Next-generation firewalls · November 2026 Edition
Fortinet FortiGate vs Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Twelve of fourteen models named Fortinet FortiGate first on the direct prompt; one named Palo Alto Networks NGFW. Both were named by all fourteen models and Fortinet FortiGate carries 69 labels and Palo Alto Networks NGFW 59, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in three categories this edition.
Named in one category this edition.
First-choice share71%8%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate13%20%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#2A position in a field of 9; printed, not drawn.
Labels6959A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Fortinet FortiGate reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Fortinet FortiGate vs pfSense · Fortinet FortiGate vs Sophos Firewall · Fortinet FortiGate vs SonicWall
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the next-generation firewalls page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Fortinet FortiGateFirst choices, of fourteen modelsPalo Alto Networks NGFW
Direct1211 against Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Paraphrase1211 against Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Comparative312
Budget-constrained1004 against Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Scale-constrained32
Negative029 against Fortinet FortiGate · 6 against Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the November 2026 Edition, Fortinet FortiGate and Palo Alto Networks NGFW were named in the same answer 157 times, of the 221 answers naming Fortinet FortiGate and the 164 naming Palo Alto Networks NGFW. In those answers Palo Alto Networks NGFW took the first choice thirty-nine times and Fortinet FortiGate sixty-nine.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Fortinet FortiGate and Palo Alto Networks NGFW stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | | |||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | | | | |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | | | | ||
| Grok 4.20 | | | | | | |
| Mistral Small | | | | | ||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | | |
| Llama 4 Maverick | | | | |||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | | | |
| Kimi K2 | | | | | | |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | | ||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | | | | |
| GPT-6 Luna | | | | | ||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | | |
Fortinet FortiGate Palo Alto Networks NGFW first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Fortinet FortiGate on the left and Palo Alto Networks NGFW on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Fortinet FortiGate and Palo Alto Networks NGFW stood in it.
Fortinet FortiGate first, Palo Alto Networks NGFW an alternative
12 of 14 modelsPalo Alto Networks NGFW was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Gemini 3.5 FlashFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall
Perplexity SonarFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall
Grok 4.20Fortinet FortiGate alternatives: Barracuda CloudGen Firewall, Check Point Quantum NGFW, Cisco Secure Firewall, Palo Alto Networks NGFW, SonicWall NSa Series, Sophos Firewall
Mistral SmallFortinet FortiGate, Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Cisco Secure Firewall
DeepSeek V4 FlashFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Cisco Secure Firewall, Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Llama 4 MaverickFortinet FortiGate
Qwen 3.7 FlashFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall
Kimi K2Fortinet FortiGate alternatives: Palo Alto Networks NGFW
GLM 4.7 FlashXFortinet FortiGate
MiniMax M2.5Fortinet FortiGate alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Cisco Secure Firewall, Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall
GPT-6 LunaFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Muse Glimmer 30BFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall, WatchGuard Firebox
Palo Alto Networks NGFW first, Fortinet FortiGate an alternative
1 of 14 modelsFortinet FortiGate was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.GPT-5.4 miniPalo Alto Networks NGFW alternatives: Cisco Secure Firewall, Fortinet FortiGate
Neither was named
1 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5no first choice
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Fortinet FortiGate leads by seventy points.
Fortinet FortiGate72%#1 of 9Palo Alto Networks NGFW2%#6 of 9Mid-marketThe figures above
Fortinet FortiGate leads by sixty-three points.
Fortinet FortiGate71%#1 of 9Palo Alto Networks NGFW8%#2 of 9Enterprise
The order flips: Palo Alto Networks NGFW leads at enterprise.
Palo Alto Networks NGFW44%#1 of 6Fortinet FortiGate31%#2 of 6What the models said about Fortinet FortiGate
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Multiple critical vulnerabilities exploited in the wild (CVE-2024-21762, CVE-2023-27997)” MiniMax M2.5 · negative prompt · hard negative
“Avoid if: ... due to update/vuln risks with SonicWall/Fortinet” Qwen 3.7 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative
“Fortinet has recently published incident analysis and advisories tied to FortiOS/FortiCloud-related issues” GPT-5.4 mini · negative prompt · soft negative
“For most mid-sized B2B companies, Fortinet FortiGate (hardware or virtual) and Palo Alto Networks PA-Series are top recommendations” Mistral Small · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“Market leader in price-to-performance ratio; exceptional hardware specs; built-in SD-WAN and ZTNA capabilities without extra licensing.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · scale prompt · first choice
“Top Hardware Appliance Recommendation: Fortinet FortiGate ... Fortinet is widely considered the "gold standard" for the mid-market.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · paraphrase prompt · first choice
What the models said about Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Avoid high-end like Palo Alto or full Cisco Secure Firewall unless scaled down” Grok 4.20 · budget prompt · hard negative
“Avoid Palo Alto Networks if budget is your primary constraint” Qwen 3.7 Flash · budget prompt · hard negative
“Typically higher hardware and subscription costs. More complex management (Panorama) and steeper learning curve. Overkill for many mid‑size B2B organizations” GLM 4.7 FlashX · direct prompt · soft negative
“Fortinet and Palo Alto are the most common choices — Fortinet for price-performance, Palo Alto for maximum security effectiveness and control” DeepSeek V4 Flash · scale prompt · first choice
“strongest reputation for security depth, threat prevention, and a broad platform approach centered on AI-driven inspection and Zero Trust” GPT-5.4 mini · comparative prompt · first choice
“Market leader, known for strong AI/ML threat detection... Palo Alto, Fortinet, and Check Point are generally considered the top leaders” Mistral Small · comparative prompt · first choice
Also compared
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.