Next-generation firewalls · October 2026 Edition
Fortinet FortiGate vs Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Fourteen of fourteen models named Fortinet FortiGate first on the direct prompt; zero named Palo Alto Networks NGFW. Both were named by all fourteen models and Fortinet FortiGate carries 68 labels and Palo Alto Networks NGFW 44, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in four categories this edition.
Named in one category this edition.
First-choice share73%2%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate10%20%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#3A position in a field of 8; printed, not drawn.
Labels6844A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Fortinet FortiGate reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Sophos Firewall was named alongside these two in eight of the fourteen direct answers. Fortinet FortiGate vs Sophos Firewall · Fortinet FortiGate vs Cisco Secure Firewall · Sophos Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the next-generation firewalls page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Fortinet FortiGateFirst choices, of fourteen modelsPalo Alto Networks NGFW
Direct1402 against Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Paraphrase100
Comparative78
Budget-constrained1002 against Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Scale-constrained41
Negative117 against Fortinet FortiGate · 5 against Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, Fortinet FortiGate and Palo Alto Networks NGFW were named in the same answer 124 times, of the 203 answers naming Fortinet FortiGate and the 131 naming Palo Alto Networks NGFW. In those answers Palo Alto Networks NGFW took the first choice twenty-nine times and Fortinet FortiGate forty-six.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Fortinet FortiGate and Palo Alto Networks NGFW stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | | | ||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | | | | |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | | | | ||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | | | | | | |
| Mistral Small | | | | |||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | ||
| Llama 4 Maverick | | | ||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | | | |
| Kimi K2 | | | | | | |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | | ||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | ||||
| GPT-6 Luna | | | | |||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | | | | |
Fortinet FortiGate Palo Alto Networks NGFW first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Fortinet FortiGate on the left and Palo Alto Networks NGFW on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Fortinet FortiGate and Palo Alto Networks NGFW stood in it.
Fortinet FortiGate first, Palo Alto Networks NGFW an alternative
14 of 14 modelsPalo Alto Networks NGFW was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Claude Haiku 4.5Fortinet FortiGate alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Palo Alto Networks PA-Series
GPT-5.4 miniFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Cisco Secure Firewall, Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Gemini 3.5 FlashFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall
Perplexity SonarFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Palo Alto Networks PA-Series, Sophos Firewall
Grok 4.1 FastFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Sophos Firewall, WatchGuard Firebox
Mistral SmallFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall
DeepSeek V4 FlashFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Sophos Firewall
Llama 4 MaverickFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Cisco Secure Firewalls, Palo Alto Networks' PA-Series
Qwen 3.7 FlashFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Check Point Harmony Edge / Infinity, Palo Alto Networks PA-Series
Kimi K2Fortinet FortiGate alternatives: Cisco Meraki MX, Palo Alto Networks PA-Series, SonicWall NSa Series, Sophos XG, WatchGuard Firebox
GLM 4.7 FlashXFortinet FortiGate, Sophos Firewall
MiniMax M2.5Fortinet FortiGate alternatives: Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall
GPT-6 LunaFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Muse Glimmer 30BFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Palo Alto Networks PA-Series, SonicWall Gen 7, Sophos Firewall
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Fortinet FortiGate leads by forty-nine points.
Fortinet FortiGate51%#1 of 8Palo Alto Networks NGFW2%#7 of 8Mid-marketThe figures above
Fortinet FortiGate leads by seventy-one points.
Fortinet FortiGate73%#1 of 8Palo Alto Networks NGFW2%#3 of 8Enterprise
Fortinet FortiGate leads by two points.
Fortinet FortiGate37%#1 of 5Palo Alto Networks NGFW35%#2 of 5What the models said about Fortinet FortiGate
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“"20+ CVEs on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog — among the highest for any firewall vendor"; Caution rating” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · hard negative
“Avoid: SonicWall ..., Fortinet (due to high CVE count)” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · hard negative
“Fortinet FortiGate/FortiOS deployments where SSL-VPN or other exposed services remain enabled without tight patching and monitoring” GPT-5.4 mini · negative prompt · soft negative
“Fortinet FortiGate: Top-rated for value, performance, scalability (Gartner Customers' Choice 5x). Great for mid-market; integrated Fabric ecosystem.” Grok 4.1 Fast · scale prompt · first choice
“For most enterprises the shortlist starts with Fortinet FortiGate (best price-performance) and Palo Alto Networks (deepest application control).” Muse Glimmer 30B · comparative prompt · first choice
“Most mid-market B2B companies will find Fortinet FortiGate or Sophos Firewall to be the best fit, with Fortinet offering the best value” GLM 4.7 FlashX · direct prompt · first choice
What the models said about Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Palo Alto Networks failed both network and transport-layer categories” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · hard negative
“Top-tier app control and Recommended ratings, but cons include high costs ("often most expensive per Mbps"), subscription stacking inflating TCO, and steep learning curve.” Grok 4.1 Fast · negative prompt · soft negative
“Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Cisco Secure Firewall/ASA, and Check Point all appear repeatedly in vulnerability lists and active exploitation coverage” GPT-5.4 mini · negative prompt · soft negative
“Palo Alto Networks is widely considered the gold standard for enterprise-grade threat prevention and deep application visibility.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · comparative prompt · first choice
“Strongest reputation for advanced threat prevention... deepest security capabilities and strongest premium platform feel.” GPT-5.4 mini · comparative prompt · first choice
“Known for its "Single Pass" architecture... especially strong in security-focused enterprise environments” Mistral Small · comparative prompt · first choice
Also compared
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.