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Fortinet FortiGate vs NordVPN

Fortinet FortiGate logo

Fortinet FortiGate

Software

Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection

From
$500/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
NordVPN logo

NordVPN

Software

The best online VPN service for speed and security

From
$3.99/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; NordVPN the App Store listing states the app is free to download but is non-functional without purchasing a subscription first; no price figure appears anywhere in the listing itself, only the requirement to buy a plan before VPN access works.
  • They diverge on capability: Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, NordVPN covers Military-grade encryption.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Fortinet FortiGate and NordVPN differ
AttributeFortinet FortiGateNordVPN
Starting price$500/year$3.99/month
PlatformsHardware, Virtual, CloudWeb, Desktop, Mobile, Api
Founded20002012

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 NordVPN

  • Military-grade encryption
  • No-logs policy
  • Kill Switch
  • Split tunneling
  • Double VPN
  • Onion over VPN
  • Threat Protection
  • Meshnet

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

NordVPN

  • Vpnnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Privacynot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Online Securitynot 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

NordVPN

  • The App Store listing states the app is free to download but is non-functional without purchasing a subscription first; no price figure appears anywhere in the listing itself, only the requirement to buy a plan before VPN access works.

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

NordVPN

$3.99/month
  • Standard$3.99/month
    • 6 devices
    • 5,500+ servers
    • Threat Protection Lite
  • Plus$4.99/month
    • All Standard features
    • Threat Protection Pro
    • NordPass password manager
  • Complete$5.99/month
    • All Plus features
    • NordLocker 1TB encrypted cloud
    • Identity theft protection

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 NordVPN if

  • You need military-grade encryption.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Api.
  • You also want no-logs policy.
NordVPN review

Questions people ask

Is Fortinet FortiGate or NordVPN better?
Neither clearly leads. Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year and NordVPN at $3.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fortinet FortiGate or NordVPN?
Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year and NordVPN at $3.99/month.
Does Fortinet FortiGate or NordVPN run on more platforms?
Fortinet FortiGate runs on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud. NordVPN 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 NordVPN is typically brought in for.
What can Fortinet FortiGate do that NordVPN cannot?
Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Intrusion prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, Application control. NordVPN covers Military-grade encryption, No-logs policy, Kill Switch, Split tunneling. Both handle Cloud deployment.
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Related pages

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