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Fortinet FortiGate vs CrowdStrike Falcon

Fortinet FortiGate logo

Fortinet FortiGate

Software

Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection

From
$500/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
CrowdStrike Falcon logo

CrowdStrike Falcon

Software

Stop breaches with AI-native cybersecurity

From
$7.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Fortinet FortiGate security services are sold as separate FortiGuard subscription bundles, so ATP, UTP and ENT determine which protections are actually active; CrowdStrike Falcon falcon Go tier limited to maximum of 100 devices
  • They diverge on capability: Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, CrowdStrike Falcon covers Next-gen antivirus.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fortinet FortiGate and CrowdStrike Falcon actually diverge.

Attributes where Fortinet FortiGate and CrowdStrike Falcon differ
AttributeFortinet FortiGateCrowdStrike Falcon
Starting price$500/year$7.99/month
PlatformsHardware, Virtual, CloudWindows, macOS, Linux
Founded20002011

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 Fortinet FortiGate

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

Only in CrowdStrike Falcon

  • Next-gen antivirus
  • Endpoint detection and response
  • Threat intelligence
  • IT hygiene
  • USB device control
  • Firewall management
  • Threat graph
  • Real-time response

Both cover

  • AWS
  • Azure
  • Google Cloud

What people use each for

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

Fortinet FortiGate

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

CrowdStrike Falcon

  • Small endpoint deployments via Falcon Go with per-device pricingnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Mid-market organisations via Falcon Pro or Enterprise with advanced threat detectionnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Organisations requiring custom managed detection and response via Falcon Completenot Fortinet FortiGate

Where each one falls short

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

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

CrowdStrike Falcon

  • Falcon Go tier limited to maximum of 100 devices
  • Falcon Complete Next-Gen MDR requires custom quote; pricing not published
  • Higher tiers (Enterprise and above) feature gatekeeping for threat hunting and identity protection

Pricing, plan by plan

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

CrowdStrike Falcon

$7.99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the CrowdStrike Falcon review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Fortinet FortiGate if

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

Choose CrowdStrike Falcon if

  • You need next-gen antivirus.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want endpoint detection and response.
CrowdStrike Falcon review

Questions people ask

Is Fortinet FortiGate or CrowdStrike Falcon better?
Neither clearly leads. Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year and CrowdStrike Falcon at $7.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fortinet FortiGate or CrowdStrike Falcon?
Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year and CrowdStrike Falcon at $7.99/month.
Does Fortinet FortiGate or CrowdStrike Falcon run on more platforms?
Fortinet FortiGate runs on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud. CrowdStrike Falcon runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
What is Fortinet FortiGate best used for?
Fortinet FortiGate is most often used for next-generation firewalling at data centre, campus and branch scale, secure sd-wan across distributed sites, zero trust network access to internal applications, virtual firewalls in aws, azure, google cloud and oracle. Of those, next-generation firewalling at data centre, campus and branch scale and secure sd-wan across distributed sites are not what CrowdStrike Falcon is typically brought in for.
What can Fortinet FortiGate do that CrowdStrike Falcon cannot?
Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Intrusion prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, Application control. CrowdStrike Falcon covers Next-gen antivirus, Endpoint detection and response, Threat intelligence, IT hygiene. Both handle AWS, Azure, Google Cloud.
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