The 90G, 100F, and their competitors serve 100-200 user branch offices. This is where NGFW performance and concurrent session capacity become critical. Based on official datasheets from Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, and Sophos.
Spec Comparison — Verified from Official Datasheets
| Spec | FG-90G | FG-100F | PA-1410 | XGS 2300 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firewall Throughput | 20 Gbps | 20 Gbps | 8.9 Gbps (HTTP) | 30 Gbps |
| IPS Throughput | 4.5 Gbps | 2.6 Gbps | 3.3 Gbps (Threat Prev) | 5.5 Gbps |
| NGFW Throughput | 2.5 Gbps | 1.6 Gbps | 3.2 Gbps (appmix) | — |
| Concurrent Sessions | 2M | 2M | 945K | — |
| IPsec VPN | 22 Gbps | 12 Gbps | 4.6 Gbps | 4 Gbps |
| New Sessions/s | — | 56K | 100K | — |
| Form Factor | Desktop | 1U Rackmount | 1U Rackmount | 1U |
Official Datasheet References (downloaded PDFs):
FortiGate 30G Official Datasheet |
FortiGate 40F Official Datasheet |
FortiGate 100F Official Datasheet |
Palo Alto PA-400 Series Official Datasheet |
Palo Alto Enterprise Product Summary
Note: FG-90G IPS is 4.5 Gbps (datasheet), NGFW is 2.5 Gbps, Threat Protection is 2.2 Gbps. FG-100F IPS is 2.6 Gbps (datasheet), NGFW is 1.6 Gbps. PA-1410 firewall throughput (HTTP) is 8.9 Gbps, threat prevention (HTTP) is 3.3 Gbps. All values are “up to” and vary by configuration. Sources: Fortinet official FG-90G/100F datasheets, Palo Alto Product Summary datasheet, Sophos XGS specs.
FG-90G vs FG-100F — Verified Comparison
The FG-90G (FortiSP5 7nm) outperforms the FG-100F in IPS by 73% (4.5 vs 2.6 Gbps). The FG-100F is a 1U rackmount with more ports (22 GE RJ45, 4 SFP, 2 x 10GE SFP+) while the 90G is a desktop unit (8 GE RJ45, 2 shared 10GE). The FG-100F is past End-of-Order (April 2026) — replace with 120G or 90G for new deployments. Existing 100F deployments have FortiGuard support through 2031.
Palo Alto PA-1410
The PA-1410 delivers 8.9 Gbps firewall (HTTP) and 3.3 Gbps threat prevention — closer to the FG-100F in security throughput. Based on official Palo Alto datasheets, it handles 945K concurrent sessions and 100K new sessions per second. At approximately $11,664 (hardware only), expect 2-3x FortiGate TCO. The PA-1410 runs PAN-OS with ML-powered threat prevention, App-ID, and User-ID — Palo Alto’s key advantages.
Sophos XGS 2300
Leading on raw specs (30 Gbps firewall, 5.5 Gbps IPS). Threat protection throughput with all security features enabled rated lower. Best for organizations in the Sophos ecosystem with Sophos Central management.
Verdict
FG-90G is the new standard. Don’t buy FG-100F for new deployments (past EoO). PA-1410 is premium-tier but 2-3x cost. XGS 2300 leads raw specs but real-world performance is closer to FortiGate equivalents.
