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Darktrace vs Fortinet FortiGate

Darktrace logo

Darktrace

Software

Autonomous threat detection and response

From
$20000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Fortinet FortiGate logo

Fortinet FortiGate

Software

Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection

From
$500/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Darktrace listed on UK G-Cloud at £2.50 per user per month for the Darktrace Active AI Security Platform, via reseller Bytes Software Services Limited; 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: Darktrace covers Self-learning AI, Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Darktrace and Fortinet FortiGate actually diverge.

Attributes where Darktrace and Fortinet FortiGate differ
AttributeDarktraceFortinet FortiGate
Starting price$20000/year$500/year
PlatformsNetwork, Cloud, EmailHardware, Virtual, Cloud
Founded20132000

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

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 Darktrace

  • Self-learning AI
  • Network anomaly detection
  • Autonomous response
  • Behavioral analysis
  • Threat model visualization
  • Email security
  • Incident response automation
  • Slack

Only in Fortinet FortiGate

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

Both cover

  • Application control
  • Cloud deployment
  • Hybrid deployment

What people use each for

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

Darktrace

  • Threat Detectionnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Ndrnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Incident Responsenot Fortinet FortiGate

Fortinet FortiGate

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

Where each one falls short

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

Darktrace

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud at £2.50 per user per month for the Darktrace Active AI Security Platform, via reseller Bytes Software Services Limited
  • Also listed on UK G-Cloud by reseller Grove Information Systems at £1,500 to £12,500 per device per month for the Malicious Network Activity Detection tool

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

Darktrace

$20000/year
  • Detect$20000/year
    • Network anomaly detection
    • AI-powered threat detection
    • Compliance reporting
  • Detect & Respond$35000/year
    • All Detect features
    • Autonomous response
    • Email security
  • Enterprise$50000/year
    • All features
    • Dedicated support
    • Custom training

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 Darktrace if

  • You need self-learning ai.
  • You work on Network, Cloud, Email.
  • You also want network anomaly detection.
Darktrace review

Choose Fortinet FortiGate if

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

Questions people ask

Is Darktrace or Fortinet FortiGate better?
Neither clearly leads. Darktrace starts at $20000/year and Fortinet FortiGate at $500/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Darktrace or Fortinet FortiGate?
Darktrace starts at $20000/year and Fortinet FortiGate at $500/year.
Does Darktrace or Fortinet FortiGate run on more platforms?
Darktrace runs on Network, Cloud, Email. Fortinet FortiGate runs on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud.
What is Darktrace best used for?
Darktrace is most often used for threat detection, ndr, incident response. Of those, threat detection and ndr are not what Fortinet FortiGate is typically brought in for.
What can Darktrace do that Fortinet FortiGate cannot?
Darktrace covers Self-learning AI, Network anomaly detection, Autonomous response, Behavioral analysis. Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Intrusion prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, Web filtering. Both handle Application control, Cloud deployment, Hybrid deployment.
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