SonicWall TZ
7.5/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- Custom quote
- Reviews
- 4.1/5 (~144 G2 reviews)
- Free trial
- 30 days
- Deployment
- On-prem
- Best for
- Budget-conscious small businesses wanting a feature-rich entry-level NGFW
Best Firewall (Small Business) · 2026
SonicWall TZ vs 
Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway SonicWall TZ vs Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway: on our data-weighted scoring, SonicWall TZ edges ahead (7.5 vs 7.2/10). SonicWall TZ starts at Custom quote and is best for budget-conscious small businesses wanting a feature-rich entry-level NGFW; Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway starts at $129/one-time (Cloud Gateway Ultra) and is best for SMBs wanting a capable, license-free gateway/firewall with no recurring subscription. Choose SonicWall TZ for the stronger overall track record; consider Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway if its pricing model or fit matches your environment better. Side-by-side table below.
Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway
7.2/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- $129/one-time (Cloud Gateway Ultra)
- Reviews
- Not yet rated
- Free trial
- —
- Deployment
- Cloud + self-host
- Best for
- SMBs wanting a capable, license-free gateway/firewall with no recurring subscription
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 | SonicWall TZ | Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial | 7.5 | 7.2 |
| User reviews | 8.2 | 7.0 |
| Adoption | 5.7 | 0.0 |
| Affordability | 5.0 | 1.2 |
| Feature breadth | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Ease of trial | 6.0 | 3.0 |
SonicWall TZ vs Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway: head-to-head
| SonicWall TZ | Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Custom quote | $129/one-time (Cloud Gateway Ultra) |
| Pricing model | quote | flat |
| Free trial / tier | 30 days | — |
| Best for | Budget-conscious small businesses wanting a feature-rich entry-level NGFW | SMBs wanting a capable, license-free gateway/firewall with no recurring subscription |
| Deployment | On-prem | Cloud + self-host |
| G2 rating | 4.1/5 (144) | — |
| Capterra rating | — | — |
| Our score | 7.5 | 7.2 |
Choose SonicWall TZ if…
You need budget-conscious small businesses wanting a feature-rich entry-level ngfw.
✓ Pros
- Strong feature breadth for the price
- Good fit for small single-site offices
- Cloud-managed via NSM
✕ Cons
- Lower G2 satisfaction than peers
- Performance issues on complex configs
- Patching discipline required
Choose Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway if…
You need smbs wanting a capable, license-free gateway/firewall with no recurring subscription.
✓ Pros
- No per-device licensing ever
- Excellent long-term TCO
- Unified UniFi ecosystem
✕ Cons
- Less enterprise-grade security depth
- CyberSecure threat feed is a paid add-on
- Limited formal support without UI Care
In depth
Pricing: SonicWall TZ vs Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway
SonicWall TZ bills on a quote model from Custom quote (30 days trial), while Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway uses a flat model from $129/one-time (Cloud Gateway Ultra) (no trial). Because the models differ, the cheaper option flips depending on your fleet size — model both at your seat/endpoint count.
Features & deployment
SonicWall TZ ships 6 headline capabilities (Entry-level NGFW (TZ series), Network Security Manager cloud console, Capture ATP sandboxing, SD-WAN support) and deploys On-prem. Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway ships 6 (License-free (no subscription), Stateful firewall + VLAN segmentation, IDS/IPS + IPSec/WireGuard VPN, UniFi Network controller (free)), deploying Cloud + self-host.
Ratings & verdict
SonicWall TZ holds 4.1/5 (~144 G2 reviews); Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway holds Not yet rated. On our data-weighted score, SonicWall TZ edges ahead (7.5 vs 7.2/10). Pick Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway instead when smbs wanting a capable, license-free gateway/firewall with no recurring subscription. See SonicWall TZ alternatives or Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
- SonicWall TZ vs Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway: which is better?
- SonicWall TZ vs Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway: on our data-weighted scoring, SonicWall TZ edges ahead (7.5 vs 7.2/10). SonicWall TZ starts at Custom quote and is best for budget-conscious small businesses wanting a feature-rich entry-level NGFW; Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway starts at $129/one-time (Cloud Gateway Ultra) and is best for SMBs wanting a capable, license-free gateway/firewall with no recurring subscription.
- Is SonicWall TZ cheaper than Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway?
- SonicWall TZ starts at Custom quote and Ubiquiti UniFi Gateway starts at $129/one-time (Cloud Gateway Ultra) (see the pricing rows for models and limits).
Data as of July 20, 2026. Sources: sonicwall.com, store.ui.com. Figures are pulled from public vendor and security data and refreshed automatically.