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Cybersecurity · head to head

Fortinet FortiGate vs JetBrains Rider

Fortinet FortiGate logo

Fortinet FortiGate

Cybersecurity

Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection

From
$500/year
Free plan
No
JetBrains Rider logo

JetBrains Rider

Developer Tools

Cross-platform .NET IDE from JetBrains for C#, F#, VB.NET and Unity

From
$18.25/month
Free plan
No

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; JetBrains Rider requires a paid subscription with no permanently free commercial tier.
  • They diverge on capability: Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, JetBrains Rider covers Cross-platform .NET Development.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fortinet FortiGate and JetBrains Rider actually diverge.

Attributes where Fortinet FortiGate and JetBrains Rider differ
AttributeFortinet FortiGateJetBrains Rider
Starting price$500/year$18.25/month
PlatformsHardware, Virtual, Cloudwindows, mac, linux
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), founded (2000).

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 JetBrains Rider

  • Cross-platform .NET Development
  • ReSharper-powered Code Analysis
  • Integrated Debugger and Profiler
  • Version Control Integration
  • Unity Support

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 JetBrains Rider
  • Secure SD-WAN across distributed sitesnot JetBrains Rider
  • Zero trust network access to internal applicationsnot JetBrains Rider
  • Virtual firewalls in AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Oraclenot JetBrains Rider
  • Ruggedised deployments in industrial environmentsnot JetBrains Rider

JetBrains Rider

  • Cross-platform .NET and ASP.NET Core developmentnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Unity game development and debuggingnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Large-scale C# refactoring with ReSharper-grade analysisnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Teams standardizing on JetBrains tooling across languagesnot 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

JetBrains Rider

  • Requires a paid subscription with no permanently free commercial tier.
  • Heavier resource usage than lightweight editors like VS Code for small projects.
  • Some advanced features overlap with a separate ReSharper Visual Studio plugin, causing licensing confusion.
  • First-year pricing increased in late 2025, raising the cost of entry versus prior years.

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

JetBrains Rider

$18.25/month
  • Individual - Year 1$219/year
    • Full Rider IDE license
    • Free minor and major updates during subscription
  • Individual - Year 2$175/year
    • Continuity discount after first year
  • Individual - Year 3+$131/year
    • Further continuity discount from third year onward

Which should you pick?

Choose Fortinet FortiGate if

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

Choose JetBrains Rider if

  • You need cross-platform .net development.
  • You work on windows, mac, linux.
  • You also want resharper-powered code analysis.

Questions people ask

Is Fortinet FortiGate or JetBrains Rider better?
Neither clearly leads. Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year and JetBrains Rider at $18.25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fortinet FortiGate or JetBrains Rider?
Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year and JetBrains Rider at $18.25/month.
Does Fortinet FortiGate or JetBrains Rider run on more platforms?
Fortinet FortiGate runs on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud. JetBrains Rider runs on windows, mac, 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 JetBrains Rider is typically brought in for.
What can Fortinet FortiGate do that JetBrains Rider cannot?
Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Intrusion prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, Application control. JetBrains Rider covers Cross-platform .NET Development, ReSharper-powered Code Analysis, Integrated Debugger and Profiler, Version Control Integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fortinet FortiGate: What are the FortiGate security bundle options?

Fortinet offers three FortiGuard AI-Powered Security Services bundles: ENT Bundle (ultimate security for networks, web, file, SaaS, data, and devices), UTP Bundle (advanced web and network protection), and ATP Bundle (protection against network intrusions and malware with IPS, antivirus, and application control).

Source
JetBrains Rider: Does Rider have a free version?

JetBrains offers a free non-commercial license for Rider for personal, non-commercial use, alongside paid commercial subscriptions with continuity discounts after the first year.

Source
Fortinet FortiGate: How do I get pricing for FortiGate?

Pricing is not published on the product page. To obtain a quote, you can request a free product demo or connect with a security expert through the contact options on the site.

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JetBrains Rider: What counts as non-commercial use under the free license?

Learning, open-source contributions without commercial benefit, content creation like monetized tutorials, and hobby projects qualify; any paid work or commercial release does not.

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Fortinet FortiGate: Is there a free trial for FortiGate?

The product page does not mention a free trial. However, Fortinet offers a free product demo that allows you to evaluate the solution before committing to a purchase.

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JetBrains Rider: Does the free non-commercial license include all Rider features?

Yes, it is a full-featured IDE identical to the paid version, with one exception: Code With Me is limited to the Community tier instead of the premium tier.

Source
JetBrains Rider: How often does the non-commercial license renew?

It issues a one-year license that renews automatically each year, provided Rider was opened at least once during the preceding six months.

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JetBrains Rider: What support do non-commercial license holders get?

Non-commercial users get community forums and public bug trackers rather than private support tickets, which are reserved for paid subscribers.

Source
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