Algo VPN vs IPFire

Algo VPN is a set of Ansible scripts for creating a personal WireGuard and IPsec VPN. It can be deployed to listed cloud providers, including DigitalOcean, Amazon Lightsail and EC2, Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine, and others, or to an Ubuntu server managed by an advanced user. The listed server platform is Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. Algo supports IKEv2 and WireGuard, and generates WireGuard configuration files and QR codes for iOS, macOS, Android, and Windows clients, plus Apple profiles for IPsec. Helper scripts let administrators add or remove users after deployment. Optional features include ad blocking through a local DNS resolver and limited SSH users for tunneling. The project says it minimizes logging by default and automatically rotates and deletes logs after seven days. However, cloud providers may see network traffic metadata, and an ISP can see a connection to the VPN server. Algo does not claim to provide anonymity or censorship avoidance. It is free and distributed under the AGPLv3, but cloud infrastructure costs are separate. Its local installation guide warns that it overwrites firewall rules and has no uninstall option, so deployment is intended for a dedicated VPN server.

IPFire is a free, open-source firewall and security platform for networks from home offices to global enterprises. Its Linux Netfilter-based firewall supports network zones, port forwarding, NAT, and stateful packet inspection. VPN options include IPsec, WireGuard, and OpenVPN for site-to-site or remote access. A Suricata-powered intrusion prevention system detects and blocks malicious traffic using updated rule sets. IPFire includes a Squid web proxy with optional URL filtering through URLFilter or SquidGuard, and uses Red, Green, Blue, and Orange zones for roles such as trusted networks, DMZs, and Wi-Fi. Its web interface monitors bandwidth, connections, and intrusion attempts. Proxy authentication can use Microsoft Windows Active Directory, LDAP, or RADIUS. The download page offers x86_64 and aarch64 images for bare metal, virtual machines, embedded hardware, USB sticks, and SD cards; cloud images are available for AWS, Exoscale, and other providers. The project says it releases frequent security updates. Documentation, forums, mailing lists, and a bug tracker are available, and Lightning Wire Labs offers professional support.