FortiGate vs NethSecurity
FortiGate
fortinet.com
NethSecurity
nethsecurity.orgSide by side
| Figure | FortiGate | NethSecurity |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | €12.50/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 5 |
| Spec score · Unified Threat Management | 7.7 (#2) | 8.8 (#1) |
| Spec score · Firewall Software | 8.1 (#23) | 9.0 (#6) |
| Spec score · Network Firewall Software | 7.7 (#15) | 8.9 (#4) |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Headquarters | Sunnyvale, California, USA | Pesaro, Italy |
| Integrations | Fortinet describes its Security Fabric as providing consolidated visibility across Fortinet solutions and an ecosystem of over 500 third-party solutions. | Netify Informatics is a third-party cloud service that uses NethSecurity DPI metadata to provide network intelligence and visibility. |
| Management | Fortinet describes unified management and security policies across hybrid infrastructure as FortiGate capabilities. | The optional NethSecurity Controller runs on NethServer 8 and remotely manages multiple NethSecurity installations. |
| Purpose | FortiGate NGFWs protect data, assets, and users across hybrid environments. | NethSecurity is an OpenWrt-based unified threat management solution designed for small and medium-sized businesses. |
| Support | Fortinet provides FortiCare support services and links to customer support and RMA resources. | The subscription page states that professional support response time is one business day during Monday-to-Friday business hours in the Italian time zone, excluding Italian holidays. |
| Threat protection | FortiGate NGFWs use FortiGuard AI-Powered Security Services for real-time protection and response against threats. | Threat Shield blocks attacks from known malicious IP addresses using named blocklists with confidence scores. |
Plans
NethSecurity
- CommunityFree
- PartnerFree
- Personal€150 a year
- Business€297 a year
- Partner +20 active subscriptionsPriced on request
In their own words
NethSecurity
NethSecurity is an OpenWrt-based unified threat management solution for small and medium-sized businesses. It combines firewall, multi-WAN, content filtering, deep packet inspection, intrusion prevention, and VPN capabilities, including IPsec, OpenVPN, and WireGuard. Multi-WAN can balance connections, while traffic shaping applies minimum and maximum bandwidth settings. Threat Shield blocks known malicious IP addresses using named blocklists and confidence scores. NethSecurity is an open-source project and is currently available only for x86-64 systems; minimum requirements are 1 vCPU/core, 1 GB RAM, 1 GB disk, and two Ethernet cards. Its optional Controller runs on NethServer 8 and manages multiple installations remotely. Without a subscription, it can register up to three community firewalls; with a valid subscription, there is no unit limit, but only subscribed firewalls can be registered. Nightly automatic cloud backup is subscription-only. A 30-day trial activates the Business plan, but commercial support cannot be requested during the trial. Professional support response time is one business day during specified Italian business hours, excluding Italian holidays.