OPNsense vs SonicWall Network Security Manager
OPNsense
opnsense.orgSonicWall Network Security Manager
sonicwall.comSide by side
| Figure | OPNsense | SonicWall Network Security Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 1 |
| Spec score · Firewall Software | 9.5 (#1) | 8.1 (#24) |
| API | OPNsense exposes HTTP GET and POST API endpoints using module/controller/command paths and JSON payloads. | SonicWall's NSM documentation includes an API Support section. |
| Founded | 2014 | 1991 |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Headquarters | Middelharnis, the Netherlands | Milpitas, California, USA |
| Support | Commercial support offers network-design advice, issue solving, and custom development for an annual fee. | SonicWall provides a support portal with knowledge base, technical documentation, community resources, and video tutorials. |
Plans
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
SonicWall Network Security Manager
- Centralized management and alertingFree
In their own words
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.
SonicWall Network Security Manager
SonicWall Network Security Manager (NSM) centralizes management of SonicWall firewalls, with reporting and analytics for teams overseeing distributed environments. It surfaces risks and misconfigurations and provides real-time visibility into firewall activity. Credential Auditor checks firewall passwords and keys against publicly known breached-credential databases; Configuration Auditor compares settings with best practices, and encrypted backups preserve configurations. Teams can remediate passwords and TOTP keys across firewall fleets in one action. Advanced search supports multi-column queries, logical operators, saved searches, and custom reports.
NSM is offered as a cloud service or as an on-premises console deployable on KVM, ESXi, Hyper-V, and Azure. NSM Cloud is delivered through SonicWall Unified Management and can correlate events across the SonicWall ecosystem using SAMI. On-premises subscriptions are available for 1, 3, or 5 years; the base license covers configuration management for up to five firewalls, without reporting or analytics. Reporting and analytics retention varies by license. Centralized management and alerting is free, included with SonicWall firewall support; reporting, logging, analytics, and forensics may require a security suite or add-on.