Sophos XGS 2300 Firewall Buying Guide (2026)
Posted by Saif Khan on 2026 Sep 8th
Sophos XGS 2300 buying guide: what it is, what it costs, and how to buy
The Sophos XGS 2300 is a 1U next-generation firewall for mid-sized business, with 39 Gbps firewall throughput and 1.45 Gbps of native TLS inspection, run from the Sophos cloud console (now evolving to Sophos Fusion) with Xstream Protection. You can buy it three ways, all in USD: a term license (from $7,620.26 for the appliance plus a 1-year Xstream subscription, price locked for the term), a monthly license (own the appliance at $4,060.64, then $300 a month, managed by Nuformat as your MSP), or Hardware as a Service (no upfront cost, $440 a month, 12-month minimum, Nuformat owns the hardware). Monthly and HWaaS pricing is set by Sophos and can change; only the term license locks your price.
Mid-sized businesses sit in an awkward spot. They face the same attacks as large enterprises, but rarely have the staff or the budget to run enterprise-grade gear. The Sophos XGS 2300 is built for exactly that gap: a 1U firewall with serious inspection performance, run from one cloud console, and now available on flexible monthly terms as well as an outright purchase. Here is what it does, how it performs, and what it costs in 2026.
What makes the XGS 2300 a fit for mid-sized business
The 2300 is the second model in the Sophos XGS 1U distributed-edge line, a step up from the 2100 with more headroom for a busier head office or a set of connected branch sites. It runs the same Sophos Firewall operating system and the same Xstream architecture as the larger rackmount models, so a mid-market team gets the same inspection engine and the same management experience as an enterprise, sized to fit. Everything is managed from the Sophos cloud console, Sophos Central, which is now evolving into Sophos Fusion. For a lean IT team, that single pane of glass is often the deciding factor.
The protection you get with Xstream Protection
Buy the 2300 with the Xstream Protection bundle and you get the full Sophos threat stack, not a cut-down version:
- TLS 1.3 inspection. Most malware now hides inside encrypted traffic. The 2300 decrypts and inspects it on the box, at up to 1.45 Gbps, so that blind spot is closed.
- Deep packet inspection and next-gen IPS. Streaming inspection scans traffic for known attacks and exploits and stops them before they reach a device.
- Zero-Day Protection. Suspicious files are analyzed by machine learning and a cloud sandbox through SophosLabs Intelix, adding a layer against threats that signatures miss.
- Web and application control. Filter web access and control which of thousands of applications are allowed, to keep bandwidth and risk in check.
- SD-WAN. Link branch offices over the internet with automatic failover, which cuts reliance on expensive dedicated lines.
- Central management, included. The console is included with the bundle at no extra cost, with scheduled firmware updates and zero-touch deployment for hardware shipped straight to a branch.
Performance: the numbers that matter
These are Sophos-published figures. As with any firewall, treat throughput as vendor-measured under set conditions rather than a guarantee, and size to your real traffic.
| Metric | Sophos XGS 2300 (published) |
|---|---|
| Firewall throughput | 39 Gbps |
| IPS throughput | 7 Gbps |
| Threat Protection throughput | 1.5 Gbps |
| TLS (SSL) inspection | 1.45 Gbps |
| IPsec VPN throughput | 20.5 Gbps |
| Concurrent connections | 6.5 million |
| Fixed ports | 8 x GE copper, 2 x SFP fibre |
High-availability pairing is supported, so a second unit can keep you running if one fails. And a Sophos XGS HA pair needs only one security license, where some competitors require a license on each unit.
Three ways to buy the XGS 2300 in 2026
This is what changed most since last year. You no longer have to choose between a large upfront purchase and nothing. There are now three routes:
- Buy outright (term license). Purchase the appliance with a 1, 3, or 5-year Xstream or Standard subscription, paid upfront. You own the hardware, and the standout advantage is that your price is locked for the entire term, with no monthly increases from Sophos.
- Own the hardware, license monthly, managed by Nuformat as your MSP. Buy the appliance outright, then pay for the Xstream or Standard license month to month, billed and managed by Nuformat through Sophos MSP Flex, rather than a multi-year term upfront. The big advantage is cash flow: no large CAPEX outlay to get protected, while you still own the box. The trade-off is that this monthly price is set by Sophos and is subject to change.
- Hardware as a Service (HWaaS). Sophos's newest option, launched July 1, 2026, rolls the appliance, standard shipping, and Xstream Protection into one monthly price with no upfront cost. It carries a mandatory 12-month initial term, then continues month to month, and is delivered and managed by Nuformat as your MSP. As with the monthly license, the monthly price is set by Sophos and is subject to change.
Term pricing (buy outright)
All prices below are in USD, current at time of writing. Contact Nuformat for the latest quote.
| Product and license | Price | Effective per month over term |
|---|---|---|
| XGS 2300 appliance only | $4,060.64 | Base license |
| XGS 2300, Standard Protection, 1 year | $6,589.52 | ~$549/mo |
| XGS 2300, Standard Protection, 3 years | $12,472.20 | ~$346/mo |
| XGS 2300, Standard Protection, 5 years | $18,354.88 | ~$306/mo |
| XGS 2300, Xstream Protection, 1 year | $7,620.26 | ~$635/mo |
| XGS 2300, Xstream Protection, 3 years | $15,563.60 | ~$432/mo |
| XGS 2300, Xstream Protection, 5 years | $23,506.94 | ~$392/mo |
Orders above $5,000 on a term subscription qualify for special discount pricing. Ask Nuformat.
Monthly subscription (own the hardware, license monthly)
Buy the appliance separately, then pay for the license month to month, with no multi-year commitment. Note: the hardware is not included in the monthly license price and is purchased on its own.
| Monthly license (month to month) | Price per month |
|---|---|
| XGS 2300 Standard license | $220/mo |
| XGS 2300 Xstream license | $300/mo |
Hardware as a Service (HWaaS)
The appliance, standard shipping, and Xstream Protection in one monthly price, with no upfront cost. HWaaS runs on a 12-month minimum commitment and then continues month to month at the same rate. Nuformat Cyber Shop owns the hardware; after the first 12 months you can cancel and return the device to Nuformat. As with any monthly service, the price is not fixed long-term.
| HWaaS (all-in monthly, USD) | Price per month |
|---|---|
| XGS 2300 with Xstream Protection, HWaaS (12-month commitment) | $440/mo |
License renewals (USD)
| Renewal | Price |
|---|---|
| Standard license, 1-year renewal | $2,941.34 |
| Standard license, 3-year renewal | $8,823.20 |
| Standard license, 5-year renewal | $14,705.88 |
| Xstream license, 1-year renewal | $3,971.26 |
| Xstream license, 3-year renewal | $11,914.60 |
| Xstream license, 5-year renewal | $19,857.94 |
| Xstream license, 5-year renewal | Contact for quote |
Important on monthly pricing: the monthly license and HWaaS rates above are set by Sophos and are subject to change over time. A term license is the only option that locks your price for the period you buy. Both monthly options are billed and managed by Nuformat as your MSP, so you have one point of contact for licensing, billing, and support.
The same firewall, three ways: a cost comparison
To make the choice concrete, here is the same XGS 2300 with Xstream Protection bought three different ways. The upfront figures are current store prices; the monthly license and HWaaS rates fill in from a current quote. What changes is not the firewall, it is the cash structure and who owns the hardware.
| Model (Xstream) | Upfront | Monthly | You own the hardware | Cost over 1 year | Cost over 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term license (buy outright) | $7,620.26 (1-yr) / $15,563.60 (3-yr) | None | Yes | $7,620.26 | $15,563.60 |
| Hardware plus monthly license | $4,060.64 (appliance) | $300/mo | Yes | $7,660.64 | $14,860.64 |
| Hardware as a Service (HWaaS) | $0 | $440/mo | No, Nuformat owns it | $5,280 | $15,840 |
A few things stand out:
- Term license ties up the most capital upfront ($7,620.26 for the first year) and fixes your price for the term. Over three years it sits between the other two at $15,563.60, and you own the hardware throughout.
- Hardware plus monthly license cuts the upfront cost to the appliance alone ($4,060.64) and spreads the license at $300 a month, while you still own the box. Over three years it is actually the lowest total here, at $14,860.64, so it suits businesses that want ownership without the full upfront hit.
- HWaaS is the cheapest in year one at $5,280, because you are not paying for hardware you own; Nuformat owns it. Over three years it is the highest at $15,840, which is the trade for zero upfront cost, no hardware to own or dispose of, and the option to cancel after 12 months and return the device.
Send us your term and we will lay all three totals side by side for your exact configuration.
Which option should you pick?
- Want your price locked with no surprises: the term license is the only route that fixes your cost for the whole term, with no monthly increases from Sophos. Best if you have the capital and a long hold in mind.
- Want to avoid a big CAPEX upfront: the monthly license lets you own the hardware and pay the license monthly, managed by Nuformat as your MSP. The trade-off is that Sophos sets the monthly rate and can change it over time.
- Want zero upfront cost and the most flexibility: HWaaS puts everything on one monthly bill with no capital outlay, cancellable after the 12-month minimum. As with the monthly license, the rate is set by Sophos and is subject to change.
Add-on modules for the XGS 2300
The XGS 2300 has a Flexi Port module bay, so you can add ports as your network grows, more copper or fibre, 10GbE uplinks, or PoE for access points and cameras. Modules and transceivers are priced separately, in USD.
Flexi Port modules
| Module | Adds | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 4-port GbE copper, 2 bypass groups | 4 copper ports with fail-to-wire bypass | $696.18 |
| 8-port GbE copper | 8 more copper ports | $977.44 |
| 8-port GbE SFP | 8 more fibre (SFP) ports | $977.44 |
| 4-port 10GbE SFP+ | 4 x 10GbE fibre uplinks | $1,385.80 |
| 4-port GbE copper with PoE | 4 PoE ports for access points, phones, cameras | $1,399.74 |
| 2-port 10GE NBASE-T + 2-port 10GE SFP+ | Multi-gig copper plus 10GbE fibre | $1,594.90 |
Transceivers
| Transceiver | Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| 1GbE copper (1000BASE-T) | $359.16 |
| 1GbE fibre short range (1000BASE-SX) | $231.24 |
| 1GbE fibre long range (1000BASE-LX) | $615.00 |
| 10GbE fibre short range (10GBASE-SR) | $839.68 |
| 10GbE fibre long range (10GBASE-LR) | $1,096.34 |
Additional Flexi Port modules exist for the larger 2U models. Ask Nuformat if you need one not listed here.
Buy the XGS 2300 from Nuformat
Nuformat is a Sophos partner serving Canada and the United States, with quick shipping and setup help. We can size the 2300 for your environment and quote it whichever way suits your budget, upfront, monthly, or HWaaS. Contact Nuformat for a Sophos XGS 2300 quote.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Sophos XGS 2300 firewall throughput?
Sophos publishes 39 Gbps firewall throughput for the XGS 2300, with 7 Gbps IPS, 1.5 Gbps Threat Protection, and 1.45 Gbps TLS inspection. Treat these as vendor-published maximums and size to your real traffic.
Can I pay for the XGS 2300 monthly?
Yes. You can own the hardware and pay for the license month to month, or take the whole thing (appliance, shipping, and Xstream) on a monthly Hardware as a Service plan with a 12-month minimum. For the XGS 2300 with Xstream Protection, the monthly license is $300 a month (you buy the appliance separately at $4,060.64), and HWaaS is $440 a month all-in on a 12-month commitment. Prices are USD.
Does the XGS 2300 include cloud management?
Yes. Central management is included at no extra cost with the Standard or Xstream bundle, run from the Sophos cloud console (Sophos Central, now evolving to Sophos Fusion).
What is the difference between Standard and Xstream Protection?
Standard covers the base firewall plus features like SD-WAN and ZTNA. Xstream adds the full threat stack on top, including TLS 1.3 inspection, cloud sandboxing, and the advanced IPS. For networks that inspect encrypted traffic, Xstream is the usual choice.
Is the XGS 2300 sold in Canada and the USA?
Yes. Nuformat sizes, quotes, and supports the Sophos XGS 2300 for businesses across Canada and the United States.