Softwr

Cybersecurity · head to head

Fortinet FortiGate vs Pieces for Developers

Fortinet FortiGate logo

Fortinet FortiGate

Cybersecurity

Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection

From
$500/year
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Pieces for Developers logo

Pieces for Developers

Developer Tools

AI-powered memory layer that captures and organizes developer work

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Pieces for Developers 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; Pieces for Developers requires installing and running a background desktop app rather than being purely cloud-based.
  • They diverge on capability: Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Pieces for Developers covers Activity Timeline.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fortinet FortiGate and Pieces for Developers actually diverge.

Attributes where Fortinet FortiGate and Pieces for Developers differ
AttributeFortinet FortiGatePieces for Developers
Starting price$500/yearFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsHardware, Virtual, Cloudwindows, mac, linux
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools
Founded20002018

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 Pieces for Developers

  • Activity Timeline
  • Conversational Search
  • Artifact Generation
  • Cross-tool Integration
  • MCP Server
  • On-device Storage

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

Pieces for Developers

  • Recalling code snippets and context from earlier work sessionsnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Generating standup updates automatically from captured activitynot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Feeding long-term memory into AI coding assistants via MCPnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Searching past research and meeting notes conversationallynot 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

Pieces for Developers

  • Requires installing and running a background desktop app rather than being purely cloud-based.
  • Free tier trial of Pro features requires a credit card and reverts after 7 days.
  • Local-first storage means memory is not automatically synced across multiple machines without Enterprise controls.
  • Effectiveness depends on the breadth of integrations enabled, which adds setup overhead.

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

Pieces for Developers

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic capture and search
    • 7-day trial of Pro features
  • Pro$18.99/month
    • Long-term on-device memory
    • Cross-app capture
    • Single-click summaries and recaps
  • Enterprise$22.99/month
    • All Pro features
    • Organization-wide capture and feature controls
    • Approved AI providers and custom API keys

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 Pieces for Developers if

  • You need activity timeline.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on windows, mac, linux.
  • You also want conversational search.
Pieces for Developers review

Questions people ask

Is Fortinet FortiGate or Pieces for Developers better?
Neither clearly leads. Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year and Pieces for Developers at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fortinet FortiGate or Pieces for Developers?
Pieces for Developers has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $500/year for Fortinet FortiGate and Free for Pieces for Developers.
Does Fortinet FortiGate or Pieces for Developers run on more platforms?
Fortinet FortiGate runs on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud. Pieces for Developers runs on windows, mac, linux.
Can I use Pieces for Developers for free?
Yes. Pieces for Developers 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 Pieces for Developers is typically brought in for.
What can Fortinet FortiGate do that Pieces for Developers cannot?
Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Intrusion prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, Application control. Pieces for Developers covers Activity Timeline, Conversational Search, Artifact Generation, Cross-tool 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
Pieces for Developers: Does Pieces store my data in the cloud?

Pieces stores captured data on-device by default, giving users granular controls to pause, disable or delete captures rather than relying solely on cloud storage.

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
Pieces for Developers: Is there a free plan for Pieces?

Pieces does not offer a permanently free plan; new users instead get a 7-day free trial on any plan, which requires a credit card to start.

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
Pieces for Developers: What does the Pro plan cost?

Pro is $18.99 per month billed monthly, with roughly a 25% discount available when billed yearly.

Source
Pieces for Developers: What does the Enterprise plan add?

Enterprise costs $22.99 per month (or $69.99 per quarter) and adds organization-wide admin controls, approved AI providers, and governance over captured data.

Source
Pieces for Developers: Can I cancel my Pieces subscription?

Yes, users can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime from account settings, and all plans include a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Fortinet FortiGate

More on Pieces for Developers

Keep looking

Other head to heads