pfSense vs Sophos XG
We performed a comparison between pfSense vs Sophos XG based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
"I like that you are able to manage FortiGate from the FortiManager to create a more centralized environment."
"FortiGate firewalls are easy to manage through a user-friendly web interface. They also have advanced features like DDoS and DLP. However, I wouldn't recommend enabling all of these features on one device because it can cause performance issues."
"I'm pretty happy with its reliability. It is also very scalable."
"It's very good and very stable for businesses. It works very well."
"The SD-WAN function is very developed. It has SD-WAN functionality with security features in one device. We can manage from one single console SD-WAN and the security policy."
"One of the valuable features is a standardized OS."
"Fortigate's most valuable feature is that it doesn't need a push policy when writing rules."
"The most valuable features are that it is very simple to configure and to manage."
"The redundancy and scalability ARE very nice."
"For everyday tasks, we just get alerts. It's anything that's suspicious, including from our Netgate. So, it's part of how we maintain cybersecurity in our school. This is working alongside our endpoint security solution."
"Routing, load balancing, Traffic Limiter and queues. Since this company relies on an Internet connection, having these features is a must."
"We can run it on any hardware."
"My technicians find the pfSense's web interface very useful. It is very easy to use. pfSense is very reliable and stable. We like the OpenVPN clients that can be deployed using pfSense very much."
"It is effective. We have not had any problems."
"A very stable product that lasts over time, easy to understand, and administer."
"Its reliability and cost-effectiveness stand out."
"It is simple to use."
"The solution has good performance and is easy to use."
"The solution is very easy to use and straightforward."
"The initial setup is pretty easy."
"Reporting is the most valuable feature."
"It is very user friendly and easy to manage from the administrative point of view. It is good, reliable, and easy to implement."
"The filtering is very easy to do. You can segment and create profiles for usage very easily."
"It's a good security tool and it aligns with the rest of our security stack."
"It could use more templates for third-party site-to-site VPN setups other than FortiGate and Cisco."
"The feature which gives us a lot of pain is ASIC architecture."
"I have to say that the initial setup was complex. The deployment took a few days to get set up. Initially, we were using an IPVanish. We switched to this tool since we thought it would be easier. But it turns out it wasn't easier to set up and run."
"Fortinet FortiGate is not very easy to use. The navigation could be improved to make it easier to use."
"Their software support needs improvement. I would prefer to have better support for bug fixes. Sometimes, we open a ticket, and it is very difficult to get a solution. Specifically, we are not at all happy with their support for load balancing."
"For the migration, everyone has a firewall in use and I am selling Fortinet. Typically, I am replacing another firewall. Previously, there was a tool available to convert configurations from one firewall, such as Palo Alto, to Fortinet, but this tool is no longer free. If it could be made free again, it would be very beneficial."
"The pricing could be reduced or include the first year warranty."
"Due to its higher cost, Fortinet FortiGate can lead to increased operational expenses."
"The hotspot and the portal feature in this solution are not stable for WiFi access. We use it at least once or twice every day and it crashes. Some modules can be better by improving detection and having new updates. Additionally, we have some issues with clustering and load balancing that could improve."
"I've never tried it in large environments. All my clients are small businesses with a handful of employees, so I am not sure how it works in large environments. I keep up with recent versions, and there's nothing I'm waiting for, and nothing breaks when I get a new version."
"Netgate pfSense needs to improve the configuration for a VPN."
"When I checked other packages, it seems they use different tools that are installed on the PSS for functionality. They rely on third-party tools, unlike Fortinet, for example, which has its own tools. In comparison, we also use third-party tools on pfSense. For example, we had a situation where we needed a tool to identify authorized users, and when I searched for a solution, I found a third-party tool. However, using such tools may come with additional costs."
"The integration of pfSense with EPS and EDS could be better. Also, it should be easier to get reports on how many users are connecting simultaneously and how sections connect in real-time."
"ClamAV AntiVirus can cause some crashes. That service should be improved."
"I expect a better interface with more log analysis because I create my own interface."
"The user interface can be improved to make it easier to add more features. And pfSense could be better integrated with other solutions, like antivirus."
"Some of the firewall rules are complicated for us to understand, they should be simplified."
"The solution should have the ability to be up to date with the most recent threats."
"The MTR feature needs enhancing."
"There's an IP address delivery for our VPN client and a limited range of IP addresses. So this is a problem in the latest firmware release, but rather than using homework scenarios, we need a lot of VPN clients."
"They need to improve the SD-WAN feature."
"The VPN is in need of improvement."
"The two main areas where this product needs improvement are routing and reporting."
"They should include fiber ports on smaller product models and the tools should be improved for scalability."
Netgate pfSense is ranked 1st in Firewalls with 128 reviews while Sophos XG is ranked 7th in Firewalls with 192 reviews. Netgate pfSense is rated 8.6, while Sophos XG is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Netgate pfSense writes "User-friendly, easy to manage the firewall, rule-wise and interface-wise". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Sophos XG writes "Easy to use and deploy with an improved pricing structure in place". Netgate pfSense is most compared with OPNsense, KerioControl, Sophos UTM, Cisco Secure Firewall and WatchGuard Firebox, whereas Sophos XG is most compared with OPNsense, Sophos XGS, SonicWall TZ, Meraki MX and Sophos UTM. See our Netgate pfSense vs. Sophos XG report.
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