FortiGate vs Meraki MX for Singapore Offices
Pick Meraki MX if you want a solution that works out of the box, if easy administration and monitoring is important to you, and if you do not have complex routing and address translation requirements. Pick FortiGate if you need deeper inspection of encrypted traffic, logging for all traffic that flows through the firewall, complex VPN tunnels and routing, or if your requirements comprise complex architecture that needs a granular method of implementation. They are not the same product with different logos. Do not choose based on a speed-test screenshot or a “who is cheaper on day one”.
Related pages: Fortinet · Cisco Meraki · Enterprise networking · How Cisco Meraki co-term and subscription licensing work · Knowledge base
What is the actual difference a buyer should care about?
MX is a cloud-managed branch firewall. You buy the box and a Meraki licence. Policy, VPN and the view of every site live in the same dashboard as Meraki Wi-Fi and switches. You get a single pane of glass across the entire organisation across different products.
FortiGate is a firewall you configure in FortiOS (or FortiManager / FortiGate Cloud). Security updates (web categories, IPS signatures, antivirus) come from a FortiGuard subscription. Hardware support is a separate FortiCare service. The box keeps forwarding if those subscriptions lapse but against an outdated local database.
| Question | Meraki MX | FortiGate |
|---|---|---|
| Who it suits | Sites already on Meraki Wi-Fi / switching | Sites that need inspection depth or already run Fortinet |
| How you run it | One Meraki dashboard | FortiOS, FortiManager, or FortiGate Cloud for smaller estates |
| What the licence is | MX seat (Advanced Security or SD-WAN tier) | FortiGuard features + FortiCare, often bundled |
| Wireless | Same org as CW / MR access points | Separate, unless you also buy FortiAP |
| Encrypted-traffic inspection | Limited compared with a full NGFW profile | A reason people choose FortiGate — size the model for it |
| High availability | Warm spare: one licence covers the pair | Each FortiGate in an HA pair needs its own licence |
The actual “firewall throughput” is not what you will see when you turn on different sets of inspection. Fortinet provides different benchmarks based on “Firewall” or “IPS” or “Threat Protection”; Meraki provides one single throughput. Size based on what you actually intend to turn on.
When should a Singapore office stay on MX?
Wireless is already Meraki (MR or CW-917x) and you want one login for Wi-Fi, switches and the firewall.
Branches are similar: internet, a VPN back to HQ, a guest SSID, light content filtering.
The team that will run it is small and does not want a second console.
You accept that deep SSL inspection is not the reason you bought MX.
You do not have complex requirements like multiple site to site VPN’s with BGP, or edge case NAT policies.
Meraki licence mechanics (co-term vs subscription) are in the licensing guide. A MX requires its own license. In co-term mode, this license is specific to the hardware model; in subscription mode, this license batches several models into one license SKU.
When should you specify FortiGate instead?
You must inspect HTTPS in a way the security team will sign off.
You already have FortiSwitch, FortiAP or FortiClient and want one fabric.
You have many sites and will use FortiManager rather than click each box.
The office is a small FortiGate Cloud site today and will grow.
Granular configuration is more important than ease of use. This includes complex NAT or VDOM (VRF) requirements.
A small FortiGate that looks cheap on the hardware line can be the wrong size once web filter, IPS and SSL inspection are on. Memory pressure on small units is a separate article: FortiGate conserve mode.
What should the first quote include so you can compare?
| Line | MX quote | FortiGate quote |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware | MX model sized to users and WAN | FortiGate model sized with inspection on |
| Term | Licence years, named tier | FortiGuard bundle years + FortiCare |
| HA | Spare chassis called out; confirm one licence covers the pair | Two boxes and two licences |
| Management | Included in dashboard | FortiGate Cloud or FortiManager if more than a handful of sites |
| What is out | Wi-Fi and switches if not in this PO | FortiAP / FortiSwitch if you expected a fabric |
Do not compare on list price. Cisco often runs stacked programmes, and Fortinet bundles hardware and software into packages. Ask for a dated quote, not a generic ballpark price.
FAQ
Can we run Meraki Wi-Fi and a FortiGate?
Yes. Many Singapore offices do. You can enjoy the granularity of Fortigate with the ease of use of Meraki Wi-FI. The downside is that you have two different administrative domains that do not talk to each other.
Is MX “not a real firewall”?
It is a branch firewall with a cloud licence that does provide advanced malware protection and content filtering. It is the wrong tool if the requirement is full SSL inspection and if you have granular and complex requirements.
Should we wait for a bake-off throughput number?
No. Send user count, WAN size, whether you will inspect HTTPS, and whether Wi-Fi is already Meraki. The model follows from that.
Send the site count, whether wireless is already Meraki, and whether HTTPS inspection is a must. Megatron Technology will shortlist MX or FortiGate — with licence and HA called out — rather than a single “firewall” line.
Request a shortlist: www.megatron.com.sg/fortinet · Cisco Meraki · Contact