Best Firewalls for Small Business in 2026

Fortinet's FortiGate range is the most extensive small-office line in this list: the entry-level page lists threat-protection throughput from 500 Mbps on the FortiGate 30G and 600 Mbps on the 40F to 1.1 Gbps on the 50G, 1.3 Gbps on the 70G and 2.2 Gbps on the 90G. The FortiGate/FortiWiFi 50G data sheet gives firewall throughput of 5 Gbps with 1518-byte UDP packets, 2.25 Gbps IPS, 1.25 Gbps NGFW and 1.1 Gbps threat protection, 4.5 Gbps IPsec VPN (512-byte), 200 gateway-to-gateway tunnels and 250 client tunnels. Interfaces comprise one WAN, three RJ45 and one FortiLink gigabit port, and variants add 5G, PoE, DSL, SFP, Wi-Fi or storage. The data sheet describes the series as integrating firewalling, SD-WAN, a network controller and security in one appliance. Notably, the 50G data sheet lists no SSL-VPN throughput or user figures, so remote-access designs should be checked against the IPsec client-tunnel limit. Security services are licensed by subscription bundle through partners; prices are not published.

Sophos's second-generation desktop XGS appliances (88, 108, 118, 128 and 138, most with Wi-Fi "w" variants) are among the fastest small-office units on paper. The XGS 88 lists 9.9 Gbps firewall, 6 Gbps IPsec VPN and 2 Gbps threat protection with four 2.5 GbE ports; the XGS 108 12.5 Gbps, 8.25 Gbps and 2.5 Gbps; the XGS 118 15.5, 13 and 3.25 Gbps; the XGS 128 19.1, 15.05 and 4 Gbps; and the XGS 138 19.1 Gbps firewall, 6.6 Gbps VPN and 4.75 Gbps threat protection with SFP+ and PoE ports. Sophos states that threat-protection figures are measured with firewall, IPS, application control and malware prevention enabled on Enterprise Mix traffic, and that maximum figures reflect ideal test conditions with Keysight-Ixia BreakingPoint tools. The figures are published with a stated test method, which makes sizing easier than with vendors that publish only headline numbers. Transceivers are sold separately, and pricing is through partners.

The PA-400 series brings Palo Alto Networks' PAN-OS next-generation firewall to small-office form factors. The range comprises the PA-410, PA-415 (also as 5G), PA-440, PA-445, PA-450, PA-455 (also 5G) and PA-460. According to the datasheet, the PA-410 delivers 1.4 Gbps firewall throughput and 0.8 Gbps threat-prevention throughput (both measured on application mix), 0.5 Gbps IPsec VPN and 64,000 concurrent sessions; the PA-440 2.4 Gbps, 1.2 Gbps and 1.1 Gbps with 200,000 sessions; and the PA-460 4.2 Gbps firewall and 3.0 Gbps threat prevention. Palo Alto quotes throughput on application mix rather than large UDP packets, so its figures look lower than some rivals' headline numbers while reflecting more realistic traffic. Running PAN-OS on a branch appliance suits companies whose central security teams already use Palo Alto firewalls. For a standalone small business, the cost of subscriptions and the complexity of PAN-OS are significant; prices are not published.

Cisco's Secure Firewall 1200 series is a compact desktop line available with either ASA or Threat Defense software. The 1210CE and 1210CP list 6.5 Gbps firewall throughput, 6.0 Gbps Threat Defense and IPS throughput, 1.0 Gbps TLS inspection and 5.0 Gbps IPsec VPN on Threat Defense; the 1220CX reaches 9.0 Gbps firewall and IPS and adds two 1/10 Gbps SFP+ ports. All three have eight gigabit copper ports; the 1210CP adds four PoE ports with a 120 W budget. Threat Defense devices can be managed by Firewall Management Center, the on-box Firewall Device Manager, or Security Cloud Control (formerly Cisco Defense Orchestrator). The IPS figures are among the highest in this list for the size class. Cisco notes that throughput varies with enabled features, traffic mix and packet size, and that ASA and Threat Defense VPN figures use different tests. Pricing is partner-quoted, and choosing between ASA and Threat Defense software adds a planning step that smaller buyers may find confusing.

Cisco Meraki's MX appliances are managed entirely from the Meraki cloud dashboard, which is their main attraction for organisations with many small sites and few on-site staff. The MX67 and MX68 are rated for small branches with up to 50 client devices, with 700 Mbps stateful firewall throughput, 400 Mbps next-generation firewall (detection) throughput and 400 Mbps maximum VPN throughput. These figures are modest compared with Fortinet or Sophos desktop units, reflecting a design aimed at simplicity rather than raw throughput. The datasheet does not describe licensing tiers or prices, which must be obtained from Cisco or partners.

SonicWall's TZ series is its small-business firewall line; the entry-level page currently lists models from the SOHO 250 and TZ270 to the TZ680, including newer TZ280, TZ380, TZ480, TZ580 and TZ680 units. Among the widely deployed seventh-generation models, the TZ270 lists 2 Gbps firewall inspection, 1 Gbps IPS, 750 Mbps threat prevention and 750 Mbps VPN; the TZ370 3 Gbps, 1.5 Gbps, 1 Gbps and 1.38 Gbps; and the TZ470 3.5 Gbps, 2 Gbps, 1.5 Gbps and 1.38 Gbps; the TZ280 lists 2.5 Gbps firewall inspection and one million SPI connections. The series offers zero-touch deployment, secure SD-WAN, Capture ATP sandboxing with Real-Time Deep Memory Inspection and a built-in ZTNA connector. SonicWall's Managed Protection Security Suite adds 24/7 monitoring by its SonicSentry NOC, firmware updates and vulnerability reporting, with an embedded warranty of up to US$200,000. Prices are not published on the product page.

WatchGuard's Firebox T-series targets small offices, branches and retail stores. The Firebox T45, available in standard, PoE, Wi-Fi PoE and cellular (CW) variants, has five gigabit ports and supports VPN to 30 branch offices. Its datasheet lists 3.94 Gbps firewall throughput (1518-byte UDP), 1.44 Gbps on IMIX traffic, 557 Mbps UTM throughput with full scanning, 716 Mbps IPS, 874 Mbps gateway antivirus, 301 Mbps HTTPS inspection with IPS and 1.58 Gbps VPN. The gap between the headline and full-scan figures, roughly seven to one, illustrates why small-business buyers should size on UTM or threat-protection numbers. WatchGuard sells security services in bundles through partners. Prices are partner-quoted.

Check Point's Quantum Spark range is its small-business firewall line. The Spark 2500 models list threat-prevention throughput of 750 Mbps for the 2530, 1,000 Mbps for the 2550, 1,500 Mbps for the 2560, 2,600 Mbps for the 2570, 3,250 Mbps for the half-rack 2580 and 5,500 Mbps for the 1U 2590. Desktop models offer optional Wi-Fi 7, and the 2550 and 2570 offer optional 5G cellular connectivity. Check Point quotes threat-prevention figures rather than raw firewall throughput on this page, which makes comparison with other vendors' threat numbers straightforward. Consolidated cloud management with a multi-tenant account view is offered for MSPs. Prices are not shown; a product catalogue and demo are linked.

Zyxel's USG FLEX H series is a fanless small-business firewall range managed locally or through the Nebula cloud platform. According to the January 2026 datasheet, the USG FLEX 50H has five gigabit ports, 2,000 Mbps SPI firewall throughput, 1,000 Mbps IPS, 600 Mbps UTM (anti-malware and IPS) and 500 Mbps VPN; the 100H has eight ports, 4,000 Mbps firewall, 1,500 Mbps IPS, 1,000 Mbps UTM and 900 Mbps VPN; and the rack-mountable 200H adds two 2.5 GbE ports with 6,500 Mbps firewall and 1,800 Mbps UTM. The datasheet also lists concurrent SSL VPN users (15, 25 and 50 respectively) and HP variants with a 30 W PoE+ port. Zyxel publishes speedtest-style real-world figures alongside lab numbers, showing roughly 930 Mbps on a gigabit internet link. Security is licensed through packs such as the Gold Security Pack, and priority support depends on licence level. Licence packs determine which security services are active, so buyers should price hardware and packs together.

Netgate develops pfSense Plus firewall software and sells it on its own appliances with published prices. The Netgate 4200 is listed at US$829 including TAC Lite support, with an Intel Atom C1110 four-core processor, 4 GB RAM, four 2.5 GbE ports and a 128 GB NVMe SSD; TAC Professional adds US$399 a year and TAC Enterprise US$799 a year. Tested with pfSense Plus 23.09.1, it forwards 8.75 Gbps, firewalls 8.61 Gbps with 10,000 rules (3.21 Gbps on IMIX traffic) and handles 3.2 Gbps of IPsec VPN. The appliance includes software updates for its life, 24/7 "zero-to-ping" support, automatic encrypted configuration backup and a one-year hardware warranty. Netgate's shop page lists no bundled malware or web-filtering subscription of the kind UTM vendors sell, so security features beyond the firewall depend on what administrators configure, which keeps costs down but relies on in-house skill.

OPNsense is an open-source firewall platform whose official appliances are sold by Deciso through the OPNsense shop. The DEC750 desktop appliance is listed at €1,048 and has three 2.5 GbE RJ45 ports and two 10 Gbps SFP+ ports, with 10 Gbps firewall throughput (8.5 Gbps port to port), 1.2 Gbps IPsec VPN (AES256-GCM16) and approximately 1 Gbps threat-protection throughput. It ships with the open-source edition and one year of the Business Edition licence. The appliance is priced as a one-off purchase with the Business Edition free for the first year. As with other open-source firewalls, configuration demands networking skill.

Ubiquiti's UniFi Cloud Gateways combine a router, firewall and UniFi network controller in one device with no recurring licence fee. The US store lists the Cloud Gateway Ultra at US$129 with 1 Gbps IPS throughput, the Cloud Gateway Max from US$199 with 2.3 Gbps IPS, and the Cloud Gateway Fiber at US$279 with 5 Gbps IPS (before a listed surcharge). These are the lowest hardware prices in this list and the IPS figures are high for the price. The store page lists IPS throughput but no sandboxing or malware-filtering subscription of the kind UTM vendors sell. They suit small offices where cost and ease of management outweigh advanced threat prevention.