Fortinet Secure SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Fortinet Secure SD-WAN9.2Visit CCCisco Catalyst SD-WAN9.1Visit

Higher score Fortinet Secure SD-WAN #3 in SD-WAN Software 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Fortinet

vs

CC Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN #4 in SD-WAN Software 9.1/10 Pricing on request ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Cisco

• Fortinet Secure SD-WAN fits best

  Security-focused teams seeking strong value

• Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN fits best

  Large Cisco environments needing full SD-WAN

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Side by side

Feature	Fortinet Secure SD-WAN 9.2/10 Visit ↗	CCCisco Catalyst SD-WAN 9.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	9.1
Ranking	#3 in SD-WAN Software	#4 in SD-WAN Software
Best for	Security-focused teams seeking strong value	Large Cisco environments needing full SD-WAN
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	—	Pricing on request
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web
Integrations	11 integrations	12 integrations
Features Fortinet Secure SD-WAN 4/4 · Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN 4/4
Application-aware routing	✓	✓
Zero-touch provisioning	✓	✓
Integrated security	✓	✓
Cloud on-ramps	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Hybrid	Hybrid
Site limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Basic SD-WAN is included on FortiGate models without an extra license. Application-aware routing supports SLA-based path selection and path remediation. Connects with major clouds and supports REST API, Ansible, and Terraform.	Application-aware routing measures loss, latency, and jitter. Cloud OnRamp connects AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, and SaaS applications. Integrated security includes firewall, IPS, URL filtering, and malware protection.
Cons	The free offering covers basic SD-WAN functionality only. Advanced features require paid services or subscriptions. The platform is not open source.	Pricing requires a contact-sales process rather than public plan prices. There is no free plan. Cloud-hosted, on-premises, and customer-managed options require deployment evaluation.
Our verdict	Fortinet Secure SD-WAN combines application-aware traffic control, WAN path selection, centralized management, cloud connectivity, and next-generation firewall capabilities. It is designed for enterprises, branch offices, data centers, and… Read the review →	Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN connects branch offices, campuses, data centers, and cloud environments through centralized management and policy-based routing. It is aimed at enterprise network teams that need to provision, monitor, troubleshoot,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Fortinet Secure SD-WAN — where it wins

  • Basic SD-WAN is included on FortiGate models without an extra license.
  • Application-aware routing supports SLA-based path selection and path remediation.
  • Connects with major clouds and supports REST API, Ansible, and Terraform.

  Where it doesn't

  • The free offering covers basic SD-WAN functionality only.
  • Advanced features require paid services or subscriptions.
  • The platform is not open source.

• Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN — where it wins

  • Application-aware routing measures loss, latency, and jitter.
  • Cloud OnRamp connects AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, and SaaS applications.
  • Integrated security includes firewall, IPS, URL filtering, and malware protection.

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires a contact-sales process rather than public plan prices.
  • There is no free plan.
  • Cloud-hosted, on-premises, and customer-managed options require deployment evaluation.

• Fortinet Secure SD-WAN9.2/10 · Free plan

  A security-focused SD-WAN option with free basic functionality and extensive cloud connectivity.

  Visit FortinetFull verdict →
• CCCisco Catalyst SD-WAN9.1/10 · Pricing on request

  A broad Cisco SD-WAN platform for large, security-conscious network environments.

  Visit CiscoFull verdict →