Netgate pfSense vs OPNsense comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Jun 18, 2023

We performed a comparison between OPNsense and pfSense based on our users’ reviews in four categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Ease of Deployment: OPNsense requires a design plan and knowledge of IP allocation, but the setup is straightforward. Deployment times can vary. On the other hand, pfSense's setup is easy and can be done in 15 minutes to a few hours. However, the GUI may be overwhelming for junior engineers, while senior engineers appreciate the amount of information available.

  • Features: OPNsense has guest access, IDS/IPS, WireGuard VPN, content filtering, DNS level filtering, and built-in scanners. Meanwhile, pfSense is customizable, cost-effective, and has good performance. Additionally, pfSense has useful blocking and filtration features. 

    Both OPNsense and pfSense have room for improvement in various aspects. OPNsense needs to improve its interface, bandwidth management, multi-provider internet protection, high availability, logging and reporting, IPS solution, web-based configuration, feature updates, hardware, transparent proxy, DNS blocking, peer-blocking, installation and deployment, pre-configured modules, and documentation. On the other hand, pfSense needs to improve its ability to detect site sessions, address bias issues, enhance stability, provide better web interface, support mobile app, improve reporting, integration, URL filtering, centralized management, API support, stripped-down GUI, sandboxing, security, performance, VPN users, graphical interface, web printers, and SD-WAN integration.

  • Pricing: OPNsense and pfSense are both open-source solutions and are free of charge. Both offer different options for setup costs. OPNsense requires investment in hardware, but its software is free and affordable. There is a paid version with more features, but the open-source version is still considered a good value. PfSense, on the other hand, offers a free open-source option and a community version. While there is a cost for support, it is minimal and the minimum appliance can be purchased for less than $300. OPNsense is cost-effective and has a quick ROI, while pfSense offers high savings compared to more expensive options like FortiGate.

  • Service and Support: OPNsense and pfSense have mixed reviews when it comes to their customer service. Some users have reported positive experiences with OPNsense, but others have found it lacking. Meanwhile, pfSense's support quality is dependent on individual experience and expertise, with varying opinions reported. It is suggested that an associated support service could benefit OPNsense.

Comparison Results: According to our user feedback, pfSense is the superior option when compared to OPNsense. It is highly stable, easy to use, and cost-effective, making it a popular choice. Users appreciate its ability to be customized, its web interface, and its monitoring capabilities. Despite some suggestions for improvements, pfSense is highly praised for its scalability and flexibility. It is also cost-effective for small and medium businesses, with no ongoing fees and a significant return on investment.

To learn more, read our detailed Netgate pfSense vs. OPNsense Report (Updated: March 2024).
763,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Q&A Highlights
Question: Why is pfSense's firewall better than OPNsense's?
Answer: They are pretty much the same... OPNsense has a better GUI... The community in pfSense is much bigger... OPNSense has more frequent updates... but other than that... you can not make mistakes...
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"Some of the key features of the solution is that it has good reporting, you can receive many details from the connection, for example, clients and website information.""It's inexpensive compared to some of the other technology out there.""The technical support in our region is excellent.""It is easy to manage, and it doesn't need much knowledge from the team. It is a stable device, and there are many features that are included out of the box.""The IPsec tunnels are very easily created, and quite interoperable with devices from other vendors.""The most valuable features are SD-WAN, application control, IPS control, and FortiSandbox.""Valuable features include the Web Application Firewall, and it even has DLP (data leak prevention).""I like several features that this product has, such as antivirus and internet navigation inspection. It is also simple to use."

More Fortinet FortiGate Pros →

"Good basic firewall features.""At our peak time, we have reached more than 5,000 concurrent connections.""The flexibility of adding new kinds of services without spending any money can't be beaten.""The initial setup is easy.""My technicians find the pfSense's web interface very useful. It is very easy to use. pfSense is very reliable and stable. We like the OpenVPN clients that can be deployed using pfSense very much.""The most valuable features of pfSense are security, user-friendliness, and helpful online management.""We generally use it because it's cheap. When we need something more robust we use Barracuda and Sony Wireless Routers. For certain clients, we use pfSense because it's compatible with the VoIP platform.""The solution is very easy to use and has a very nice GUI."

More Netgate pfSense Pros →

"URL blocking, Wireguard, Tail Scale, Engine Blocker, and VPN are the most valuable features for me.""It is a very good solution. I like the dashboard. I can see what is going on and manage it as I like it.""The most valuable features are reporting, the Sensei plugin, and firewall capabilities.""It has firewall and VPN capabilities, which are very valuable features.""I find the solution to be user-friendly. It has a lot of reports and easy settings.""It's more secure and more reliable.""It's open source.""OPNsense is highly stable."

More OPNsense Pros →

Cons
"You do need some IT knowledge in order to effectively work with the solution.""Improvement is needed in the Web Filter quotas to restrict users with allocated quotas.""The stability could be a bit better.""The debugging and troubleshooting has room for improvement.""The command line is complicated, and the interface could be better.""The solution lacks multi-language support.""It could use more templates for third-party site-to-site VPN setups other than FortiGate and Cisco.""It is stable, but its stability can be improved."

More Fortinet FortiGate Cons →

"The user interface can be improved to make it easier to add more features. And pfSense could be better integrated with other solutions, like antivirus.""​Perhaps the documentation is not clear and because it is supported in the community there is no basic documentation.""It would be great to add more to security.""The stability could be improved.""I tried pfSense, and it has a big issue with file system consistency, and this is what drove me to OPNsense. The file system stability is quite a big issue for us. We have a lot of outages related to power issues, and OPNsense is much more stable on this side.""The hotspot and the portal feature in this solution are not stable for WiFi access. We use it at least once or twice every day and it crashes. Some modules can be better by improving detection and having new updates. Additionally, we have some issues with clustering and load balancing that could improve.""There is more demand for UTMs than a simple firewall. pfSense should support real-time features for handling the latest viruses and threats. It should support real-time checks and real-time status of threats. Some other vendors, such as Fortinet, already offer this type of capability. Such capability will be good for bringing pfSense at the same level as other solutions.""If you want to take advantage of all of the solution's options, you need to have a bit of a technical background. It's not for a layperson."

More Netgate pfSense Cons →

"There are a few weaknesses. For example, there is a lack of some features that I have in certain commercial products.""The interface needs to be simplified. It is not user-friendly.""The support for OPNsense is good because we have documents available on the internet. The support could improve a little.""There is room for improvement in SSL inspection.""The solution would not be suitable for anything large-scale.""Given that OPNsense plays a pivotal role as a firewall, safeguarding against various threats, having a reliable backup ensures uninterrupted protection even if unforeseen events impact the primary virtual machine.""The logging could improve in OPNsense.""The reporting part could be better."

More OPNsense Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "Fortinet has one or two license types, and the VPN numbers are only limited by the hardware chassis make."
  • "These boxes are not that expensive compared to what they can do, their functionality, and the reporting you receive. Fortinet licensing is straightforward and less confusing compared to Cisco."
  • "Go for long term pricing negotiated at the time of purchase."
  • "Work through partners for the best pricing."
  • "The value is the capability of having multiple services with one unique license, not having the limitation per user licensing schema, like other vendors."
  • "Easy to understand licensing requirements."
  • "​We saved a bundle by not needing all the past appliances from an NGFW.​"
  • "The cost is too high... They have to focus on more features with less cost for the customer. If you see the market, where it's going, there are a lot of players offering more features for less cost."
  • More Fortinet FortiGate Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "PFSENSE turns out to be very economical, the license is free and for little money you get very good support"
  • "Unless they have specific requirements that demand a particular device, I always suggest pfSense specifically because of the absence of pricing and licensing."
  • "Spend at least $300 or more on a good pfSense box. Use a hard drive, and not a USB flash drive for pfSense storage."
  • "It's open source (and free - as in beer and speech), but also has commercial support."
  • "If you need to buy hardware onto which to install PfSense, go with their boxes on their website, they are great."
  • "It works quite well for an open source product."
  • "From Sonic Wall, their price is much higher, because for every feature that you want to add, you have to pay. I can do the same things with pfSense, but everything is included in one price."
  • "There are a few features not included, and when you have to use those features, you have to pay for them."
  • More Netgate pfSense Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "We are not paying any licensing fees. OPNsense is completely free for us."
  • "It costs about $1000."
  • "There are no licensing costs for OPNsence."
  • "OPNsense is open source software so at this time it is free for us to use."
  • "OPNsense is a well known open-source tool."
  • "It is not an expensive product. Basically, I deployed it because it was the fastest solution to satisfy our needs in open source."
  • "OPNsense is an open-source solution and it is free to use."
  • "The solution is not expensive."
  • More OPNsense Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Top Answer:It is a very good solution. I like the dashboard. I can see what is going on and manage it as I like it.
    Top Answer:If I require many site-to-site connections or prioritize advanced features, I might look at the other products.
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate
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    Netgate
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    OPNsense
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    Overview

    Fortinet FortiGate enhances network security, prevents unauthorized access, and offers robust firewall protection. Valued features include advanced threat protection, reliable performance, and a user-friendly interface. It improves efficiency, streamlines processes, and boosts collaboration, providing valuable insights for informed decision-making and growth.

    pfSense is a powerful and reliable network security appliance primarily used for security purposes such as firewall and VPN or traffic shaping, network management, and web filtering. It is commonly used by small businesses and managed service providers to protect their customers' networks and enable remote access through VPNs. 

    The solution is praised for its stability, user-friendly interface, scalability potential, open-source nature, free cost, easy installation, firewall capabilities, security features, flexibility, and simplicity. Overall, pfSense is a cost-effective solution for enterprises that need a VPN for their employees.

    pfSense Key Features

    pfSense has many key features and capabilities, including:

    • Strength and accuracy: pfSense is able to always follow either default or custom rules, making it a stronger firewall than some of its competitors. It also filters traffic separately, whether it’s coming from your internal network of devices or the open internet, allowing you to set different rules and policies for each.

    • Flexibility: pfSense can work both as a basic firewall and as a complete security system because it gives you the flexibility to integrate additional features as code where necessary.

    • Open-source: Because it is open-source, not only is pfSense free to use, but community members can contribute to the code to make it a better software.

    • User-friendly: Usually firewall products are not user-friendly because they often include complex settings, options, and features that require fine-tuning. pfSense’s interface is simple, direct, and easy to use.

    • WireGuard Support: Instead of building your own VPN using pfSense, or settling for a commercial VPN provider, you can directly integrate WireGuard with the pfSense firewall.

    • Speed Management and Fault Tolerance: pfSense’s multi-WAN feature allows your system to continue operating in case components fail.

    • Well-supported: pfSense regularly has security and feature updates. It also has a documentation site and a well-informed and knowledgeable support forum.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Below is some feedback from PeerSpot Users who are currently using the solution.

    Bojan O., CEO at In.sist d.o.o., says, “The classic features, such as content inspection, content protection, and the application-level firewall, are the most important."

    Another PeerSpot user, a chef at a media company, explains what he finds most valuable about pfSense: "The plugins or add-ons are most valuable. Sometimes, they are free of charge, and sometimes, you have to pay for them, but you can purchase or download very valuable plugins or add-ons to perform internal testing of your network and simulate a denial-of-service attack or whichever attack you want to simulate. You can also remote and monitor your network and see where the gap is."

    T.O., a VP of Business Development at a tech services company, mentions, "What I found most valuable is the cost of the platform, the flexibility of the platform, and the fact that the ongoing fees are not there as they are with the competitor."



    OPNsense is a user-friendly, fast-track, open-source FreeBSD-based firewall and routing platform. This software offers features that are generally available from costly commercial firewalls, with the added benefit of open and verifiable sources. The firewall provides users, developers, and organizations with an advantageous environment through transparency. The development of this project is driven by a strong focus on security and code quality.

    The solution offers a variety of components, such as:

    • Weekly security updates. These updates provide the user with the ability to reach new emerging threats in a timely manner through small increments.

    • Two major releases every year. These yearly releases are on a fixed release cycle and provide organizations with the ability to plan ahead of an upcoming upgrade.

    • A roadmap of instructions. Each major release provides a guide and a set of clear goals.

    A team of professionals developed OPNsense. Other professional and experienced software architects, engineers, and developers are encouraged to join in the development of the solution to make it as successful as possible. OPNsense offers a variety of rich features with each release. Each upgrade is based on FreeBSD for continual, long-term support and utilizes a freshly advanced MVC framework based on Phalcon. OPNsense is committed to helping businesses, school networks, remote offices, hotels, and other markets in keeping their data protected.

    OPNsense Core Features

    OPNsense continually offers a free, complete, high-end security platform with new releases and features. With each release, OPNsense focuses on providing more unique and better security features in a timely manner. These features include:

    • Captive Portal
    • Built-in reporting and monitoring tools including RRD Graphs
    • Network Flow Monitoring
    • Traffic Shaper
    • Support for Plugins
    • Granular Control Over State Table
    • Dynamic DNS
    • Two-factor authentication throughout the system
    • Netflow Exporter
    • Encrypted Configuration Backup to Google Drive
    • Forward Caching Proxy (transparent) with Blacklist Support
    • Stateful inspection firewall
    • DNS Server & DNS Forwarder
    • High Availability & Hardware Failover (with configuration synchronization & synchronized state tables)
    • DHCP Server and Relay
    • Virtual Private Network (site to site & road warrior, IPsec, OpenVPN & legacy PPTP support)
    • Intrusion Detection and Prevention
    • 802.1Q VLAN support

    Reviews from Real Users

    OPNsense is a favorite security solution among reviewers for a number of reasons. Two of those reasons include the user-friendliness of the solution, which makes it easy to use, and its ability to easily scale.

    For many, a user-friendly solution is essential. FiorindoDi A., a system administration specialist at a tech vendor, says, "The graphic user interface is very good and it is user-friendly, which makes the product easy-to-use."

    Peerspot reviewers speak of the scalability of the solution. For example, an anonymous cloud and infrastructure manager at a venture capital and private equity firm reviewer notes, "OPNsense is easy to scale when running on the hardware."

    Sample Customers
    1. Amazon Web Services 2. Microsoft 3. IBM 4. Cisco 5. Dell 6. HP 7. Oracle 8. Verizon 9. AT&T 10. T-Mobile 11. Sprint 12. Vodafone 13. Orange 14. BT Group 15. Telstra 16. Deutsche Telekom 17. Comcast 18. Time Warner Cable 19. CenturyLink 20. NTT Communications 21. Tata Communications 22. SoftBank 23. China Mobile 24. Singtel 25. Telus 26. Rogers Communications 27. Bell Canada 28. Telkom Indonesia 29. Telkom South Africa 30. Telmex 31. Telia Company 32. Telkom Kenya
    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
    1. Deciso B.V. 2. iXsystems, Inc.  3. EuroBSDCon  4. Netgate  5. Claranet  6. Voleatech  7. Open Systems AG  8. Securebit AG  9. Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH  10. AVM Computersysteme Vertriebs GmbH  Additional customers include: T-Systems International GmbH, Deutsche Telekom AG, Vodafone GmbH, 1&1 IONOS SE, OVHcloud, Hetzner Online GmbH, Strato AG, PlusServer GmbH, Host Europe GmbH, United Internet AG, 1&1 Versatel Deutschland GmbH, QSC AG, Bechtle AG, Cancom SE, Computacenter AG & Co. oHG, T-Systems Multimedia Solutions GmbH, Atos SE, Capgemini SE, Accenture plc, IBM Corporation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, Cisco Systems, Inc.
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider16%
    Computer Software Company9%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization20%
    Computer Software Company15%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    Manufacturing Company6%
    REVIEWERS
    University10%
    Manufacturing Company10%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    Marketing Services Firm8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Comms Service Provider14%
    Computer Software Company14%
    Government8%
    Educational Organization6%
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider24%
    Financial Services Firm18%
    Logistics Company12%
    Aerospace/Defense Firm6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Comms Service Provider16%
    Computer Software Company15%
    Government9%
    Educational Organization6%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business48%
    Midsize Enterprise23%
    Large Enterprise30%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business27%
    Midsize Enterprise32%
    Large Enterprise41%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business69%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise12%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business33%
    Midsize Enterprise18%
    Large Enterprise49%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business70%
    Midsize Enterprise12%
    Large Enterprise18%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business32%
    Midsize Enterprise18%
    Large Enterprise49%
    Buyer's Guide
    Netgate pfSense vs. OPNsense
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Netgate pfSense vs. OPNsense and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    763,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Netgate pfSense is ranked 1st in Firewalls with 15 reviews while OPNsense is ranked 3rd in Firewalls with 21 reviews. Netgate pfSense is rated 8.6, while OPNsense is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Netgate pfSense writes "Feature-rich, well documented, and there is good support available online". On the other hand, the top reviewer of OPNsense writes "There are lots of capabilities built-in: Few would be High Availability, Proxy, DNS, Intrusion detection/prevention, content filtering, traffic and bandwidth management with 2factor autn. ". Netgate pfSense is most compared with Sophos XG, Sophos UTM, Cisco Secure Firewall, KerioControl and Untangle NG Firewall, whereas OPNsense is most compared with Sophos XG, Untangle NG Firewall, Sophos UTM, WatchGuard Firebox and Cisco Secure Firewall. See our Netgate pfSense vs. OPNsense report.

    See our list of best Firewalls vendors.

    We monitor all Firewalls reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.