Cisco Meraki MX
7.7/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- Custom quote
- Reviews
- 4.3/5 (G2)
- Free trial
- 30 days
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Best for
- Multi-site organizations wanting cloud-managed, "set-and-forget" security with Auto VPN
Best Firewall (Small Business) · 2026
Cisco Meraki MX vs 
Fortinet FortiGate Cisco Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate: on our data-weighted scoring, Fortinet FortiGate edges ahead (8.0 vs 7.7/10). Cisco Meraki MX starts at Custom quote and is best for multi-site organizations wanting cloud-managed, "set-and-forget" security with Auto VPN; Fortinet FortiGate starts at Custom quote and is best for businesses wanting top performance-per-dollar NGFWs with the broadest model range. Choose Fortinet FortiGate for the stronger overall track record; consider Cisco Meraki MX if its pricing model or fit matches your environment better. Side-by-side table below.
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Fortinet FortiGate
8.0/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- Custom quote
- Reviews
- 4.7/5 (~179 G2 reviews)
- Free trial
- —
- Deployment
- On-prem
- Best for
- Businesses wanting top performance-per-dollar NGFWs with the broadest model range
Strengths at a glance
Six criteria, each scored 0–10 on the same scale from real review data, public pricing and feature coverage. See our methodology →
| Criterion | Cisco Meraki MX | Fortinet FortiGate |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial | 7.7 | 8.0 |
| User reviews | 8.6 | 9.4 |
| Adoption | 0.0 | 6.0 |
| Affordability | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Feature breadth | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Ease of trial | 6.0 | 3.0 |
Cisco Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate: head-to-head
| Cisco Meraki MX | Fortinet FortiGate | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Pricing model | quote | quote |
| Free trial / tier | 30 days | — |
| Best for | Multi-site organizations wanting cloud-managed, "set-and-forget" security with Auto VPN | Businesses wanting top performance-per-dollar NGFWs with the broadest model range |
| Deployment | Cloud | On-prem |
| G2 rating | 4.3/5 | 4.7/5 (179) |
| Capterra rating | — | — |
| Our score | 7.7 | 8.0 |
Choose Cisco Meraki MX if…
You need multi-site organizations wanting cloud-managed, "set-and-forget" security with auto vpn.
✓ Pros
- Effortless multi-site management
- Strong Talos threat intelligence
- Best-in-class "set and forget" simplicity
✕ Cons
- Mandatory per-device licensing (stops if it lapses)
- Quote-only pricing
- Pricey at scale
Choose Fortinet FortiGate if…
You need businesses wanting top performance-per-dollar ngfws with the broadest model range.
✓ Pros
- Best-in-class performance-per-dollar
- Widest model range (SMB to chassis)
- Mature Security Fabric ecosystem
✕ Cons
- FortiManager/FortiAnalyzer cost extra
- Licensing/bundles are complex
- Quote-only pricing
In depth
Pricing: Fortinet FortiGate vs Cisco Meraki MX
Fortinet FortiGate bills on a quote model from Custom quote (no trial), while Cisco Meraki MX uses a quote model from Custom quote (30 days trial). Because the models differ, the cheaper option flips depending on your fleet size — model both at your seat/endpoint count.
Features & deployment
Fortinet FortiGate ships 6 headline capabilities (NGFW with FortiOS, FortiGuard threat intelligence, Integrated SD-WAN, IPS + AV + web filtering) and deploys On-prem. Cisco Meraki MX ships 6 (100% cloud-managed dashboard, Auto VPN site-to-site meshing, Cisco Talos threat intelligence, SD-WAN + application-aware routing), deploying Cloud.
Ratings & verdict
Fortinet FortiGate holds 4.7/5 (~179 G2 reviews); Cisco Meraki MX holds 4.3/5 (G2). On our data-weighted score, Fortinet FortiGate edges ahead (8.0 vs 7.7/10). Pick Cisco Meraki MX instead when multi-site organizations wanting cloud-managed, “set-and-forget” security with auto vpn. See Fortinet FortiGate alternatives or Cisco Meraki MX alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
- Cisco Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate: which is better?
- Cisco Meraki MX vs Fortinet FortiGate: on our data-weighted scoring, Fortinet FortiGate edges ahead (8.0 vs 7.7/10). Cisco Meraki MX starts at Custom quote and is best for multi-site organizations wanting cloud-managed, "set-and-forget" security with Auto VPN; Fortinet FortiGate starts at Custom quote and is best for businesses wanting top performance-per-dollar NGFWs with the broadest model range.
- Is Cisco Meraki MX cheaper than Fortinet FortiGate?
- Cisco Meraki MX starts at Custom quote and Fortinet FortiGate starts at Custom quote (see the pricing rows for models and limits).
Data as of September 17, 2026. Sources: meraki.cisco.com, fortinet.com. Figures are pulled from public vendor and security data and refreshed automatically.