# Fortinet FortiGate vs Palo Alto Networks NGFW: which do AI models recommend for firewalls, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Next-generation firewalls. Fourteen of fourteen models named Fortinet FortiGate first on the direct prompt; zero named Palo Alto Networks NGFW. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/network/next-generation-firewalls/fortinet-fortigate-vs-palo-alto-networks-ngfw/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fortinet FortiGate | 73% | #1 of 8 | 10% | 68 | 14 of 14 |
| Palo Alto Networks NGFW | 2% | #3 of 8 | 20% | 44 | 14 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Claude Haiku 4.5: fortinet fortigate first (first choices: Fortinet FortiGate) (alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Palo Alto Networks PA-Series)
- GPT-5.4 mini: fortinet fortigate first (first choices: Fortinet FortiGate) (alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Cisco Secure Firewall, Palo Alto Networks NGFW)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: fortinet fortigate first (first choices: Fortinet FortiGate) (alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall)
- Perplexity Sonar: fortinet fortigate first (first choices: Fortinet FortiGate) (alternatives: Palo Alto Networks PA-Series, Sophos Firewall)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: fortinet fortigate first (first choices: Fortinet FortiGate) (alternatives: Sophos Firewall, WatchGuard Firebox)
- Mistral Small: fortinet fortigate first (first choices: Fortinet FortiGate) (alternatives: Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: fortinet fortigate first (first choices: Fortinet FortiGate) (alternatives: Sophos Firewall)
- Llama 4 Maverick: fortinet fortigate first (first choices: Fortinet FortiGate) (alternatives: Cisco Secure Firewalls, Palo Alto Networks' PA-Series)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: fortinet fortigate first (first choices: Fortinet FortiGate) (alternatives: Check Point Harmony Edge / Infinity, Palo Alto Networks PA-Series)
- Kimi K2: fortinet fortigate first (first choices: Fortinet FortiGate) (alternatives: Cisco Meraki MX, Palo Alto Networks PA-Series, SonicWall NSa Series, Sophos XG, WatchGuard Firebox)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: fortinet fortigate first (first choices: Fortinet FortiGate, Sophos Firewall)
- MiniMax M2.5: fortinet fortigate first (first choices: Fortinet FortiGate) (alternatives: Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall)
- GPT-6 Luna: fortinet fortigate first (first choices: Fortinet FortiGate) (alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Palo Alto Networks NGFW)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: fortinet fortigate first (first choices: Fortinet FortiGate) (alternatives: Palo Alto Networks PA-Series, SonicWall Gen 7, Sophos Firewall)

## What the models said about Fortinet FortiGate

- ""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

- "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)

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. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.