Fortinet FortiGate vs. Zscaler Private Access

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
FortiGate
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
FortiNet 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 Private Access
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Zscaler Private Access™ (ZPA) gives users secure access to private apps and OT devices while enabling zero trust connectivity for workloads.N/A
Pricing
Fortinet FortiGateZscaler Private Access
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
FortiGateZscaler Private 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
Fortinet FortiGateZscaler Private Access
Considered Both Products
FortiGate

No answer on this topic

Zscaler Private Access
Chose Zscaler Private Access
Well ZPA is a good solution, however everyone has their own advantage and disadvantages, with ZPA you can deploy ZTNA model, which will help you better control on access, however Palo Alto, Fortinet they are also market leading firewall solution, and you can not deny if they …
Features
Fortinet FortiGateZscaler Private Access
Firewall
Comparison of Firewall features of Product A and Product B
Fortinet FortiGate
8.7
53 Ratings
1% above category average
Zscaler Private Access
-
Ratings
Identification Technologies8.951 Ratings00 Ratings
Visualization Tools8.351 Ratings00 Ratings
Content Inspection8.852 Ratings00 Ratings
Policy-based Controls8.953 Ratings00 Ratings
Active Directory and LDAP8.750 Ratings00 Ratings
Firewall Management Console7.752 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting and Logging8.253 Ratings00 Ratings
VPN9.052 Ratings00 Ratings
High Availability9.348 Ratings00 Ratings
Stateful Inspection9.251 Ratings00 Ratings
Proxy Server8.539 Ratings00 Ratings
Identity Management
Comparison of Identity Management features of Product A and Product B
Fortinet FortiGate
-
Ratings
Zscaler Private Access
9.1
10 Ratings
2% above category average
Multi-Factor Authentication00 Ratings9.110 Ratings
Endpoint Security
Comparison of Endpoint Security features of Product A and Product B
Fortinet FortiGate
-
Ratings
Zscaler Private Access
9.0
6 Ratings
1% below category average
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)00 Ratings9.06 Ratings
Threat Intelligence
Comparison of Threat Intelligence features of Product A and Product B
Fortinet FortiGate
-
Ratings
Zscaler Private Access
8.6
11 Ratings
10% above category average
Network Analytics00 Ratings8.811 Ratings
Threat Recognition00 Ratings8.99 Ratings
Vulnerability Classification00 Ratings8.97 Ratings
Automated Alerts and Reporting00 Ratings8.210 Ratings
Threat Analysis00 Ratings8.67 Ratings
Threat Intelligence Reporting00 Ratings8.17 Ratings
Automated Threat Identification00 Ratings8.59 Ratings
Zero Trust Security
Comparison of Zero Trust Security features of Product A and Product B
Fortinet FortiGate
-
Ratings
Zscaler Private Access
9.1
11 Ratings
4% above category average
Continuous Verification00 Ratings8.911 Ratings
Secure Web Gateways00 Ratings9.211 Ratings
Network Flow Control00 Ratings9.110 Ratings
Network Traffic Analysis00 Ratings9.09 Ratings
Segmentation Leveraging00 Ratings9.010 Ratings
Admin Access Control00 Ratings9.19 Ratings
Network Data Encryption00 Ratings9.211 Ratings
Network Topology Mapping00 Ratings9.011 Ratings
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Fortinet FortiGateZscaler Private Access
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Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
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Score 9.3 out of 10
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
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Score 8.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
Score 9.2 out of 10
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Score 8.3 out of 10
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User Ratings
Fortinet FortiGateZscaler Private Access
Likelihood to Recommend
8.8
(79 ratings)
9.1
(15 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.0
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.7
(21 ratings)
9.1
(10 ratings)
Availability
8.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(27 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.0
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
7.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
7.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Fortinet FortiGateZscaler Private 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'.
Read full review
Zscaler
Zscaler Private Access works really well in environments setup for FQDNs and where you know what users should/shouldn't be accessing on what ports. You can use Zscaler Private Access to figure out these kinds of features but that doesn't always mean you'll be correct. It also provides a consistent experience for users as they can access their materials anywhere. It also makes the user the last line of defense. If a user's account is compromised then the attacker has access to everything they already did. It doesn't work great in OT environments or Server based environments. Flows have to be initiated from the client and not the server for stuff to behave properly.
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.
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Zscaler
  • Allows strong cyber security corporate policies
  • Very reliable VPN application that operates at 100% efficiency
  • Very easy to be configured with friendly user interface
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
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Zscaler
  • Granularity and Complexity of Policy Enforcement
  • Application Segmentation and Listener Configuration - The way applications are defined and listened for is fundamental to ZPA, but can be a source of frustration, especially when dealing with legacy or non-HTTP protocols
  • The ZCC is the user's primary gateway, but its control over local system network behavior can sometimes clash with enterprise requirements.
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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.
Read full review
Zscaler
No answers on this topic
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.
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Zscaler
The environment feels more secure, and we are seeing that users are adapting to it fast. The fact that we have tools to assist the users with their day-to-day access helps, as we can hand it off to the helpdesk without any escalations to the Network team. It is a work in progress for our agency, but we are seeing the benefits from the solution.
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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
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Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Performance
Fortinet
Good performance and really good integration. We have integration with Microsoft AD.
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Zscaler
No answers on this topic
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.
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Zscaler
No answers on this topic
In-Person Training
Fortinet
I received it a couple years afters use it and it was just to confirm my knowledge about the tool.
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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
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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.
Read full review
Zscaler
Well ZPA is a good solution, however everyone has their own advantage and disadvantages, with ZPA you can deploy ZTNA model, which will help you better control on access, however Palo Alto, Fortinet they are also market leading firewall solution, and you can not deny if they are not providing the same features.
Read full review
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Fortinet
No changes needed to terms and conditions.
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.
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.
Read full review
Zscaler
  • Positive: We have now charged users internally for the service
  • Negative: Dealing with users who also have the Zscaler Client Connector for their company, can cause confusions
  • Negative: Enabling the Zscaler Internet Access entitlement has been a major headache for us because Zscaler Private Access users can't autheniticate through ZIA on a non corporate device.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Zscaler Private Access Screenshots

Screenshot of how ZPA provides access for all users while minimizing the attack surface, eliminating lateral movement, and stopping zero day threats. A cloud native service, ZPA can be deployed in just hours to replace legacy remote access tools like VPNs and VDIs.