FortiGate 100E end of life: replacement options, prices and support
Fortinet's support for the base FortiGate-100E ended in August 2026; the 101E's ended in July 2026. The LENC and USG variants run to May 2027 and January 2028. The 100E is not on any FortiOS 7.4 or 7.6 supported-models list, so its firmware stops at FortiOS 7.2. The current Fortinet replacement is the FortiGate 120G; the 100F, which replaced the 100E first, is itself past end of sale.
Lifecycle dates by variant
| Variant | End of Sale | Last Date of Support |
|---|---|---|
| FortiGate-101E | 2021-07 | 2026-07 (ended) |
| FortiGate-100E | 2021-08 | 2026-08 (ended) |
| FortiGate-100E-LENC, 101E-LENC, 101E-USG | 2022-05 | 2027-05 |
| FortiGate-100E-USG | 2023-01 | 2028-01 |
Source: Fortinet hardware lifecycle feed, re-verified weekly on the 100E and 101E family pages.
What the FortiGate 100E is
A 1RU next-generation firewall for a mid-size branch or small campus, built on Fortinet's NP6Lite and CP9 processors. The 101E is the same unit with onboard storage for local logging.
| Specification | FortiGate 100E |
|---|---|
| Interfaces | 14 x GE RJ45, 2 x GE RJ45 WAN, 2 x RJ45/SFP shared ports, management and HA ports |
| Firewall throughput (1518 / 512 / 64 byte) | 7.4 / 7.4 / 4.4 Gbps (6.6 Mpps) |
| Concurrent sessions / new sessions per second | 2 million / 30,000 |
| IPS (enterprise mix) / NGFW / threat protection | 500 Mbps / 360 Mbps / 250 Mbps |
| IPsec VPN / SSL-VPN | 4 Gbps / 250 Mbps with 300 users |
| SSL inspection | 350 Mbps |
| Managed FortiAPs (total / tunnel) | 64 / 32 |
| Power | 23.0 W average, 25.5 W maximum; 101E adds a 480 GB drive |
Source: Fortinet datasheet "FortiGate 100E Series", FG-100E-DAT-R4-201703. Fortinet no longer hosts it; the copy read is a distributor's.
What end of support means for this unit
- Firmware stops at FortiOS 7.2. The FG-100E and FG-101E are on the FortiOS 7.2.11 supported-models list and absent from the 7.4.0, 7.4.1, 7.4.7 and 7.6.4 lists.
- FortiOS 7.2 has itself reached end of support, on September 30, 2026 (endoflife.date, consistent with Fortinet's 54-months-after-release rule for software). Under Fortinet's lifecycle policy, the final firmware release for a hardware model stays in an urgent-fix phase until that model's own end of support, so the LENC and USG variants should keep receiving critical fixes on 7.2 until 2027 and 2028.
- Base 100E and 101E: past their Last Date of Support. Fortinet's policy says that after End of Support it "is under no obligation to provide support services", and FortiGuard updates are provided "for supported firmware releases only".
Policy source: Fortinet Product Lifecycle Policy, 875-111 V3.00, June 2025 (copy attached to a public tender filing).
Options
| Your situation | Practical path |
|---|---|
| Fortinet shop, same role | FortiGate 120G: same 1RU form, about 11 times the threat-protection throughput |
| Want cloud management | Cisco Meraki MX85, sized for up to 250 devices |
| Want Palo Alto Networks | PA-440 or PA-450 desktop units |
| Running a LENC or USG variant | Supported into 2027 or 2028; plan the swap before then |
Avoid as a replacement: the FortiGate 100F and 101F, the 100E's first successors, reached end of sale in April 2026 and can no longer be ordered new.
Side-by-side specifications
| FortiGate 100E | FortiGate 120G | Meraki MX85 | Palo Alto PA-440 | Palo Alto PA-450 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Support ended 2026-08 (base) | Current | Current | Current | Current |
| Firewall throughput | 7.4 Gbps | 39 Gbps | 1 Gbps (stateful) | 2.4 Gbps (appmix) | 3.3 Gbps (appmix) |
| Threat protection | 250 Mbps | 2.8 Gbps | 1 Gbps (NGFW detection) | 1.2 Gbps | 2.1 Gbps |
| IPS | 500 Mbps | 5.3 Gbps | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| IPsec VPN | 4 Gbps | 35 Gbps | 1 Gbps | 1.1 Gbps | 1.7 Gbps |
| Concurrent sessions | 2 million | 3 million | Sized for 250 devices | 200,000 | 300,000 |
| Ports | 14 x GE RJ45, 2 x GE WAN, 2 x RJ45/SFP shared | 16 x GE RJ45, 8 x GE SFP, 4 x 10G SFP+ | 10 x GE RJ45, 4 x GE SFP | see datasheet | see datasheet |
| SSL-VPN | 250 Mbps, 300 users | 1.5 Gbps, 500 users | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Sources: FortiGate 120G datasheet; Meraki MX85 datasheet; Palo Alto PA-400 Series datasheet. Fortinet quotes enterprise-mix figures, Palo Alto quotes appmix with all threat features on, and Meraki quotes a single detection figure, so compare within a vendor. "n/a" means the vendor does not publish that figure.
How each option compares with the 100E
- FortiGate 120G. Same: FortiOS, 1RU, 16 copper ports, FortiGuard services. Different: about 11 times the threat-protection and IPS throughput, 3 million sessions, 4 x 10G SFP+ FortiLink slots, dual power supplies, and current FortiOS 7.6 releases. The 121G adds a 480 GB SSD, like the 101E did.
- Meraki MX85. Cloud-managed from the Meraki dashboard, with a mandatory licence (when one lapses past its grace period the appliance stops passing traffic, per Meraki's licensing documentation); configuration is rebuilt rather than converted. Meraki sizes it for a branch of up to 250 devices.
- Palo Alto PA-440 and PA-450. PAN-OS with App-ID; configuration is rebuilt rather than converted. Palo Alto's threat figures are measured with every threat feature on, so 1.2 to 2.1 Gbps is a demanding test, not a light one.
Migrating from a 100E
- FortiGate to FortiGate: FortiConverter offers a free opt-in licence for FortiGate-to-FortiGate configuration migration (Fortinet documentation). A 100E on 7.2 moving to a 120G on 7.6 crosses two major releases; review the 7.4 and 7.6 release notes for removed features before cutover.
- Interfaces differ: the 120G has dedicated FortiLink SFP+ slots and no shared RJ45/SFP pairs, so map each port in the converted configuration.
- Subscriptions are per model: FortiGuard and FortiCare renewals carry model-specific part numbers, so budget a new bundle with the hardware.
Where to buy, with prices
Snapshot taken 2026-10-06. Prices change; follow the link for today's figure.
| Item | Seller | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| FortiGate 120G, hardware only (FG-120G) | DataCenter360 (Canada) | CAD 5,545.27 (list CAD 7,884.67) | New, in stock; FortiGuard sold separately |
| FortiGate 100E, used | eBay US, Buy It Now | USD 53.61 to 214.91 across 8 listings | Check each listing for registrable status |
| FortiGate 100E, refurbished | NetworkTigers | Quote only | 365-day warranty; this listing is local management only (not registrable) |
Registrable or local management only. A used FortiGate that cannot be registered to your FortiCloud account cannot receive FortiGuard subscriptions. NetworkTigers labels its 100E listing "not registrable on the FortiCloud - it is set up for local management only". For a firewall that will face the internet, buy only a unit the seller confirms is registrable.
Third-party maintenance
Third-party maintainers sell hardware cover; none of the pages checked offers FortiGuard signatures or FortiOS fixes, which Fortinet delivers for supported firmware only (checked 2026-10-06). Park Place Technologies publishes a FortiGate EOSL page, but the 100E is not listed on it; ask by part number. For a base 100E, past both its own support date and its firmware branch's, a spare unit and a replacement date are the practical plan.
Questions
Is the FortiGate 100E end of life?
Yes. The base FortiGate-100E reached End of Sale in August 2021 and its Last Date of Support in August 2026. The 100E-USG runs to January 2028.
What FortiOS version does the FortiGate 100E support?
Up to FortiOS 7.2. The 100E is on the 7.2.11 supported-models list and absent from every 7.4 and 7.6 list checked.
What replaces the FortiGate 100E?
The current Fortinet model in the same class is the FortiGate 120G. The FortiGate 100F, the earlier successor, reached End of Sale in April 2026.
Sources
- Fortinet hardware lifecycle RSS feed
- FortiGate 100E Series datasheet, FG-100E-DAT-R4-201703 (copy); FortiGate 120G datasheet
- FortiOS supported models: 7.2.11, 7.4.7, 7.6.4
- endoflife.date: FortiOS (secondary)
- Fortinet Product Lifecycle Policy, 875-111 V3.00 (copy)
- Meraki MX85 datasheet; Palo Alto PA-400 Series datasheet
Researched by EOSL.ai; specifications, prices and third-party pages checked Oct 6, 2026. Lifecycle dates come from the Fortinet FortiGate 100E record, which is re-verified against the vendor source every week. Prices change daily; follow each price's link for the current figure.