TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco Meraki MX

    Score9.2 out of 10
    N/ACisco Meraki MX Firewalls is a combined UTM and Software-Defined WAN solution. Meraki is managed via the cloud, and provides core firewall services, including site-to-site VPN, plus network monitoring.

    $595

    per appliance

    FortiGate

    Score8.2 out of 10
    N/AFortiNet FortiGate is a firewall option with high integrability. It offers a variety of deployment options and next-gen firewall capabilities, including integration with IaaS cloud platforms and public cloud environments.N/A
    Pricing
    Cisco Meraki MXFortiGate
    Editions & Modules
    MX64
    $595
    per appliance
    MX67
    $695
    per appliance
    MX68
    $995
    per appliance
    MX84
    $1,995
    per appliance
    MX100
    $4,995
    per appliance
    MX250
    $9,995
    per appliance
    MX450
    $19,995
    per appliance
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco Meraki MXFortiGate
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsFortiGate pricing starts at $250 for home office use, up to $300,000 for large enterprise appliances. Must contact sales team for pricing.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Cisco Meraki MXFortiGate
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    We compared VeloCloud. The product seemed fine. Outside circumstances made us not use VeloCloud. We are currently evaluating FortiGate and FortiAP for specific and unique locations along with Sophos SG Firewall and AP. Although we plan to add a competitor we are not planning on …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Cisco Meraki MX is much more simple to configure, deploy and manage. It's very intuitive and it has a lot of options as a firewall, also it has a SD WAN feature as a very important added value. The performance of the Cisco Meraki MX is very good and for these all reasons Meraki …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Fortinet was too complicated for our needs.
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Cisco Meraki MX easier to deploy.
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    It shines with simplicity of Operation, but could be looked over in scenarios where more complex features are required.
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    The Meraki Dashboard has been a lot more intuitive than CradlePoint NetCloud. We switched from CradlePoint to Cisco Meraki MX because we were already familiar with the interface which allowed us to be familiar with a single dashboard.
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    The inclusion of unified threat management UTM capabilities were considered a crucial part of the deployment of this solution, which the easy cloud management permitted to build trust in a new solution that no member of the team knew, added that the Cisco is very well known and …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    the feature rich unified threat management UTM capabilities were a crucial part of the deployment of this solution that the industry leading cloud management was an pivotal point (previously known by several members of the team), and the Cisco brand is very power full and a …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Better wholesome solution
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Cisco Meraki MX is good and easy to setup. But only drawback we see is that it can take more than 2 active wan links.
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Easy setup
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Cisco Meraki MX is easy if you don't need multi-tenancy solutions and if the routing in the network is not so complex. But Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN solution is more powerful and has more features compared to Meraki.
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    The main difference is the administration through the Meraki cloud, the ease of access to review the configuration at any time, and the scalability that Meraki provides in terms of the ease of adding new devices, today in addition to how well the devices work is It is important …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Because Cisco Meraki MX scales better.
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    It is easier to implement and affordable. If you like Cisco products and you believe in their ecosystem and future, you will not be wrong selecting Cisco Meraki MX or Viptela from their portfolio.
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Simplicity
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Ease of setup, portability, subscription cost, and flexibility.
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Cisco Meraki MX is still the easiest to use, they constantly update their software and features.
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Meraki is for small business
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Cisco Meraki gives a simple and unified dashboard that allows the configuration and management of all function and features, where some other vendors require additional portals to manage SDWAN as an example. A single pane of glass approach is much the preferred outcome for our …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Meraki is just easier to use and deploy. It’s not the cheapest option, nor is it the most feature rich or performant firewall platform. But when you need something that works and meets PCI/HIPAA compliance, with very little effort to use, this is the ideal platform for you. …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Cisco Meraki MX is a different product targeted at different markets, not exactly a UTM / NGFW. Centralized management and a single pane of glass add a lot of value. Again there are sites where no MX can replace a PA due to the configuration requirements and performance …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    The Meraki may have slightly fewer features, but it does have all the core features and executes them with flying colors.
    Incentivized
    Fortinet
    Chose FortiGate
    FortiGates are more professional and offer a robust command line.
    Incentivized
    Chose FortiGate
    In my opinion, Fortinet Fortigates is an enterprise-level firewall. They are workhorses and perform without a stutter. The WG comes close but lacks many features that the Fortigate has by default, and I needed to implement it into our environment. MX firewalls are good but …
    Incentivized
    Chose FortiGate
    Compared to the products we have used in the past the FortiGate has been easier to configure, easier to upgrade, and as easy to visualize problems from the logging. The web filter integration allowed us to eliminate the Barracuda. This was something we tried and failed to …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    95%
    Would buy again
    124 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    48 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    118 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    47 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    122 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    48 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    96%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    108 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    43 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    119 Answers
    98%
    Implementation went as expected
    46 Answers
    Features
    Cisco Meraki MXFortiGate
    Firewall
    Comparison of Firewall features of Cisco Meraki MX and Fortinet FortiGate
    Feature
    Cisco Meraki MX
    7.9
    109 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Fortinet FortiGate
    8.9
    40 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Identification Technologies8.3104 Ratings8.638 Ratings
    Visualization Tools8.7102 Ratings8.538 Ratings
    Content Inspection8.1101 Ratings9.439 Ratings
    Policy-based Controls7.5100 Ratings9.040 Ratings
    Active Directory and LDAP7.990 Ratings9.039 Ratings
    Firewall Management Console6.4103 Ratings8.640 Ratings
    Reporting and Logging7.6107 Ratings7.440 Ratings
    VPN8.8102 Ratings8.640 Ratings
    High Availability9.1103 Ratings9.535 Ratings
    Stateful Inspection7.497 Ratings9.538 Ratings
    Proxy Server6.857 Ratings10.028 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco Meraki MXFortiGate
    Small Businesses
    SonicWall NSA Series
    Score8.5 out of 10
    SonicWall NSA Series
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    Score9 out of 10
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    Score9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco Meraki MXFortiGate
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.3
    (145 ratings)
    9.0
    (67 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (6 ratings)
    9.9
    (4 ratings)
    Usability
    9.5
    (7 ratings)
    9.0
    (8 ratings)
    Availability
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.9
    (15 ratings)
    8.6
    (26 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (4 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.2
    (112 ratings)
    9.8
    (2 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco Meraki MXFortiGate
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    The Meraki MX lineup is well suited for organizations that need centralized management of multiple locations, as it allows for both quick deployment and simple/easy remote administration all from a single pane of glass. It also works very well for providing VPN access for remote workers and helps monitor end-device uptime. It does, however, fall a bit short in its firewall's customization, compared to traditional appliances (like our WatchGuard Firebox), so perhaps less suited for organizations that need more customization, as the Meraki MX lineup is primarily designed for simplicity and straightforward cloud-based management.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    Fortinet FortiGate addressed an immediate security issue we had a few years ago. The device gave us a much clearer picture of the activities on our network and also more importantly, increased our awareness of threats from the internet as a whole. Fortinet FortiGate helps us to mitigate these threats with regular signature updates from Fortiguard labs, identifying certain characteristics which, once recognised by Fortinet FortiGate, can be harnessed to deploy powerful 'playbooks'.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Cisco
    • The Cisco Meraki MX series is phenomenal at allowing us to remotely manage networks. So the devices usually act as the brain behind our client's networks, which makes it really, really easy for our team to take a look at what's going on in those client network environments, resolve any issues, and make sure that our client's networks are staying secure.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    • SD-WAN - Load balancing of Internet traffic is a USP of Fortigate and makes it stand tall in the competition. Be it 3 or more Internet Links, multiple Subnets/segments of users to distribute and bandwidth load balancing for links and users. SLA based monitoring of Internet Links / MPLS links, makes it even better to choose the links on the basis of performance (Latency, packet loss, Jitter etc).
    • SSL VPN configuration - As we all have WFH force (to some extend or all employee) during Covid-19, it is impossible to plan BCP without having a SSL VPN. In Fortigate, the SSL VPN configuration is very easy with the help of wizard. The deep CLI-level debugging is also very helpful in troubleshooting. Type of tunnel can be easily configured - Full Tunnel or Split Tunnel for SSL.
    • Explicit Proxy - This is also a great feature to shape and re-route the traffic, configuring the Proxy on the Firewall itself. We are using this feature in Pilot for now, and planned to rollout in few weeks looking at the success rate of the POC.
    Read full review
    Cons
    Cisco
    • Layer seven firewall rules. Just making them more granular. We've been in meetings with Cisco SES where I've said feature requests many times and that's one of the big ones where it's just a little cumbersome to implement layer seven rules right now.
    • Just making them more granular. We've been in meetings with Cisco SES where I've said feature requests many times and that's one of the big ones where it's just a little cumbersome to implement layer seven rules right now.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    • Documentation is missing a great deal of detail and assumes the customer and just guess and fill in the blanks themselves
    • Fortinet has lots and lots of video guides on topics that only a small percentage of customers would ever need
    • The documentation and video guides do not get updated so most is only relevant to older software versions
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Cisco
    The simplicity and ease of use for the Meraki Dashboard make it an easy choice for our organization to renew our Meraki Enterprise Agreement. We will likely continue using the Meraki MC67-C, MX450, and other MX models in their catalog until we shift away from Meraki completely
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    Fortinet's products have kept improving with new software releases and they continue to deliver great value. Their support is also very good. I believe that as a small enterprise, their products have given us competitive advantage delivering features and functionality that enable us to innovate and do things better. They also continue to be a leader in the markets they serve.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Cisco
    Some features simply aren't there, but the ones that are there are pretty easy to use. Sometimes it is easy to get lost when trying to find the specific device you want to work on, but that's mostly due to how rarely we have to go into the interface.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    The firewall runs very well, firmware updates are fairly quick but you must follow the upgrade path. Neglecting this step will cause a lot of pain. If you decide to go with Fortinet FortiGate switches and/or access points, they can be managed within the firewall which is great. We're also using the FortiAnalyzer which easily plugs into the firewall for any reporting you may require.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Cisco
    Meraki MX devices support high availability (HA) configurations, which ensures minimal downtime if one device goes offline. This feature has helped us maintain a stable and reliable network, even in cases of hardware failures. ince Meraki is cloud-managed, we've noticed that the cloud infrastructure is generally highly reliable, with minimal service interruptions or downtime. This makes it easier to manage the network remotely without significant availability concerns. Meraki automatically pushes firmware updates and patches, which helps maintain system stability without requiring manual intervention. These updates are rolled out in a manner that ensures minimal disruption to service.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    We had didn't any hardware failures at our two main office locations and upgraded our units last year after using them for about 5-6 years
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Cisco
    The interface is pretty responsive. The lower end devices are easy to overwhelm if you have a lot of throughput. Be sure the model you get is rated for the amount of traffic you will have. Overbuild if possible, otherwise you won't be fully leveraging the connection from your ISP.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    Good performance and really good integration. We have integration with Microsoft AD.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Cisco
    I haven't ever had a bad experience with Meraki support. On the few occasions where I wasn't understanding the UI or needed some clarification about what a setting actually would do, I contacted them and they were very quickly able to provide help. Returns are simple and fast, too. We had to return a defective device one time and they shipped the replacement before we had even un-racked the one that was faulty. Unlike many other vendors, they didn't ask use to a do long list of scripted diagnostics, they just took my word for it that the device was broken and sent out a replacement immediately
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    The Support team at Fortinet is excellent. They can not only help you configure the device for what you are trying to do, they offer suggestions on improving rules, and troubleshooting issues. Their response time is fast, ensuring you are up and running immediately with no questions asked. We had a hard drive failure in one of our Fortinet Fortigate appliances. The tech answered immediately, and started rebuilding the drive after some preliminary investigations. After rebuilding, there were still errors and issues, so they dispatched a brand new Fortinet Fortigate appliance. The tech then backed up the configurations for when the new device came in, which showed up in a few hours. A restore of the configuration took less than a minute, and there were no more errors or issues.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Cisco
    great when they offered it, really tested your knowledge with hands on and see what your peers from other orgs know. glad to see that we were ahead of the curve of what our peers knew
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    I received it a couple years afters use it and it was just to confirm my knowledge about the tool.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Cisco
    it was okay as it was moderated but still better than nothing and done via semi self paced webex meeting
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Cisco
    Implementing Meraki MX devices in phases—starting with a pilot group or select branch offices—was invaluable. This allowed us to identify potential configuration issues, troubleshoot problems, and refine our setup before rolling it out company-wide. It also helped to get feedback from early users and adjust the deployment strategy accordingly. The SD-WAN capabilities in Meraki MX were essential for optimizing our WAN traffic and ensuring better application performance across various locations.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    Make sure that you have the most current version of FortiOS. Make sure all Fortigates are on the same version
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    Cisco Meraki MX provides simplicity and scalability while cutting costs. With Meraki MX, you get a Security appliance, router, and Firewall in one appliance and managed with one GUI. These features enable the network engineers to maintain large-scale enterprises with a single dashboard from a remote site or anywhere with internet, all thanks to the Meraki cloud dashboard
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    [Fortinet] FortiGate is not only cost effective but it gives the comprehensive security against the APT attacks and gives the complete traffic visibility and granular control. You can easily create the VDOMs (Virtual firewall) within a Fortigate firewall and customize the dashboard as per your requirement if you have multiple VDOMs within a single firewall.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Fortinet
    No changes needed to terms and conditions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Cisco
    When I first started with my company we had various infrastructure and a mix of tech. Since going to Cisco Meraki MX we have noticed better network performance and our new sites are much easier to bring online. Users have noticed an improvement in VPN connection and getting into all our systems.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    My environments are pretty small (less than 100 users per location) so no issues here.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • From a positive impact? Basically it allows us to set up shop very quickly. It allowed us to add sites to our network very quickly. From a negative perspective, I think the only thing is that I can see from a negative perspective is I have a preference to working with ACLI in terms of how I engage with the youth tool At the moment, the only way to actually engage with a tool is on a gui and sometimes what I'd actually like is more detailed information in terms of actual configuration that you'll actually get out of ACLI.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    • The pricing given to us for our firewall was well within what we were already spending for other vendors solutions and had the added value of eliminating a separate expense for a dedicated web filtering appliance.
    • We have also adopted Fortinet's security fabric approach and thus changed vendors for our switch and AP devices. These devices have come at reduced prices as compared to another previous vendor we were using, particularly in relation to ongoing annual maintenance costs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots