FortiGate 80F vs 90G: Which Should You Choose?

FortiGate 80F and FortiGate 90G are both designed for business networks and branch environments, but choosing between them is not simply a matter of picking the newer or more powerful model. The firewall needs to match your network traffic, security requirements and plans for growth. Choosing a model with too little capacity can create limitations as your network expands, while paying for performance you do not need may not make practical sense.

The FortiGate 80F is suited to smaller offices and branches with moderate network demands, while the FortiGate 90G provides significantly more capacity for higher-traffic environments and more intensive security inspection.

This guide compares the two models across performance, VPN, SSL inspection, wireless capacity and branch use cases to help you determine which FortiGate firewall is the better fit for your business.

What Is FortiGate 80F?

The FortiGate 80F is a compact next-generation firewall designed for small to mid-sized business environments and branch offices. It combines firewalling, SD-WAN and security capabilities in a single appliance, helping organisations secure users, devices and applications across distributed networks.

The 80F can support common business requirements such as:

• Network firewalling and traffic control

• Secure SD-WAN

• IPsec VPN connections

• Intrusion prevention

• Application control

• SSL inspection

• Threat protection

• Wireless access point and FortiSwitch integration

Fortinet's current specifications list firewall throughput of up to 10 Gbps, IPsec VPN throughput of 6.5 Gbps and threat protection throughput of 900 Mbps for the 80F.

For smaller offices and branches with moderate traffic levels, the 80F provides a balance between security capabilities, network performance and appliance capacity.

What Is FortiGate 90G?

The FortiGate 90G is a higher-performance next-generation firewall designed for businesses and distributed enterprise sites with greater network demands.

Like the 80F, the 90G combines networking and security capabilities, including firewalling, SD-WAN, VPN and FortiGuard security services. However, it provides considerably more capacity across several key performance areas.

The 90G is designed for environments that may have:

• Higher network traffic volumes

• More demanding security inspection

• Greater VPN requirements

• More connected users and devices

• Larger branch networks

• More demanding application workloads

• Greater capacity requirements as the business grows

Fortinet lists the 90G with firewall throughput of up to 28 Gbps, IPsec VPN throughput of 25 Gbps and threat protection throughput of 2.2 Gbps.

FortiGate 80F vs 90G: Key Differences

Here’s a quick comparison of the key specifications and capabilities of the FortiGate 80F and 90G. The figures highlight where the two models differ in performance, security inspection and network capacity, with the 90G offering higher capacity across most key areas.

Performance figures are maximum values and can vary depending on configuration and enabled security services.

The differences become more meaningful when you look at how each model performs in specific areas. Here’s what they mean for firewall performance, VPN and SSL inspection, branch office deployments, and wireless and switching capacity.

Performance

The FortiGate 90G has substantially higher throughput across the main security and networking functions.

Its firewall throughput reaches up to 28 Gbps compared with up to 10 Gbps on the 80F. The difference is also evident when security services are enabled, with the 90G providing higher IPS, NGFW, threat protection and application control throughput.

This makes the 90G more suitable for environments where the firewall needs to inspect significant volumes of traffic without becoming a bottleneck.

The 80F remains suitable for smaller environments where traffic volumes and security inspection requirements are more moderate.

VPN and SSL Inspection

VPN and SSL inspection performance can become important as businesses increase remote access, site-to-site connectivity and encrypted traffic inspection.

The 80F supports up to 6.5 Gbps of IPsec VPN throughput, while the 90G reaches up to 25 Gbps. SSL inspection throughput is also considerably higher on the 90G, at up to 2.6 Gbps compared with 715 Mbps on the 80F.

For businesses with extensive site-to-site VPN requirements or environments where a large amount of encrypted traffic needs to be inspected, the additional capacity of the 90G can provide more room for growth.

Branch Office Use

Both models can be used in branch environments, but the appropriate choice depends on the size and demands of the site.

The FortiGate 80F can be a practical choice for smaller offices and branches with moderate numbers of users, devices and applications. It provides firewalling, SD-WAN, VPN and security capabilities without requiring a higher-capacity appliance.

The FortiGate 90G is better suited to larger or busier branches where network traffic, VPN usage or security inspection requirements are higher.

Businesses planning to add more users, applications, locations or connected devices may also prefer the additional capacity of the 90G to accommodate future growth.

Wireless and Switching Capacity

Both models can integrate with FortiAP wireless access points and FortiSwitch devices as part of a broader Fortinet network.

The 80F supports up to 96 FortiAPs in total, including up to 48 in tunnel mode. The 90G supports up to 128 FortiAPs in total, including up to 64 in tunnel mode. Both support up to 24 FortiSwitches.

For smaller branch networks, the 80F's wireless and switching capacity may be more than sufficient. Organisations managing larger wireless deployments may benefit from the additional FortiAP capacity available on the 90G.

Which FortiGate Should You Choose?

The right model depends less on the product name and more on how much traffic, security inspection and network capacity your business requires.

Choose FortiGate 80F if:

• You operate a smaller office or branch

• Network traffic is relatively moderate

• Your VPN requirements are limited

• You need standard security inspection capabilities

• You want to integrate firewalling with SD-WAN

• Your current and expected network requirements fit within the 80F's capacity

• You want a compact business firewall without paying for capacity you may not need

Choose FortiGate 90G if:

• Your branch or business network handles higher traffic volumes

• You have significant VPN requirements

• You need greater SSL inspection capacity

• You expect the number of users or devices to grow

• You run more demanding applications

• You need additional capacity for security inspection

• You want more performance headroom for future network growth

The 90G is the stronger option from a performance perspective, but that does not automatically make it the right choice for every business. If your network requirements are comfortably within the 80F's capabilities, the additional capacity of the 90G may not provide enough practical benefit to justify choosing the larger model.

FortiGate 80F vs 90G: Final Thoughts

The FortiGate 80F and 90G provide the same broader approach to network security, but they serve different capacity requirements.

The 80F is well suited to smaller offices and branches that need reliable firewalling, SD-WAN, VPN and security services. The 90G provides significantly higher performance across firewalling, VPN, threat protection and SSL inspection, making it a stronger choice for higher-traffic environments and businesses planning for greater network demands.

When comparing the two, consider your current traffic levels, security services, VPN requirements, number of connected devices and expected growth rather than choosing based on throughput alone.

If you're unsure which FortiGate model is appropriate for your environment, a network security assessment can help identify the performance and security requirements before you invest in a firewall.

FAQs

Is FortiGate 90G better than 80F?

The FortiGate 90G provides higher performance and capacity than the 80F, particularly for firewall throughput, VPN, IPS, threat protection and SSL inspection. However, the 80F may be a better fit for smaller businesses and branches with more moderate network requirements.

What is the main difference between FortiGate 80F and 90G?

The main difference is performance and capacity. The 90G has substantially higher throughput across firewalling and security inspection, as well as support for more concurrent sessions and FortiAPs.

Is FortiGate 80F suitable for a small business?

Yes. The FortiGate 80F is designed for branch and business environments and provides firewalling, SD-WAN, VPN and security capabilities suitable for many smaller networks.

Is FortiGate 90G suitable for a branch office?

Yes. The 90G is designed for distributed enterprise sites and can be suitable for larger or higher-traffic branch environments that need additional network and security capacity.

Which is better for VPN, FortiGate 80F or 90G?

The FortiGate 90G provides higher IPsec VPN throughput, with up to 25 Gbps compared with 6.5 Gbps on the 80F. The better choice depends on the volume of VPN traffic and the number of connections your business needs to support.

Which FortiGate is better for SSL inspection?

The FortiGate 90G has substantially higher SSL inspection throughput, at up to 2.6 Gbps compared with 715 Mbps for the 80F. This makes the 90G more suitable for environments where significant volumes of encrypted traffic need to be inspected.