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Best VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall Alternatives in 2026

Updated

20 tools from microsegmentation software ranked against VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall on the same published basis.

  1. 1
    Zscaler Private Access AndroidiOSLinuxMacWeb 7.4
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs Zscaler Private Access
  2. 2
    ColorTokens Xshield Free trial apiLinuxMacself-hostedWeb 7.3
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs ColorTokens Xshield
  3. 3
    Hopr Free plan Linuxself-hosted $35/mo7.1
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs Hopr
  4. 4
    Trellix Data Loss Prevention apiMacself-hostedWebWin 7.0
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs Trellix Data Loss Prevention
  5. 5
    VMware Workstation Pro Free plan Linuxself-hostedWin Free6.9
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs VMware Workstation Pro
  6. 6
    Calico Open Source Free plan Linuxself-hostedWin Free6.8
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs Calico Open Source
  7. 7
    HashiCorp Nomad apiLinuxMacself-hostedWeb 6.8
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs HashiCorp Nomad
  8. 8
    Istio Free plan LinuxMacself-hosted Free6.8
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs Istio
  9. 9
    OVN-Kubernetes apiLinuxself-hostedWin 6.7
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs OVN-Kubernetes
  10. 10
    Zentera CoIP Access Platform apiLinuxMacself-hostedWin 6.7
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs Zentera CoIP Access Platform
  11. 11
    Antrea Free plan apiLinuxself-hostedWin Free6.6
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs Antrea
  12. 12
    Cilium Free plan Linuxself-hosted Free6.6
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs Cilium
  13. 13
    Aviatrix Zero Trust for Workloads Web 6.5
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs Aviatrix Zero Trust for Workloads
  14. 14
    SUSE Multi-Linux Manager apiLinuxself-hostedWeb 6.5
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs SUSE Multi-Linux Manager
  15. 15
    Calico Enterprise Linuxself-hostedWebWin 6.4
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs Calico Enterprise
  16. 16
    Elisity Microsegmentation apiself-hostedWeb 6.4
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs Elisity Microsegmentation
  17. 17
    Zero Networks Segment apiWeb 6.3
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs Zero Networks Segment
  18. 18
    Tetrate Service Bridge apiself-hostedWeb 6.2
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs Tetrate Service Bridge
  19. 19
    Juniper Security Director self-hostedWeb 6.1
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs Juniper Security Director
  20. 20
    Illumio Segmentation LinuxWin 6.0
    VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall vs Illumio Segmentation

VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall alternatives compared

#ToolScoreFree planFromRuns on
1Zscaler Private Access7.4No—Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows
2ColorTokens Xshield7.3No—API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows
3Hopr7.1Free plan$35/moLinux, self-hosted
4Trellix Data Loss Prevention7.0No—API, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows
5VMware Workstation Pro6.9Free planFreeLinux, self-hosted, Windows
6Calico Open Source6.8Free planFreeLinux, self-hosted, Windows
7HashiCorp Nomad6.8No—API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows
8Istio6.8Free planFreeLinux, Mac, self-hosted
9OVN-Kubernetes6.7No—API, Linux, self-hosted, Windows
10Zentera CoIP Access Platform6.7No—API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
11Antrea6.6Free planFreeAPI, Linux, self-hosted, Windows
12Cilium6.6Free planFreeLinux, self-hosted
13Aviatrix Zero Trust for Workloads6.5No—Web
14SUSE Multi-Linux Manager6.5No—API, Linux, self-hosted, Web
15Calico Enterprise6.4No—Linux, self-hosted, Web, Windows
16Elisity Microsegmentation6.4No—API, self-hosted, Web
17Zero Networks Segment6.3No—API, Web
18Tetrate Service Bridge6.2No—API, self-hosted, Web
19Juniper Security Director6.1No—self-hosted, Web
20Illumio Segmentation6.0No—Linux, Windows
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Questions about VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall alternatives

What is the best alternative to VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall?

Zscaler Private Access, number 1 in microsegmentation software with a score of 7.4 out of 10. The others here: ColorTokens Xshield, Hopr, Trellix Data Loss Prevention and 16 more.

What is the best free alternative to VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall?

Hopr is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 6 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.

How are these alternatives ranked?

Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing.