Sophos XGS 2300 vs Fortinet, Meraki, Palo Alto
Posted by Saif Khan on 2026 Sep 8th
Compare Sophos XGS 2300
The Sophos XGS 2300 is the 2100’s bigger sibling: same 1U chassis, same architecture, more headroom. If your mid-market site is already pushing the entry rackmount and you want room before the next upgrade, the 2300 is the natural step. This compares it, with Xstream Protection, against the closest units from Fortinet, Cisco Meraki, and Palo Alto, in USD.
As with any cross-vendor firewall comparison, the throughput figures come from different test methods and cannot be lined up as a race. Use the security-enabled row and your user count.
About Sophos XGS 2300
The Sophos XGS 2300 is a 1U firewall for mid-sized business with 39 Gbps firewall throughput and 1.45 Gbps of native TLS inspection. Against the nearest units from other vendors: the FortiGate 200F lists a higher raw threat-protection figure (3 Gbps) and 4 Gbps SSL inspection; Cisco Meraki MX95 is cloud-managed but does not inspect HTTPS natively; Palo Alto PA-1410 posts strong threat-prevention numbers but needs Panorama and per-service licensing. The 2300’s case is native TLS inspection, one bundled Xstream license, cloud management, and a single license across a high-availability pair. Nuformat quotes the Sophos and Fortinet options for Canada and the USA.
Sophos XGS 2300 and its rivals
| Model | Firewall throughput | Threat / security throughput | TLS inspection | Managed by | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sophos XGS 2300 (Xstream) | 39 Gbps (UDP) | 1.4-1.5 Gbps Threat Protection | 1.45 Gbps, native | Sophos cloud console | 12-mo Xstream $3,971.26 + appliance (quote) |
| Fortinet FortiGate 200F | 27 Gbps (UDP) | 3.0 Gbps Threat Protection | 4.0 Gbps SSL inspection | FortiCloud / FortiManager | Quote (Nuformat) |
| Cisco Meraki MX95 | 3 Gbps (stateful) | 2 Gbps Advanced Security (detection) | Not native (add-on) | Meraki Dashboard (cloud) | Hardware + license (quote) |
| Palo Alto PA-1410 | 8.5-8.9 Gbps (appmix) | 3.2-4.2 Gbps Threat Prevention | Yes (licensed) | Panorama | Quote |
All figures vendor-published (sophos.com, fortinet.com, documentation.meraki.com, paloaltonetworks.com), measured by differing methods. USD, checked September 7, 2026. Where a competitor figure is not confirmed in the current datasheet, it is marked as such rather than estimated.
The honest read
Here the FortiGate 200F and the Palo Alto both post higher security-throughput numbers than the 2300 on paper. That is the honest picture, and it is fine, because the 2300’s pitch is not to win a throughput row. It is native TLS inspection at 1.45 Gbps, a single bundled license, and the cloud console. A mid-market office rarely saturates any of these boxes; what it lives with daily is the licensing and the management.
Sizing up from the 2100
The practical question with the 2300 is not whether to buy Sophos but whether you need it over the 2100. Choose the 2300 when your throughput or connection count is close to the entry model’s ceiling and you would rather buy headroom now than upgrade again soon. Against Fortinet, Meraki, and Palo Alto the trade-offs are the same as at the 2100 tier: bundled and cloud-managed versus higher raw numbers or a license-driven cloud model.
Questions buyers ask
When should I pick the XGS 2300 over the 2100?
When your traffic or connection count is near the 2100’s limits. The 2300 adds firewall, IPS, and VPN headroom in the same 1U chassis.
Does the FortiGate 200F outperform the 2300?
On the published threat-protection row it lists more, measured Fortinet’s way. Compare against your real traffic, not the datasheet headline.
Do the throughput numbers compare directly across vendors?
No. Sophos and Fortinet use large UDP packets, Palo Alto uses an application mix, and Cisco Meraki quotes stateful-firewall figures for a cloud appliance. Compare the security-enabled row and your traffic.
Which of these can Nuformat sell me?
Sophos and Fortinet. Cisco Meraki and Palo Alto are here for comparison only.
Three ways to buy a Sophos XGS firewall
Sophos now sells the XGS and its Xstream Protection in more than one way, which is worth weighing before you commit:
- Buy outright, term license. Purchase the appliance with a 1, 3, or 5-year Xstream Protection subscription paid upfront, and own the hardware. The 12-month Xstream figure quoted here is this option.
- Own the hardware, license monthly (MSP Flex). Buy the appliance outright, then pay for the Xstream Protection license monthly through a Sophos MSP partner’s MSP Flex billing instead of a multi-year term upfront. Billing is monthly, in arrears based on usage.
- Hardware as a Service (HWaaS). Launched July 1, 2026 for MSPs in the US and Canada, HWaaS combines the appliance, standard shipping, and Xstream Protection into a single monthly price billed through MSP Flex. It carries a mandatory 12-month initial term, then continues month to month, on select XGS models.
MSP Flex and HWaaS are delivered through a Sophos MSP partner. Ask Nuformat which fits your budgeting.
Get a quote
Ask Nuformat to quote the Sophos XGS 2300 with Xstream Protection, appliance and subscription together, sized for your throughput and users. Serving Canada and the USA. Contact us.
Sources
- Sophos XGS Series datasheet (XGS 2300): sophos.com
- Fortinet FortiGate datasheets: fortinet.com
- Cisco Meraki MX datasheets: documentation.meraki.com
- Palo Alto datasheets: paloaltonetworks.com
- Sophos firewalls at Nuformat