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Fortinet FortiGate vs ExpressVPN

Fortinet FortiGate logo

Fortinet FortiGate

Software

Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection

From
$500/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ExpressVPN logo

ExpressVPN

Software

High-speed, secure, and anonymous VPN service

From
$6.67/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; 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
  • They diverge on capability: Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, ExpressVPN covers Lightway protocol.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Fortinet FortiGate and ExpressVPN differ
AttributeFortinet FortiGateExpressVPN
Starting price$500/year$6.67/month
PlatformsHardware, Virtual, CloudWeb, Desktop, Mobile, Api
Founded20002009

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 ExpressVPN

  • Lightway protocol
  • TrustedServer technology
  • Network Lock kill switch
  • Split tunneling
  • No activity logs
  • Private DNS
  • Speed test
  • MediaStreamer

Both cover

  • Cloud 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 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

ExpressVPN

  • Vpnnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Privacynot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Streamingnot 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

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

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

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

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 ExpressVPN if

  • You need lightway protocol.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Api.
  • You also want trustedserver technology.
ExpressVPN review

Questions people ask

Is Fortinet FortiGate or ExpressVPN better?
Neither clearly leads. Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year and ExpressVPN at $6.67/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fortinet FortiGate or ExpressVPN?
Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year and ExpressVPN at $6.67/month.
Does Fortinet FortiGate or ExpressVPN run on more platforms?
Fortinet FortiGate runs on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud. ExpressVPN runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Api.
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 ExpressVPN is typically brought in for.
What can Fortinet FortiGate do that ExpressVPN cannot?
Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Intrusion prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, Application control. ExpressVPN covers Lightway protocol, TrustedServer technology, Network Lock kill switch, Split tunneling. Both handle Cloud deployment.
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