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Fortinet FortiGate vs Mullvad VPN

Fortinet FortiGate logo

Fortinet FortiGate

Software

Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection

From
$500/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mullvad VPN logo

Mullvad VPN

Software

Privacy-first VPN with one flat price and no email required to sign up

From
$5/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; Mullvad VPN offers no free trial or free tier, unlike several consumer VPN competitors.
  • They diverge on capability: Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Mullvad VPN covers Flat single pricing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fortinet FortiGate and Mullvad VPN actually diverge.

Attributes where Fortinet FortiGate and Mullvad VPN differ
AttributeFortinet FortiGateMullvad VPN
Starting price$500/year$5/month
PlatformsHardware, Virtual, Cloudwindows, mac, linux, ios, android
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 Mullvad VPN

  • Flat single pricing
  • Account-number signup
  • Cash and crypto payments
  • WireGuard support
  • Independent audits

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

Mullvad VPN

  • Paying for a VPN anonymously with cash or cryptocurrencynot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Avoiding tiered upsells with a single flat-rate plannot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Signing up without providing an email addressnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Verifying a provider's privacy claims via independent auditsnot 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

Mullvad VPN

  • Offers no free trial or free tier, unlike several consumer VPN competitors.
  • Lacks a bundled tiered structure, so there is no cheaper limited plan for occasional users.
  • Server network and streaming-unblocking performance is smaller than large mainstream VPN providers.
  • No annual discount, meaning long-term subscribers pay the same monthly rate as short-term users.

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

Mullvad VPN

$5/month
  • Mullvad VPN$5/month
    • Flat rate regardless of subscription length
    • 5 simultaneous devices
    • No email required

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 Mullvad VPN if

  • You need flat single pricing.
  • You work on windows, mac, linux, ios, android.
  • You also want account-number signup.
Mullvad VPN review

Questions people ask

Is Fortinet FortiGate or Mullvad VPN better?
Neither clearly leads. Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year and Mullvad VPN at $5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fortinet FortiGate or Mullvad VPN?
Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year and Mullvad VPN at $5/month.
Does Fortinet FortiGate or Mullvad VPN run on more platforms?
Fortinet FortiGate runs on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud. Mullvad VPN runs on windows, mac, linux, ios, android.
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 Mullvad VPN is typically brought in for.
What can Fortinet FortiGate do that Mullvad VPN cannot?
Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Intrusion prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, Application control. Mullvad VPN covers Flat single pricing, Account-number signup, Cash and crypto payments, WireGuard support.
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