SonicWall Alternative
SonicWall retired its Gen 6 TZ and NSa firewalls in two waves, on 2026-08-01 and 2026-10-01. Its answer is Gen 7 on a new operating system, often sold through a “3 & Free” bundle that trades free hardware for a three-year services commitment. This page puts FortiGate beside that path on the points that decide it for a small or mid-size business, and explains how we migrate a SonicWall in one after-hours window. Last reviewed 2026-10-06.
What Changed
SonicWall’s own product notifications set end of support for the TZ 400, TZ 400W, TZ 600, TZ 600P and NSa 3650 on 2026-08-01, and for the SOHO 250, TZ 350, TZ 500 and NSa 4600 to 6650 on 2026-10-01. Gen 6 units are now in limited retirement: no new firmware, no security fixes. The replacement is Gen 7 or Gen 8 on SonicOS 7, or another vendor.
| SonicWall model | End of support | Status 2026-10-06 | FortiGate equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| TZ 300P, SOHO, SOHOW | per SonicWall notice | Retired | 30G / 50G |
| TZ 400, TZ 400W, TZ 600, TZ 600P | 2026-08-01 | Passed | 50G / 70G |
| NSa 3650 | 2026-08-01 | Passed | 90G / 120G |
| SOHO 250, TZ 350, TZ 500 | 2026-10-01 | Passed | 50G / 70G |
| NSa 4600 to NSa 6650 | 2026-10-01 | Passed | 120G and up, sized per site |
Dates are from SonicWall’s product notifications linked below. FortiGate equivalents are our sizing starting points, not a vendor mapping; the sizing guide explains the method.
After end of support, SonicWall does not ship firmware or security fixes for the unit. Gen 6 firewalls had a run of exploited vulnerabilities during their supported life; running one past that date is a risk your insurer will ask about.
SonicOS 7 is a different operating system from SonicOS 6.5. Rules migrate through SonicWall’s tool, but the management model and many features changed. The effort is comparable to moving vendors, which is why it is worth comparing before you renew by habit.
SonicWall’s recurring “3 & Free” promotion gives the hardware away when you buy a three-year security-services suite. The hardware is a small share of the bundle; the three-year services commitment is the price. Compare total three-year cost, not the headline.
The number that matters is throughput with IPS, anti-malware and TLS inspection enabled. Every vendor’s bare firewall figure is five to ten times higher than that. Size to the services-on figure on both datasheets.
The Comparison
Both lines cover the same price band. The decisions that separate them in practice: inspection hardware, how remote access works going forward, management for one site versus many, and what the three-year bundle really costs. Verify the SonicWall figures against the datasheet for the model you are quoted.
| Decision point | FortiGate G-series | SonicWall Gen 7 | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inspection hardware | SP5 ASIC on every desktop model | Multi-core CPU; SonicWall publishes threat-prevention figures per model | Services-on throughput and how it holds under load |
| Threat protection, entry models | 50G 1.1 Gbps; 70G 1.3 Gbps; 90G 2.2 Gbps | TZ270 / TZ370 / TZ470 / TZ570 per SonicWall datasheet | Size to this against your circuit, not to the firewall line |
| Remote access | IPsec and ZTNA; SSL-VPN removed from current hardware | SSL-VPN, IPsec, Cloud Secure Edge (ZTNA) | Plan the VPN migration either way; SonicWall SSL-VPN has been a frequent attack target |
| Multi-site management | FortiManager (on-prem or cloud), FortiGate Cloud for small fleets | Network Security Manager (NSM), cloud | Both work; choose the one your operator already runs |
| Licensing model | UTP or Enterprise bundle, 1/3/5 years, per unit; hardware sold separately or bundled | Essential or Advanced Protection suites, 1/3/5 years; 3 & Free bundles hardware into a 3-year suite | Compare three-year totals including HA second unit |
| Lifecycle | Published EOO/EOS per model; G-series current with no EOO date | Gen 6 retired 2026; Gen 7 current, Gen 8 shipping | Buy five years of support runway |
We sell and support FortiGate; we do not sell SonicWall. Where we name a SonicWall figure or program, the source is SonicWall’s own page, linked below.
How We Migrate
The same fixed-fee migration we publish on the firewall migration page: $6,500 for a FortiGate up to the 90-series class, $8,900 for 100F to 200F or an HA pair; hardware and licenses separate at Fortinet list.
Settings export plus a read of every access rule, NAT policy, address object, VPN and content-filter policy. Dead rules are listed and not migrated.
Circuit, users, switches, APs, PoE, and which services you actually run decide the model. A 70G with a three-year UTP bundle lists at $3,644.78; a 90G bundle at $9,375.20. Quoted through our authorized Fortinet distributor.
FortiGate configured and tested beside the SonicWall: interfaces, VLANs, policies, NAT, IPsec peers, security profiles, and the replacement for SSL-VPN users.
One window, usually under two hours, SonicWall left cabled for a five-minute rollback. We stay through the first business morning.
Five business days of priority response, as-built documentation, config backup under version control, monitoring if you take an Edge plan.
Track Record
We only do networks. That is not a limitation — it is why the outcomes are different.
Years of network-only practice. Architecture, security, and operations — not IT generalism.
Sites delivered. Healthcare clinics, law offices, financial branches, multi-site operations.
Design target for fully redundant builds with HA firewalls, diverse ISPs, and backed-up power.
Senior engineer–led. No junior handoffs. No ticket queue. No escalation chain.
Career aggregate. The 20+ years and 300+ sites span the operator’s full network-only practice, including prior-employer engagements. 99.99% availability, about 53 minutes of downtime per year, is an architecture design target for engagements that fund full redundancy. It is not a service guarantee or uptime SLA. Contracted response times and service levels are defined in each customer agreement.
Where We Work
Pre-staging and configuration happen remotely; cutover is on site or remote-hands guided, your choice. Local clients: see our Fortinet MSP in Sacramento and Fortinet MSP in San Francisco pages. Replacing a non-Fortinet firewall? See firewall migration. Want it watched afterward? See network monitoring.
FAQ
If it is a Gen 6 unit, yes or nearly. SonicWall's notifications set end of support at 2026-08-01 for the TZ 400, TZ 400W, TZ 600, TZ 600P and NSa 3650, and at 2026-10-01 for the SOHO 250, TZ 350, TZ 500 and NSa 4600 to 6650. After those dates there is no firmware or security fix for the unit.
Run the three-year math first. The promotion gives the Gen 7 hardware at no charge when you buy a three-year protection suite and, in the competitive version, dispose of your current firewall within sixty days. The hardware is the cheap part; the suite is the cost. Compare it with a FortiGate plus a three-year UTP bundle at list, and with the inspection throughput of each box with services enabled.
Address objects, services, interfaces, routes, NAT and IPsec definitions carry over through conversion and a line-by-line review. We rebuild the policy set, drop dead rules, and test every critical application before cutover. SonicWall-specific features such as Capture ATP or Content Filtering Service map to FortiGuard sandboxing and web filtering.
Fixed fee: $6,500 for a FortiGate up to the 90-series class, $8,900 for 100F to 200F or an HA pair, including full policy migration, VPN tunnels, test plan, after-hours cutover and five days of hypercare. Hardware and the FortiCare/UTP bundle are additional at Fortinet list.
Current FortiGate hardware does not support SSL-VPN; remote access becomes IPsec or ZTNA through FortiClient. We migrate the users as part of the project. Given how often SonicWall's SSL-VPN has been targeted, most customers treat this as an upgrade.
Hardware lead time, two to four weeks, is the longest part. Build runs in parallel. The cutover is one window, typically under two hours, with rollback until you sign off.
Yes. Our Edge plans monitor the firewall, switches and access points, keep configuration backups, and include a monthly allowance of standard changes. Plans and prices are on the services page.
Yes. Multi-site migrations are scoped per site with FortiManager for central policy, SD-WAN where there are two circuits, and a hub-first cutover order. The firewall migration page lists the SD-WAN pricing.
Sources
Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Vendor lifecycle dates and promotions change; confirm against the linked pages before you decide.
Fortinet, FortiGate, FortiOS, FortiGuard and FortiCare are trademarks of Fortinet, Inc. Sophos, SonicWall and other vendor names are trademarks of their respective owners, used here to identify the products discussed. Ambio Edge Networks is an independent Fortinet partner and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Fortinet, Sophos or SonicWall.
Replace a SonicWall
Tell us the SonicWall model, the services you run, your internet speed and user count. We size the FortiGate, quote hardware and licensing at Fortinet list, and run the migration as a fixed-fee project with rollback.
Response from a senior engineer within 1 business day.
A direct conversation — no sales team, no runaround.
An honest assessment of whether we are the right fit.
Clear next steps if we are — no pressure if we are not.
