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Fortinet FortiGate vs Nessus

Fortinet FortiGate logo

Fortinet FortiGate

Software

Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection

From
$500/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Nessus logo

Nessus

Software

The most trusted vulnerability assessment solution

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Nessus has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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; Nessus nessus Professional is $4,790 for one year, with no free or low cost commercial tier
  • They diverge on capability: Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Nessus covers Vulnerability scanning.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Fortinet FortiGate and Nessus differ
AttributeFortinet FortiGateNessus
Starting price$500/yearFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsHardware, Virtual, CloudDesktop, Api
Founded20002002

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Nessus

  • Vulnerability scanning
  • Configuration auditing
  • Malware detection
  • Web application scanning
  • Cloud scanning
  • Compliance checks
  • Patch auditing
  • Pre-built policies

Both cover

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

Nessus

  • Scanning hosts and applications for known vulnerabilities and misconfigurationsnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Running compliance and configuration audits against a defined scopenot 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

Nessus

  • Nessus Professional is $4,790 for one year, with no free or low cost commercial tier
  • Multi year terms are the only discount route, at $9,330.95 for two years and $13,637.54 for three
  • It is a single user scanner, so team workflows mean migrating to another Tenable product
  • Tenable One vulnerability management is priced separately, starting at $3,500 a year for 100 assets

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

Nessus

Free
  • Nessus Essentials (Free)Free
    • 16 IP addresses
    • Vulnerability scanning
    • Configuration auditing
  • Nessus Professional$2990/year
    • Unlimited IPs
    • Compliance checks
    • Live results
  • Nessus Expert$5290/year
    • All Pro features
    • External attack surface
    • Cloud infrastructure scanning

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 Nessus if

  • You need vulnerability scanning.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Desktop, Api.
  • You also want configuration auditing.
Nessus review

Questions people ask

Is Fortinet FortiGate or Nessus better?
Neither clearly leads. Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year and Nessus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fortinet FortiGate or Nessus?
Nessus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $500/year for Fortinet FortiGate and Free for Nessus.
Does Fortinet FortiGate or Nessus run on more platforms?
Fortinet FortiGate runs on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud. Nessus runs on Desktop, Api.
Can I use Nessus for free?
Yes. Nessus has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year.
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 Nessus is typically brought in for.
What can Fortinet FortiGate do that Nessus cannot?
Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Intrusion prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, Application control. Nessus covers Vulnerability scanning, Configuration auditing, Malware detection, Web application scanning. Both handle AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, On-premise deployment.
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