Every FortiGate runs the same FortiOS software, so choosing a model is mostly a sizing exercise: enough throughput for your connection with inspection turned on, enough headroom for the next three to five years, and the right licence for the protection you actually need.
Start with three numbers
- Users and devices. Count everything that touches the firewall — PCs, phones, cameras, printers, WiFi clients. IoT-heavy sites (CCTV especially) push session counts up fast.
- Internet speed. Size against your line speed with SSL inspection enabled, not the headline firewall throughput. The datasheet figure to compare is "Threat Protection" or "SSL Inspection" throughput.
- Tunnels and sites. Branch-to-HQ VPNs, remote workers and SD-WAN links all add load.
Entry-level: FortiGate 30G–90G
Desktop units for home offices, shops and branches of roughly 10–60 users. Even the smallest units are full next-generation firewalls with SD-WAN built in. The 40F and 60F remain the most-fitted units in the UK; the newer 30G/50G/90G generation adds significantly more inspection throughput for similar money. Browse entry-level FortiGates.
The three we quote most at this size — all supplied new and boxed with UK support:
FortiGate 40F — the branch defaultThe UK's most-fitted small firewall — home offices and shops up to ~25 users.View product →
FortiGate 70G — the current generationNew G-series desktop with multi-gig ports and far more inspection headroom.View product →
FortiGate 90G — top of the desktop rangeBusy branches and SD-WAN consolidation before stepping up to rack-mount.View product →
Mid-range: FortiGate 100F–900G
Rack-mount platforms for 100+ users, campuses and busier edges — more ports, more tunnels and hardware acceleration (SPU/NP7) for heavy inspection. If you are consolidating several branches onto one HQ firewall, size here. Browse mid-range FortiGates.
High-end: FortiGate 1000F and up
Data-centre and provider platforms sized by throughput and concurrent sessions rather than headcount. Browse high-end FortiGates.
WiFi in the same box: FortiWifi
For small sites that want one device on the wall, FortiWifi models add a built-in access point to the entry-level range. Larger sites are better served by a FortiGate plus FortiAP access points managed from the same console.
Licences: what FortiGuard tier do you need?
- FortiCare — hardware support and firmware updates only; no security services.
- ATP (Advanced Threat Protection) — adds IPS, anti-malware and sandboxing; a common fit where web filtering is handled elsewhere.
- UTP (Unified Threat Protection) — the usual choice for most businesses: ATP plus web/DNS filtering and anti-spam.
- Enterprise Protection — everything above plus IoT detection and attack-surface security ratings.
Licences run on 1, 3 or 5-year terms; multi-year terms cost noticeably less per year. New units and renewals are both available — request a licence or renewal quote here.
Rules of thumb
- When between two models, take the larger — inspection features tightened over a hardware generation eat headroom.
- Buy the firewall and its first licence term together; retrofitting a licence later costs more overall.
- Plan replacement around the model's end-of-support date, not when it fails.
Not sure which class fits? Talk to our pre-sales team — sizing advice is free, and we supply new, boxed UK stock with support. The full range is on our Fortinet overview page.