FortiGate NGFW vs pfSense

Overview

pfSense

Stacks109

Followers95

Votes0

FortiGate NGFW

Stacks12

Followers14

Votes0

FortiGate NGFW vs pfSense: What are the differences?

Introduction:

FortiGate NGFW and pfSense are both widely used firewall solutions in the market. While they share similarities in terms of providing network security, there are key differences that set them apart. In this comparison, we will explore six specific differences between FortiGate NGFW and pfSense.

Scalability: FortiGate NGFW offers greater scalability compared to pfSense. FortiGate is known for its high-performance hardware appliances that can handle heavy traffic loads and support large-scale deployments. On the other hand, pfSense is more suitable for small to medium-sized networks, with hardware limitations that may affect performance in larger environments.
Security features: FortiGate NGFW provides a comprehensive suite of security features, including next-generation firewall capabilities, intrusion prevention systems, antivirus, web filtering, and more. It also offers advanced threat intelligence and integrates with other security solutions. While pfSense also offers several security features, it may require additional packages and configurations to match FortiGate's integrated functionality.
Vendor support: FortiGate NGFW benefits from dedicated vendor support, with a highly responsive customer service team and regular firmware updates. Fortinet, the maker of FortiGate, provides comprehensive documentation and resources for troubleshooting and maintenance. pfSense, being an open-source solution, relies more on community support, although commercial support options are available from Netgate.
User interface: FortiGate NGFW offers a user-friendly web-based graphical user interface (GUI) that simplifies configuration and management. It provides intuitive menus, wizards, and dashboards, making it easier for network administrators to navigate and monitor the firewall settings. pfSense also offers a web-based GUI, but it may have a steeper learning curve and require more manual configuration compared to FortiGate.
Performance optimization: FortiGate NGFW is known for its optimization capabilities, utilizing hardware acceleration, ASIC-based processing, and custom-designed chips to deliver high throughput and low latency. This ensures minimal impact on network performance even during heavy traffic loads. While pfSense can achieve good performance with appropriate hardware, it may not offer the same level of optimization as FortiGate in terms of hardware resources utilization.
Licensing model: FortiGate NGFW follows a proprietary licensing model, with different license tiers offering various feature sets and performance levels. The licenses are usually subscription-based and may require renewal after a certain period. On the other hand, pfSense follows an open-source licensing model, with the core features available for free. Additional packages and support can be obtained through commercial offerings.

In summary, FortiGate NGFW offers greater scalability, a comprehensive suite of security features, dedicated vendor support, a user-friendly interface, performance optimization, and a proprietary licensing model. On the other hand, pfSense is more suitable for smaller networks, may require additional configurations for advanced functionalities, relies more on community support, and follows an open-source licensing model.

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Detailed Comparison

pfSense	FortiGate NGFW
It is an open source firewall/router computer software distribution based on FreeBSD. It is installed on a physical computer or a virtual machine to make a dedicated firewall/router for a network.	It enables security-driven networking and consolidate industry-leading security capabilities such as intrusion prevention system (IPS), web filtering, secure sockets layer (SSL) inspection, and automated threat protection. It meet the performance needs of highly scalable, hybrid IT architectures, enabling organizations to reduce complexity and manage security risks.
Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI); GeoIP blocking	Remove uncontrolled blind spots with SSL inspection of all encrypted flows, including TLS 1.3; Industry’s best-of-breed security with automated threat protection; Intelligently share threat information across the entire digital attack surface to provide quick and automated protection; Single console management automation, orchestration, and analytics; Independently certified and continuous threat intelligence updates provide robust protection from known and unknown attacks
Statistics
Stacks 109	Stacks 12
Followers 95	Followers 14
Votes 0	Votes 0
Integrations
Squid OpenVPN OpenLDAP	No integrations available

What are some alternatives to pfSense, FortiGate NGFW?

Let's Encrypt

It is a free, automated, and open certificate authority brought to you by the non-profit Internet Security Research Group (ISRG).

Sqreen

Sqreen is a security platform that helps engineering team protect their web applications, API and micro-services in real-time. The solution installs with a simple application library and doesn't require engineering resources to operate. Security anomalies triggered are reported with technical context to help engineers fix the code. Ops team can assess the impact of attacks and monitor suspicious user accounts involved.

Instant 2FA

Add a powerful, simple and flexible 2FA verification view to your login flow, without making any DB changes and just 3 API calls.

ORY Hydra

It is a self-managed server that secures access to your applications and APIs with OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect. It is OpenID Connect Certified and optimized for latency, high throughput, and low resource consumption.

Virgil Security

Virgil consists of an open-source encryption library, which implements CMS and ECIES(including RSA schema), a Key Management API, and a cloud-based Key Management Service.

ExpeditedSSL

Stop pouring through MAN pages and outdated blog posts that don't take into account new requirements. With our add-on, you can go from install to confirmed installation in as little as twenty minutes: using nothing but your browser.

Clef

Clef is secure two-factor — built for consumers. Easy to use, integrate, and pay for.

Wazuh

It is a free, open source and enterprise-ready security monitoring solution for threat detection, integrity monitoring, incident response and compliance.

Detectify

Detectify is a web security service that simulates automated hacker attacks on your website, detecting critical security issues before real hackers do. We provide you with descriptive reports of the results so that you can continue to build safe products

SSLMate

SSLMate is the easiest way for developers and sysadmins to buy SSL certificates.

Related Comparisons

FortiGate NGFW vs pfSense: What are the differences?

Introduction:

Scalability: FortiGate NGFW offers greater scalability compared to pfSense. FortiGate is known for its high-performance hardware appliances that can handle heavy traffic loads and support large-scale deployments. On the other hand, pfSense is more suitable for small to medium-sized networks, with hardware limitations that may affect performance in larger environments.
Security features: FortiGate NGFW provides a comprehensive suite of security features, including next-generation firewall capabilities, intrusion prevention systems, antivirus, web filtering, and more. It also offers advanced threat intelligence and integrates with other security solutions. While pfSense also offers several security features, it may require additional packages and configurations to match FortiGate's integrated functionality.
Vendor support: FortiGate NGFW benefits from dedicated vendor support, with a highly responsive customer service team and regular firmware updates. Fortinet, the maker of FortiGate, provides comprehensive documentation and resources for troubleshooting and maintenance. pfSense, being an open-source solution, relies more on community support, although commercial support options are available from Netgate.
User interface: FortiGate NGFW offers a user-friendly web-based graphical user interface (GUI) that simplifies configuration and management. It provides intuitive menus, wizards, and dashboards, making it easier for network administrators to navigate and monitor the firewall settings. pfSense also offers a web-based GUI, but it may have a steeper learning curve and require more manual configuration compared to FortiGate.
Performance optimization: FortiGate NGFW is known for its optimization capabilities, utilizing hardware acceleration, ASIC-based processing, and custom-designed chips to deliver high throughput and low latency. This ensures minimal impact on network performance even during heavy traffic loads. While pfSense can achieve good performance with appropriate hardware, it may not offer the same level of optimization as FortiGate in terms of hardware resources utilization.
Licensing model: FortiGate NGFW follows a proprietary licensing model, with different license tiers offering various feature sets and performance levels. The licenses are usually subscription-based and may require renewal after a certain period. On the other hand, pfSense follows an open-source licensing model, with the core features available for free. Additional packages and support can be obtained through commercial offerings.

FortiGate NGFW vs pfSense

Overview