# FortiGate-VM NGFW vs Sophos United Threat Management Comparison
---
## AI Generated Summary
- **G2 reviewers report** that FortiGate-VM NGFW excels in user experience, particularly highlighting its **responsive and user-friendly GUI**. Users appreciate the lack of lag during modifications, making it a smooth experience compared to other solutions.
- **According to verified reviews** , Sophos United Threat Management offers a wide array of products that cover various security needs, including endpoints and firewalls. Users have noted its **unobtrusive nature** and ease of installation, which provides daily security benefits without requiring constant input.
- **Users say** that FortiGate-VM NGFW's support team is highly effective, with many praising the **helpfulness of the TAC support team**. This level of support contributes to a more satisfying overall experience, especially during troubleshooting.
- **Reviewers mention** that while Sophos provides solid security options, it sometimes struggles with specific workflow needs, leading to configuration challenges. This can impact the overall user experience for those with unique requirements.
- **G2 reviewers highlight** that FortiGate-VM NGFW has a higher overall satisfaction score, reflecting its strong market presence and user trust. The product's **SD-WAN capabilities** are particularly noted for their granularity in monitoring application utilization.
- **According to recent feedback** , Sophos United Threat Management has a solid foundation for security but may not match the advanced features and performance of FortiGate-VM NGFW, particularly in areas like **web filtering and reporting** , where FortiGate consistently receives higher ratings.



| | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
| **Star Rating** | 4.6 out of 5 | 4.1 out of 5 | 
| **Total Reviews** | 245 | 89 | 
| **Largest Market Segment** | Mid-Market (58.0% of reviews) | Mid-Market (57.7% 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)

### Sophos United Threat Management

**Not enough data**

---
## Ratings Comparison
| Rating | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
  | **Meets Requirements** | 9.1 (190 reviews) | 8.5 (69 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Use** | 9.0 (193 reviews) | 8.6 (69 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Setup** | 8.9 (159 reviews) | 8.5 (50 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Admin** | 9.1 (145 reviews) | 8.2 (50 reviews) | 
  | **Quality of Support** | 8.6 (188 reviews) | 8.1 (64 reviews) | 
  | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | 9.0 (141 reviews) | 8.5 (48 reviews) | 
  | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 9.4 (190 reviews) | 7.1 (69 reviews) | 

---
## Pricing

### FortiGate-VM NGFW

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

Yes

### Sophos United Threat Management

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

No information available

---
## Features Comparison By Category

### Unified Threat Management (UTM)

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **FortiGate-VM NGFW** | 9.3/10 | 122 |
| **Sophos United Threat Management** | 8.2/10 | 20 |

#### Security - Unified Threat Management

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
| **Antivirus** | 9.3 (97 reviews) | 8.3 (18 reviews) | 
| **Whitelists** | 9.4 (98 reviews) | 7.9 (19 reviews) | 
| **Antispam Filtering** | 9.0 (90 reviews) | 8.1 (18 reviews) | 
| **Content Filtering** | 9.2 (96 reviews) | 7.9 (19 reviews) | 
| **Web Filtering** | 9.7 (98 reviews) | 8.2 (19 reviews) | 
| **Firewall** | 9.7 (103 reviews) | 8.9 (19 reviews) | 

#### Administration

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
| **Reports & Analytics** | 8.7 (97 reviews) | 8.0 (17 reviews) | 
| **Dashboard** | 9.4 (99 reviews) | 7.9 (18 reviews) | 

### Data Center Security Solutions

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **FortiGate-VM NGFW** | 9.4/10 | 76 |
| **Sophos United Threat Management** | N/A | N/A |

#### Prevention

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
| **Intrusion Prevention** | 9.6 (59 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Firewall** | 9.5 (62 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Encryption** | 9.2 (56 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Security hardening** | 9.4 (56 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Cloud Data Protection** | Feature Not Available | Not enough data | 

#### Detection

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
| **Intrusion Detection** | 9.4 (58 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Security Monitoring** | 9.4 (54 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Anti-Malware / Malware Detection** | 9.3 (54 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Administration

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
| **Compliance** | 9.4 (54 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Administration Console -** | 9.4 (58 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **API / integrations** | 9.0 (52 reviews) | Not enough data | 

### Firewall Software

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **FortiGate-VM NGFW** | 9.0/10 | 129 |
| **Sophos United Threat Management** | N/A | N/A |

#### Administration

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
| **Policy Management** | 9.2 (104 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Logging and Reporting** | 8.9 (104 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Application Gateway** | 9.2 (93 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Concurrent Sessions** | 9.3 (99 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Agentic AI - Firewall Software

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
| **Autonomous Task Execution** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Adaptive Learning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Functionality

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
| **Virtual Private Network (VPN)** | 9.4 (107 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Antivirus** | 9.0 (98 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **URL Filtering** | 9.4 (102 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Availability** | 9.5 (99 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Monitoring

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
| **Load Balancing** | 9.2 (93 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Continuous Analysis** | 9.0 (95 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Intrusion Prevention** | 9.3 (108 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Intrusion Detection** | 9.3 (99 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Generative AI

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
| **AI Text Summarization** | 8.2 (20 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Artificial Intelligence - Firewall

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
| **AI Firewall** | 7.7 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | 

### Data Security

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **FortiGate-VM NGFW** | N/A | N/A |
| **Sophos United Threat Management** | N/A | N/A |

#### Compliance

| Feature | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
| **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 | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
| **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 | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
| **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):** [Unified Threat Management Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/unified-threat-management-utm)

**Unique to FortiGate-VM NGFW (2):** [Firewall Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/firewall-software), [Data Center Security Solutions](https://www.g2.com/categories/data-center-security-solutions)



---
## Reviewer Demographics

### By Company Size

| Segment | FortiGate-VM NGFW | Sophos United Threat Management | 
|---|---|---|
| **Small-Business** | 20.4% | 23.1% | 
| **Mid-Market** | 58.0% | 57.7% | 
| **Enterprise** | 21.7% | 19.2% | 

### By Industry

#### FortiGate-VM NGFW

- **Information Technology and Services:** 23.3%
- **Computer & Network Security:** 11.6%
- **Telecommunications:** 9.8%
- **Financial Services:** 7.0%
- **Computer Software:** 6.5%
- **Computer Networking:** 4.7%
- **Education Management:** 2.8%
- **Construction:** 2.3%
- **Information Services:** 1.9%
- **Hospital & Health Care:** 1.9%
- **Other:** 28.4%

#### Sophos United Threat Management

- **Information Technology and Services:** 24.4%
- **Computer & Network Security:** 9.0%
- **Hospital & Health Care:** 5.1%
- **Financial Services:** 3.8%
- **Computer Software:** 3.8%
- **Airlines/Aviation:** 2.6%
- **Higher Education:** 2.6%
- **Transportation/Trucking/Railroad:** 2.6%
- **Banking:** 2.6%
- **Construction:** 2.6%
- **Other:** 41.0%

---
## 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 (591 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 (154 reviews)
- [Barracuda CloudGen Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/barracuda-cloudgen-firewall/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (52 reviews)
- [Juniper Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/juniper-firewall/reviews) — 4.0/5 stars (32 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 (866 reviews)
- [Netgate pfSense](https://www.g2.com/products/netgate-pfsense/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (326 reviews)
- [Cisco Meraki](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-meraki/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (217 reviews)

### Alternatives to Sophos United Threat Management

- [Cisco Meraki](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-meraki/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (217 reviews)
- [SonicWall Next Generation Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/sonicwall-next-generation-firewall/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (154 reviews)
- [Check Point Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs)](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-next-generation-firewalls-ngfws/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (591 reviews)
- [WatchGuard Network Security](https://www.g2.com/products/watchguard-network-security/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (267 reviews)
- [Huawei Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/huawei-firewall/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (15 reviews)
- [Cisco ASA 5500-X Series](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-asa-5500-x-series/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (39 reviews)
- [Juniper Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/juniper-firewall/reviews) — 4.0/5 stars (32 reviews)
- [Check Point SASE](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-sase/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (227 reviews)
- [Barracuda CloudGen Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/barracuda-cloudgen-firewall/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (52 reviews)
- [Heimdal](https://www.g2.com/products/heimdal/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (76 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...."

### Sophos United Threat Management

- Title: [What is a Sophos UTM?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-a-sophos-utm) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "Originally the Astaro security gateway.  SOophos bought Astro and rename the product UTM or unified threat management. UTM has since been replaced as the go..."

---
**Source:** [G2.com](https://www.g2.com) | [Comparison Page](https://www.g2.com/compare/fortigate-vm-ngfw-vs-sophos-united-threat-management)