Security & Cybersecurity · head to head
Descope vs Fortinet FortiGate
Descope
Security & Cybersecurity
No-code drag-and-drop authentication platform.
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Fortinet FortiGate
Security & Cybersecurity
Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection
- From
- $500/year
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Descope has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Descope free tier capped at 7,500 MAU; Pro tier at 10,000 MAU, Growth tier at 25,000 MAU, forcing migration to Enterprise for larger organisations; Fortinet FortiGate security services are sold as separate FortiGuard subscription bundles, so ATP, UTP and ENT determine which protections are actually active
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Descope and Fortinet FortiGate actually diverge.
| Attribute | Descope | Fortinet FortiGate |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $500/year |
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, API | Hardware, Virtual, Cloud |
| Founded | Unknown | 2000 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Security & Cybersecurity).
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 Descope
Nothing recorded that Fortinet FortiGate does not also cover.
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.
Descope
- Organisations seeking rapid identity implementation without custom developmentnot Fortinet FortiGate
- Companies supporting multiple user types (consumers, partners, AI agents) in single platformnot Fortinet FortiGate
- Multi-tenant B2B2C SaaS applications requiring per-organisation identity policiesnot Fortinet FortiGate
- Teams building passwordless-first authentication experiencesnot Fortinet FortiGate
- Healthcare and regulated industries requiring HIPAA-compliant identity managementnot Fortinet FortiGate
Fortinet FortiGate
- Next-generation firewalling at data centre, campus and branch scalenot Descope
- Secure SD-WAN across distributed sitesnot Descope
- Zero trust network access to internal applicationsnot Descope
- Virtual firewalls in AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Oraclenot Descope
- Ruggedised deployments in industrial environmentsnot Descope
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Descope
- Free tier capped at 7,500 MAU; Pro tier at 10,000 MAU, Growth tier at 25,000 MAU, forcing migration to Enterprise for larger organisations
- HIPAA compliance only available in Growth tier ($799/mo) and above; not included in lower-priced plans
- No-code UI builder provides pre-built flows but still requires custom frontend development for fully-branded authentication experiences
- All paid tiers billed annually; no monthly billing option for commitment-free flexibility
- Bot protection features available only in Growth tier and above
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
Descope
Free- Free ForeverFree
- 7,500 monthly active users
- Basic authentication
- Community support
- Pro$249/month
- 10,000 monthly active users
- Custom domains
- CI/CD integration
- Growth$799/month
- 25,000 monthly active users
- Bot protection
- Fine-grained authorisation
- Enterprise$null/month
- Unlimited monthly active users
- Tiered discounts
- Premium support with dedicated CS engineer
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 Fortinet FortiGate if
- You need next-generation firewall.
- You work on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud.
- You also want intrusion prevention.
Questions people ask
- Is Descope or Fortinet FortiGate better?
- Neither clearly leads. Descope starts at Free and Fortinet FortiGate at $500/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Descope or Fortinet FortiGate?
- Descope has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Descope and $500/year for Fortinet FortiGate.
- Does Descope or Fortinet FortiGate run on more platforms?
- Descope runs on Web, iOS, Android, API. Fortinet FortiGate runs on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud.
- Can I use Descope for free?
- Yes. Descope has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year.
- What is Descope best used for?
- Descope is most often used for organisations seeking rapid identity implementation without custom development, companies supporting multiple user types (consumers, partners, ai agents) in single platform, multi-tenant b2b2c saas applications requiring per-organisation identity policies, teams building passwordless-first authentication experiences. Of those, organisations seeking rapid identity implementation without custom development and companies supporting multiple user types (consumers, partners, ai agents) in single platform are not what Fortinet FortiGate is typically brought in for.
- What can Descope do that Fortinet FortiGate cannot?
- Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Intrusion prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, Application control.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Descope: Can I build custom authentication flows without code?
Yes. Descope's drag-and-drop workflow interface allows you to construct and modify signup, login, MFA and SSO flows without code changes.
SourceDescope: Does Descope support AI agent authentication?
Yes. Descope supports building identity journeys for AI agents and MCP servers, including scoped OAuth tokens and delegation chains.
SourceDescope: Is Descope HIPAA compliant?
HIPAA compliance is available in Growth tier and above, starting at $799/month.
SourceRelated pages
More on Fortinet FortiGate
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