OPNsense includes most of the features available in expensive commercial firewalls, and more in many cases. It brings the rich feature set of commercial offerings with the benefits of open and verifiable sources.




pfSense is described as 'Free and open source firewall and router that also features unified threat management, load balancing, multi WAN, and more' and is a very popular Firewall in the security & privacy category. There are more than 25 alternatives to pfSense for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Self-Hosted, Web-based, iPhone and BSD apps. The best pfSense alternative is OPNsense, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like pfSense are IPFire, MikroTik RouterOS, Sophos UTM and ClearOS.
OPNsense includes most of the features available in expensive commercial firewalls, and more in many cases. It brings the rich feature set of commercial offerings with the benefits of open and verifiable sources.




IPFire is a server distribution with intended to use as a firewall. It focuses on flexibility, and scales from small to middle sized business networks and home networks.

Linux-based system converts standard PCs into customizable routers, featuring advanced firewall, VPN server and client, bandwidth control, QoS, wireless AP, captive portal, remote management, industry protocol support, automation, and scalable licensing for network needs.

Sophos UTM integrates complete security software within a single appliance. Choose only the protection you need when you need it. And deploy it on the platform that best fits your business: software, hardware or virtual appliance.



ClearOS is a family of operating systems for the enterprise, small business, and home. There are three editions to choose from depending on your needs and suitable to your abilities. They are: ClearOS Enterprise, ClearOS Home, and ClearOS Core.



NethServer is an application manager for Linux servers. The product's main feature is the ability to easily and quickly install and manage instances of applications over multiple nodes. It allows users to deploy services, like [Nextcloud](https://alternativeto.




Endian Firewall Community (EFW) is a "turn-key" linux security distribution that turns every system into a full featured security appliance with Unified Threat Management (UTM) functionality. The software has been designed with "usability in mind" and is very...



VyOS is a community fork of Vyatta , a Linux-based network operating system that provides software-based network routing, firewall, and VPN functionality.

The SmoothWall Open Source Project was set up to develop and maintain SmoothWall Express - a Free firewall that includes its own security-hardened GNU/Linux operating system and an easy-to-use web interface.



DynFi® Firewall is the first French Open Source firewall. The system integrates many filtering features and allows for the first time to manage a large number of your appliances. Available for free, DynFi Firewall has two images (with VGA or Serial return) compatible with...




Vilfo OS is an easy and powerful software enabling multiple simultaneous connections to VPN servers. It contains firewall, split tunneling, DNS leak protection, VPN killswitch, notifications and much more.



IPCop Firewall is a Linux firewall distribution geared towards home and SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) users. The IPCop interface is very user-friendly and task-based. IPCop offers the critical functionality of an expensive network appliance using stock, or even obsolete...



Read this: https://teklager.se/en/pfsense-vs-opnsense/ Especially the part under "Politics, drama & bad blood between the two projects"