# Fortinet FortiGate alternatives: what AI models name instead, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition. 89 of the 252 answers in the 1 category where Fortinet FortiGate holds a standing named it neither first nor as an alternative; these are the first choices those answers made. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/vendors/fortinet-fortigate/alternatives/

## Named instead, most often (every category and segment added)

- Sophos Firewall: 4
- WatchGuard Firebox: 4
- FortiGate-VM NGFW: 3
- Check Point Quantum: 2
- FortiGate 50G: 2
- Palo Alto Networks NGFW: 2

## Next-generation firewalls

**Small business**: 26 of 84 answers did not name Fortinet FortiGate (Fortinet FortiGate is #1 of 8 at 51%).

- Sophos Firewall: first choice in 4 of those 26
- WatchGuard Firebox: first choice in 4 of those 26
- FortiGate 50G: first choice in 1 of those 26
- FortiGate 90G: first choice in 1 of those 26
- FortiGate-VM NGFW: first choice in 1 of those 26
- Fortinet FortiGate 40F or 60F: first choice in 1 of those 26
- Fortinet FortiGate entry models: first choice in 1 of those 26
- Fortinet FortiGate entry-level models: first choice in 1 of those 26

**Mid-market**: 32 of 84 answers did not name Fortinet FortiGate (Fortinet FortiGate is #1 of 8 at 73%).

- Check Point Quantum: first choice in 1 of those 32
- FortiGate 50G: first choice in 1 of those 32
- FortiGate-100F/200F: first choice in 1 of those 32
- FortiGate-80F: first choice in 1 of those 32
- FortiGate-VM NGFW: first choice in 1 of those 32
- Fortinet FortiGate 60E / 60F: first choice in 1 of those 32
- Fortinet FortiGate 80F: first choice in 1 of those 32
- Fortinet FortiGate FG-40F: first choice in 1 of those 32

**Enterprise**: 31 of 84 answers did not name Fortinet FortiGate (Fortinet FortiGate is #1 of 5 at 37%).

- Palo Alto Networks NGFW: first choice in 2 of those 31
- Palo Alto Networks VM-Series: first choice in 2 of those 31
- Check Point Quantum: first choice in 1 of those 31
- Cisco Secure Firewall: first choice in 1 of those 31
- FortiGate: first choice in 1 of those 31
- FortiGate-VM NGFW: first choice in 1 of those 31
- Fortinet FortiSASE: first choice in 1 of those 31
- Palo Alto Networks PA-5400 Series or PA-7000 Series: first choice in 1 of those 31

Published under CC BY 4.0. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.