---
title: FortiGate-VM NGFW Reviews
meta_title: 'FortiGate-VM NGFW Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2'
meta_description: Filter 252 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry
  to find out how FortiGate-VM NGFW works for a business like yours.
aggregate_rating:
  rating_value: 4.6
  review_count: 252
  scale: '5'
date_modified: '2026-08-14'
parent_category:
  name: Network Security
  url: https://www.g2.com/categories/network-security
---


# FortiGate-VM NGFW Reviews
**Vendor:** Fortinet  
**Category:** [Firewall Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/firewall-software)  
**Average Rating:** 4.6/5.0  
**Total Reviews:** 252
## About FortiGate-VM NGFW
FortiGate-VM is a virtual firewall solution designed to help users secure their cloud environments and on-premises networks. As a next-generation firewall developed by Fortinet, FortiGate-VM integrates advanced security features with the flexibility of virtualization, making it suitable for deployment in various public and private cloud infrastructures. This solution is particularly beneficial for organizations looking to enhance their cybersecurity posture while leveraging the scalability and efficiency of cloud technologies. Targeted at enterprises and organizations of all sizes, FortiGate-VM is ideal for IT security teams that require robust protection against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Its deployment across diverse environments allows businesses to maintain consistent security policies and practices, regardless of whether their infrastructure is on-premises, in the cloud, or a hybrid of both. Specific use cases include protecting sensitive data in cloud applications, securing remote access for employees, SD-WAN, and ensuring compliance with industry regulations. One of the key features of FortiGate-VM is its AI-powered threat intelligence. FortiGuard utilizes machine learning algorithms to analyze vast amounts of data, enabling the identification of emerging threats in real time. This proactive approach to threat detection ensures that organizations can respond swiftly to potential vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. Additionally, the behavioral analysis capabilities of FortiGate-VM allow for the identification of anomalous activities, further enhancing its ability to mitigate risks associated with cyberattacks. FortiGate-VM stands out in the virtual firewall category due to its seamless integration with existing Fortinet security solutions, providing a comprehensive security architecture. The solution offers advanced features such as intrusion prevention, web filtering, and application control, all of which contribute to a multi-layered defense strategy. Furthermore, its scalability allows organizations to easily adjust their security resources in response to changing business needs, ensuring that they remain protected as they grow. FortiGate-VM delivers unmatched security and value, making it a vital component for organizations seeking to fortify their defenses against the evolving landscape of cyber threats. Its combination of advanced threat protection, AI-driven insights, and flexible deployment options positions it as a critical tool for maintaining a secure and resilient network environment.



## FortiGate-VM NGFW Pros & Cons
**What users like:**

- Users appreciate the **user-friendly interface** of FortiGate-VM NGFW, making configuration and management straightforward and efficient. (12 reviews)
- Users appreciate the **modern, easy-to-use interface** of FortiGate-VM NGFW, enhancing daily networking tasks efficiently. (10 reviews)
- Users commend FortiGate-VM NGFW for its **robust security capabilities** , ensuring effective protection against various threats. (8 reviews)
- Users value the **all-in-one security** and strong visibility features of FortiGate-VM NGFW for effective threat management. (7 reviews)
- Users value the **efficient all-in-one stack** of FortiGate-VM NGFW, enhancing performance and simplifying security management. (6 reviews)
- Easy Setup (6 reviews)
- Users commend the **fast and secure firewall efficiency** of Fortigate VM NGFW, enhancing their organizational security. (6 reviews)
- Performance Speed (6 reviews)
- Users value the **comprehensive security protection** of FortiGate-VM NGFW, ensuring robust defense against sophisticated threats. (6 reviews)
- Threat Detection (6 reviews)

**What users dislike:**

- Users face a **difficult learning curve** with FortiGate-VM NGFW, finding the interface busy and options confusing initially. (4 reviews)
- Users find the **high cost** of licenses and support for FortiGate-VM NGFW a considerable drawback to its value. (4 reviews)
- Users experience **update issues** with FortiGate-VM, facing challenges with performance and need for improvements on older models. (4 reviews)
- Users face **upgrade issues** with FortiGate-VM, including downtime during firmware updates and limited third-party integrations. (4 reviews)
- Users find the **limited advanced features** in FortiGate-VM NGFW restrict their experience and capabilities. (3 reviews)
- Users express frustration with **poor customer support** , as simple issues often take too long to resolve. (3 reviews)
- Poor Interface Design (3 reviews)
- Compatibility Issues (2 reviews)
- Complex Configuration (2 reviews)
- Complexity (2 reviews)

## FortiGate-VM NGFW Reviews
  ### 1. Powerful, Flexible Security for Cloud and Hybrid Deployments

**Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Luis José Enrique R. | Project Development Manager, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** February 14, 2026

**What do you like best about FortiGate-VM NGFW?**

What I like most about FortiGate-VM NGFW from Fortinet is the strong balance it strikes between security capabilities, performance, and flexibility in virtualized environments.

From my experience working on system architectures and migrations, I especially appreciate how straightforward it is to deploy across cloud and hybrid infrastructures, which makes it a good fit for modern microservices and distributed systems. The centralized management, advanced threat protection, and deep traffic inspection also deliver solid network visibility and control, without introducing significant additional complexity.

**What do you dislike about FortiGate-VM NGFW?**

One thing I find challenging about FortiGate-VM NGFW from Fortinet is that the initial setup, as well as configuring more advanced features, can involve a steep learning curve. This tends to be even more noticeable in complex environments or for teams without deep network security experience.

On top of that, licensing and resource sizing in virtual environments can be difficult to plan accurately. It’s especially tricky when you’re scaling infrastructure or trying to optimize performance in cloud deployments, where getting the sizing right can take extra effort.

**What problems is FortiGate-VM NGFW solving and how is that benefiting you?**

FortiGate-VM NGFW from Fortinet addresses key challenges around network security, visibility, and protection in today’s virtualized and cloud environments. It helps secure distributed infrastructures by combining advanced threat prevention, deep packet inspection, intrusion prevention, and centralized policy management into a single platform.

From my perspective, this gives me stronger control over network traffic and helps reduce security risk across hybrid and cloud-based systems. It streamlines security policy management, improves visibility into network activity, and supports meeting security standards without relying on multiple separate tools.

It also offers scalability and flexible deployment, which is especially useful during system migrations, in microservices architectures, or as infrastructure grows. This helps organizations keep security consistent while still adapting to changing technical and business requirements.

  ### 2. Powerful, Hassle-Free Security That Shines in Cloud and Virtual Deployments

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Eduardo  F. | Consulate Assistant, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** January 28, 2026

**What do you like best about FortiGate-VM NGFW?**

What I like the most is that it does a lot without being a pain. You get Firewall,VPN, IPS, web filtering, app control, etc.

It’s also really solid in virtual and cloud setups. Whether it’s VMware, AWS, or Azure, it spins up fast and behaves exactly like the physical FortiGates.

**What do you dislike about FortiGate-VM NGFW?**

It can feel clunky at first. The interface isn’t bad, but it’s busy. If you’re new to FortiOS, menus and options don’t always feel intuitive, you’ll click around a bit before you know where things actually are.

**What problems is FortiGate-VM NGFW solving and how is that benefiting you?**

FortiGate-VM gives me one place to handle security instead of juggling multiple tools. Firewall, VPN, and threat protection are all together, so management is simpler and faster.
It also lets me use the same security rules in the cloud and on-prem, which saves time and avoids mistakes when moving or scaling systems.

  ### 3. Review on Fortigate NGFW

**Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** Satish K. | Technical Manager, Information Technology and Services, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** June 26, 2025

**What do you like best about FortiGate-VM NGFW?**

It’s easy to set up and use daily. It has many useful features, connects well with other tools, and support is quick to respond when needed.

**What do you dislike about FortiGate-VM NGFW?**

Some settings are hard to find, and updates can be confusing at times. But overall, it works well once set up.

**What problems is FortiGate-VM NGFW solving and how is that benefiting you?**

FortiGate keeps our customers safe from online threats like viruses, hackers, and bad websites. It has many security tools in one device, so it's easy for us to set up and manage. This helps save time and keeps their network running smoothly.

  ### 4. Great Hardware and Software

**Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars

**Reviewed by:** zain a. | System Admin, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

**Reviewed Date:** March 07, 2023

**What do you like best about FortiGate-VM NGFW?**

The Firewall UI is the most modern and initutive ive ever seen with a great feature set.

**What do you dislike about FortiGate-VM NGFW?**

The Hardware and support cost is very high. There is a steep learning curve

**What problems is FortiGate-VM NGFW solving and how is that benefiting you?**

The vpn solution (forticlient) can be very hard to troubleshoot where bottlenecks and stability issues are coming from. 

We have been able to modernise, clean up and secure our network infrastructure with a clearer view from a security point of view.


## FortiGate-VM NGFW Discussions
  - [What is FortiGate NGFW used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-fortigate-ngfw-used-for) - 1 comment
  - [What is FortiGate-VM used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-fortigate-vm-used-for) - 2 comments
  - [Is FortiGate and fortinet the same?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-fortigate-and-fortinet-the-same) - 1 comment
  - [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

- [View FortiGate-VM NGFW pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/fortigate-vm-ngfw/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2123206&qs=pros-and-cons&section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-08-14+21%3A15%3A30+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=76af5fe1-0ef8-4de2-8801-f4a55e19fbf0&secure%5Btoken%5D=52a0871eb6b3c6f6bc1861580ea7058407dbcfb621c38b6aa4ce326090d0ebdc&format=llm_user)
## FortiGate-VM NGFW Integrations
  - [Amazon EC2](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-ec2/reviews)
  - [AWS Cloud WAN](https://www.g2.com/products/aws-cloud-wan/reviews)
  - [AWS Graviton](https://www.g2.com/products/aws-graviton/reviews)
  - [AWS Lambda](https://www.g2.com/products/aws-lambda/reviews)
  - [AWS Transit Gateway](https://www.g2.com/products/aws-transit-gateway/reviews)
  - [Azure Virtual WAN](https://www.g2.com/products/azure-virtual-wan/reviews)
  - [Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI)](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-application-centric-infrastructure-aci/reviews)
  - [Elastic](https://www.g2.com/products/elastic/reviews)
  - [FortiAnalyzer](https://www.g2.com/products/fortianalyzer/reviews)
  - [FortiClient](https://www.g2.com/products/forticlient/reviews)
  - [FortiManager](https://www.g2.com/products/fortimanager/reviews)
  - [FortiSIEM](https://www.g2.com/products/fortisiem/reviews)
  - [IBM Security QRadar Log Insights](https://www.g2.com/products/ibm-security-qradar-log-insights/reviews)
  - [Kubernetes](https://www.g2.com/products/kubernetes/reviews)
  - [Microsoft Azure Services](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-azure-services/reviews)
  - [Microsoft Sentinel](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-sentinel/reviews)
  - [Nuage](https://www.g2.com/products/nuage/reviews)
  - [OpenStack](https://www.g2.com/products/openstack/reviews)
  - [Rapid7 Security Services](https://www.g2.com/products/rapid7-security-services/reviews)
  - [Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform](https://www.g2.com/products/red-hat-ansible-automation-platform/reviews)
  - [ServiceNow Connector](https://www.g2.com/products/servicenow-connector/reviews)
  - [Splunk Enterprise](https://www.g2.com/products/splunk-enterprise/reviews)
  - [VMware ESXi](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-esxi/reviews)
  - [VMware NSX](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-nsx/reviews)

## FortiGate-VM NGFW Features
**Additional Functionality**
- Penetration Testing
- Alerts/Notifications
- Audit Trail
- Anti Virus
- Vulnerability Scanning
- Remote Monitoring & Management
- VPN
- Behavior Analytics
- Reporting/Analytics
- Real-Time Notifications
- Access Controls/Permissions
- SSL Security
- Patch Management
- Event Logs
- Anomaly/Malware Detection
- DNS Leak Protection
- Third-Party Integrations
- Server Monitoring
- Real-Time Monitoring
- Compliance Management
- Network Provisioning
- API
- Email Alerts
- Security Auditing
- Intrusion Detection System
- Data Visualization
- Two-Factor Authentication
- Generative AI
- Firewalls
- AI Copilot
- Anti Spam
- Threat Response
- Activity Monitoring
- Risk Alerts
- Data Loss Prevention
- Single Sign On
- Intrusion Prevention System
- Secure Login
- Policy Management
- Activity Dashboard

**Security - Unified Threat Management**
- Antivirus
- Whitelists
- Antispam Filtering
- Content Filtering
- Web Filtering
- Firewall

**Prevention**
- Intrusion Prevention
- Firewall
- Encryption
- Security hardening

**Administration**
- Policy Management
- Logging and Reporting
- Application Gateway
- Concurrent Sessions
- Uptime Reporting
- Web Traffic Reporting
- Compliance Management
- Access Management
- Incident Management
- Audit Management
- Remote Monitoring & Management

**Agentic AI - Firewall Software**
- Autonomous Task Execution
- Adaptive Learning
- AI/Machine Learning

**Compliance**
- Access Management
- At-Risk Analysis
- DLP Configuration
- Sensitive Data Compliance

**Administration**
- Reports & Analytics
- Dashboard

**Detection**
- Intrusion Detection
- Security Monitoring
- Anti-Malware / Malware Detection

**Functionality**
- Virtual Private Network (VPN)
- Antivirus
- URL Filtering
- Availability
- IP Filtering
- Content Filtering

**Administration**
- Database Management
- Backup
- API / integrations

**Administration**
- Compliance
- Administration Console -
- API / integrations

**Monitoring**
- Load Balancing
- Continuous Analysis
- Intrusion Prevention
- Intrusion Detection
- Intrusion Detection System
- Intrusion Prevention System

**Security **
- Multi-Factor Authentication
- Data Transport
- Security Tools

**Generative AI**
- AI Text Summarization
- Generative AI

**Artificial Intelligence - Firewall**
- AI Firewall

**Additional Functionality**
- Spam Blocker
- Alerts/Escalation
- Role-Based Permissions
- Network Monitoring
- Visual Analytics
- Customizable Reports
- Real-Time Analytics
- Reporting & Statistics
- Anti Spam
- Activity Dashboard
- Real-Time Monitoring
- Real-Time Notifications
- Activity Tracking
- Hardware Integration
- Summary Reports
- Alerts/Notifications
- Access Controls/Permissions
- Real-Time Data
- Server Monitoring
- Two-Factor Authentication
- Log Access
- Reporting/Analytics
- Multi-Location
- SSL Security
- Behavior Tracking
- AI Copilot
- API
- Event Logs
- Vulnerability Scanning
- Risk Alerts
- Single Sign On
- Dashboard Creation
- Monitoring

## Top FortiGate-VM NGFW Alternatives
  - [Check Point Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs)](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-next-generation-firewalls-ngfws/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (515 reviews)
  - [WatchGuard Network Security](https://www.g2.com/products/watchguard-network-security/reviews) - 4.7/5.0 (249 reviews)
  - [SonicWall Next Generation Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/sonicwall-next-generation-firewall/reviews) - 4.1/5.0 (145 reviews)

