AWS Network Firewall vs pfSense
AWS Network Firewall
aws.amazon.compfSense
pfsense.orgSide by side
| Figure | AWS Network Firewall | pfSense |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.07/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 5 |
| Spec score · Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software | 7.9 (#10) | 8.1 (#9) |
| Spec score · Network Firewall Software | 7.9 (#12) | 8.0 (#11) |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Intended users | AWS describes use cases including protecting VPC boundaries, filtering inbound and outbound traffic, and inspecting traffic between VPCs. | Netgate identifies home and remote workers, businesses, government, education, and service providers as users of pfSense Plus. |
| Purpose | AWS Network Firewall is a managed service for deploying network protections across Amazon VPCs. | pfSense is a free, open-source FreeBSD-based firewall and router distribution managed through a web interface. |
Plans
AWS Network Firewall
- Firewall endpoint$0.40 a month
- Traffic processing$0.07 a month
- Pay-as-you-goPrice not published
pfSense
- pfSense Plus SoftwarePrice not published
- pfSense Community EditionFree
- pfSense Plus CloudPriced on request
- pfSense Plus on third-party hardware$129 a year
- pfSense Plus on Netgate appliances$189, paid once
In their own words
AWS Network Firewall
AWS Network Firewall has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
pfSense
pfSense is a free, open-source firewall and router distribution based on FreeBSD, managed through a web interface. Its firewall uses stateful packet inspection and can block traffic based on policy matches. Routing features include policy-based routing, static routes, and concurrent IPv4 and IPv6 support. Security options include IDS/IPS, Snort packet analysis, Suricata rules, IP block lists, and application detection. It supports IPsec, OpenVPN, and WireGuard for site-to-site and remote-access VPNs. The software can run on selected hardware, virtual machines, and cloud instances, and is available in the Azure and AWS Marketplaces, including their US GovCloud regions. The Community Edition is free and open source. pfSense Plus on third-party hardware starts at $129 a year; on Netgate appliances it starts at $189, paid once, with the software included at no charge with an appliance. The USB installer overwrites the entire hard drive and does not support dual booting.