SME firewalls 2026: FortiGate vs Stormshield vs Sophos XGS.
Neutral comparison of the 3 leading NGFWs for SMEs. Criteria: performance + security + sovereignty + price.
Fortinet FortiGate 60F / 80F
SMEs 10-200 users, global Security Fabric
- ✓Unbeatable NGFW performance at this price (10 Gbps FW, ~1 Gbps with full UTM)
- ✓Security Fabric: native integration of FortiAP, FortiSwitch, FortiClient, FortiSIEM
- ✓Excellent built-in SD-WAN
- ✓Very comprehensive documentation, huge community
- ✓FortiCloud Free (7-day logs) included
- ✓Massive distribution across Europe + Africa
- −Annual FortiGuard (UTM) licenses required for security features
- −UI can feel cluttered for beginners
- −History of critical CVEs (patch promptly)
- −USA origin — a sensitive point for OIV/NIS2 in sensitive sectors
SMEs seeking unbeatable performance/price + the Security Fabric ecosystem
Stormshield SN310 / SN510
SMEs in sensitive sectors, public administrations, OIV (vital-importance operators)
- ✓French sovereignty (Airbus Defence subsidiary)
- ✓ANSSI CSPN certification at Standard and Enhanced levels
- ✓Qualified to handle Restricted Distribution (DR) data
- ✓Security policy focused on granularity (zoning, identity, context)
- ✓French technical support (Lille / Paris)
- ✓Compliant with public administration + OIV requirements
- −Raw performance lower than FortiGate at an equivalent price
- −Less extensive software + hardware ecosystem
- −More expensive hardware for comparable throughput
- −Smaller community
Public administrations, local authorities, OIV, SMEs needing sovereignty / DR / NIS2 essential entity
Sophos XGS 116 / 126
SMEs 10-150 users, Sophos security ecosystem
- ✓Synchronized Security with Intercept X (auto-isolation of compromised endpoints)
- ✓Sophos Firewall OS (SFOS): modern, intuitive interface
- ✓Xstream Protection: high-performance DPI on encrypted traffic
- ✓Sandstorm cloud sandbox included
- ✓Built-in ZTNA (option)
- ✓Strong choice if already running Sophos endpoint
- −Lower raw performance than FortiGate at an equivalent price
- −Weaker distribution than Fortinet in France
- −Migration from WatchGuard / SonicWall is not trivial
SMEs running Sophos endpoint and seeking turnkey Synchronized Security
Detailed comparison table
| Criterion | FortiGate | Stormshield | Sophos XGS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firewall throughput (without UTM) | 10 Gbps (60F) | 1.5-3 Gbps | 7.5 Gbps (XGS 116) |
| Throughput with full UTM enabled | ~1-1.5 Gbps | ~500 Mbps | ~700 Mbps |
| IPS / IDS | Yes (FortiGuard) | Yes (built-in) | Yes (Sophos XStream) |
| Anti-virus + sandbox | FortiGuard + FortiSandbox | Included | Sandstorm cloud included |
| Web filtering categories | FortiGuard (90+ cat) | Stormshield URL DB | Sophos Web Protection |
| SSL / IPsec VPN | Yes (high performance) | Yes | Yes |
| ZTNA / Zero Trust | FortiSASE (option) | Limited ZTNA | Built-in Sophos ZTNA |
| Built-in SD-WAN | Excellent | Basic | Good |
| Synchronized Security endpoint↔FW | Via FortiClient EMS | No | Native (with Intercept X) |
| ANSSI CSPN certification | No | Yes (Standard + Enhanced) | No |
| Vendor sovereignty | USA | France (Airbus) | UK |
| Cloud management datacenters | USA + EU | France | EU + USA |
| Entry-level SME HW price (~50 users) | ~690 € | ~1,400 € | ~1,100 € |
Recommendation by profile
→ FortiGate 60F
Unbeatable performance, Security Fabric ecosystem, strong distribution. B2B standard in France.
→ Stormshield SN310
ANSSI CSPN certification, French sovereignty. Mandatory for sensitive sectors + NIS2 essential.
→ Sophos XGS 116
Synchronized Security = auto-isolation of compromised endpoints. Max ROI with a Sophos ecosystem.
Free 30-min firewall audit + tailored recommendation.
Brief your constraints (sovereignty, performance, ecosystem, budget). Reasoned recommendation + turnkey deployment if needed.