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Compare FortiGate-VM NGFW and Netgate pfSense 
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At a Glance
Market Segments
Mid-Market (63.0% of reviews)
Small-Business (68.7% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
No pricing available
No pricing available
FortiGate-VM NGFW
Star Rating
(206)4.7 out of 5
Market Segments
Mid-Market (63.0% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
No pricing available
Free Trial is available
Learn more about FortiGate-VM NGFWNetgate pfSense
Star Rating
(322)4.8 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (68.7% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
No pricing available
Learn more about Netgate pfSenseSummary
AI Generated Summary
AI-generated. Powered by real user reviews.
- Reviewers mention that Netgate pfSense excels in its open-source nature, allowing for extensive customization and flexibility, which is particularly appealing to tech-savvy users looking for tailored solutions.
- Users report that FortiGate NGFW shines in its user-friendly interface and ease of setup, with many noting that the streamlined dashboard makes it simple to manage security policies and monitor network activity.
- G2 users highlight that Netgate pfSense offers robust features for firewall and web filtering, with a high rating of 9.7 for firewall capabilities, making it a strong choice for users prioritizing security.
- Users on G2 mention that FortiGate NGFW's intrusion prevention system is highly effective, receiving a score of 9.1, which reviewers say provides peace of mind with its proactive threat detection.
- Reviewers say that while Netgate pfSense has a solid antivirus feature rated at 6.5, FortiGate NGFW significantly outperforms it with a score of 9.0, indicating a more comprehensive approach to malware protection.
- Users report that the policy management capabilities of FortiGate NGFW, rated at 9.3, are superior to Netgate pfSense's 8.7, making it easier for organizations to enforce security protocols across their networks.
Pricing
Entry-Level Pricing
FortiGate-VM NGFW
No pricing availableNetgate pfSense
No pricing availableFree Trial
FortiGate-VM NGFW
Free Trial is available
Netgate pfSense
Free Trial is available
Ratings
Meets Requirements
9.2
166
9.4
257
Ease of Use
9.1
167
8.5
264
Ease of Setup
9.0
133
8.8
243
Ease of Admin
9.1
130
8.8
241
Quality of Support
8.8
164
9.1
205
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
9.1
126
9.1
195
Product Direction (% positive)
9.5
165
8.6
258
Features by Category
Security - Unified Threat Management
9.3
93
Not enough data
9.4
95
Not enough data
8.9
88
Not enough data
9.2
93
Not enough data
9.7
95
Not enough data
9.7
96
Not enough data
Administration
8.7
95
Not enough data
9.4
95
Not enough data
Prevention
9.5
54
Not enough data
9.5
55
Not enough data
9.2
53
Not enough data
9.4
54
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Detection
9.3
53
Not enough data
9.4
52
Not enough data
9.4
52
Not enough data
Administration
9.4
52
Not enough data
9.4
55
Not enough data
9.0
48
Not enough data
Administration
9.3
96
8.7
185
8.9
96
8.3
208
9.2
92
8.4
178
9.3
96
9.0
199
Agentic AI - Firewall Software
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Functionality
9.4
96
9.1
215
9.1
93
6.5
135
9.3
94
7.9
166
9.5
95
9.3
199
Monitoring
9.2
91
8.5
162
9.0
89
8.2
167
9.2
94
8.7
187
9.2
94
8.4
180
Generative AI
8.2
20
6.7
73
Artificial Intelligence - Firewall
7.7
5
Not enough data
Usage
Not enough data
9.2
145
Not enough data
9.5
161
Not enough data
9.3
164
Not enough data
9.4
155
Not enough data
7.9
109
Not enough data
8.5
112
Not enough data
8.5
107
Miscellaneous
Not enough data
8.2
108
Not enough data
9.3
145
Not enough data
8.2
97
Compliance
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Administration
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Security
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Categories
Categories
Shared Categories
FortiGate-VM NGFW and Netgate pfSense are categorized as Firewall Software
Unique Categories
FortiGate-VM NGFW is categorized as Data Center Security Solutions and Unified Threat Management (UTM)
Netgate pfSense is categorized as Business VPN
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
FortiGate-VM NGFW
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Netgate pfSense
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Small-Business
(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market
(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise
(> 1000 emp.)
Reviewers' Industry
Information Technology and Services
23.3%
Computer & Network Security
11.6%
Telecommunications
9.0%
Financial Services
6.9%
Computer Software
5.3%
Other
43.9%
Information Technology and Services
20.4%
Computer & Network Security
10.5%
Computer Software
6.1%
Telecommunications
4.1%
Computer Networking
3.8%
Other
55.1%
Alternatives
Discussions
What is FortiGate-VM used for?
2 Comments
AP
FortiGate-VM is Fortinet's virtual appliance version of the FortiGate firewall, designed for deployment in virtualized environments. It serves as a...Read more
What three key additional security features do next generation firewalls provide that legacy firewalls do not?
1 Comment
HH
with FortiGate has many Features including SD-WAN, SSL-VPN, Video Filtering, integrated with Sandbox....Read more
Is FortiGate and fortinet the same?
1 Comment
MK
Fortinet is the company and FortiGate is their Firewall name :)Read more
Can pfSense be used as a router?
11 Comments
SG
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...Read more
What is pfSense used for?
7 Comments
RB
pfSense is a a preconfigured operating system and suite of tools for directing traffic between your LAN and the Internet.
The community version of pfSense...Read more
Is pfSense still free?
5 Comments
JK
Yes, it is. There is a Community Edition and a Plus edition. The Community Edition is free. The Plus edition is free for home lab and comes pre-installed...Read more
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