Software · head to head
Fortinet FortiGate vs Tenable Nessus
Fortinet FortiGate
Software
Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection
- From
- $500/year
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Tenable 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; Tenable Nessus nessus Professional is $4,790 for one year, sold as an annual licence rather than a per scan or usage based fee
- They diverge on capability: Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Tenable Nessus covers Network scanning.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Fortinet FortiGate and Tenable Nessus actually diverge.
| Attribute | Fortinet FortiGate | Tenable Nessus |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $500/year | Free |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Hardware, Virtual, Cloud | Windows, Linux, Macos, Cloud |
| Founded | 2000 | 2002 |
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 Tenable Nessus
- Network scanning
- Vulnerability detection
- Configuration assessment
- Malware detection
- Compliance checking
- Cloud security assessment
- Mobile scanning
- API access
Both cover
- AWS
- Azure
- Google Cloud
- 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 Tenable Nessus
- Secure SD-WAN across distributed sitesnot Tenable Nessus
- Zero trust network access to internal applicationsnot Tenable Nessus
- Virtual firewalls in AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Oraclenot Tenable Nessus
- Ruggedised deployments in industrial environmentsnot Tenable Nessus
Tenable Nessus
- Vulnerability scanning of servers, network devices and web applicationsnot Fortinet FortiGate
- Configuration and compliance auditing against hardening benchmarksnot Fortinet FortiGate
- Point in time assessments by consultants and penetration testersnot 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
Tenable Nessus
- Nessus Professional is $4,790 for one year, sold as an annual licence rather than a per scan or usage based fee
- Support beyond the base entitlement costs an extra $400 per year for Advanced Support with 24x365 phone and chat access
- The on demand training course is a separate $275 purchase for a single person for one year
- Multi year discounts require paying for two or three years up front
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
Tenable Nessus
Free- Nessus EssentialsFree
- Up to 16 ips
- Network scanning
- Vulnerability assessment
- Nessus Professional$2600/year
- Unlimited targets
- Enterprise features
- Advanced analytics
- Nessus Expert$5200/year
- All Professional features
- Cloud integration
- Advanced reporting
Which should you pick?
Choose Fortinet FortiGate if
- You need next-generation firewall.
- You work on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud.
- You also want intrusion prevention.
Choose Tenable Nessus if
- You need network scanning.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Linux, Macos, Cloud.
- You also want vulnerability detection.
Questions people ask
- Is Fortinet FortiGate or Tenable Nessus better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year and Tenable Nessus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Fortinet FortiGate or Tenable Nessus?
- Tenable Nessus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $500/year for Fortinet FortiGate and Free for Tenable Nessus.
- Does Fortinet FortiGate or Tenable Nessus run on more platforms?
- Fortinet FortiGate runs on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud. Tenable Nessus runs on Windows, Linux, Macos, Cloud.
- Can I use Tenable Nessus for free?
- Yes. Tenable 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 Tenable Nessus is typically brought in for.
- What can Fortinet FortiGate do that Tenable Nessus cannot?
- Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Intrusion prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, Application control. Tenable Nessus covers Network scanning, Vulnerability detection, Configuration assessment, Malware detection. Both handle AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Cloud deployment.