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Fortinet FortiGate vs. Zscaler Internet Access

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    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

    Zscaler Internet Access

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/AZscaler Internet Access™ (ZIA) is a secure web gateway (SWG), delivering cloud native cyberthreat protection and zero trust access to the internet and SaaS apps.N/A
    Pricing
    FortiGateZscaler Internet Access
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    FortiGateZscaler Internet Access
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    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
    FortiGateZscaler Internet Access
    Considered Both Products
    Fortinet
    No answer on this topic
    Zscaler
    Chose Zscaler Internet Access
    It will take us into full Zero Trust with out deploying another client, is efficient.
    Incentivized
    Chose Zscaler Internet Access
    Fortinet's hosted solution is not really supported in my opinion. Opening a ticket for hosted firewall is a pain and even during the POC phase we had to work with engineers who really didn't understand our use case and we were not really happy with the way they presented the …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    48 Answers
    99%
    Would buy again
    171 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    47 Answers
    99%
    Delivers good value for the price
    147 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    48 Answers
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    170 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    43 Answers
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    126 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    98%
    Implementation went as expected
    46 Answers
    89%
    Implementation went as expected
    136 Answers
    Features
    FortiGateZscaler Internet Access
    Firewall
    Comparison of Firewall features of Fortinet FortiGate and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Fortinet FortiGate
    8.9
    40 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Zscaler Internet Access
    -
    Ratings
    Identification Technologies8.638 Ratings00 Ratings
    Visualization Tools8.538 Ratings00 Ratings
    Content Inspection9.439 Ratings00 Ratings
    Policy-based Controls9.040 Ratings00 Ratings
    Active Directory and LDAP9.039 Ratings00 Ratings
    Firewall Management Console8.640 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reporting and Logging7.440 Ratings00 Ratings
    VPN8.640 Ratings00 Ratings
    High Availability9.535 Ratings00 Ratings
    Stateful Inspection9.538 Ratings00 Ratings
    Proxy Server10.028 Ratings00 Ratings
    Identity Management
    Comparison of Identity Management features of Fortinet FortiGate and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Fortinet FortiGate
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    5.0
    2 Ratings
    56% below category average
    Multi-Factor Authentication00 Ratings5.02 Ratings
    Endpoint Security
    Comparison of Endpoint Security features of Fortinet FortiGate and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Fortinet FortiGate
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    10.0
    2 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Threat Intelligence
    Comparison of Threat Intelligence features of Fortinet FortiGate and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Fortinet FortiGate
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    9.5
    5 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Network Analytics00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Threat Recognition00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Vulnerability Classification00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Automated Alerts and Reporting00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Threat Analysis00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Threat Intelligence Reporting00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Automated Threat Identification00 Ratings9.15 Ratings
    Zero Trust Security
    Comparison of Zero Trust Security features of Fortinet FortiGate and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Fortinet FortiGate
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    9.7
    5 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Continuous Verification00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Secure Web Gateways00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Network Flow Control00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Network Traffic Analysis00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Segmentation Leveraging00 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Admin Access Control00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Network Data Encryption00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Network Topology Mapping00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    User Ratings
    FortiGateZscaler Internet Access
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (67 ratings)
    8.7
    (22 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.9
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    9.0
    (8 ratings)
    8.5
    (6 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.6
    (26 ratings)
    8.1
    (5 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.8
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    FortiGateZscaler Internet Access
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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
    Zscaler
    It's best suited for a distributed remote workforce, securing internet access for users from anywhere. Suitable for highly regulated industries, such as banking and Healthcare. Not a good fit for an organisation where most of its legacy is in an on-premises environment. Bandwidth-intensive industries like media/entertainment firms.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    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
    Zscaler
    • Single Pane of Glass Management - Everything is very easy to access and monitor the entire environment from an internet security perspective.
    • Install Flexibility - We can and do install Zscaler Internet Access on both our client devices as well as our SD-WAN appliances and servers. This allows us to control internet security even on devices without an agent in our networks.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    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
    Zscaler
    • The logs feel kind of lack luster
    • When issues are arising with SSL Inspection, logs show everything working despite end user experience
    • Could use some kind of global find functionality or something that would allow you to search the entire configuration for matching URLs and the like
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    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
    Zscaler
    While Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) delivers critical value in cloud security and RBI compliance, I rate renewal likelihood 7/10 due to evolving needs versus platform limitations. Below is my rationale:
    Key Gaps:
    1. Advanced Threat Costs:
    ZIA’s add-ons (e.g., Advanced DLP, Sandboxing) incur 35%+ cost premiums – straining budgets as transaction volumes (UPI/iMobile) grow 50% YoY.
    2. API Banking Scalability:
    ZIA’s API rate limits throttle real-time policy sync during UPI peaks (10K+ TPS), forcing workarounds for finacle integrations.
    3. RBI Future-Proofing:
    Limited native support for upcoming digital rupee (CBDC) security rules requires custom development, increasing compliance overhead.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    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
    Zscaler
    The application is easy to install and configure on all Windows devices. To troubleshoot any internet issue, we can easily collect all the relevant logs from Zscaler and check the exact issue. The only problem is with the uninstall, as a dedicated crew needs to provide the password.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    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
    Zscaler
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Fortinet
    Good performance and really good integration. We have integration with Microsoft AD.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    There are often performance issues reported
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    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
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    Zscaler
    Zscaler's ZIA support is quick and knowledgable. They respond within 1-2 hours of you submitting your ticket. They are very thorough and are typically ready to jump on a live troubleshooting session. Our ZIA platform and how we use is it unique so at times tickets can be open for weeks but we alway get quality support compared to other unrelated product support in our enterprise
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    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
    Zscaler
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    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
    Zscaler
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    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
    Zscaler
    Zscaler Intenet Access outperformed the competition due to its lightning-fast policy delivery and cross-compatibility. It is easy to track employee usage and block unnecessary websites, reducing company internet usage. Zscalar installed on every system increases cloud-based software bandwidth, decreasing user turnaround time and increasing efficiency.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Fortinet
    No changes needed to terms and conditions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    No answers on this topic
    Scalability
    Fortinet
    My environments are pretty small (less than 100 users per location) so no issues here.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    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
    Zscaler
    • Has allowed us to remove other products that were suboptimal
    • Saved us money overall by stacking it with other Zscaler products
    • Created a more secure work environment for our users through intelligent internet policies that are not needlessly restrictive while still maintaining security best practices
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Zscaler Internet Access Screenshots

    Screenshot of an overview of Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA), a cloud native security service edge (SSE) solution that builds on a decade of secure web gateway leadership. Offered as a scalable SaaS platform through Zscaler's security cloud, it replaces legacy network security solutions, preventing advanced attacks and data loss with a comprehensive zero trust approach. ZIA is integrated into the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ to provide superior defense-in-depth, secure connectivity, end user experience, and administrative visibility and control.