Fortinet Secure SD-WAN vs Barracuda Secure SD-WAN

Fortinet Secure SD-WAN9.3Visit Barracuda Secure SD-WAN8.8Visit

Higher score Fortinet Secure SD-WAN #1 in WAN Edge Infrastructure Software 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Fortinet

vs

Barracuda Secure SD-WAN #6 in WAN Edge Infrastructure Software 8.8/10 Pricing on request · 14-day trial Free trial✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Barracuda

• Fortinet Secure SD-WAN fits best

  Organizations seeking secure SD-WAN with automation

• Barracuda Secure SD-WAN fits best

  Teams prioritizing WAN optimization and resilient links

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Side by side

Feature	Fortinet Secure SD-WAN 9.3/10 Visit ↗	Barracuda Secure SD-WAN 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.8
Ranking	#1 in WAN Edge Infrastructure Software	#6 in WAN Edge Infrastructure Software
Best for	Organizations seeking secure SD-WAN with automation	Teams prioritizing WAN optimization and resilient links
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	—	Pricing on request · 14-day trial
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	14 days
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Integrations	11 integrations	7 integrations
Features Fortinet Secure SD-WAN 1/4 · Barracuda Secure SD-WAN 1/4
SD-WAN management	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Zero-touch provisioning	✓	✓
Cloud connectivity	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Policy-based routing	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment model	Hybrid	Hybrid
Managed sites	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Application SLA routing and dynamic WAN path remediation Integrated next-generation firewall and security inspection Cloud on-ramps plus REST API, Ansible, and Terraform automation	Compression, caching, link pooling, and forward error correction Application-aware steering with monitored link redundancy Zero-touch deployment paired with centralized management
Cons	Advanced capabilities require paid services or subscriptions Designed around FortiGate appliances and FortiManager orchestration Not an open-source WAN software option	Pricing requires contacting sales The documented 14-day trial is for CloudGen Firewall Deployment is tied to CloudGen Firewall appliances or instances
Our verdict	Fortinet Secure SD-WAN combines application-aware traffic steering, centralized management, and security inspection on FortiOS. It is designed for enterprises, branch offices, data centers, and cloud environments that need policy-based WAN… Read the review →	Barracuda Secure SD-WAN combines application-aware traffic steering, link redundancy, quality of service, WAN optimization, and next-generation firewall security. It is designed for distributed organizations connecting branch offices,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Fortinet Secure SD-WAN — where it wins

  • Application SLA routing and dynamic WAN path remediation
  • Integrated next-generation firewall and security inspection
  • Cloud on-ramps plus REST API, Ansible, and Terraform automation

  Where it doesn't

  • Advanced capabilities require paid services or subscriptions
  • Designed around FortiGate appliances and FortiManager orchestration
  • Not an open-source WAN software option

• Barracuda Secure SD-WAN — where it wins

  • Compression, caching, link pooling, and forward error correction
  • Application-aware steering with monitored link redundancy
  • Zero-touch deployment paired with centralized management

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires contacting sales
  • The documented 14-day trial is for CloudGen Firewall
  • Deployment is tied to CloudGen Firewall appliances or instances

• Fortinet Secure SD-WAN9.3/10 · Free plan

  A FortiGate-based SD-WAN option for application steering, security inspection, and cloud connectivity.

  Visit FortinetFull verdict →
• Barracuda Secure SD-WAN8.8/10 · Pricing on request · 14-day trial

  A WAN optimization-focused SD-WAN option for distributed organizations and cloud connectivity.

  Visit BarracudaFull verdict →