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Nessus vs Fortinet FortiGate

Nessus logo

Nessus

Software

The most trusted vulnerability assessment solution

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Fortinet FortiGate logo

Fortinet FortiGate

Software

Next-generation firewall with AI-powered threat protection

From
$500/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Nessus has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Nessus nessus Professional is $4,790 for one year, with no free or low cost commercial tier; 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: Nessus covers Vulnerability scanning, Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Nessus and Fortinet FortiGate differ
AttributeNessusFortinet FortiGate
Starting priceFree$500/year
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsDesktop, ApiHardware, Virtual, Cloud
Founded20022000

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 Nessus

  • Vulnerability scanning
  • Configuration auditing
  • Malware detection
  • Web application scanning
  • Cloud scanning
  • Compliance checks
  • Patch auditing
  • Pre-built policies

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

  • AWS
  • Azure
  • Google Cloud
  • On-premise deployment
  • Cloud deployment

What people use each for

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

Nessus

  • Scanning hosts and applications for known vulnerabilities and misconfigurationsnot Fortinet FortiGate
  • Running compliance and configuration audits against a defined scopenot Fortinet FortiGate

Fortinet FortiGate

  • Next-generation firewalling at data centre, campus and branch scalenot Nessus
  • Secure SD-WAN across distributed sitesnot Nessus
  • Zero trust network access to internal applicationsnot Nessus
  • Virtual firewalls in AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Oraclenot Nessus
  • Ruggedised deployments in industrial environmentsnot Nessus

Where each one falls short

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

Nessus

  • Nessus Professional is $4,790 for one year, with no free or low cost commercial tier
  • Multi year terms are the only discount route, at $9,330.95 for two years and $13,637.54 for three
  • It is a single user scanner, so team workflows mean migrating to another Tenable product
  • Tenable One vulnerability management is priced separately, starting at $3,500 a year for 100 assets

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

Nessus

Free
  • Nessus Essentials (Free)Free
    • 16 IP addresses
    • Vulnerability scanning
    • Configuration auditing
  • Nessus Professional$2990/year
    • Unlimited IPs
    • Compliance checks
    • Live results
  • Nessus Expert$5290/year
    • All Pro features
    • External attack surface
    • Cloud infrastructure scanning

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 Nessus if

  • You need vulnerability scanning.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Desktop, Api.
  • You also want configuration auditing.
Nessus review

Choose Fortinet FortiGate if

  • You need next-generation firewall.
  • You work on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud.
  • You also want intrusion prevention.
Fortinet FortiGate review

Questions people ask

Is Nessus or Fortinet FortiGate better?
Neither clearly leads. Nessus starts at Free and Fortinet FortiGate at $500/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Nessus or Fortinet FortiGate?
Nessus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Nessus and $500/year for Fortinet FortiGate.
Does Nessus or Fortinet FortiGate run on more platforms?
Nessus runs on Desktop, Api. Fortinet FortiGate runs on Hardware, Virtual, Cloud.
Can I use Nessus for free?
Yes. Nessus has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Fortinet FortiGate starts at $500/year.
What is Nessus best used for?
Nessus is most often used for scanning hosts and applications for known vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, running compliance and configuration audits against a defined scope. Of those, scanning hosts and applications for known vulnerabilities and misconfigurations and running compliance and configuration audits against a defined scope are not what Fortinet FortiGate is typically brought in for.
What can Nessus do that Fortinet FortiGate cannot?
Nessus covers Vulnerability scanning, Configuration auditing, Malware detection, Web application scanning. Fortinet FortiGate covers Next-generation firewall, Intrusion prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, Application control. Both handle AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, On-premise deployment.
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