No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Netgate pfSense vs Trellix Network Detection and Response comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
5.9
Netgate pfSense provides significant ROI with cost-effectiveness, eliminating license fees, ideal for small to mid-sized companies replacing costly systems.
Sentiment score
7.0
Trellix Network Detection boosts security efficiency, reducing response times by 30-40% and enhancing threat prevention without extra staff.
In four years of using it, that payment of 189 dollars per year has already paid off.
L2 Systems Administrator at a comms service provider with 201-500 employees
It's very favorable to have the inclusion of firewall, VPN, and router functionalities.
Owner at SimpleIT
The total cost of ownership is extremely low when you compare it to a lot of the other devices or other gateway appliances that are available on the market.
Operations Manager at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Investigations are generally faster because analysts have immediate access to relevant network context instead of manually piecing together information from multiple sources.
Senior Business Development Associate at DigitalTrack Solutions ind pvt ltd
The time was reduced because of the automated detections.
Associate Cybersecurity Analyst at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
If a threat can enter any endpoint that is exposed to the internal network, there is a potential gateway for hackers, leading to a loss of production or significant financial impact to the network.
Security Engineer at Digitaltrack
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.8
Netgate pfSense receives praise for effective support, though some users experience slow responses; forums often suffice for troubleshooting.
Sentiment score
7.2
Trellix Network Detection and Response's support is praised for responsiveness, though some users experience delays but remain generally satisfied.
The biggest fear I have, and probably the only reason I still have the old one lying around is that if something were to happen to this hardware and I had to send it back for support, I need to be able to keep my network running in the meantime.
Co-Owner at Steffi and Tim
The support is knowledgeable and responds quickly, so the questions are addressed professionally and accurately.
Senior Project Engineer at a manufacturing company with 1-10 employees
I rate the technical support a ten out of ten.
Director at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
The support team was responsive and knowledgeable.
Business development executive at Digitaltrack solution Pvt Ltd
Technical support needs improvement as sometimes engineers are not available promptly, especially during high-severity incidents.
Information Security Engineer at Nhq Distribution Ltd
They were constantly relaying our message to the engineering team and the engineering team was looping that back to them and then to us.
Associate Cybersecurity Analyst at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.6
Netgate pfSense is highly scalable for SMBs, supporting high user counts and complex configurations depending on hardware choices.
Sentiment score
8.0
Trellix Network Detection and Response offers scalable, adaptable solutions, integrating well despite minor legacy connection issues, maintaining performance.
If I put things into a certain context and say that we have a network that has around 100 people, then you don't put up a device that can manage 100 people. Instead, you need to get a device that can manage 150 to 200 people, and then you can create room for growth.
CTO at Vigon Business Solutions Limited
I don't think Netgate pfSense can offer much scalability for big enterprises.
Director at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
Even with a jump from a 50 megabit to a 500 megabit internet connection and approximately 65 active VPN clients, our firewall operates smoothly without any strain.
IT Manager at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
The scalability of Trellix Network Detection and Response is easy; I just have to add another license in the same cloud, and I can easily increase the number of endpoints.
Cyber Security Engineer at a retailer with 51-200 employees
Trellix Network Detection and Response has handled that growth while continuing to provide consistency, visibility, threat detection, and investigation capabilities.
Business development executive at Digitaltrack solution Pvt Ltd
The connectors were always out of sync and we have had multiple noise floods from these connectors which were not configured well.
Associate Cybersecurity Analyst at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
Netgate pfSense is highly stable, with users attributing minimal issues to hardware rather than the firewall, ensuring reliable performance.
Sentiment score
8.0
Trellix Network Detection and Response is reliable and robust, ensuring stability with minimal disruptions and quick issue resolution.
I rate the solution's stability a ten out of ten.
Infrastructure and integration Architect at CommunityForce
I've noticed a substantial improvement in stability and ease of use for upgrades and patching over the past year or two.
Technical Sales Specialist at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
When I replace consumer routers with pfSense for small businesses with two or three employees, they are often amazed to discover the router can run for a year without a reboot.
Partner and Owner at Free Range Geeks
In my day-to-day use, it has consistently provided the visibility and detection capabilities we rely on for security monitoring and investigations.
Senior Business Development Associate at DigitalTrack Solutions ind pvt ltd
In our experience, it has had a positive impact on our production environment and has proven to be a dependable part of our security operations.
Business development executive at Digitaltrack solution Pvt Ltd
I encounter no issues with health or reliability when the recommended specifications are met.
CyberSecurity Architect at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Netgate pfSense requires better centralized management, an updated user interface, improved security integrations, and enhanced documentation for ease of use.
Trellix needs better reporting, integrations, UI, user support, and alert management to enhance threat detection and response.
If I need to go between different VLANs, I have VLAN 19.1 and VLAN 19.2, and I strictly use Netgate pfSense, but it doesn't route very efficiently and works quite slowly.
Information Security Manager at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
They should support the idea of configuration management as code from source code and provide a more robust API for managing the pfSense configuration.
Co-Owner at Steffi and Tim
Monitoring is crucial. The easier the monitoring and user interface, the simpler our team can work on and investigate issues.
Infrastructure and integration Architect at CommunityForce
There should be improvements in AI intelligence, faster decision-making, and a more responsive technical support team.
Information Security Engineer at Nhq Distribution Ltd
It would be best if Trellix Network Detection and Response sensors were converted into a next-generation firewall with built-in capabilities for routing, switching, and Layer 7 functionality, as most next-generation firewalls today include these features.
Network & Security Lead at Net-International
Regarding needed improvements for Trellix Network Detection and Response, there is always room for enhancement in terms of AI capability to include proactive triggers based on historical data, enabling AI to learn patterns and detect threats before they manifest.
Presales Manager
 

Setup Cost

Netgate pfSense is affordable, offering open-source and paid versions with robust features and competitive hardware pricing.
Trellix Network Detection pricing is high but justified; straightforward licensing, pricey maintenance, and competitive with Cisco or Palo Alto.
It also offers a free community version that can't be beaten.
Owner at Shaffer Consulting
There are cheaper firewall options, but they aren't as reliable and easy to manage.
Managing Director at IPC Solutions Pty Ltd
I don't see any product that gives you the same functionality within the same price brackets offered by Netgate pfSense.
CTO at Vigon Business Solutions Limited
Trellix Network Detection and Response is an enterprise-grade security solution, so it represents a significant investment, but we believe that the value it provides in terms of threat detection, network visibility, and incident response justifies the cost.
Business development executive at Digitaltrack solution Pvt Ltd
The pricing model is not transparent, as they do not provide pricing ranges upfront, complicating the evaluation of costs across regions.
CyberSecurity Architect at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
My experience with the pricing, setup cost, and licensing of Trellix Network Detection and Response is that they are very good and affordable for the customer range.
Network & Security Lead at Net-International
 

Valuable Features

Netgate pfSense offers reliable VPN and firewall features, user-friendly management, flexibility, cost-effectiveness, scalability, and strong community support.
Trellix Network Detection and Response enhances security with real-time threat detection, swift incident response, and seamless tool integration.
I like the tool's flexibility in the sense that you do not have to buy an appliance. You can put it on your own hardware, and it can be very simplistic hardware with simple configurations.
Information Security Manager at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The most valuable feature is the routing capability.
Managing Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
It is not licensed and is not run by some corporation that watches you.
Owner at Sonic Trout LLC
Per day we used to have 70 to 80 alerts and those could be reduced up to 40 to 30 a day. This is almost a 40 to 50% decrease.
Associate Cybersecurity Analyst at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Trellix Network Detection and Response has positively impacted my organization by addressing performance issues, specifically by offloading heavy traffic inspection and SSL inspection through sensors due to the limitations of the firewall.
Network & Security Lead at Net-International
Visibility is very important as it empowers users to understand what is happening; therefore, detection is one of the strongest features of Trellix Network Detection and Response.
Presales Manager
 

Categories and Ranking

Netgate pfSense
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
221
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (2nd)
Trellix Network Detection a...
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
54
Ranking in other categories
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (6th), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Network Security Systems solutions, they serve different purposes. Netgate pfSense is designed for Firewalls and holds a mindshare of 7.7%, down 11.7% compared to last year.
Trellix Network Detection and Response, on the other hand, focuses on Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), holds 4.1% mindshare, up 4.1% since last year.
Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Netgate pfSense7.7%
Fortinet FortiGate14.5%
OPNsense8.2%
Other69.6%
Firewalls
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Trellix Network Detection and Response4.1%
Palo Alto Networks WildFire7.1%
Microsoft Defender for Office 3656.4%
Other82.4%
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
 

Featured Reviews

JA
Principal Cloud Architect - Software Engineer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Rapid VPN setup has connected offices in minutes and brings live insights for proactive issue control
What I appreciate the most about Netgate pfSense is the ease and straightforward nature of the platform. I can set up a new office in less than 10 minutes. The benefits of using Netgate pfSense are that I can set up VPNs in less than two to three minutes, and then just deploy the file across my networks, where everybody would be connected in less than an hour. The dashboards of Netgate pfSense bring all the necessary information that I need at a glance, and it is actually a live update every three to five seconds. It is spotless, and I have been able to catch issues before they hit operations.
Twinkle Solanki - PeerSpot reviewer
Business development executive at Digitaltrack solution Pvt Ltd
Continuous network insight has improved early threat detection and streamlined investigations
Overall, we have a positive experience with Trellix Network Detection and Response, but like any enterprise security solution, there are areas where it can continue to improve. One area would be user interface and dashboard customization. While the platform provides a lot of valuable information, new users can sometimes face a learning curve when navigating and investigating and creating customized views. More intuitive dashboards would simplify workflows and help analysts access critical information even faster. Another area for improvement is reporting and analytics. The existing reporting capabilities are useful, but more flexibility and customizable reporting options would make it easier to generate executive-level summaries, compliance reports, and operational metrics for different audiences.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Firewalls solutions are best for your needs.
903,807 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
12%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Manufacturing Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Outsourcing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business171
Midsize Enterprise33
Large Enterprise29
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business35
Midsize Enterprise11
Large Enterprise23
 

Questions from the Community

Help me find the best open source router
You don't really specify what type of router you are looking for but if you are talking about a gateway router I recommend PFSense. This software solutions can be installed on youf own hardware or ...
How do I choose between Fortinet FortiGate and pfSense?
Fortinet’s Fortigate is a firewall solution we use and are very much satisfied with its performance. We find Fortigate both cost-effective and efficient. One of the features we like most is that Fo...
What is the difference between PfSense and OPNsense?
Two of the most common and well recognized firewalls, PfSense and OPNsense both support site-to-site IPsec VPN and client, Open VPN and client, and PPTP client. Both also have intrusion detection a...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FireEye Network Security?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Trellix Network Detection and Response is positive, as the setup process was straightforward, licensing was flexible, and the value deliver...
What needs improvement with FireEye Network Security?
Based on my experience with the solution, I do not see any improvements needed for Trellix Network Detection and Response at present; it might be required in the future, but there is no space to im...
What is your primary use case for FireEye Network Security?
Our main use case for Trellix Network Detection and Response is to maintain oversight of our network traffic and catch any threats or unusual activity as early as possible. Trellix Network Detectio...
 

Also Known As

No data available
FireEye Network Security, FireEye
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Nerds On Site Inc., RKC Development Inc., Expertech, Fisher's Technology, Ncisive, Consulting, CPURX, Vaughn's Computer House Calls, Imeretech LLC, Digital Crisis, Carolina Digital Phone, Technigogo Technology Services, The Simple Solution, SwiftecITInc, Rocky Mountain Tech Team, Free Range Geeks, Alaska Computer Geeks, Lark Information Technology, Renaissance Systems Inc., Cutting Edge Computers, Caretech LLC, GoVanguard, Network Touch Ltd, P.C. Solutions.Net, Vision Voice and Data Systems LLC, Montgomery Technologies, Techforce, Concero Networks, ASONInc, CPS Electronics and Consulting, Darkwire.net LLC, IT Specialists, MBS-Net Inc., VOICE1 LLC, Advantage Networking Inc., Powerhouse Systems, Doxa Multimedia Inc., Pro Computer Service, Virtual IT Services, A&J Computers Inc., Envision IT LLC, CommunicaONE Inc., Bone Computer Inc., Amax Engineering Corporation, QPG Ltd. Co., IT 101 Inc., Perfect Cloud Solutions, Applied Technology Group Inc., The Digital Sun Group LLC, Firespring
FFRDC, Finansbank, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Investis, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Bank of Thailand, City of Miramar, Citizens National Bank, D-Wave Systems
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet, Netgate, Cisco and others in Firewalls. Updated: July 2026.
903,807 professionals have used our research since 2012.