We believe in transparency. Here's how QuickSDWAN stacks up against the industry's biggest names — including where they're stronger than us.
| Feature | QuickSDWAN | Cisco Meraki | Fortinet | VMware VeloCloud | Cato Networks | Zscaler |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing & Licensing | ||||||
| Starting Price | Free / $5/mo | $100+/site/mo | $50+/site/mo | $100+/site/mo | $200+/site/mo | $150+/user/mo |
| Per-Site Cost (Scale) | $2/site/mo | $150-500/site | $50-200/site | $100-300/site | $200-400/site | Per-user model |
| Free Tier | Yes (10 sites) | No | No | No | No | No |
| Hardware Required | No (software-only) | Yes (Meraki MX) | Yes (FortiGate) | Yes (VeloCloud Edge) | No | No |
| Minimum Contract | None (monthly) | 1-3 years | 1-3 years | 1-3 years | 1 year | 1 year |
| Networking | ||||||
| VPN Protocol | WireGuard | IPsec/AnyConnect | IPsec | IPsec/VCMP | DTLS | Proprietary (Z-Tunnel) |
| Full Mesh | Yes (automatic) | Hub-spoke default | Yes | Yes | Yes (via PoPs) | N/A (proxy model) |
| Deployment Time | <5 minutes | 1-4 weeks | 2-7 days | 3-7 days | 1-3 days | 1-4 weeks |
| Self-Hosted Option | Yes (full control) | No (cloud-managed) | Partial (on-prem mgmt) | Partial (orchestrator) | No (cloud-only) | No (cloud-only) |
| Open Source Base | Yes (WireGuard) | No | No | No | No | No |
| Access & Automation | ||||||
| Identity Microsegmentation | Built-in (tag-based ACLs) | Add-on ($) | Add-on ($) | No | Built-in | Built-in (industry leader) |
| Post-Quantum Crypto (ML-KEM) | Built-in (FIPS 203) | No | No | No | No | No |
| Auto-Remediation Engine | Built-in (deterministic) | Cisco DNA Center ($$$) | FortiAI (limited) | Basic analytics | Basic ML | Risk scoring |
| WAN & Edge | ||||||
| Multi-WAN Failover | Yes (built-in) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (via PoPs) | N/A |
| SLA-Based Steering | Yes (built-in) | Yes (Viptela) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| QoS / Traffic Shaping | Yes (HTB/DSCP) | Yes | Yes (best-in-class) | Yes | Yes | Basic |
| Dynamic Routing (OSPF) | Yes (FRR) | Yes (full suite) | Yes (full suite) | Yes (full) | BGP only | N/A |
| Zero-Touch Provisioning | Yes (token-based) | Yes (Meraki ZTP) | Yes (FortiDeploy) | Yes (ZTP) | Yes | Yes |
| Edge Config Rollback | Yes (built-in) | Partial | Partial | No | No | No |
| Operations & Management | ||||||
| Multi-Tenant | Native (per-org isolation) | Limited | FortiManager | VCO | Yes | Yes |
| CLI / API | Full REST API + 35-cmd CLI | Dashboard API | REST + CLI | REST API | REST API | REST API |
| SSO / SAML | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Immutable Audit Logs | Immutable (built-in) | Yes | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes |
| RBAC (Granular Roles) | 14 resources, 5 roles | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Real-Time SSE Events | Built-in | Webhooks | Syslog | Webhooks | Webhooks | Webhooks |
| Scale & Global Reach | ||||||
| Global PoP Network | Self-hosted (your infra) | Limited PoPs | Partner PoPs | 2,800+ gateways | 80+ PoPs (best-in-class) | 150+ DCs |
| Max Sites Tested | 5,000+ | 100,000+ | 100,000+ | 50,000+ | 25,000+ | Millions of users |
| Enterprise Track Record | Growing (startup) | Fortune 500 proven | Fortune 500 proven | Fortune 500 proven | Mid-enterprise | Fortune 100 proven |
Every vendor has genuine strengths. Here's an honest assessment of what each competitor does best.
Unmatched enterprise track record. Deep hardware integration across switches, APs, and cameras. Cisco DNA Center provides end-to-end visibility across the entire network stack. Best choice if you're already a Cisco shop.
FortiGate is consistently rated the top next-generation firewall. Highest throughput per dollar on hardware appliances. Most comprehensive security certifications (FIPS, CC, ICSA). Best if deep packet inspection is your top priority.
2,800+ cloud gateways worldwide. Seamless integration with VMware NSX and vSphere. Largest SD-WAN market share historically. Best for organizations heavily invested in VMware virtualization.
80+ PoPs with their own backbone — not relying on public internet between PoPs. Single-pass architecture processes all traffic in one flow. Best for globally distributed organizations needing consistent performance everywhere.
Pioneered cloud-native zero trust. 150+ data centers with the most mature SSE platform. Deepest SaaS integration for DLP and CASB. Best for organizations prioritizing user-to-app security over site-to-site networking.
WireGuard-native encryption (fastest protocol). Deploy in minutes, not weeks. Identity access, automation, and multi-tenancy included — no add-ons. Self-hosted option for sovereignty. Best for cost-conscious organizations that want enterprise features without enterprise prices.
The things that make us fundamentally different — not just incrementally better.
Cisco charges $100-500/site/month. Cato starts at $200. QuickSDWAN: $2/site. Full-mesh connectivity at a fraction of the price. No hardware, no multi-year lock-in.
While others use IPsec from the 1990s or proprietary tunnels, we use WireGuard — the fastest, most audited VPN protocol. 4,000 lines of code vs 400,000 for IPsec.
Docker-based agents deploy in under 5 minutes. No truck rolls, no appliance provisioning, no professional services. curl | bash and you're connected.
Mesh SD-WAN + identity access rules + automation + multi-tenancy — all included. Competitors charge $50-200/site extra for each module. We bundle everything.
Run the entire stack on your infrastructure. No data leaves your network. No cloud vendor dependency. Full control for regulated industries and government.
Not bolted on. Every data model is tenant-isolated from day one. Super Admin panel, per-org billing, delegated roles — built for MSPs and enterprises alike.
Start free. Deploy your first site in 5 minutes. No sales call required.