IPFire vs OPNsense
IPFire
ipfire.org
OPNsense
opnsense.orgSide by side
| Figure | IPFire | OPNsense |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $91.58/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 6 |
| Spec score · Firewall Software | 9.3 (#2) | 9.5 (#1) |
| Spec score · Network Firewall Software | 9.0 (#1) | 9.0 (#2) |
| Spec score · Virtual Routers Software | 9.1 (#1) | 8.8 (#3) |
| Spec score · Virtual Private Network Software | 9.1 (#4) | 9.0 (#10) |
| Spec score · Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software | 9.0 (#3) | 9.1 (#2) |
| Company facts | LinkedIn describes IPFire as a nonprofit computer and network-security organization headquartered in Datteln, Germany, founded in 2004, with a stated size of 51–200 employees. | Deciso's LinkedIn page lists headquarters in Middelharnis, 11–50 employees, and a 2000 founding year. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Intrusion prevention | The built-in IPS performs deep packet inspection against signatures and suspicious-behaviour indicators. | Inline intrusion prevention uses Suricata and Proofpoint Emerging Threats rules, with optional ET PRO subscriptions. |
| Licence | IPFire is free software distributed under GPLv3, while included components must use an approved open-source licence. | OPNsense code is released under the OSI-approved BSD 2-Clause Simplified licence, allowing modification and redistribution subject to its conditions. |
| Rating on G2 | 5.0 out of 5 from 1 review. | 4.8 out of 5 from 5 reviews. |
| Security updates | Core Update 204 was released on October 14, 2026 to update the operating system and fix a Knot Resolver migration regression. | OPNsense provides weekly security updates and follows a cycle of two major releases annually. |
| Support | Lightning Wire Labs offers professional support, and the project points users to documentation, community forums, mailing lists, and a bug tracker. | Commercial support offers network-design advice, issue solving, and custom development for an annual fee. |
| VPN | IPFire supports IPsec, WireGuard, and OpenVPN for site-to-site or remote access VPNs. | Built-in VPN support covers IPsec, OpenVPN, and pluggable Tinc and WireGuard implementations. |
| What it does | IPFire is a hardened Linux operating system functioning as a stateful firewall, VPN gateway, intrusion-prevention platform and extensible network appliance. | OPNsense is a FreeBSD-based open-source firewall and routing platform administered through a web interface. |
Plans
IPFire
- IPFireFree
- IPFire softwareFree
- IPFire Nano Appliance$749, paid once
- IPFire Mini Appliance (US)$979, paid once
- IPFire Standard Support$1,099 a year
- IPFire Enterprise Appliance (US)$4,299, paid once
OPNsense
- Business EditionPrice not published
- Business Edition 3YrPrice not published
- Community EditionFree
- OPNsense Business Edition 1yr subscription€149 a year
- OPNsense Business Edition (3Yr)€399, paid once
- OPNsense Business Edition 3Yr€399 a year
In their own words
IPFire
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.
OPNsense
OPNsense is an open-source firewall and routing platform based on FreeBSD, available for self-hosted, web, and API use. Its stateful firewall supports IPv4 and IPv6 and provides live views of passed and blocked traffic. VPN integrations include IPsec, OpenVPN, Tinc, and WireGuard. CARP supports automatic hardware failover with state synchronization, and inline intrusion prevention uses Suricata with Proofpoint Emerging Threats Open rules. The modular Model View Controller framework supports extensions and API functionality. Authentication options include LDAP, Active Directory, RADIUS, captive portal authentication, and 802.1X through a plugin. Community Edition is free at free under the 2-clause BSD license, and installation is limited to x86-64 architecture. Official setup guides cover AWS images, OVA images, and an Azure Virtual Appliance. Business subscriptions add commercial features and support; listed prices are €149 a year or €399 a year for three years. The project began in 2014 as a fork of pfSense and m0n0wall, with its first official release in January 2015.