We use Sophos XG with medical institutions and corporate banks that we work with. There are approximately 20 employees working with this product in our company.
Head of Operations at Intersect Technologies
Easy to deploy at customer locations and it is priced well
Pros and Cons
- "Using Sophos endpoint and the firewall, synchronized security is easy."
- "I would recommend Sophos XG because it is easy to deploy at customer locations and it is priced well."
- "LAN inbound and outbound traffic requires more control and an additional stop."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Being centralized, Sophos provides us threat protection there. Even with standalone, we are able to provide the Sophos firewall. Having an internal dashboard and a single dashboard with some endpoints is also valuable. By using Sophos endpoint and the firewall, synchronized security is easy.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see improvement with service and support. LAN inbound and outbound traffic requires more control and an additional stop.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Sophos XG for almost 10 years. We are partners with Sophos.
Buyer's Guide
Sophos Firewall
September 2026
Learn what your peers think about Sophos Firewall. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2026.
917,433 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability and performance is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is easy to scale.
How are customer service and support?
There is no maintenance required with Sophos XG because it is a cloud product.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously I was using Cyberoam and Fortinet. We switched because there was a lot of hardware, and the performance was not satisfactory. We were experiencing space concerns with the hardware, the dual processor, and even the single processor. This also meant that synchronized security was not there as well.
How was the initial setup?
The initial set up of the solution was simple. It took about 20 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented the software on our own.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is cheaper compared to others.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Sophos XG because it is easy to deploy at customer locations and it is priced well. I would rate this product a 10 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
IT Support Engineer at odak bilisim
Easy port configuration, scalable, but policies could improve
Pros and Cons
- "I have found configuring the ports to be easier in Sophos XG compared to the other devices."
- "The stability and performance are quite good, and we haven't seen any problems."
- "Sophos XG could improve the policies, they are a bit confusing when creating them. There are many options that make it confusing and it could be simplified."
What is our primary use case?
We use Sophos XG for network security as a firewall for our company.
What is most valuable?
I have found configuring the ports to be easier in Sophos XG compared to the other devices.
What needs improvement?
Sophos XG could improve the policies, they are a bit confusing when creating them. There are many options that make it confusing and it could be simplified.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XG for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The Stability and performance are quite good. We haven't seen any problems.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
I would rate the scalability of Sophos XG an eight out of ten.
We have approximately 10 people using this solution in my organization.
My customers are using this solution on a daily basis.
How are customer service and support?
I have contacted support once or twice to receive some clarification. I had a good experience.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used other solutions preciously and FortiGate's user interface is much easier to use when compared to Palo Alto and Sophos. Additionally, in Palo Alto, assigning the ports are more user-friendly.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
I did the implementation of Sophos XG myself and it took approximately 20 minutes.
There is no maintenance is required for this solution.
Our networking team is approximately 10 people that use the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The Palo Alto solution is expensive and the FortiGate is less expensive than Palo Alto. The Sophos XG would be priced in the middle of the two.
There are some fees but you can purchase a bundle package.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to those wanting to use this solution is if you don't have experience, don't use it.
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Sophos XG a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Buyer's Guide
Sophos Firewall
September 2026
Learn what your peers think about Sophos Firewall. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2026.
917,433 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Chief-Information-Technology-Officer at ABIG
Good Protection, scales well, and is easy to setup
Pros and Cons
- "Web publishing is important, as well as the importance of the antivirus patch."
- "Once we started using Sophos XG, the number of threats dropped dramatically."
- "Our clients use Karios, and while it integrates well with it, the integration could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for VPN, client VPN, malware filtering, and antivirus scanning.
How has it helped my organization?
It has definitely improved the way our organization functions. Previously only using free tools, and once we started using Sophos XG, the number of threats dropped dramatically. We had a lot of threats to our network, but they have dramatically decreased since we started using this solution.
What is most valuable?
All of the features in Sophos XG are valuable.
Web publishing is important, as well as the importance of the antivirus patch.
The firewall is also essential, and the VPN.
What needs improvement?
Our clients use Karios, and while it integrates well with it, the integration could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XG for three years.
We are using the XG version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We encountered an issue with the hardware when we first purchased this solution. We called Sophos, who replaced the device, and we have not had any issues since.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have no issues with the scalability of Sophos XG.
In our organization, we have 150 users, and all are required to maintain this solution.
We don't have plans to increase the usage at this time.
How are customer service and support?
We have not really used technical support. If we have an issue, we resolve it ourselves.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we were using older versions of Microsoft. We used it for almost 10 years before switching to Sophos.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy.
We completed the installation ourselves. I took a maximum of two weeks.
What was our ROI?
I have not calculated our ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have a three-year license.
What other advice do I have?
I am the Chief IT Officer. I don't have all of the technical details of this product. We have technical staff who use this solution for their daily routines and activities.
It's a very good product. I would rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
System Integrator IT Manager at Tecnimex S.r.l.
Integrates well with other Sophos solutions, efficient, and is reasonably priced
Pros and Cons
- "Sophos began with a basic version and evolved into something more efficient in terms of performance."
- "It integrates well with other Sophos products, such as the Sophos Firewall, Sophos Endpoint, and other features in a cloud platform, to help the customer better manage security on their site."
- "I would like to have a more efficient login process."
- "Technical support is always an issue, not just with Sophos but also with other brands. It is extremely difficult to interact with support within the time frame that the customer expects."
What is our primary use case?
This solution is used by both us and our customers.
What is most valuable?
As this product has recently changed, we are learning about the features of Sophos XG one step at a time.
Sophos began with a basic version and evolved into something more efficient in terms of performance.
It integrates well with other Sophos products, such as the Sophos Firewall, Sophos Endpoint, and other features in a cloud platform, to help the customer better manage security on their site.
What needs improvement?
I would like to have a more efficient logging process & real time analisys. The logging, expecially with EDR subscription, is something that needs improvement.
I would like to see email management improved to have more features and options for integrating with other solutions, expecially cloud based.
For how long have I used the solution?
We started working with Sophos XG when it was known as Astaro AG. I have been working with this solution for more than 10 years.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is always an issue, not just with Sophos but also with other brands. It is extremely difficult to interact with support within the time frame that the customer expects.
In general, it takes more time to solve a problem, and better independent actions are required.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup can be difficult. You should be familiar with Sophos or have prior knowledge of it, as it requires concepts from older versions of Sophos, the Sophos SG, the Cyberoam environment, and everything that has recently been introduced.
It is better to have some training before using this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is reasonable in my opinion.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I began looking into Fortinet solutions simply to compare some features.
What other advice do I have?
I would always recommend conducting a thorough analysis before deciding on a solution because Sophos may have some oversight for some of the tasks. It is beneficial to examine the environment that the Sophos product will be used, considering the integration with other features.
I would rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
Technical Support Engineer at Intimesolutions
Easy to set up with good technical support but takes a while to load
Pros and Cons
- "Technical support is responsive."
- "The solution is mostly a good firewall."
- "The user interface could be better."
What is most valuable?
The solution is mostly a good firewall.
The initial setup is pretty easy compared to other options on the market.
The product has been stable.
The solution can scale.
Technical support is responsive.
Sophos offers pretty good pricing.
What needs improvement?
The user interface could be better.
We find that the solution takes too long to load. It's slow.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been dealing with the product for six or seven years at this point. It's been a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution has been stable. We haven't had any bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have customers of every size, including medium and enterprise-level.
The product can scale and if a company needs to expand it can do so.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is pretty good. We've been happy with their level of responsiveness. I have no complaints.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup isn't too difficult or complex. It's pretty straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We find the pricing to be reasonable and not overly expensive.
What other advice do I have?
We are a Sophos reseller.
I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten. If the graphical user interface was better and the performance was stronger, I would rate it higher.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Pre Sales at ITCG SOlutions Pvt Ltd
A comprehensive solution which makes available heartbeat security
Pros and Cons
- "Sophos is a comprehensive solution which allows me to configure all the attendant products, such as Sophos' firewall, Endpoint and Encryption features, and a nice feature of Sophos is that it offers in sync and heartbeat security."
- "The response time could stand improvement."
- "However, the response time could stand improvement, as I do not benefit from immediate support."
What is most valuable?
Sophos is a comprehensive solution which allows me to configure all the attendant products, such as Sophos' firewall, Endpoint and Encryption features.
A nice feature of Sophos is that it offers in sync and heartbeat security. When my clients have a perimeter involving Sophos firewall and endpoints with Sophos Endpoint, they can communicate with each other.
Heartbeat security is a great feature.
What needs improvement?
In light of all the firmware upgrades, maintenance, feature and general releases of firmware, I really appreciate the support offered by Sophos. It is really good.
However, the response time could stand improvement, as I do not benefit from immediate support. There is a delay involved. This can be problematic when I need urgent support, such as when my device is in a production environment.
How are customer service and support?
The support is really good. With all the firmware upgrades, maintenance, feature and general firmware releases which occur nowadays, I really appreciate Sophos support. It is really good.
This said, it could be faster, as it is not immediate. This can be problematic when I require urgent support, such as when my device is in a production environment.
How was the initial setup?
When it comes to the firewall, everything hinges on the configuration. Every firewall is good, but one can see the importance of the configuration in the firewalls of Sophos and SonicWall. This is the most important thing, since users occcasionally disable the app control, IPS or anti-spyware features. They do this out of a lack of familiarity with the security, something which allows attacks to occur. Therefore, the configuration is key. I configure every firewall I employ, be it Sophos, SonicWall or Fortinet.
I have not encountered any issues when it comes to the configuration.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I was a gold partner with Sophos XG. As such, I make suggestions about the appropriate model in line with my customer's requirements. Essentially, over the last two years of the COVID-19 crises, most users required an SSL VPN license, something for which SonicWall charges but which Sophos offers for free.
SSL VPN involves two factor authentication. This is free of charge. Both email and key OTP are options. While SonicWall also offers SSL VPN capabilities, it is problematic. When I needed a license, I purchased an additional perpetual SSL VPN license.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
SonicWall makes available all the different models, such as TZ and NSA. I am familiar with all the models. Sophos only has an entry-level model, which is actually 87, 107 and 116.
Fortinet offers the Forti ATF model.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend the solution to other clients, but make certain to first understand their individual needs. I would be doing them a disservice were it otherwise.
I really like Sophos.
In the past, when Sophos employed XG firewall, I was forced to deal with a slow GUI. This is because its back-end kernel is Linux. Now that XGS is provided, many changes can be seen in the hardware appliance. The hardware has been upgraded. The XGS firewall is faster than the XG series, so the problem has been resolved.
While I rate Fortinet as a nine out of ten, I give Sophos XG a rating of eight.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
Senior Network Security Engineer | Project Manager at a consumer goods company with 10,001+ employees
Simple to use, easy installation, and performs well
Pros and Cons
- "The solution has good performance and is easy to use."
- "The solution could be more secure."
What is our primary use case?
We use Sophos XG for network threat protection in our data center.
What is most valuable?
The solution has good performance and is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
The solution could be more secure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XG for a few years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have approximately 100 users using this solution.
How was the initial setup?
The installation of Sophos XG is easy.
What about the implementation team?
We have four technical engineers for installation and administrators for this equipment.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have evaluated Palo Alto and FortiGate.
What other advice do I have?
We have replaced some of our hardware with Palo Alto and FortiGate solutions.
I am satisfied with this solution.
I rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Sr. Network Administrator at ACMC
Friendly, dependable, scalable, and simple to migrate
Pros and Cons
- "The performance is good."
- "The stability of Sophos XG is great!"
- "Sophos XG does not have the ability to disconnect a user."
- "The reporting could be improved."
What is most valuable?
Sophos XG is very good.
It's very friendly.
The performance is good.
What needs improvement?
The reporting could be improved.
Many other firewalls give you the option to disconnect a user. For example, if an end-user is using too much bandwidth, you could right-click to disconnect this user, but Sophos XG does not support this feature.
Sophos XG does not have the ability to disconnect a user.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Sophos XG for one and a half years.
We are using the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Sophos XG is great!
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Sophos XG is scalable.
We have approximately 120 users in our organization who are using this solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have never contacted the technical support for Sophos. Once or twice we called the local support but not for Sophos.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously we used Cyberoam. When they announced the end of life we switched to Sophos XG.
It was upgraded because it had reached the end of its life. We only had one option for upgrading to Sophos XG. They gave us the option to upgrade and provided us with the hardware for free.
How was the initial setup?
We migrated from Cyberoam. The migration went very well.
The migration process did not require a lot of configuration.
It took a few days to complete the migration and the testing.
This solution is being managed by myself and a colleague. We are a team of two.
What about the implementation team?
We were able to complete the migration ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
They have different options for the license.
We paid for three years which included the migration and the free hardware.
In most cases, I believe that the licensing is paid yearly.
What other advice do I have?
I don't have any issues with this solution. I would recommend this solution for others who are interested in using it.
I would rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Chief Technology Officer at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
Simple to set up with a good GUI, but lacks features
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup is pretty straightforward and simple."
- "Their tech support is not great."
- "Unfortunately, there are quite a few negatives with them. Their tech support is not great."
What is our primary use case?
I primarily use the solution as a firewall. It's running on our data centers and all of our offices.
What is most valuable?
It has a simple GUI, which is good.
The initial setup is pretty simple.
What needs improvement?
Unfortunately, there are quite a few negatives with them.
Their tech support is not great.
The features on offer are lacking.
Basically what they don't have is proper bandwidth management for multiple WAN ports and multiple WAN ports to multiple VPN WANs. Meaning, if I have it on both sides on both the main side and on the secondary side, two internet connections, I can't bond the two of them together into a single VPN and have bandwidth managed between the two of them.
If I want to go ahead and make a VPN, right now, I have two internet connections on each side. I have to make a failover a group of four VPNs for it to go ahead and failover between them.
You're getting into a lot of rules. It's a lot of extra rules, et cetera, that has to be done. They don't have simple pointing systems where you could go ahead and make rules saying, "Hey, here's the route". They're not fully route-based VPN rules yet. You literally have to take down all the routes all over the place in order to make updates. It's tedious.
Basically, we had the problem where we moved certain ranges from one data center to another data center. It took us about an hour of downtime to do that. We had to go ahead and we had to reset VLANs and we had re-setup all the VPNs in all the different places we reconnected. We don't have two sites, we have 25 sites. It was a lot of work.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for about three years at this point.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It has its bugs and we can't get answers due to the fact that technical support is outsourced. There are some bugs that we keep running into that tech support can't figure out what to do. The bigger problem is the log systems aren't big enough for them to actually capture all the logs that happen.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is an issue. About six months after we bought it to a year after we bought it, they outsourced all their tech support to India. Literally beforehand, they were an American-based tech support company and they actually had full product knowledge. The Indian-based tech support doesn't have the product knowledge and there was a language barrier. They could speak English, however, they didn't understand us very well.
We were told that they stopped doing outsource and they are rehiring their own internal staff again for tech support. We're hoping that we're going to be able to get better tech support again.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty straightforward and simple. It's not overly difficult. I don't consider it to be complex.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We bought it as is. We bought it with four years of support. However, I can't speak to how much it costs.
What other advice do I have?
I'd advise users considering the solution that, if you have quite a bit of sites, it's going to get a lot of work to do, to fix things up. It makes more sense if you have minimal sites.
I'd rate the solution at a six out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
CEO at Haniya Technologies
Strong in security, scalable, and good performance
Pros and Cons
- "Sophos firewalls are scalable. They are pretty strong in security. So, when they provide any kind of firewall, they provide all the features such as anti-spam, antivirus, etc."
- "Its price should be improved. Its features are pretty okay, but the price is the area where we have to fight more. They should do something about the price structure."
What is our primary use case?
Firewall is not our expertise, but we do sell it as per the requirement of the customer or if they ask for it.
Most of the firewalls are on-prem. What we deliver is the hardware. It is appliance-based.
What is most valuable?
Sophos firewalls are scalable. They are pretty strong in security. So, when they provide any kind of firewall, they provide all the features such as anti-spam, antivirus, etc.
What needs improvement?
Its price should be improved. Its features are pretty okay, but the price is the area where we have to fight more. They should do something about the price structure.
For how long have I used the solution?
It has been a couple of years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable. Its performance is very good. They have now stopped calling it a firewall. They're calling it a Unified Threat Management (UTM) solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable in the sense that if they are using a small model or a small box of firewall and there is an increase in their network and the number of users, they can move that small box to a bigger model. So, if they are using a firewall and they want to scale it up, they can go to the next model.
Sophos has more than 1,000 customers.
How are customer service and technical support?
Our clients have a good system of support over here. They have full support. They get support from the distributors, from the partners, and then directly from Sophos.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We are a partner of Sophos and Fortinet. We work with Sophos much more than we work with Fortinet.
How was the initial setup?
If it is a small model and a small network, it takes about two days. You need at least two people for its deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its price should be better. Initially, the clients have to pay for the appliance. Then, they have to pay for the software that is installed on the appliance. Depending on whether they have a one-year, two-year, or three-year license, they just have to renew the license of the software after it expires. They don't have to renew the appliance license. So, they have to pay for the appliance only once, and after that, they just renew the software license. That's all.
What other advice do I have?
I would definitely recommend Sophos to others. I would rate it a nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos Firewall Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: September 2026
Product Categories
FirewallsPopular Comparisons
Fortinet FortiGate
Cisco Secure Firewall
OPNsense
Netgate pfSense
Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security)
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls
WatchGuard Firebox
Check Point Harmony SASE (formerly Perimeter 81)
Cisco Meraki MX
Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW)
Azure Firewall
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series
Fortinet FortiGate-VM
Juniper SRX Series Firewall
SonicWall TZ
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos Firewall Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- Sophos XG 210 vs Fortigate FG 100E
- What Is The Biggest Difference Between Sophos UTM and Sophos XG?
- What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?
- Which firewall is better and why: Sophos XG 210 or Fortinet FortiGate 100E?
- Which solution do you prefer: Fortinet FortiGate or Sophos XG?
- What are the main differences in features between Sophos XG and FortiGate 80F?
- Which product do you prefer: Sophos XGS 2100 or Fortinet FortiGate 100F?
- Fortinet FortiGate or Sophos XG?
- How does Meraki MX compare with Sophos XG?
- Which firewall to choose for an SMB to prevent malware damage: Cisco Firepower or Sophos XG?















