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Cybersecurity · head to head

Milestone XProtect vs SonicWall

Milestone XProtect logo

Milestone XProtect

Cybersecurity

Open platform video management software with perpetual per-device licences

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SonicWall logo

SonicWall

Cybersecurity

Proven security, performance and simplicity for modern networks

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Milestone XProtect has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Milestone XProtect care Plus is presented as optional but is not in practice: without it, perpetual licences stop receiving version upgrades and eventually you cannot add a current camera because your frozen version does not support it.; SonicWall product line page names no price for any firewall model, series or bundled security service
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Milestone XProtect and SonicWall actually diverge.

Attributes where Milestone XProtect and SonicWall differ
AttributeMilestone XProtectSonicWall
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOne-time purchase per device licence, plus annual Care Plusquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, Web, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (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 Milestone XProtect

  • Open device support
  • Perpetual device licences
  • Federated architecture
  • Failover recording
  • Evidence export
  • Smart Map
  • Integration platform
  • Video summarisation

Only in SonicWall

Nothing recorded that Milestone XProtect does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Milestone XProtect

  • A city or transport operator running tens of thousands of cameras across federated sitesnot SonicWall
  • An enterprise with mixed legacy camera brands that refuses to standardise on one manufacturernot SonicWall
  • A critical infrastructure site needing failover recording servers and tamper-evident evidence exportnot SonicWall
  • An integrator building a bespoke security application on top of an open VMS platformnot SonicWall

SonicWall

  • Network security and firewallsnot Milestone XProtect
  • Cloud securitynot Milestone XProtect

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Milestone XProtect

  • Care Plus is presented as optional but is not in practice: without it, perpetual licences stop receiving version upgrades and eventually you cannot add a current camera because your frozen version does not support it.
  • Per-device licensing means multi-sensor and multi-imager cameras consume several licences each, so a headline camera count badly understates the true licence cost of a modern design.
  • It is Windows only for servers and needs a properly designed server and storage architecture, so the software price is a fraction of a project that also needs recording servers, storage and an integrator.
  • Complexity requires trained staff or a certified integrator; organisations that install it without either end up running a large deployment on default settings and never using the features they paid for.
  • Milestone retired Kite from its portfolio in favour of Arcules from January 2025, which stranded buyers who had standardised on Kite and is a reminder that the cloud side of the portfolio has changed direction more than once.

SonicWall

  • Product line page names no price for any firewall model, series or bundled security service
  • Product tiers are segmented strictly by business size (TZ80 for micro-SMBs up to NSsp for large enterprises), so a growing business must migrate hardware series rather than scale within one model

Pricing, plan by plan

Milestone XProtect

Free
  • XProtect Essential+Free
    • Free for up to 8 cameras
    • No recording time limit
    • No vendor support included
  • XProtect Express+$109/one-time
    • Perpetual device licence, distributor list price
    • Single site, single server
    • Care Plus purchased separately per device per year
  • XProtect Professional+$177/one-time
    • Perpetual device licence, distributor list price
    • Multiple recording servers
    • Edge storage retrieval
  • XProtect Expert$282/one-time
    • Perpetual device licence, distributor list price
    • Failover recording servers
    • Advanced video wall and evidence handling

SonicWall

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the SonicWall review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Milestone XProtect if

  • You need open device support.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want perpetual device licences.
Milestone XProtect review

Choose SonicWall if

Nothing in the data separates SonicWall from Milestone XProtect on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

SonicWall review

Questions people ask

Is Milestone XProtect or SonicWall better?
Neither clearly leads. Milestone XProtect starts at Free and SonicWall at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Milestone XProtect or SonicWall?
Milestone XProtect has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Milestone XProtect and On request for SonicWall.
Does Milestone XProtect or SonicWall run on more platforms?
Milestone XProtect runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android. SonicWall runs on Web.
Can I use Milestone XProtect for free?
Yes. Milestone XProtect has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SonicWall starts at On request.
What is Milestone XProtect best used for?
Milestone XProtect is most often used for a city or transport operator running tens of thousands of cameras across federated sites, an enterprise with mixed legacy camera brands that refuses to standardise on one manufacturer, a critical infrastructure site needing failover recording servers and tamper-evident evidence export, an integrator building a bespoke security application on top of an open vms platform. Of those, a city or transport operator running tens of thousands of cameras across federated sites and an enterprise with mixed legacy camera brands that refuses to standardise on one manufacturer are not what SonicWall is typically brought in for.
What can Milestone XProtect do that SonicWall cannot?
Milestone XProtect covers Open device support, Perpetual device licences, Federated architecture, Failover recording.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Milestone XProtect: Is XProtect really free for small sites?

Essential+ is free for up to eight cameras with no recording time limit, but it comes with no vendor support and no multi-server capability.

SonicWall: How much does SonicWall cost?

SonicWall does not publish pricing on its main website. The company directs customers to contact their sales team directly or access the partner portal for reseller pricing. Free trials are available through their sales channels.

Source
Milestone XProtect: Are licences perpetual or annual?

Device licences are perpetual. The annual cost is Care Plus, the support and software update contract, which you need to stay on current versions.

SonicWall: Does SonicWall offer a free trial?

Yes, SonicWall offers free trials for their products. Contact their sales team through the Contact Sales button to request trial access and pricing information.

Source
Milestone XProtect: What happens if I do not renew Care Plus?

The system keeps recording, but you stop getting version upgrades, and over a few years that blocks you from adding newer cameras.

Milestone XProtect: Who owns Milestone?

Canon. The portfolio also includes BriefCam analytics and Arcules cloud video, with Arcules replacing Milestone Kite from January 2025.

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