Firewalla vs pfSense
Firewalla
firewalla.compfSense
pfsense.orgSide by side
| Figure | Firewalla | pfSense |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 5 |
| Spec score · Network Firewall Software | 7.7 (#14) | 8.0 (#11) |
| Intended users | Firewalla says its Gold Series is optimized for larger and faster networks, while Orange and Purple models are optimized for smaller networks. | Netgate identifies home and remote workers, businesses, government, education, and service providers as users of pfSense Plus. |
| Purpose | Firewalla describes its products as network security appliances for professional users seeking visibility, policy control, segmentation, VPN, threat protection, and ongoing network management. | pfSense is a free, open-source FreeBSD-based firewall and router distribution managed through a web interface. |
| Support | Firewalla accepts support cases and email, says it usually responds in less than 48 hours, and does not offer phone or chat support. | Netgate Global Support covers installation, deployment, and configuration issues, and is available for self-installed and virtual pfSense software. |
Plans
Firewalla
- Firewalla Purple SE$289, paid once
- Firewalla Orange$399, paid once
- Firewalla Gold SE$519, paid once
- Firewalla Gold Plus$629, paid once
- Firewalla Gold Plus SFP$779, paid once
- Firewalla Gold Pro$939, paid once
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
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.