Security & Cybersecurity · head to head
KnowBe4 vs Fortinet FortiGate
KnowBe4
Security & Cybersecurity
World's largest security awareness training platform
- From
- $1/month
- Rated
- -
Fortinet FortiGate
Security & Cybersecurity
Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection
- From
- $500/year
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: KnowBe4 published prices assume a three year term, so the quoted per seat rate depends on a long commitment; Fortinet FortiGate security services are sold as separate FortiGuard subscription bundles, so ATP, UTP and ENT determine which protections are actually active
- They diverge on capability: KnowBe4 covers Security awareness training, Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which KnowBe4 and Fortinet FortiGate actually diverge.
| Attribute | KnowBe4 | Fortinet FortiGate |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $1/month | $500/year |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile, Email | Hardware, Virtual, Cloud |
| Founded | 2010 | 2000 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Security & Cybersecurity).
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 KnowBe4
- Security awareness training
- Phishing simulation
- Risk assessments
- Compliance training
- Incident reporting
- API access
- Custom policies
- Behavior analytics
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
Both cover
- Cloud deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
KnowBe4
- Security awareness training and simulated phishing for staffnot Fortinet FortiGate
- Tracking employee susceptibility to phishing over timenot Fortinet FortiGate
Fortinet FortiGate
- Next-generation firewalling at data centre, campus and branch scalenot KnowBe4
- Secure SD-WAN across distributed sitesnot KnowBe4
- Zero trust network access to internal applicationsnot KnowBe4
- Virtual firewalls in AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Oraclenot KnowBe4
- Ruggedised deployments in industrial environmentsnot KnowBe4
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
KnowBe4
- Published prices assume a three year term, so the quoted per seat rate depends on a long commitment
- Pricing is banded by seat count, and the lowest band of 25 to 50 seats pays the highest rate
- Accounts above 1,000 seats have no published price and require a custom quote
- Third party integrations, Compliance Plus and PhishER Plus are all separately priced per seat add ons
- The Foundation tier carries 200 training modules against more than 1,000 on Advanced, so content volume is the main gate
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
Pricing, plan by plan
KnowBe4
$1/month- Basic$1/month
- Per user
- Training modules
- Phishing templates
- Advanced$2/month
- All Basic features
- Advanced phishing
- Risk assessments
- Pro$3/month
- All Advanced features
- API access
- Custom content
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
Which should you pick?
Choose KnowBe4 if
- You need security awareness training.
- You work on Web, Mobile, Email.
- You also want phishing simulation.
Choose Fortinet FortiGate if
- You need next-generation firewall.
- You work on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud.
- You also want intrusion prevention.
Questions people ask
- Is KnowBe4 or Fortinet FortiGate better?
- Neither clearly leads. KnowBe4 starts at $1/month and Fortinet FortiGate at $500/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, KnowBe4 or Fortinet FortiGate?
- KnowBe4 starts at $1/month and Fortinet FortiGate at $500/year.
- Does KnowBe4 or Fortinet FortiGate run on more platforms?
- KnowBe4 runs on Web, Mobile, Email. Fortinet FortiGate runs on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud.
- What is KnowBe4 best used for?
- KnowBe4 is most often used for security awareness training and simulated phishing for staff, tracking employee susceptibility to phishing over time. Of those, security awareness training and simulated phishing for staff and tracking employee susceptibility to phishing over time are not what Fortinet FortiGate is typically brought in for.
- What can KnowBe4 do that Fortinet FortiGate cannot?
- KnowBe4 covers Security awareness training, Phishing simulation, Risk assessments, Compliance training. Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Intrusion prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, Application control. Both handle Cloud deployment.