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Fortinet FortiGate vs Rust

Fortinet FortiGate logo

Fortinet FortiGate

Cybersecurity

Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection

From
$500/year
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Rust logo

Rust

Developer Tools

A language empowering everyone to build reliable and efficient software

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Rust 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; Rust compile times significantly longer than languages like Go or C
  • They diverge on capability: Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Rust covers Memory safety.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Fortinet FortiGate and Rust differ
AttributeFortinet FortiGateRust
Starting price$500/yearFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsHardware, Virtual, CloudWindows, Linux, macOS
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools
Founded20002010

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 Rust

  • Memory safety
  • Zero-cost abstractions
  • Ownership system
  • Pattern matching
  • Type inference
  • Cargo package manager
  • Cross compilation
  • Fearless concurrency

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

Rust

  • Systems programming and operating system developmentnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Performance-critical applicationsnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Embedded systems and firmwarenot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Network services and concurrent applicationsnot 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

Rust

  • Compile times significantly longer than languages like Go or C
  • Smaller ecosystem of libraries and frameworks compared to Python or JavaScript
  • Community still smaller than mainstream languages, reducing available third-party resources

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

Rust

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Rust 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 Rust if

  • You need memory safety.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Linux, macOS.
  • You also want zero-cost abstractions.
Rust review

Questions people ask

Is Fortinet FortiGate or Rust better?
Neither clearly leads. Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year and Rust at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fortinet FortiGate or Rust?
Rust has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $500/year for Fortinet FortiGate and Free for Rust.
Does Fortinet FortiGate or Rust run on more platforms?
Fortinet FortiGate runs on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud. Rust runs on Windows, Linux, macOS.
Can I use Rust for free?
Yes. Rust 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 Rust is typically brought in for.
What can Fortinet FortiGate do that Rust cannot?
Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Intrusion prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, Application control. Rust covers Memory safety, Zero-cost abstractions, Ownership system, Pattern matching.

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
Rust: Is Rust free?

Yes, Rust is free and open-source. The Rust Foundation provides institutional support for this community-driven project, and there are no costs associated with using the programming language.

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
Rust: What license does Rust use?

Rust is open-source and operated under an open-source license. Full license details are available in the policies section of the Rust website.

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
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