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Fortinet FortiGate vs Pants Build

Fortinet FortiGate logo

Fortinet FortiGate

Cybersecurity

Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection

From
$500/year
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Pants Build logo

Pants Build

Developer Tools

Fast, scalable build system with intelligent defaults for Python and more

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Pants Build 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; Pants Build smaller community compared to Bazel with fewer third-party tool integrations
  • They diverge on capability: Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Pants Build covers Intelligent defaults.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fortinet FortiGate and Pants Build actually diverge.

Attributes where Fortinet FortiGate and Pants Build differ
AttributeFortinet FortiGatePants Build
Starting price$500/yearFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsHardware, Virtual, CloudLinux, macOS, Windows
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools
Founded2000Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Pants Build

  • Intelligent defaults
  • Python-first design
  • Multiple dependency resolves
  • File-level operations
  • Git integration
  • Tool integrations
  • Python 3 plugin API

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

Pants Build

  • Python-heavy monorepos with complex interdependenciesnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Multi-language projects mixing Python, Go, and JVM languagesnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Teams seeking minimal build configuration overheadnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Organizations implementing Git-aware test selectionnot 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

Pants Build

  • Smaller community compared to Bazel with fewer third-party tool integrations
  • Python plugin API steeper learning curve for custom build rules
  • Less mature ecosystem for non-Python languages
  • Fewer integration examples for enterprise CI/CD platforms

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

Pants Build

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Pants Build review.

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 Pants Build if

  • You need intelligent defaults.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want python-first design.
Pants Build review

Questions people ask

Is Fortinet FortiGate or Pants Build better?
Neither clearly leads. Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year and Pants Build at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fortinet FortiGate or Pants Build?
Pants Build has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $500/year for Fortinet FortiGate and Free for Pants Build.
Does Fortinet FortiGate or Pants Build run on more platforms?
Fortinet FortiGate runs on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud. Pants Build runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Pants Build for free?
Yes. Pants Build 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 Pants Build is typically brought in for.
What can Fortinet FortiGate do that Pants Build cannot?
Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Intrusion prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, Application control. Pants Build covers Intelligent defaults, Python-first design, Multiple dependency resolves, File-level operations.

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
Pants Build: What languages does Pants support?

Pants supports Python as a first-class citizen, with production-ready support for Go, Java, Scala, Kotlin, Shell scripts, and Docker.

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.

Source
Pants Build: Do I need to write BUILD files with Pants?

Pants uses static analysis to infer dependencies and project structure, minimizing required BUILD file configuration compared to other build systems.

Source
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.

Source
Pants Build: How does Pants handle complex dependency scenarios?

Pants provides file-level dependency tracking, multiple dependency resolves with lockfiles, and sophisticated dependency analysis that works correctly even with circular or complex dependency graphs.

Source
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