Cisco AnyConnect vs. FortiClient

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco AnyConnect
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Cisco offers an SSL VPN solution via AnyConnect.N/A
FortiClient
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Fortinet offers FortiClient, their endpoint security system emphasizing automated advanced threat protection, security fabric integration, secure remote access, endpoint quarantine, and a comprehensive reporting dashboard.N/A
Pricing
Cisco AnyConnectFortiClient
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco AnyConnectFortiClient
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsSpecific pricing details for FortiClient services vary depending on the number of endpoints, the duration of the subscription, and the specific features included.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cisco AnyConnectFortiClient
Considered Both Products
Cisco AnyConnect
Chose Cisco AnyConnect
AnyConnect is the smallest least intrusive option that makes the most sense if a Cisco Security Appliance is already implemented in the network. I much prefer it to FortiClient, but Ubiquiti USGs and SonicWall are good choices as well. We consistently choose AnyConnect when the …
Chose Cisco AnyConnect
Clients who are currently using FortiClient noted that AnyConnect is easier to use and experienced an issue where some network resources were not accessible whilst using FortiClient intermittently. Both authenticate with Active Directory and both applications are not …
Chose Cisco AnyConnect
AnyConnect has the same functionality for the purposes of my organization at a fraction of the cost of FortiClient. FortiClient may have some advantages in administrative ease, but the end functionality to the user looks to be about the same in terms of content and reliability. …
Chose Cisco AnyConnect
We evaluated FortiClient before buying Cisco AnyConnect but then we decided to go with Cisco AnyConnect due to better pricing, advanced features, and value for money. Even the integration of Cisco Duo was looking easier in Cisco AnyConnect than FortiClient. Another factor was …
Chose Cisco AnyConnect
Before buying Cisco AnyConnect we evaluated FortiClient. We decided to go with Cisco AnyConnect due to its attractive pricing.
Both were providing same features but Cisco AnyConnect prices were cheaper than FortiClient.
Secondly, Cisco is leading name in Cyber Security so we …
Chose Cisco AnyConnect
I have worked with Palo Alto GlobalProtect and Fortinet's FortiClient. While in use, GlobalProtect boasted of some merits, such as great security features that may be superior to those of Cisco AnyConnect; the interface was not quite smooth. I selected Cisco AnyConnect …
Chose Cisco AnyConnect
I evaluated a couple of vendors, such as FortiClient and Malwarebytes, but Cisco AnyConnect won simply because of integration with our existing Cisco equipment. The GUI was not very visually appealing, and its main focus seemed to be on endpoint security, while the company's …
Chose Cisco AnyConnect
Currently, my org is using this default VPN, and we are using the same, but still, we noticed many features are good as compared with other VPN tools. Overall speed is pretty good and hence performance is good. There are other issues, like many times the login is not working …
Chose Cisco AnyConnect
We looked at Umbrella SSE, it would not do what we wanted to do and did not have as much customization as Cisco AnyConnect does.
Chose Cisco AnyConnect
We have used these application so far and we have now good experience with Cisco AnyConnect and we are continuing to use it.
Chose Cisco AnyConnect
[Cisco] AnyConnect is much easier for the end user to use as there is not much to configure. I also consider that the support offered by Cisco is better than that of other vendors. Our entire installed base is Cisco and Meraki so [Cisco] AnyConnect is the tool we are working …
Chose Cisco AnyConnect
Cisco AnyConnect provides us all the features we need at competitive prices and good customer care support. The software is lightweight, does not require much computer resources, and provides a secure data connection with the advanced encryption algorithm. Easy to use by the …
Chose Cisco AnyConnect
I'll [make] it short, Cisco AnyConnect [has] the [many] secure features. [...]

Chose Cisco AnyConnect
Palo Alto and Fortinet are good manufacturers but more than 5 years ago when the project was tendered, Cisco ASA was better for the cost, benefit, and approval apart from the fact that we have Cisco ISE, Cisco DUO and all those tools converge quite well when you have the …
Chose Cisco AnyConnect
Agregando más default gw para tener otra opción de conexión

Adding more default GWs to support additional connections
FortiClient
Chose FortiClient
FortiClient was selected by our CEO/CFO and administration staff. Compared to Cisco product, from my point of view as a user, it is incredibly inefficient and unreliable.
Chose FortiClient
AnyConnect would disconnect randomly. One of the main reasons for switching was a vulnerability in the client that Cisco had no plans on patching. We would have to constantly address the vulnerability once a quarter after our vulnerability scans.
Chose FortiClient
FortiClient is easier to use and configure and offers security according to market standards. My position within the company is just to use the program, it was not my decision to choose it, but I think they made a good decision.
Features
Cisco AnyConnectFortiClient
Virtual Private Network
Comparison of Virtual Private Network features of Product A and Product B
Cisco AnyConnect
9.0
13 Ratings
0% below category average
FortiClient
-
Ratings
AES 256-bit Encryption9.513 Ratings00 Ratings
Kill Switch8.89 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-Platform Support9.313 Ratings00 Ratings
Split Tunneling9.511 Ratings00 Ratings
IP Address Masking9.012 Ratings00 Ratings
No-Logs Policy8.39 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple Server Locations8.611 Ratings00 Ratings
Automatic Wi-Fi Protection9.210 Ratings00 Ratings
Simultaneous Connections9.010 Ratings00 Ratings
Customer Support Services8.512 Ratings00 Ratings
Endpoint Security
Comparison of Endpoint Security features of Product A and Product B
Cisco AnyConnect
-
Ratings
FortiClient
9.1
24 Ratings
7% above category average
Anti-Exploit Technology00 Ratings9.221 Ratings
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)00 Ratings8.418 Ratings
Centralized Management00 Ratings9.622 Ratings
Hybrid Deployment Support00 Ratings8.718 Ratings
Infection Remediation00 Ratings9.417 Ratings
Vulnerability Management00 Ratings9.018 Ratings
Malware Detection00 Ratings9.320 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Cisco AnyConnectFortiClient
Small Businesses
Norton 360
Norton 360
Score 6.8 out of 10
ThreatLocker
ThreatLocker
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Score 9.3 out of 10
CrowdStrike Falcon
CrowdStrike Falcon
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Score 9.3 out of 10
BeyondTrust Endpoint Privilege Management
BeyondTrust Endpoint Privilege Management
Score 9.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cisco AnyConnectFortiClient
Likelihood to Recommend
8.8
(103 ratings)
8.7
(33 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.9
(12 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(81 ratings)
9.3
(9 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(9 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.2
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.3
(86 ratings)
9.1
(11 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
10.0
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.7
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco AnyConnectFortiClient
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
Cisco AnyConnect has allowed me to connect to the network when I am not at the office. For example, in an international digital campaign, it was possible to access readily important files and work on other collaborative working spaces without any violation of security measures. I noticed that there was a slight lag whenever several members of the team logged in at the same time during the weekend.
Read full review
Fortinet
Overall, my experience with the client is good, and because of its performance and lightweight, I recommend this software to my colleagues. Before this, I also used other apps for the same purpose, but my search ended when I came to Forticlient.
Read full review
Pros
Cisco
  • It provides you an exceptional hybrid work experience. It enables your employees to work seamlessly from home, office, and other branches.
  • It enables your employees to access corporate applications anytime, even after office hours.
  • It helps your team to maintain a healthy work-life balance and boosts your productivity.
Read full review
Fortinet
  • Virtually a one-click action connection to my work network while remote. I just enter my network username & Password, click connect, and I can access all the fileshares as if I were on-site.
  • Speed - I have used other virtual network clients in the past, and the speed while working remote with one of them (even on a high speed connection) was easily 10x slower than if I were physically on the network. FortiClient is different, where the speed degradation is on the magnitude of only 2-3x slower - A significant and noticeable difference compared to other clients on the market.
  • On MacOS, FortiClient has a little toolbar icon that gives me a status, as well as actions to quickly connect or disconnect from my work network. It is a small thing, but a super handy feature!
Read full review
Cons
Cisco
  • Cisco AnyConnect can use the system resources as long as the program is being run.
  • Account activation may be very difficult when connecting from areas requiring captive portal login, if certain settings are not allowed.
  • By default, it is possible to request the user to authenticate again at specific intervals.
Read full review
Fortinet
  • font way too small on login, unable to select an option, for example, to see each letter of password as typed promotes errors at login
  • login errors and failure rate extremely high as [reported] by all our physicians and other providers: not infrequently one will have to return to office after hours in order to complete charts or access charts to answer patient after hours questions
  • frequent disconnects in spite of excellent internet signal
  • unacceptable interruptions in patient care
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Likelihood to Renew
Cisco
It is perhaps the second most functional tool we have, it will definitely be renewed every year. Our network is stable, which ensures that there is less for our technicians to troubleshoot, which frees them up to ensure other parts of the company are maintained. This keeps our costs low and our downtime at a minimum.
Read full review
Fortinet
Because the software is very simple and easy to use, very efficient, and has a stable connection that allows the user to perform tasks without problems. Also, this software does not need to be configured by IT technicians, since it comes with a very developed and understandable set up guide.
Read full review
Usability
Cisco
It has many advantages and uses other than other common VPNs but it's very important to understand the problems and issues which till not solved yet. The major issue is there is no support system or no body is doing hypercare for clients or client organizations. Speed is good, but making a connection is worse, and nobody cares about it.
Read full review
Fortinet
We have used Forticlient for a number of years now and have found only minor faults with the application. The fact that our end users request little to no training to be able to utilize our VPN says a lot compared to the product we previously used to use for similar tasks. The Forticlient shield is a quick way to 'demonstrate confidence in security' at a glance among our end users - if you see the shield, you are protected. The only downside we've experienced is a few false positive AV detections, but this is more linked to Fortiguard labs/signatures.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Cisco
I have been using Cisco AnyConnect for past two years and thus I can say very firmly that I have never seen the outage from the Cisco AnyConnect services either It is VPN, System Scans or the Network Connectivity. Talking about the errors likewise major errors I have faced throughout my period of use.
Read full review
Fortinet
No answers on this topic
Performance
Cisco
Absolutely no speed issues, and I see no evidence of slowdowns across any of the multiple platforms I use daily. It's operation is completely invisible most of the time, except where there is a loss of connection due to server issues or a loss of power. Everything loads quickly and accurately.
Read full review
Fortinet
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Cisco
Because whenever I log the case with Cisco support, yes they have come back with valid technical data. So this is what has happened and we could fix it in this way. That support will detail what happened and how to get it overcome very quickly. That's what I like. The support level we get is really good for the product
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Fortinet
FortiClient is a security suite with which we can keep our equipment well-protected. And it is that in a system like Windows, which is always the target of all kinds of attacks, it is not enough to have a simple antivirus.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Cisco
Our Managed Services vendor helped us with the implementation. When we initially setup our AnyConnect using MFA for remote connectivity, the setup was easy and straight forward and worked just fine. After a year, we decided to change to an "always on" feature and use machine and user based security certificates instead of MFA. We had to open a ticket with Cisco support and have their assistance getting this feature to work. Turned out they had a small bug in the code for that version of AnyConnect and it has since been corrected. We have had no issues with the upgrades since that time. The deployment of the software to the user machines was done with SCCM and was straight forward. The user machine upgrades are easy - when the user machine connects and sees a new version available, it upgrades itself! What could be easier?
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Fortinet
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Cisco
Cisco is one of our core partners besides Microsoft and SAP. And so yes, we are utilizing very many projects from Cisco. I would mention the whole networking equipment, the routing equipment, the wireless LAN, and also when it comes to infrastructure to compute infrastructure, we are utilizing Cisco servers within our converged infrastructure Flex spot. So we have been running a flex bot from Cisco, NetApp, and VMware for 12 years, and we are still very satisfied with the product. We are looking forward to upgrading to the newest blades and fabric interconnect to continue this journey.
Read full review
Fortinet
My current organization is using FortiClient and they decided to use it since longer period. The main advantages is we are using it for connect RDP and and access private URL. But main reason is one time configuration is help us to connect it any time from anywhere. It's sending OTP to the work mail and helps us to validate it. While Cisco or other VPN ask mobile OTP auth or authenticator app which is much complex process. Hence FortiClient is best!
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Scalability
Cisco
Cisco AnyConnect has been a speedy, reliable, and efficient tool for the creation of your own VPN whatever location that you've brought your laptop. Customer support is consistently top-notch, coming up with quick fixes to whatever difficulties are thrown your way. I would not hesitate to reccommend Cisco AnyConnect to any business that needs connected employees throught the world.
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Fortinet
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Cisco
  • We are able to seamlessly work on multiple clients daily, and it allows us to quickly handle more projects at the same time.
  • Cisco AnyConnect has allowed our own company's coworkers to remotely connect back to the corporate network, easily assisting work schedules and processes, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Being forced to work remotely, meant our processes still happened quickly and efficiently, by being able to leverage and use Cisco AnyConnect VPN.
  • Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I have worked 100% remotely for a few years now. This was always due to the reliable connectivity and ease of use with Cisco AnyConnect VPN. I live 2+ hours from our nearest corporate office, and even further from some of my client locations, and I have always been able to connect to any of my multiple Cisco AnyConnect VPN connections, within seconds.
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Fortinet
  • The free version of FortiClient VPN works great.
  • The fact that we have to pay for any version beyond 6.0.3 to connect to our firewalls that we already pay for licensing on is a little silly.
  • There is some support overhead with our clients and users to keep the software updated since it doesn't upgrade to new major versions automatically.
Read full review
ScreenShots