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TNSR

netgate.com

From $83.25/mo Free plan LinuxAPISelf-hosted
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Spec score 8.7 #11 of 81 in Firewall Software

What it is

TNSR is a software router and VPN concentrator for high-speed routing and VPN workloads. Netgate says its Vector Packet Processing can scale from 1 to 1000 Gbps and beyond on commercial off-the-shelf hardware. Routing options include BGP, OSPF, static and dynamic routing, policy-based routing, carrier-grade NAT, and equal-cost multipath. For VPNs, it supports routed site-to-site IPsec and WireGuard, with IKEv1 and IKEv2. Administrators can manage TNSR through a CLI, RESTCONF API, or NETCONF. Monitoring options include SNMP and a Prometheus exporter for dataplane statistics. Security features listed include access control lists, packet filtering, password or key authentication, RADIUS, and role-based access control. Netgate offers cloud deployments through AWS and Azure marketplaces, as well as its 6100, 8200, and 8300 appliance systems. Subscriptions include 24x7 TAC support. TNSR has firewall capabilities, but Netgate does not position it as a firewall and warns it may lack features customers expect from pfSense Plus.

Spec sheet

What it does
TNSR is a high-performance software router and VPN concentrator for enterprise, service-provider and government networks.Read 15 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Product
TNSR is a terabit software router and VPN concentrator for high-speed routing and VPN workloads.Read 10 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Intended users
Netgate identifies businesses, ISPs, internet telephone providers, hosting providers, managed service providers, and SaaS providers as potential users.Read 10 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Supported platforms
linuxRead 22 Sep 2026 · netgate.com
Free plan
NoRead 22 Sep 2026 · netgate.com
Security
TNSR feature listings include access control lists, packet filtering, user authentication by password or key, RADIUS authentication, and role-based access control.Read 10 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Support
Netgate says TNSR subscriptions include 24x7 TAC support, and its overview describes access to support veterans, professional services, and training.Read 10 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Headquarters
Austin, Texas, United StatesRead 28 Sep 2026 · netgate.com
Founded
2004Read 28 Sep 2026 · netgate.com
Company
Netgate says it was formed in 2004 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.Read 10 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Access control
TNSR supports Layer 2 MACIP, Layer 3 IPv4/IPv6, Layer 4 and host ACLs.Read 15 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
API documentation
The RESTCONF reference is automatically generated for release 26.02 and includes authentication and HTTP error details.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.netgate.com
API security
RESTCONF supports HTTPS/TLS, client certificates or password authentication, and NACM authorization; Netgate warns against exposing it to insecure networks.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.netgate.com
Appliance availability
Tested Netgate platforms include the 6100 MAX, 8200, 8300, 1537-1U and 1541-1U.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.netgate.com
Appliance platforms
Netgate lists TNSR on its 6100, 8200, and 8300 appliance systems.Read 10 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Carrier NAT
TNSR supports NAT44, MAP-T, MAP-E and NAT traversal for carrier-scale address translation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
CLI
A comprehensive router-style CLI exposes configuration, status and diagnostic operations.Read 15 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Cloud integrations
TNSR is offered through AWS and Azure marketplaces, with cloud instances using enhanced or accelerated networking.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.netgate.com
Cloud platforms
Netgate offers TNSR through AWS and Azure marketplaces, including Intel and ARM64 cloud deployments.Read 10 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Company facts
LinkedIn lists Netgate as a privately held computer-networking company founded in 2002, headquartered in Austin, Texas, with 51–200 employees.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Documentation depth
Netgate publishes installation, platform, command, API, recipe, troubleshooting, security and release documentation for TNSR.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.netgate.com
High availability
VRRP provides redundant default-gateway operation, and VPF can synchronize connection state between clustered routers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Installation
TNSR 26.02 installs from a hybrid ISO written to USB/DVD or supplied to a virtual-machine hypervisor.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.netgate.com
Licence model
TNSR combines proprietary software with open-source components rather than being wholly open source.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.netgate.com
Limit: firewall scope
Netgate says TNSR is not positioned as a full firewall and lacks common pfSense features such as IDS/IPS and content filtering.Read 15 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Limit: hardware compatibility
Netgate provides no assurance that untested hardware will be compatible or achieve acceptable performance.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.netgate.com
Limit: missing protocol
The PeerSpot reviewer requested future support for AMT (RFC7450).Read 15 Oct 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Limit: no GUI
TNSR is managed through CLI and API rather than a graphical user interface.Read 15 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Limit: recurring licence
The PeerSpot reviewer noted that yearly licences must be maintained and tracked for expiration.Read 15 Oct 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Limit: user interface
The same G2 reviewer said the user interface was not intuitive and needed improvement.Read 15 Oct 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Management and integrations
TNSR can be managed through a CLI, RESTCONF API, and NETCONF, and includes SNMP monitoring and a Prometheus exporter for dataplane statistics.Read 10 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
NETCONF
NETCONF is available for centralized secure installation, manipulation and deletion of device configuration.Read 15 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Notable limit
Netgate says TNSR has firewall capabilities but is not positioned as a firewall and may lack features customers expect from pfSense Plus.Read 10 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Notable release
Netgate published TNSR 26.02 release notes describing new VPF high-availability heartbeat synchronization, routing fixes and dataplane updates.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.netgate.com
Open-source components
The documented components include Linux, VPP, DPDK, FRR, strongSwan, Clixon, Kea, OpenSSL, Unbound and others under GPL, Apache, BSD, MIT, MPL and related licences.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.netgate.com
Operating-system base
Current TNSR releases run as services on Ubuntu 24.04.3 and Linux x86 systems.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.netgate.com
Outbound control
advancedRead 22 Sep 2026 · netgate.com
Packet filtering
The VPF subsystem provides stateful packet filtering and NAT, including high-availability state synchronization.Read 15 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Packet processing
Netgate says TNSR uses Vector Packet Processing and can scale packet processing from 1 to 1000 Gbps and beyond on commercial off-the-shelf hardware.Read 10 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Packet-processing scale
Netgate says TNSR can scale from 1 to 1,000 Gbps and beyond on commercial off-the-shelf hardware.Read 15 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Praise: Gartner reviewer
The sole Gartner review is marked favorable and describes creating networks with advanced capabilities.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gartner.com
Praise: performance and value
A PeerSpot reviewer reported hundreds of gigabits per second, more than 400 Gbps on modest hardware, familiar CLI/API operation and lower cost than major router vendors.Read 15 Oct 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Praise: VPN and virtualization
A G2 reviewer cited robust, seamless VPN features and savings from using a virtual device.Read 15 Oct 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Rating on AWS Marketplace
4 out of 5 from 2 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Rating on Gartner Peer Insights
5.0 out of 5 from 1 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · gartner.com
RESTCONF API
TNSR exposes a RESTCONF API based on YANG models for programmatic configuration and state access.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.netgate.com
Routing features
Listed routing features include BGP, OSPF, static and dynamic routing, policy-based routing, carrier-grade NAT, and equal-cost multipath.Read 10 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Routing protocols
The feature set includes static routing, dynamic routing, BGP, OSPFv2/v3, RIP and policy-based ACL forwarding.Read 15 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Rule direction
bothRead 22 Sep 2026 · netgate.com
Security controls
TNSR supports password or key authentication, RADIUS and NACM role-based access control.Read 15 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Security reporting
Netgate provides a process for reporting security vulnerabilities and links to released security advisories.Read 10 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
SNMP
SNMP can be used to monitor TNSR through network-management software.Read 15 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
Subscription licensing
Netgate states that TNSR is available by subscription only, with a minimum subscription period of one year.Read 15 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
System requirements
Minimum requirements are a 64-bit x86 CPU with SSE4.2, 4 GB RAM, 20 GB storage and two network ports; three ports are recommended.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.netgate.com
User-space dataplane
TNSR uses DPDK to bypass the Linux kernel for packet I/O and VPP to accelerate packet processing.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.netgate.com
VPN
TNSR provides site-to-site IPsec and high-speed VPN capabilities, with WireGuard support documented for remote access.Read 15 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
VPN features
TNSR supports routed site-to-site IPsec and WireGuard VPNs, with IKEv1 and IKEv2 support.Read 10 Oct 2026 · netgate.com

Plans and prices

TNSR AWS/Azure proof of concept Free Free proof of concept covers software costs for up to 30 days. Software costs covered for up to 30 days; cloud provider charges are not specified Read 10 Oct 2026 · netgate.com
TNSR Software Subscription - Renewal $999 a year annual subscription renewal per instance · ISO downloads · software updates · TAC Pro 24x7 support · 24-hour response SLA · documentation and forum access Read 15 Oct 2026 · shop.netgate.com
TNSR software Price not published Per instance, annually; includes 24x7 TAC Pro Support. No bandwidth, feature, traffic type, or connection limits stated Read 10 Oct 2026 · netgate.com

Every TNSR plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • BGP, OSPF, and policy-based routing
  • Routed IPsec and WireGuard VPNs
  • CLI, RESTCONF, and NETCONF management
  • Includes 24x7 TAC support with subscriptions

Limits

  • No free plan
  • Software pricing is available on request
  • Not positioned as a firewall
  • Cloud-provider charges for the proof of concept are unspecified

Who it suits

TNSR may suit businesses, ISPs, internet telephone providers, hosting providers, managed service providers, and SaaS providers with routing or VPN workloads. Its Linux platform and listed cloud and appliance options are relevant deployment considerations.

Verdict

TNSR combines routing, VPN, management, and monitoring capabilities for high-speed network workloads. Its firewall limitation and request-based subscription pricing merit attention during evaluation.

Where Specifiction places it

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