Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users
CEO at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Migration from pfSense or Astaro is easy
Pros and Cons
  • "The two most valuable feature of Sophos XG is, one the option to filter according to different applications and two, the integration with the Active Directory."
  • "Integration with Active Directory is not reliable."
  • "Over the last six months, we have noticed that the hardware is slow, especially the VPN connections."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Sophos XG, but not the latest version. The solution works as the main gateway. We are a small company of 250 employees so we also use the solution as a router.

The hardware and VPN connections are slow so we are planning on upgrading the solution. Next month we will be replacing the Sophos XG we have as it is reaching the end of life next year. We will be purchasing the XG 3000 to gain more options in the VPN tunnels.

What is most valuable?

The two most valuable feature of Sophos XG is, one the option to filter according to different applications and two, the integration with the Active Directory.

What needs improvement?

Over the last six months, we have noticed that the hardware is slow, especially the VPN connections.

Sophos would benefit if they could improve the integration with Active Directory. It does not function consistently and we have to reconfigure it to make it function again. 

Integration with IPA, which is like Active Directory for Linux servers, would be a nice feature to include.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for three years.

Buyer's Guide
Sophos XG
July 2025
Learn what your peers think about Sophos XG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is very stable. We have not had any problems in the three years we have been using Sophos XG. We did have one infection that gained access to one server in the DMZ but it was because the rules were not well configured and not because of the product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We haven't had to scale the solution. 

How are customer service and support?

Support from Sophos XG has been fine for what we have required.

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

We had been using Astaro. We selected Sophos XG because we knew it would be easy to set up and configure as the two solutions are similar.

How was the initial setup?

Previously we were working with Astaro, so the setup and configuration of Sophos XG was easy. The implementation took less than a month.

What about the implementation team?

The company that sold the firewall solution provided support hours while we were migrating the rules of our old firewall. They provided us with advice on some of the rules, especially on the routing to connect to a branch office.

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

We purchase an annual standard license.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend Sophos XG if you are coming from pfSense or Astaro as the migration will be really easy. The learning path will also be easy. If you are coming from Barracuda or Cisco it will be more difficult especially the web interface of the firewall is not intuitive.

I would rate Sophos XG an 8 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.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1749918 - PeerSpot reviewer
Gerente de Atendimento na Introduce at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Robust and feature-rich solution.
Pros and Cons
  • "The features that I have found most valuable are first the Web Filter and the Web Application Firewall SD-Wan on Version 18. Additionally, RED Tunnels allows a Sophos vital to speak to another Sophos vital in headquarters."
  • "The main problem with Sophos XG today is that it doesn't have a feature where you actually know the quality of an international link, which would allow us to we know if the link is operational or not. We need more information. It's losing packets on the network. It's high latency. So, we need more information to know if the link is really bad or really good, and today, we will only know if it's working and this just isn't enough."

What is our primary use case?

We use and implement Sophos XG for our customers for border security, just to make sure that nobody gets in and that everybody who tries to get out will have some kind of filter or protection.

How has it helped my organization?

I can say that it has not exactly improved how our the organization functions, but on the security side it makes everything much more secure, especially for the users. They can't surf the web without some kind of protection for safety and control, and we are alerted if somebody is trying to access some strange websites or trying to access something the company does not allow.

What is most valuable?

The features that I have found most valuable are first the Web Filter and the Web Application Firewall SD-Wan on Version 18. Additionally, RED Tunnels allows a Sophos vital to speak to another Sophos vital in headquarters.

What needs improvement?

The main problem with Sophos XG today is that it doesn't have a feature where you actually know the quality of an international link, which would allow us to we know if the link is operational or not. We need more information. It's losing packets on the network. It's high latency. So, we need more information to know if the link is really bad or really good, and today, we only know if it's working and this just isn't enough.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for about six, seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos XG is really robust because of all the implementations you currently have active. We don't have problems on the hardware or a bug on the software or anything like that. It's really, really rare. Most of the problems are from requests for our customers asking to make a particular website available for some parts of the company and things like this. Just some little configurations on the web filter.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We actually do studies to already know before implementation which firewall will be able to handle all the operations. It is really rare to need to change the firewall or to miss a configuration and put in equipment that can't handle the network. We have never had a case where we had to replace a hardware because it couldn't handle the network. It has always been easy to make a survey to get the right equipment for the right amount of people, and every time we need to make a new implementation we have the study making scalability easy, because each hardware is for a specific customer.

How are customer service and support?

If I were to rate support from zero to 10, I would say about six or seven. The Portuguese Support is really bad. It's really not good. Every time you have an issue that's a little bit more complex, it's better to speak to the Global Support than the Latin American Support.

How was the initial setup?

Today the initial setup is simple since we have been using it for a long time and have implemented it for several customers. So now it is really easy for us.

What about the implementation team?

We are the resellers.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to anyone considering Sophos XG is that it has a good cost-benefit. Let's just put it that it does the job right.

On a scale of one to ten, I would say Sophos XG is a nine.

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
Sophos XG
July 2025
Learn what your peers think about Sophos XG. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Ricardo Quintero - PeerSpot reviewer
Infrastructure/Telcom Coordinator at Schnellecke Group AG & Co. KG
Real User
Top 10
The price is right and it's easy to manage, so it's a good fit for our current needs
Pros and Cons
  • "Sophos XG's price is right, and it's easy to manage. It's a good fit for our current needs at the moment."
  • "Sophos XG's user interface has some room for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We're using Sophos XG within one business unit for security. We use it for the firewall and mapping some services.

What is most valuable?

Sophos XG's price is right, and it's easy to manage. It's a good fit for our current needs at the moment. 

What needs improvement?

Sophos XG's user interface has some room for improvement. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We started using Sophos XG in June of this year, so it has only been a few months. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I think Sophos XG is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Sophos XG is scalable. We have about 600 users here in Mexico, and everyone is behind this solution. I think it's possible we might increase usage, and we've discussed this with our corporate office in Germany. We could decide to go with another product, but we might expand Sophos if it performs well.

How are customer service and support?

Support is one area where I have some issues. Sophos support isn't that good. 

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

In some companies where I've worked, I used Fortinet and ASA with FirePOWER from Cisco. In some places, I used Meraki with the MX and the Advance Security licensing. I have some issues with other technologies. Last year, they had Sophos UTM on the devices, but there was an opportunity was to switch our clients to Sophos XG and try out the solution.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up Sophos XG is too easy. It took about two hours. The only part of the solution that I deployed was the firewalls. It's something I do all the time in my business unit, so it was quick. We have two people responsible for deployment and maintenance, including me. 

What about the implementation team?

I had some support from a partner.

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

A Sophos XG license costs approximately $45,000 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Sophos XG nine out of 10. Our experience so far has been good, but maybe we'll come across another solution that's at the same or a higher level.

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
Head of Operations at Intersect Technologies
Real User
Easy to deploy at customer locations and it is priced well
Pros and Cons
  • "Using Sophos endpoint and the firewall, synchronized security is easy."
  • "LAN inbound and outbound traffic requires more control."

What is our primary use case?

We use Sophos XG with medical institutions and corporate banks that we work with. There are approximately 20 employees working with this product in our company.

What is most valuable?

Being centralized, Sophos provides us threat protection there. Even with standalone, we are able to provide the Sophos firewall. Having an internal dashboard and a single dashboard with some endpoints is also valuable. By using Sophos endpoint and the firewall, synchronized security is easy.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see improvement with service and support. LAN inbound and outbound traffic requires more control and an additional stop. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Sophos XG for almost 10 years. We are partners with Sophos.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability and performance is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is easy to scale.

How are customer service and support?

There is no maintenance required with Sophos XG because it is a cloud product.

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

Previously I was using Cyberoam and Fortinet. We switched because there was a lot of hardware, and the performance was not satisfactory. We were experiencing space concerns with the hardware, the dual processor, and even the single processor. This also meant that synchronized security was not there as well.

How was the initial setup?

The initial set up of the solution was simple. It took about 20 minutes.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the software on our own.

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

The price is cheaper compared to others.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend Sophos XG because it is easy to deploy at customer locations and it is priced well. I would rate this product a 10 out of 10.

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. Partner
PeerSpot user
IT Support Engineer at odak bilisim
Real User
Easy port configuration, scalable, but policies could improve
Pros and Cons
  • "I have found configuring the ports to be easier in Sophos XG compared to the other devices."
  • "Sophos XG could improve the policies, they are a bit confusing when creating them. There are many options that make it confusing and it could be simplified."

What is our primary use case?

We use Sophos XG for network security as a firewall for our company.

What is most valuable?

I have found configuring the ports to be easier in Sophos XG compared to the other devices.

What needs improvement?

Sophos XG could improve the policies, they are a bit confusing when creating them. There are many options that make it confusing and it could be simplified.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for approximately two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The Stability and performance are quite good. We haven't seen any problems.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable.

I would rate the scalability of Sophos XG an eight out of ten.

We have approximately 10 people using this solution in my organization.

My customers are using this solution on a daily basis.

How are customer service and support?

I have contacted support once or twice to receive some clarification. I had a good experience.

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

I have used other solutions preciously and FortiGate's user interface is much easier to use when compared to Palo Alto and Sophos. Additionally, in Palo Alto, assigning the ports are more user-friendly.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

I did the implementation of Sophos XG myself and it took approximately 20 minutes.

There is no maintenance is required for this solution.

Our networking team is approximately 10 people that use the solution.

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

The Palo Alto solution is expensive and the FortiGate is less expensive than Palo Alto. The Sophos XG would be priced in the middle of the two.

There are some fees but you can purchase a bundle package.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to those wanting to use this solution is if you don't have experience, don't use it.

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Sophos XG a 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. Partner
PeerSpot user
Pre-sales at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
Reseller
Top 20
A comprehensive solution which makes available heartbeat security
Pros and Cons
  • "Sophos is a comrehensive solution which allows me to configure all the attendant products, such as Sophos' firewall, Endpoint and Encryption features."
  • "The response time could stand improvement."

What is most valuable?

Sophos is a comprehensive solution which allows me to configure all the attendant products, such as Sophos' firewall, Endpoint and Encryption features. 

A nice feature of Sophos is that it offers in sync and heartbeat security. When my clients have a perimeter involving Sophos firewall and endpoints with Sophos Endpoint, they can communicate with each other. 

Heartbeat security is a great feature. 

What needs improvement?

In light of all the firmware upgrades, maintenance, feature and general releases of firmware, I really appreciate the support offered by Sophos. It is really good. 

However, the response time could stand improvement, as I do not benefit from immediate support. There is a delay involved. This can be problematic when I need urgent support, such as when my device is in a production environment. 

How are customer service and support?

The support is really good. With all the firmware upgrades, maintenance, feature and general firmware releases which occur nowadays, I really appreciate Sophos support. It is really good. 

This said, it could be faster, as it is not immediate. This can be problematic when I require urgent support, such as when my device is in a production environment. 

How was the initial setup?

When it comes to the firewall, everything hinges on the configuration. Every firewall is good, but one can see the importance of the configuration in the firewalls of Sophos and SonicWall. This is the most important thing, since users occcasionally disable the app control, IPS or anti-spyware features. They do this out of a lack of familiarity with the security, something which allows attacks to occur. Therefore, the configuration is key. I configure every firewall I employ, be it Sophos, SonicWall or Fortinet. 

I have not encountered any issues when it comes to the configuration. 

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

I was a gold partner with Sophos XG. As such, I make suggestions about the appropriate model in line with my customer's requirements. Essentially, over the last two years of the COVID-19 crises, most users required an SSL VPN license, something for which SonicWall charges but which Sophos offers for free. 

SSL VPN involves two factor authentication. This is free of charge. Both email and key OTP are options. While SonicWall also offers SSL VPN capabilities, it is problematic. When I needed a license, I purchased an additional perpetual SSL VPN license. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

SonicWall makes available all the different models, such as TZ and NSA. I am familiar with all the models. Sophos only has an entry-level model, which is actually 87, 107 and 116. 

Fortinet offers the Forti ATF model. 

What other advice do I have?

I recommend the solution to other clients, but make certain to first understand their individual needs. I would be doing them a disservice were it otherwise.

I really like Sophos.

In the past, when Sophos employed XG firewall, I was forced to deal with a slow GUI. This is because its back-end kernel is Linux. Now that XGS is provided, many changes can be seen in the hardware appliance. The hardware has been upgraded. The XGS firewall is faster than the XG series, so the problem has been resolved. 

While I rate Fortinet as a nine out of ten, I give Sophos XG a rating of eight. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1680258 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Security Engineer | Project Manager at a consumer goods company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Simple to use, easy installation, and performs well
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution has good performance and is easy to use."
  • "The solution could be more secure."

What is our primary use case?

We use Sophos XG for network threat protection in our data center.

What is most valuable?

The solution has good performance and is easy to use.

What needs improvement?

The solution could be more secure.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for a few years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 100 users using this solution.

How was the initial setup?

The installation of Sophos XG is easy.

What about the implementation team?

 We have four technical engineers for installation and administrators for this equipment.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have evaluated Palo Alto and FortiGate.

What other advice do I have?

We have replaced some of our hardware with Palo Alto and FortiGate solutions.

I am satisfied with this solution.

I rate Sophos XG 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
reviewer1231140 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT support officer at a wholesaler/distributor with 51-200 employees
Real User
Performs well, the firewall and threat management are good
Pros and Cons
  • "So far, I'm happy that they have recently added a firewall role, so I feel a little more comfortable with the security. The threat management is good."
  • "For the moment, managing the Sophos interface is a little bit challenging."

What is our primary use case?

There are about 100 people using Sophos at our office. We have two ISPs, so we have to have access to our internet providers. We also need security to deploy our network. Also, our home and external users need to be able to log in. So we use Sophos XG to build our deployment. Sophos is more than just a firewall. It analyzes security effects, so it's a firewall for the future. It's more than just a hardware firewall. There are also some paid options, so we do not have to have the main server inside our office here. We use Office 365. And although we use five servers at our location, not everything is in the cloud yet. 

What is most valuable?

We haven't used it for very long, so I have not analyzed the main features deeply. So far, I'm happy that they have recently added a firewall role, so I feel a little more comfortable with the security. The threat management is good. Also, the graphics and the throughput of our internet access are better than before, so it's the Sophos anti-threat device that we have. 

What needs improvement?

For the moment, managing the Sophos interface is a little bit challenging. We have an external partner that helps me to comprehend. But it's new. It has to keep up with the market, and I understand that. But that's my personal problem at the moment. High-availability clusters have not been implemented, so we have only one firewall and one device. So should this device go down, there's no more internet access. But so far, we haven't had any problems. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've only been using Sophos XG for three months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Sophos XG is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

I used Sophos tech support for the previous solution because Sophos sold that as well. Now, we only work with the external partners. So for the moment, I haven't had to send questions directly to Sophos. But my past experience with Sophos support was good. It was very professional and easy. We stay with Sophos software because of the technical support.

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

We had Cyberoam. That brand that doesn't exist anymore, so we had to change.

How was the initial setup?

I contacted the external partner, and the setup was easy. It took about two or three days. Some little pictures were difficult for us to find, but that's normal. We could not make a one-to-one copy of the older one, so we had to search for some little personal configurations here. Now that everything is configured right, we are happy to have it. 

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

Because Sophos is sold by the brand that we had before that and Cyberoam does not exist anymore, it costs less because we stayed within the older firewalls. The price was also very good. It was not expensive before because of their value at the time. I think it's not cheap but not very expensive, either. It's in the middle. 

What other advice do I have?

Based on what I know from using it so far, I would recommend Sophos. I rate it 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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos XG Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: July 2025
Product Categories
Firewalls
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos XG Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.