaction and enable security for a specific segment in the workflow."
- "I would like the deployment and integration of this product to be easier. We should be able to deploy the features more easily and have different types of access. It should be easier to integrate. Currently, we need to develop APIs to use this interface."
What is our primary use case?
We use it to secure connections for communication. This solution is deployed on the cloud and on-premises. We are using the latest version.
What is most valuable?
The security for endpoints is the most valuable. It is very secure for our workers. It allows us to secure a transaction and enable security for a specific segment in the workflow.
What needs improvement?
I would like the deployment and integration of this product to be easier. We should be able to deploy the features more easily and have different types of access. It should be easier to integrate. Currently, we need to develop APIs to use this interface.
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 is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Its scalability is good. We have 1,000 users of this solution in our organization. Currently, our usage of this solution is 50%.
How are customer service and technical support?
They have 24/7 support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using a different solution, and we switched because of the security and price.
How was the initial setup?
It was complex earlier, but it is not that complex now. It took us about 24 hours to implement it. It was quick. It is integrated with the services that our IT team has. We have all the high-value services, such as support services, monitoring services, and integration services.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is around $50,000 per month.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Fortinet FortiGate SWG an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner

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Updated: May 2025
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