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Government · head to head

Bang the Table vs Fortinet FortiGate

Bang the Table logo

Bang the Table

Government

Community Engagement Platform

From
$600/month
Free plan
No
Fortinet FortiGate logo

Fortinet FortiGate

Cybersecurity

Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection

From
$500/year
Free plan
No

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bang the Table the Internet Archive's capture of Bang the Table's homepage on 29 December 2020 confirmed its EngagementHQ platform is sold only via demo request, with EngagementIQ support offered as separate 'annual success plan options'; no price figure is published for either.; Fortinet FortiGate security services are sold as separate FortiGuard subscription bundles, so ATP, UTP and ENT determine which protections are actually active
  • They diverge on capability: Bang the Table covers Online Surveys, Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bang the Table and Fortinet FortiGate actually diverge.

Attributes where Bang the Table and Fortinet FortiGate differ
AttributeBang the TableFortinet FortiGate
Starting price$600/month$500/year
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidHardware, Virtual, Cloud
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity
Founded20072000

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Bang the Table

  • Online Surveys
  • Discussion Forums
  • Interactive Mapping
  • Story Telling
  • Participation Analytics
  • ArcGIS
  • Google Maps
  • Social Media

Only in Fortinet FortiGate

  • Next-generation firewall
  • Intrusion prevention
  • SSL/TLS inspection
  • Application control
  • Web filtering
  • SD-WAN
  • Zero-trust network access
  • AI-powered threat detection

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Bang the Table

  • Citizen Servicesnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Records Managementnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Public Safetynot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Civic Engagementnot Fortinet FortiGate

Fortinet FortiGate

  • Next-generation firewalling at data centre, campus and branch scalenot Bang the Table
  • Secure SD-WAN across distributed sitesnot Bang the Table
  • Zero trust network access to internal applicationsnot Bang the Table
  • Virtual firewalls in AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Oraclenot Bang the Table
  • Ruggedised deployments in industrial environmentsnot Bang the Table

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bang the Table

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Bang the Table's homepage on 29 December 2020 confirmed its EngagementHQ platform is sold only via demo request, with EngagementIQ support offered as separate 'annual success plan options'; no price figure is published for either.

Fortinet FortiGate

  • Security services are sold as separate FortiGuard subscription bundles, so ATP, UTP and ENT determine which protections are actually active
  • Throughput is tied to the appliance model, from 500 Mbps on the FortiGate 30G to 520 Gbps on the 7121F, so capacity planning is a hardware purchase
  • Pricing is not published and goes through partners

Pricing, plan by plan

Bang the Table

$600/month
  • EngagementHQ$600/month
    • Surveys
    • Forums
    • Mapping Tools

Fortinet FortiGate

$500/year
  • FortiGate Entry$500/year
    • Basic firewall
    • VPN support
    • Threat protection
  • FortiGate Enterprise$2500/year
    • Advanced threat protection
    • SSL inspection
    • Application control
  • FortiGate Ultimate$10000/year
    • All Enterprise features
    • Zero-trust access
    • AI-powered analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Bang the Table if

  • You need online surveys.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want discussion forums.

Choose Fortinet FortiGate if

  • You need next-generation firewall.
  • You work on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud.
  • You also want intrusion prevention.

Questions people ask

Is Bang the Table or Fortinet FortiGate better?
Neither clearly leads. Bang the Table starts at $600/month and Fortinet FortiGate at $500/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bang the Table or Fortinet FortiGate?
Bang the Table starts at $600/month and Fortinet FortiGate at $500/year.
Does Bang the Table or Fortinet FortiGate run on more platforms?
Bang the Table runs on Web, Ios, Android. Fortinet FortiGate runs on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud.
What is Bang the Table best used for?
Bang the Table is most often used for citizen services, records management, public safety, civic engagement. Of those, citizen services and records management are not what Fortinet FortiGate is typically brought in for.
What can Bang the Table do that Fortinet FortiGate cannot?
Bang the Table covers Online Surveys, Discussion Forums, Interactive Mapping, Story Telling. Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Intrusion prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, Application control.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bang the Table: What solutions does Granicus provide?

Granicus offers Service Cloud for frictionless service delivery, Engagement Cloud for growing and activating audiences, Operations Cloud for automating workflows and reducing costs, and Government Experience Agent for 24/7 self-service with digital agents.

Source
Fortinet FortiGate: What are the FortiGate security bundle options?

Fortinet offers three FortiGuard AI-Powered Security Services bundles: ENT Bundle (ultimate security for networks, web, file, SaaS, data, and devices), UTP Bundle (advanced web and network protection), and ATP Bundle (protection against network intrusions and malware with IPS, antivirus, and application control).

Source
Bang the Table: Who does Granicus serve?

Granicus serves local government, state government, education, elected officials, federal government, and special districts. It helps organizations deliver better citizen experiences and improve government efficiency.

Source
Fortinet FortiGate: How do I get pricing for FortiGate?

Pricing is not published on the product page. To obtain a quote, you can request a free product demo or connect with a security expert through the contact options on the site.

Source
Bang the Table: Does Granicus offer AI solutions?

Yes, Granicus AI Hub provides secure, ethical AI solutions built exclusively for the public sector to transform services without compromising public trust.

Source
Fortinet FortiGate: Is there a free trial for FortiGate?

The product page does not mention a free trial. However, Fortinet offers a free product demo that allows you to evaluate the solution before committing to a purchase.

Source
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