# FortiGate-VM NGFW vs Netgate pfSense Comparison
---
## AI Generated Summary
- **G2 reviewers report** that FortiGate-VM NGFW excels in user experience, particularly with its **intuitive GUI** that is described as "best in class" compared to competitors. Users appreciate the **speed and responsiveness** of the interface, which enhances day-to-day usability.
- **Users say** that Netgate pfSense offers a highly configurable solution, allowing for extensive customization in areas like **VLAN, DHCP, and routing**. This flexibility is a significant advantage for those who need tailored network setups, with many praising its **robust security features**.
- **According to verified reviews** , FortiGate-VM NGFW has a slight edge in ease of setup and administration, with users noting that there is **no lag** when making modifications in the GUI. This efficiency can be crucial for teams needing to manage multiple tasks quickly.
- **Reviewers mention** that while Netgate pfSense has a strong support community and well-documented resources, FortiGate-VM NGFW's **technical support** is highlighted as particularly helpful, providing timely assistance that enhances the overall user experience.
- **G2 reviewers highlight** that both products have strong performance in meeting user requirements, but Netgate pfSense stands out with a higher score in this area. Users appreciate its **security integration capabilities** and the ability to repurpose old hardware, making it a cost-effective choice for small businesses.
- **Users report** that FortiGate-VM NGFW's advanced features, such as **SD-WAN** capabilities, allow for granular monitoring of application utilization, which is a significant benefit for mid-market companies looking to optimize their network performance.



| | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **Star Rating** | 4.6 out of 5 | 4.7 out of 5 | 
| **Total Reviews** | 230 | 326 | 
| **Largest Market Segment** | Mid-Market (58.9% of reviews) | Small-Business (68.5% of reviews) | 
| **Entry Level Price** | No pricing available | No pricing available | 

---
## Top Pros & Cons

### FortiGate-VM NGFW

Pros:
- Ease of Use (12 reviews)
- Features (10 reviews)

Cons:
- Difficult Learning Curve (4 reviews)
- Expensive (4 reviews)

### Netgate pfSense

Pros:
- Ease of Use (3 reviews)
- Customizability (2 reviews)

Cons:
- Complex Configuration (2 reviews)
- Difficult Learning Curve (2 reviews)

---
## Ratings Comparison
| Rating | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
  | **Meets Requirements** | 9.2 (182 reviews) | 9.4 (261 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Use** | 9.0 (185 reviews) | 8.5 (268 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Setup** | 8.9 (151 reviews) | 8.7 (247 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Admin** | 9.1 (138 reviews) | 8.8 (243 reviews) | 
  | **Quality of Support** | 8.7 (180 reviews) | 9.1 (209 reviews) | 
  | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | 9.1 (134 reviews) | 9.2 (197 reviews) | 
  | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 9.4 (182 reviews) | 8.6 (262 reviews) | 

---
## Pricing

### FortiGate-VM NGFW

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

Yes

### Netgate pfSense

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

Yes

---
## Features Comparison By Category

### Unified Threat Management (UTM)

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **FortiGate-VM NGFW** | 9.3/10 | 118 |
| **Netgate pfSense** | N/A | N/A |

#### Security - Unified Threat Management

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **Antivirus** | 9.3 (95 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Whitelists** | 9.4 (97 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Antispam Filtering** | 9.0 (89 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Content Filtering** | 9.3 (95 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Web Filtering** | 9.7 (96 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Firewall** | 9.8 (100 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Administration

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **Reports & Analytics** | 8.7 (96 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Dashboard** | 9.4 (98 reviews) | Not enough data | 

### Data Center Security Solutions

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **FortiGate-VM NGFW** | 9.4/10 | 74 |
| **Netgate pfSense** | N/A | N/A |

#### Prevention

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **Intrusion Prevention** | 9.6 (58 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Firewall** | 9.5 (60 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Encryption** | 9.2 (54 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Security hardening** | 9.4 (55 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Cloud Data Protection** | Feature Not Available | Not enough data | 

#### Detection

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **Intrusion Detection** | 9.4 (56 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Security Monitoring** | 9.4 (53 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Anti-Malware / Malware Detection** | 9.3 (54 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Administration

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **Compliance** | 9.4 (53 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Administration Console -** | 9.4 (58 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **API / integrations** | 9.0 (51 reviews) | Not enough data | 

### Firewall Software

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **FortiGate-VM NGFW** | 9.0/10 | 122 |
| **Netgate pfSense** | 8.3/10 | 244 |

#### Administration

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **Policy Management** | 9.2 (101 reviews) | 8.8 (188 reviews) | 
| **Logging and Reporting** | 8.9 (101 reviews) | 8.3 (209 reviews) | 
| **Application Gateway** | 9.2 (92 reviews) | 8.4 (179 reviews) | 
| **Concurrent Sessions** | 9.3 (98 reviews) | 9.0 (200 reviews) | 

#### Agentic AI - Firewall Software

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **Autonomous Task Execution** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Adaptive Learning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Functionality

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **Virtual Private Network (VPN)** | 9.4 (104 reviews) | 9.1 (218 reviews) | 
| **Antivirus** | 9.0 (96 reviews) | 6.6 (136 reviews) | 
| **URL Filtering** | 9.4 (101 reviews) | 7.9 (167 reviews) | 
| **Availability** | 9.5 (98 reviews) | 9.3 (200 reviews) | 

#### Monitoring

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **Load Balancing** | 9.2 (92 reviews) | 8.5 (163 reviews) | 
| **Continuous Analysis** | 9.0 (93 reviews) | 8.2 (168 reviews) | 
| **Intrusion Prevention** | 9.2 (104 reviews) | 8.7 (188 reviews) | 
| **Intrusion Detection** | 9.3 (98 reviews) | 8.4 (181 reviews) | 

#### Generative AI

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **AI Text Summarization** | 8.2 (20 reviews) | 6.7 (73 reviews) | 

#### Artificial Intelligence - Firewall

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **AI Firewall** | 7.7 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | 

### Business VPN

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **FortiGate-VM NGFW** | N/A | N/A |
| **Netgate pfSense** | 8.8/10 | 181 |

#### Usage

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **Multi-Device Usage** | Not enough data | 9.2 (146 reviews) | 
| **Multiple Concurrent Connections** | Not enough data | 9.5 (162 reviews) | 
| **Protocol Choices** | Not enough data | 9.3 (165 reviews) | 
| **Unlimited Bandwidth** | Not enough data | 9.4 (156 reviews) | 
| **No Log Storage** | Not enough data | 7.9 (110 reviews) | 
| **Varied Server Locations** | Not enough data | 8.5 (113 reviews) | 
| **Unlimited Server Switches** | Not enough data | 8.5 (108 reviews) | 

#### Miscellaneous

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **Live Customer Support** | Not enough data | 8.1 (109 reviews) | 
| **Open Source Code** | Not enough data | 9.3 (147 reviews) | 
| **Multiple Payment Methods** | Not enough data | 8.2 (97 reviews) | 

### Data Security

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **FortiGate-VM NGFW** | N/A | N/A |
| **Netgate pfSense** | N/A | N/A |

#### Compliance

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **Access Management** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **At-Risk Analysis** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **DLP Configuration** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Sensitive Data Compliance** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Administration

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **Database Management** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Deduplication ** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Backup** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **API / integrations** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Security 

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **Multi-Factor Authentication** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Data Transport** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Data Types** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Security Tools** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

---
## Categories
**Shared Categories (1):** [Firewall Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/firewall-software)

**Unique to FortiGate-VM NGFW (2):** [Data Center Security Solutions](https://www.g2.com/categories/data-center-security-solutions), [Unified Threat Management Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/unified-threat-management-utm)

**Unique to Netgate pfSense (1):** [Business VPN Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/business-vpn)


---
## Reviewer Demographics

### By Company Size

| Segment | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Netgate pfSense | 
|---|---|---|
| **Small-Business** | 18.7% | 68.5% | 
| **Mid-Market** | 58.9% | 25.2% | 
| **Enterprise** | 22.4% | 6.3% | 

### By Industry

#### FortiGate-VM NGFW

- **Information Technology and Services:** 22.2%
- **Computer & Network Security:** 11.6%
- **Telecommunications:** 10.1%
- **Financial Services:** 6.8%
- **Computer Software:** 6.3%
- **Computer Networking:** 4.8%
- **Education Management:** 2.9%
- **Construction:** 2.4%
- **Information Services:** 1.9%
- **Hospital & Health Care:** 1.9%
- **Other:** 29.0%

#### Netgate pfSense

- **Information Technology and Services:** 20.1%
- **Computer & Network Security:** 11.0%
- **Computer Software:** 6.3%
- **Telecommunications:** 4.1%
- **Computer Networking:** 3.8%
- **Non-Profit Organization Management:** 3.5%
- **Education Management:** 3.1%
- **Government Administration:** 3.1%
- **Higher Education:** 2.8%
- **Health, Wellness and Fitness:** 1.9%
- **Other:** 40.3%

---
## Alternatives

### Alternatives to FortiGate-VM NGFW

- [Check Point Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs)](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-next-generation-firewalls-ngfws/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (589 reviews)
- [WatchGuard Network Security](https://www.g2.com/products/watchguard-network-security/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (267 reviews)
- [SonicWall Next Generation Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/sonicwall-next-generation-firewall/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (153 reviews)
- [Barracuda CloudGen Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/barracuda-cloudgen-firewall/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (51 reviews)
- [Juniper Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/juniper-firewall/reviews) — 3.9/5 stars (31 reviews)
- [Huawei Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/huawei-firewall/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (15 reviews)
- [KerioControl](https://www.g2.com/products/keriocontrol/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (10 reviews)
- [Sophos Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/sophos-firewall/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (786 reviews)
- [Cisco Meraki](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-meraki/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (217 reviews)
- [Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls](https://www.g2.com/products/palo-alto-networks-next-generation-firewalls/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (167 reviews)

### Alternatives to Netgate pfSense

- [Sophos Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/sophos-firewall/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (786 reviews)
- [Check Point Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs)](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-next-generation-firewalls-ngfws/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (589 reviews)
- [WatchGuard Network Security](https://www.g2.com/products/watchguard-network-security/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (267 reviews)
- [Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls](https://www.g2.com/products/palo-alto-networks-next-generation-firewalls/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (167 reviews)
- [SonicWall Next Generation Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/sonicwall-next-generation-firewall/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (153 reviews)
- [Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense Virtual (formerly NGFWv)](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-secure-firewall-threat-defense-virtual-formerly-ngfwv/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (93 reviews)
- [CrowdSec](https://www.g2.com/products/crowdsec/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (88 reviews)
- [GlassWire Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/glasswire-firewall/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (50 reviews)
- [Comodo Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/comodo-firewall/reviews) — 4.0/5 stars (38 reviews)
- [Arista NG Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/arista-ng-firewall/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (17 reviews)

---
## Top Discussions

### FortiGate-VM NGFW

- Title: [What is FortiGate-VM used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-fortigate-vm-used-for) — 2 comments
  > **Top comment:** "FortiGate-VM is Fortinet's virtual appliance version of the FortiGate firewall, designed for deployment in virtualized environments. It serves as a..."
- Title: [What is FortiGate NGFW used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-fortigate-ngfw-used-for) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "It is a next generation firewall which has capability to do layer 7 insapaction "
- Title: [Is FortiGate and fortinet the same?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-fortigate-and-fortinet-the-same) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "Fortinet is the company and FortiGate is their Firewall name :)"
- Title: [What three key additional security features do next generation firewalls provide that legacy firewalls do not?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-three-key-additional-security-features-do-next-generation-firewalls-provide-that-legacy-firewalls-do-not) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "with FortiGate has many Features including SD-WAN, SSL-VPN, Video Filtering, integrated with Sandbox...."

### Netgate pfSense

- Title: [Can pfSense be used as a router?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/can-pfsense-be-used-as-a-router) — 11 comments
  > **Top comment:** "pfSense is an open-source firewall and router software distribution based on FreeBSD. It supports NAT and different types of interfaces (WAN, LAN, DMZ). It..."
- Title: [What is pfSense used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-pfsense-used-for) — 7 comments
  > **Top comment:** "router, firewall, vpn server"
- Title: [Is pfSense still free?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-pfsense-still-free) — 5 comments
  > **Top comment:** "yes its available in both free and paid version "
- Title: [What is pfSense software?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-pfsense-software) — 4 comments
  > **Top comment:** "It's a firewall/firewall."
- Title: [Is pfSense any good?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-pfsense-any-good) — 3 comments
  > **Top comment:** "Yes, it's excellent "

---
**Source:** [G2.com](https://www.g2.com) | [Comparison Page](https://www.g2.com/compare/fortigate-vm-ngfw-vs-netgate-pfsense)