FortiGate 1500D end of life: replacement options, prices and support
Fortinet's support for the base FortiGate-1500D and 1500DT ends in December 2026. The DC models are already past support, and the LENC and USG variants run to 2027 and 2028. The 1500D is not on any FortiOS 7.4 or 7.6 supported-models list, so it stays on FortiOS 7.2. The current Fortinet replacement in the same class is the FortiGate 1800F.
Lifecycle dates by variant
| Variant | End of Sale | Last Date of Support |
|---|---|---|
| FortiGate-1500D-DC-USG | 2020-01 | 2025-01 (ended) |
| FortiGate-1500D-DC | 2020-04 | 2025-04 (ended) |
| FortiGate-1500D, 1500DT | 2021-12 | 2026-12 |
| FortiGate-1500DT-USG | 2022-05 | 2027-05 |
| FortiGate-1500D-LENC, 1500D-USG | 2023-01 | 2028-01 |
Source: Fortinet hardware lifecycle feed, re-verified weekly on the 1500D and 1500DT family pages.
What the FortiGate 1500D is
A 2RU data-centre and large-campus firewall built on Fortinet's NP6 and CP8 processors. The 1500DT swaps four 10G SFP+ slots for four 10G RJ45 ports.
| Specification | FortiGate 1500D |
|---|---|
| Interfaces | 8 x 10G SFP+/GE SFP, 16 x GE SFP, 16 x GE RJ45, 2 x management/HA |
| Firewall throughput (1518 / 512 / 64 byte) | 80 / 80 / 55 Gbps (82.5 Mpps) |
| Concurrent sessions / new sessions per second | 12 million / 300,000 |
| Firewall policies | 100,000 |
| IPS / NGFW / threat protection | 13 Gbps / 7 Gbps / 5 Gbps |
| IPsec VPN / SSL-VPN | 50 Gbps / 4 Gbps with 10,000 users |
| SSL inspection / application control | 5.7 Gbps / 16 Gbps |
| Managed FortiAPs / FortiSwitches | 4,096 total (2,048 tunnel) / 128 |
| Storage and power | 2 x 240 GB SSD; 336 W average, 403.2 W maximum |
Source: Fortinet datasheet "FortiGate 1500D Series", FG-1500D-DAT-R32-202002. Fortinet no longer hosts it; the copy read is a reseller's.
What end of support means for this unit
- Firmware stops at FortiOS 7.2. The FG-1500D and FG-1500DT 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 reached end of support on September 30, 2026 (endoflife.date, consistent with Fortinet's 54-months-after-release rule). Fortinet's lifecycle policy keeps a model's final firmware release in an urgent-fix phase until that model's own End of Support, so the base 1500D should receive critical fixes until December 2026 and the LENC and USG variants until 2027 and 2028.
- After End of Support Fortinet "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 data centre or campus edge | FortiGate 1800F: 2RU, three times the threat-protection throughput, 25G and 100G ports |
| Other vendor | Palo Alto PA-3420 to PA-3440 |
| Base 1500D still in service in January 2027 | Out of support and on an out-of-support firmware branch; a replacement date beats a maintenance contract |
Avoid as a replacement: the FortiGate 1000F, which reaches end of sale this month (October 2026), and the Palo Alto PA-5450, whose end of sale is November 2026.
Side-by-side specifications
| FortiGate 1500D | FortiGate 1800F | Palo Alto PA-3420 | Palo Alto PA-3430 | Palo Alto PA-3440 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Support ends 2026-12 (base) | Current | Current | Current | Current |
| Firewall throughput | 80 Gbps | 198 Gbps | 19 Gbps (appmix) | 29 Gbps (appmix) | 35 Gbps (appmix) |
| Threat protection | 5 Gbps | 15 Gbps | 10 Gbps | 15 Gbps | 20 Gbps |
| IPS | 13 Gbps | 22 Gbps | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| IPsec VPN | 50 Gbps | 55 Gbps | 9.9 Gbps | 12 Gbps | 14.5 Gbps |
| Concurrent sessions | 12 million | 12 million (40 million with hyperscale licence) | 2.2 million | 2.5 million | 3 million |
| New sessions per second | 300,000 | 750,000 | 220,000 | 240,000 | 268,000 |
| SSL inspection | 5.7 Gbps | 12 Gbps | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| High-speed ports | 8 x 10G SFP+ | 12 x 25G SFP28, 4 x 100G QSFP28 | see datasheet | see datasheet | see datasheet |
| Form factor and power | 2RU; 403.2 W max | 2RU; 459.1 W max | see datasheet | see datasheet | see datasheet |
Sources: FortiGate 1800F datasheet; Palo Alto PA-3400 Series datasheet. Fortinet uses enterprise mix and Palo Alto appmix with all threat features on; compare within a vendor.
How each option compares with the 1500D
- FortiGate 1800F. Same: FortiOS, 2RU, dual supplies, 12 million base sessions. Different: three times the threat protection, more than twice the SSL inspection, 25G and 100G interfaces, NP7 acceleration, current FortiOS 7.6, and 2 x 960 GB NVMe on the 1801F.
- Palo Alto PA-3400 Series. PAN-OS; the PA-3430 and PA-3440 match or exceed the 1800F's threat-protection figure under Palo Alto's stricter test, with far fewer sessions. Size on session count first if the 1500D carries millions of flows.
Migrating from a 1500D
- Configuration conversion: FortiConverter's free opt-in licence covers FortiGate-to-FortiGate migration (Fortinet documentation). Moving from 7.2 to 7.6 crosses two releases; read the 7.4 and 7.6 release notes for removed features first.
- Optics: 10G SFP+ modules carry over only where the 1800F's 25G slots accept 10G, which its datasheet lists (25G SFP28 / 10G SFP+ / GE SFP).
- HA pairs move together: Fortinet's HA documentation requires cluster members to be the same model and firmware, so both units of a 1500D cluster are replaced at once.
Where to buy, with prices
Snapshot taken 2026-10-06. Prices change; follow the link for today's figure.
| Item | Seller | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| FortiGate 1800F, hardware only (FG-1800F) | DataCenter360 (Canada) | CAD 64,827.60 (list CAD 94,202.62) | New, in stock; FortiGuard sold separately |
| FortiGate 1500D, used | eBay US, Buy It Now | USD 213.24 to 349.99 across 4 appliance listings | Check each listing for registrable status |
| FortiGate 1500D, refurbished, registrable | NetworkTigers | Quote only | 365-day warranty; listed as registrable / unclaimed |
A used 1500D at these prices is a cold spare, not a long-term plan: the base model's support and its firmware branch both end within months.
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; the 1500D is not listed on it, so ask by part number. For a data-centre firewall, hardware cover without security updates is a bridge of months, not years.
Questions
Is the FortiGate 1500D end of life?
Yes. The base FortiGate-1500D reached End of Sale in December 2021, and its Last Date of Support is December 2026. The LENC and USG variants run to January 2028.
Can the FortiGate 1500D run FortiOS 7.4?
No. It is on the FortiOS 7.2.11 supported-models list and absent from every 7.4 and 7.6 list checked.
What replaces the FortiGate 1500D?
The FortiGate 1800F is the current Fortinet model in the same 2RU class. Avoid the 1000F, which reaches End of Sale in October 2026.
Sources
- Fortinet hardware lifecycle RSS feed
- FortiGate 1500D Series datasheet, FG-1500D-DAT-R32-202002 (copy); FortiGate 1800F 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)
- Palo Alto PA-3400 Series datasheet
Researched by EOSL.ai; specifications, prices and third-party pages checked Oct 6, 2026. Lifecycle dates come from the Fortinet FortiGate 1500D record, which is re-verified against the vendor source every week. Prices change daily; follow each price's link for the current figure.