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Security & Cybersecurity · head to head

Fortinet FortiGate vs Darktrace

Fortinet FortiGate logo

Fortinet FortiGate

Security & Cybersecurity

Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection

From
$500/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Darktrace logo

Darktrace

Security & Cybersecurity

Autonomous threat detection and response

From
$20000/year
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; 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
  • They diverge on capability: Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Darktrace covers Self-learning AI.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Fortinet FortiGate and Darktrace differ
AttributeFortinet FortiGateDarktrace
Starting price$500/year$20000/year
PlatformsHardware, Virtual, CloudNetwork, Cloud, Email
Founded20002013

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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 Fortinet FortiGate

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

Only in Darktrace

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

Both cover

  • Application control
  • Cloud deployment
  • Hybrid deployment

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 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

Darktrace

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

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

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

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

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 Darktrace if

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

Questions people ask

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