Software · head to head
ExpressVPN vs Fortinet FortiGate

ExpressVPN
Software
High-speed, secure, and anonymous VPN service
- From
- $6.67/month
- Rated
- -

Fortinet FortiGate
Software
Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection
- From
- $500/year
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: ExpressVPN the App Store listing (seller Expressco Services, LLC) states subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the billing period, and that any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited on purchase; 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: ExpressVPN covers Lightway protocol, Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ExpressVPN and Fortinet FortiGate actually diverge.
| Attribute | ExpressVPN | Fortinet FortiGate |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $6.67/month | $500/year |
| Platforms | Web, Desktop, Mobile, Api | Hardware, Virtual, Cloud |
| Founded | 2009 | 2000 |
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 ExpressVPN
- Lightway protocol
- TrustedServer technology
- Network Lock kill switch
- Split tunneling
- No activity logs
- Private DNS
- Speed test
- MediaStreamer
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
Both cover
- Cloud deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
ExpressVPN
- Vpnnot Fortinet FortiGate
- Privacynot Fortinet FortiGate
- Streamingnot Fortinet FortiGate
Fortinet FortiGate
- Next-generation firewalling at data centre, campus and branch scalenot ExpressVPN
- Secure SD-WAN across distributed sitesnot ExpressVPN
- Zero trust network access to internal applicationsnot ExpressVPN
- Virtual firewalls in AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Oraclenot ExpressVPN
- Ruggedised deployments in industrial environmentsnot ExpressVPN
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
ExpressVPN
- The App Store listing (seller Expressco Services, LLC) states subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the billing period, and that any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited on purchase
- The same listing caps a single ExpressVPN subscription at 14 simultaneous device connections
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
ExpressVPN
$6.67/month- 1 Month$12.95/month
- 8 devices
- 94 countries
- Unlimited bandwidth
- 12 Months$6.67/month
- All features
- 3 months free
- Best value
- 6 Months$9.99/month
- All features
- 30-day guarantee
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 ExpressVPN if
- You need lightway protocol.
- You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Api.
- You also want trustedserver technology.
Choose Fortinet FortiGate if
- You need next-generation firewall.
- You work on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud.
- You also want intrusion prevention.
Questions people ask
- Is ExpressVPN or Fortinet FortiGate better?
- Neither clearly leads. ExpressVPN starts at $6.67/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, ExpressVPN or Fortinet FortiGate?
- ExpressVPN starts at $6.67/month and Fortinet FortiGate at $500/year.
- Does ExpressVPN or Fortinet FortiGate run on more platforms?
- ExpressVPN runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Api. Fortinet FortiGate runs on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud.
- What is ExpressVPN best used for?
- ExpressVPN is most often used for vpn, privacy, streaming. Of those, vpn and privacy are not what Fortinet FortiGate is typically brought in for.
- What can ExpressVPN do that Fortinet FortiGate cannot?
- ExpressVPN covers Lightway protocol, TrustedServer technology, Network Lock kill switch, Split tunneling. Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Intrusion prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, Application control. Both handle Cloud deployment.
Related pages
More on Fortinet FortiGate
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