We primarily use the solution for security and protection.
IT Manager at a logistics company with 201-500 employees
Easy to deploy and simple to use but the pricing could be lower
Pros and Cons
- "The solution seems to be very easy to use."
- "It would be helpful if the solution offered some tutorial videos to help new users learn the system quickly."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The solution seems to be very easy to use.
The administration is pretty simple.
The solution is easy to deploy.
We've found the solution to be quite stable.
My understanding is that the solution is scalable.
What needs improvement?
Cyberoam was extremely hard to develop. If this solution makes that process easier, we will be happy.
The solution should be lowered. It would help entice more clients. We'd like to pay a lower price.
We're concerned about the safety of our devices. We are worried if someone manages to hack the firewall, that they will be able to get past other protections and perhaps onto devices. We'd like Sophos to remain vigilant in its protective capabilities and to continuously update its solution to expand its security offering in order to better protect its customers.
It would be helpful if the solution offered some tutorial videos to help new users learn the system quickly.
There should be some trial on offer that allows users to try out the solution and learn it before implementing it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've only been working with the solution for about one month or so. It hasn't been that long just yet.
Buyer's Guide
Sophos Firewall
February 2026
Learn what your peers think about Sophos Firewall. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution has been very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable in terms of the performance it offers.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. If a company needs to expand it, it shouldn't have any issues doing so.
We have about 200 people using it in our company.
How are customer service and support?
I have not used technical support just yet. If some issue comes through in the future, I will reach out. However, as of now, I can't speak to their level of responsiveness or their knowledgeability.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used to use Cyberoam. However, this particular solution was acquired by Sophos, and therefore, now the company I work for uses Sophos. It's pretty much the same product.
How was the initial setup?
The product is pretty easy to deploy. We use a gateway from our partner, and not with Sophos.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is a bit costly. It would be ideal if it was less expensive for its user base.
We pay a yearly licensing fee. We do not pay monthly.
What other advice do I have?
I'm a customer and an end-users. I do not have a business relationship with Sophos.
I'm not sure which version of the solution we're using. It might be version 65 or something like that.
We do not use the cloud version. It's for device management, and therefore it's on-premises.
Currently, I would rate the solution at a seven out of ten. I haven't used it for very long, and can't fully evaluate it; I must learn more about the offering and what it can do first.
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.
Senior Consultant at Wavednet Group
Enhanced security features, easy to use for all users, and has informative reports
Pros and Cons
- "The solution has very good security features, is easy to use for administrators and users, and has informative reports."
- "I would like to see in future releases a tool to scan for malicious packets and give the location of where they are coming from."
What is our primary use case?
We are an IT solution company and we provide network security. This solution is used for securing your network.
What is most valuable?
The solution has very good security features, is easy to use for administrators and users, and has informative reports.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see in future releases a tool to scan for malicious packets and give the location of where they are coming from. Nowadays all over the world is suffering from ransomware threats. If they could map where those packets are coming from and make the packet monitoring more efficient it will be helpful to prevent more of these kinds of threats.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution has been highly stable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used SonicWall and Fortinet in the past.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is very easy for anyone. The configuration is straightforward, all the information is available through a quick Google search.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price can be a bit steep but for the number of features, it is worth it. Additionally, the enterprise version of this solution is priced well for all the features that you receive.
If you are thinking about implementing Fortinet, SonicWall, or any other product you will pay extra for additional security features and might need to purchase additional licenses. If they just spend a little more on this solution they will get the extra features for the same amount.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
This solution has security features that in other solution you have to purchase them as add-ons, such as malware and email filters. Comparing this solution overall to competitors it is by far the best.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
Buyer's Guide
Sophos Firewall
February 2026
Learn what your peers think about Sophos Firewall. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.
IT Manager for Network and Security at a religious institution with 51-200 employees
Good reporting and scalability with great anti-spam capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "They really work scalability into the solution at the outset."
- "The SD-WAN could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We are primarily using Sophos XG for the identity base, policies, load balancing, and SD-WAN. Right now we have separate, different branches, therefore, we need to integrate it with SD-WAN. Of course, with SD-WAN, we need to do the load balancing, the VPN failovers, and also watch the connectivity. We are more particular on the link, and also the implementation of user policies.
What is most valuable?
The Multi-Link, or the Multi-Wan, SD-WAN, is extremely valuable to our organization.
The Anti-Spam and the Gateway Anti-Virus capabilities have been very useful.
The solution offers a very good Network Ring, QRS, and landing management.
We've found that the reporting is very good overall.
They really work scalability into the solution at the outset.
What needs improvement?
The SD-WAN could be improved. It is not yet full-blown; it's only basic, really. They need to move on with the algorithm on how the SD-WAN works, and how it works in comparison to other brands of SD-WAN. Sophos should study those algorithms on how they do the SD-WAN to learn a few things that may help them build out their own solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution and various other Sophos solutions for a while.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
If you do the right planning, most of the time Sophos is good for five years. It depends on the recommendations as well. Sometimes the Sophos team or supplier will show you the number of users or number of networks and they'll illustrate to you a plan most suited to what you have and what you might have. They assess everything and give you a five-year plan. That way, if you need to expand, they've already taken that into consideration at the outset and there's room to scale.
We have about 100 users.
Due to the pandemic, we don't really have any plans to expand. We may be downsizing a bit. We'll see.
How are customer service and technical support?
We've been satisfied with Sophos' technical support. They are very helpful and responsive. Their staff is quite knowledgeable.
How was the initial setup?
I've worked with Sophos previously and we had a different setup. In terms of implementation, sometimes there are complex setups and sometimes the setup s are more basic. Right now, we have a complex setup. We need to ensure interconnectivity between our branches. We'll have different networks, different sites, and a lot of complexity.
It doesn't really take too long to deploy, however. The support from the supplier is good. They're always available to assist. They are well-trained and they are already familiar with the setups and configuration so they're doing a pretty good job in terms of helping us.
What about the implementation team?
The supplier, the reseller, the partner of Sophos, is doing the change for the end-users. Most of the basic configuration has already been already done by us, however, for more complex areas, we could ask them, and they could come to us to configure it for us.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is based on the acquisition cost.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have evaluated a few different solutions. We've looked at Palo Alto and FortiGate products. In terms of our end-point security, we've also looked at Trend Micro and a few others.
What other advice do I have?
We are just a customer and an end-user.
We are using the latest version of the solution.
ON a scale from one to ten, I would rate this solution at an eight.
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.
Senior Engineer at a engineering company with 11-50 employees
Easy to deploy and configure, good documentation, and works as advertised
Pros and Cons
- "It is very easy to configure and straightforward. The firewall rules are straightforward. It works great out of the box. It has been working as advertised, and I haven't had any issues with it."
- "Its user interface is a little bit slow."
What is our primary use case?
We are using it for our VPN and firewall. It acts as our firewall for the external portal into our network.
What is most valuable?
It is very easy to configure and straightforward. The firewall rules are straightforward.
It works great out of the box. It has been working as advertised, and I haven't had any issues with it.
What needs improvement?
Its user interface is a little bit slow.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for a couple of weeks.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It has been up and running for probably three weeks and hasn't had any issues. I didn't have a lot of time on it yet to make a good call about that, but so far, so good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It scales for our purposes. We're a very small office. We have 25 users on the system. We're an engineering consulting company, so all remote users are accessing our network
It is being used quite heavily, and I don't see any need to increase its usage at all at this point.
How are customer service and technical support?
I didn't have any direct interaction with Sophos. Their online documentation is very good. It is much better than Cisco.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
It was a replacement for Cisco ASA Firewall. Our Cisco licensing had expired, and it was very expensive. Sophos XG is a lower-cost solution for the same thing. It was also easier to configure.
How was the initial setup?
It was very simple. It took a couple of hours.
What about the implementation team?
We had a partner, and they did the initial setup and walked us through it. Our experience was very good.
Its maintenance is very simple. You need less than one administrator for its maintenance.
What was our ROI?
I expect to see ROI in a year or two.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its licensing cost is around 700 bucks a year or something like that. It is 100 bucks a month at the most. It seems to be standard licensing with no additional costs.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise others to go through the Sophos demos. They are very good, and they walk you through configuration and use cases. Their online documentation is very helpful in not only configuring it but also selecting a proper model to deploy.
I would rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten for ease of use and cost.
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.
CTO at Kingsway Hospitals
A great UI with very intuitive features; comprehensive documentation ensuring issues are easily resolved
Pros and Cons
- "Great interface and in-built help is very intuitive."
- "The interface is great and easy to understand, and the language presented on various features and the in-built help is very intuitive so if you have a problem you can figure it out there and then, resulting in less probability that we'll call tech support."
- "Lacking network access control, user profiling and analytics dashboards."
- "The solution really needs some additional features like network access control."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case of this solution is for protection and to have better governance for our LAN usage. I've got a lot of people working from outside on the corporate infra and all policy based decisions happen there. The solution is basically a firewall that protects us from various internet threats, but other than that provides controlled and properly managed access using various rules of VPN and other fingerprints of people logging in. I'm the CTO of the company and we are customers of Sophos.
What is most valuable?
The interface is great and easy to understand. Any firewall engineer who has medium to moderate experience on bylaws, can easily understand the UI. The language presented on various features and the in-built help, is very intuitive. If you have a problem you can figure it out there and then. As a result, there is less probability that we'll call tech support.
What needs improvement?
The solution really needs some additional features like network access control. If they could incorporate some user profiling and present the analytics of the login user usage patterns, or a typical proper management dashboard to take a decision on the firewall rules, that would be useful. Basically, MI's and the dashboard could be more user friendly. The information is there but the dashboards are not in a graphical format. In short, I'd like to see network access control, user profiling and analytics dashboards. It would make the solution a more competitive product on the market.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for over four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution. I haven't had any firewall crashes or any non-performing rules for over two years. We are a hospital so all the lights of all the devices should be on 24/7, 365 days a year.
We manage and control around 250-300 internal users. There would probably be another 75-100 logging in externally.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is definitely a scalable solution. The way we've configured it, if a device goes down, it can be shut off and removed from the network for repairs or updates and our second firewall automatically takes the load.
How are customer service and technical support?
We only used technical support during our initial deployment. After that, we didn't need support because the product was working perfectly well. We trained ourselves on the newer software and we are capable of managing and maintaining our own firewalls. In addition, Sophos provides online documentation which is very user friendly. If you follow the steps you get the result.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used Cisco's firewall ASA and it was extensively implemented in my earlier role. The main reason to migrate to Sophos was due to their aggressiveness in terms of pricing but also the fact that they had features that Cisco did not have.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very straightforward. Deployment took somewhere between six and eight hours.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There's no annual licensing fee. When we purchased the product, it was with a five year agreement bundled in with the product price and the recent rollout is not yet five years old. When we renew, we'll renegotiate. I can't differentiate between the product costs and the licensing costs at this point. We're very lucky that we get one of the best deals in the country in terms of pricing. The Sophos-backed pre-sales and implementation team were very cooperative and collaborative which really helped us make the decision to choose Sophos.
What other advice do I have?
I would definitely recommend this solution but it's only suitable if it fits the needs of the company so I would suggest carrying out some research. Why does the company need a firewall? What rules do they want to deploy on the firewall? Based on the answers to those questions the company can make a call.
I would rate this solution a nine 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.
Used for website blocking, application blocking, and site-to-site VPN
Pros and Cons
- "Compared to other products, Sophos XGS is a user-friendly solution."
- "It would be useful if Sophos XGS included DDNS-based features."
What is our primary use case?
We use Sophos XGS mostly for website blocking, application blocking, and site-to-site VPN.
What is most valuable?
Compared to other products, Sophos XGS is a user-friendly solution.
What needs improvement?
It would be useful if Sophos XGS included DDNS-based features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XGS for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution an eight out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Sophos XGS is a scalable solution. We have more than 50 users in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
Sophos XGS provides good technical support. The support team has good knowledge of troubleshooting and fixing our issues.
How was the initial setup?
The solution’s initial setup is complex.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented the solution through an in-house team. The solution’s deployment takes half an hour to one hour.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Sophos XGS is a cost-effective solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Sophos XGS to other users because it is more cost-effective than other products.
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Manager (Network Design) at Comstar - Information Systems Associates Ltd.
Great for web filtering and load balancing but needs better marketing
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup is very simple."
- "I would like to see them in third-party evaluation reports like Gartner, Magic Quadrant, or Forrester to make it easier for us to show our customers that Sophos is a leader in the market."
What is our primary use case?
The best use case of Sophos XGS is for customers who use CMGs that manage the gateway of Microsoft, which was made obsolete years ago. Clients want to replace their proxy with some solution, and Sophos is one of the best bets.
How has it helped my organization?
The solution is good for web filtering. It's also possible to use it as a load balancer and a destination firewall and site-to-site channeling. Remote users can gain access via Sophos. It solves for a variety of uses that the client needs.
What is most valuable?
In our market, they offer a web filter SSL VPN and they are very useful for the customer.
The initial setup is very simple.
It's stable and reliable.
We can scale the product.
What needs improvement?
Some firewall names like Palo Alto and FortiGate are very famous for security. People find them very secure. While Sophos is fairly secure, they aren't known for their security, and it's not an obvious selling point. Unfortunately, on Gartner, Magic Quadrant, and Forrester, Sophos doesn't have a good presence. They need to get better at marketing their abilities and expanding what they can do.
I would like to see them in third-party evaluation reports like Gartner, Magic Quadrant, or Forrester to make it easier for us to show our customers that Sophos is a leader in the market. It will be easier for us to sell them. Our market depends on what products are currently in Gartner and Forrester, and these platforms.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been working with the solution for five to six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and reliable. 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.
We have more than 100 clients on Sophos.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good and above average.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
It is easy to set up the solution. It's not a complex process.
While it depends on the magnitude of the customer's environment, normally the deployment only takes a day or two.
What about the implementation team?
We do not require any outside assistance. We can handle the setup ourselves.
If the client needs us to, we can deploy the solution for them. Since we sell the solution, we have a good understanding of the process. We have been doing implementations for years.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is moderate. It's not overly expensive. They offer good licensing.
What other advice do I have?
We are using and selling the solution. We are deploying it for different customers.
When the customer wants to buy an appliance, definitely it's an on-prem solution. However, when it comes to an endpoint or a firewall as a service, they offer cloud solutions as well.
I'd recommend the solution to others.
I would rate the solution seven 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
Reliable with a nice interface and great documentation
Pros and Cons
- "It's easy to use and user-friendly."
- "There are a lot of false-positive cases."
What is our primary use case?
We did buy access points, and we did use the WiFi configuration. We did create a configuration for the WiFi to the access points on the same interface. It's great for access point integration.
What is most valuable?
The user interface is fine.
The configuration and customization capabilities are good.
It is very lovely to work with Sophos in general. It's easy to use and user-friendly.
There is a lot of great documentation available to users.
The stability is good.
It's scalable.
What needs improvement?
The licensing prices are too high.
There are a lot of false-positive cases.
We'd like to see access point integration.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for four months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product can scale.
We have about 150 users on the solution right now.
How are customer service and support?
I have not used any technical support services. There is so much documentation online, I do not need assistance.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I also use Microsoft products. I prefer Sophos for on-premises and Microsoft for cloud and antivirus products.
Microsoft Defender and the Microsoft Defender cloud panels admin portal are native, and we are using many Microsoft products, so it just makes sense due to the environment to use Microsoft products.
How was the initial setup?
While the deployment was done before I began work in the organization, I reset it and configured it completely.
There are a lot of Sophos post-configuration documents, Sophos videos, et cetera. It was the first time that I configured Sophos. However, it was all good.
The product is very easy to maintain.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost to license the product is a bit expensive. I'd rate the cost at a four out of five in terms of affordability. We pay about $150.
What other advice do I have?
I'm a consultant. I'm using the latest version of the solution.
Sophos is good for smaller companies. It might not be suitable for large ones.
I'd rate it 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.
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos Firewall Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: February 2026
Product Categories
FirewallsPopular Comparisons
Fortinet FortiGate
Netgate pfSense
OPNsense
Cisco Secure Firewall
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls
WatchGuard Firebox
Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW)
Cisco Meraki MX
Azure Firewall
SonicWall TZ
Fortinet FortiGate-VM
Check Point CloudGuard Network Security
Juniper SRX Series Firewall
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series
SonicWall NSa
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos Firewall Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- Sophos XG 210 vs Fortigate FG 100E
- What Is The Biggest Difference Between Sophos UTM and Sophos XG?
- What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?
- Which firewall is better and why: Sophos XG 210 or Fortinet FortiGate 100E?
- Which solution do you prefer: Fortinet FortiGate or Sophos XG?
- What are the main differences in features between Sophos XG and FortiGate 80F?
- Which product do you prefer: Sophos XGS 2100 or Fortinet FortiGate 100F?
- Fortinet FortiGate or Sophos XG?
- How does Meraki MX compare with Sophos XG?
- Which firewall to choose for an SMB to prevent malware damage: Cisco Firepower or Sophos XG?













