Free pfSense AlternativesFirewalls & VPN Services like pfSense

Alternatives list

1. 

   

   OPNsense

    73 likes

   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.

   20 OPNsense alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source

   Application typeApplication types

   • Firewall
   • Router Custom Firmware

   Origin

   • Netherlands
   • EU

   Since

   • Since 2015

   Platforms

   • Self-Hosted

   • Netherlands
   • EU

   

   

   

   +5

   

   More about OPNsense  

   

   Good alternative?Is OPNsense a good alternative to pfSense?

    

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   3comments

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   OPNsense vs pfSense Comments

   Positive comment by Zazucki · Mar 18, 2022

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

   Positive comment by Guest · May 19, 2017

   Stability is the in the center of OPNsense distribution. To achieve this goal, only a limited number of plugins are available, but they are well tested and upgraded together with the core.

   Positive comment by Guest · Oct 30, 2016

   OPNSense has the lost features in pfSense.

   3 of 3 comments

   

   

   • OPNsense is Free and Open SourcepfSense is Freemium and Open Source
   • OPNsense is Privacy focused and LightweightpfSense is not according to our users
2. 

   

   IPFire

    20 likes

   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.

   14 IPFire alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source

   Application typeApplication types

   • Firewall
   • VPN

   Since

   • Since 2011

   Platforms

   • Linux

   

   More about IPFire  

   

   Good alternative?Is IPFire a good alternative to pfSense?

    
4. 

   

   ClearOS

    72 likes

   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.

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source

   Application typeApplication types

   • Firewall
   • Operating System

   Origin

   • United States

   Since

   • Since 2010

   Platforms

   • Linux

   • United States

   

   

   

   More about ClearOS  

   

   Good alternative?Is ClearOS a good alternative to pfSense?

    
5. 

   

   Endian Firewall Community

    21 likes

   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...

   Cost / License

   • Free Personal
   • Open Source

   Application typeApplication types

   • Firewall
   • VPN

   Origin

   • Italy
   • EU

   Since

   • Since 2010

   Platforms

   • Linux

   • Italy
   • EU

   

   

   

   More about Endian Firewall Community  

   

   Good alternative?Is this a good alternative to pfSense?

    
6. 

   

   Sophos XG Firewall

    3 likes

   A modern replacement for Sophos UTM based on Sophos, Cyberoam and Astaro technology combined.

   Cost / License

   • Free Personal
   • Proprietary

   Application type

   • Firewall

   Origin

   • United Kingdom

   Since

   • Since 2017

   Platforms

   • Self-Hosted

   • United Kingdom

   

   

   More about Sophos XG Firewall  

   

   Good alternative?Is Sophos XG Firewall a good alternative to pfSense?

    
8. 

   

   Smoothwall

    13 likes

   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.

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source

   Application type

   • Firewall

   Origin

   • United Kingdom

   Since

   • Since 2009

   Alerts

   • Discontinued

   Platforms

   • Linux

   • United Kingdom

   

   

   

   More about Smoothwall  

   

   Good alternative?Is Smoothwall a good alternative to pfSense?

    
9. 

   

   Secure Programmable Router

    4 likes

   A secure, open-source WiFi router that simplifies network management with easy-to-use policies, device isolation, adblock and advanced DNS controls - customizable with plugins for added flexibility.

   14 Secure Programmable Router alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Freemium
   • Open Source (BSD-3-Clause)

   Application typeApplication types

   • VPN
   • Firewall

   Origin

   • United States

   Since

   • Since 2024

   Platforms

   • iPhone
   • Self-Hosted
   • Raspberry Pi
   • Docker

   • United States

   

   

   

   +5

   

   More about Secure Programmable Router  

   

   Good alternative?Is this a good alternative to pfSense?

    
10. 

    

    NethServer

     34 likes

    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.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

    Application typeApplication types

    • VPN
    • Web Server

    Origin

    • Italy
    • EU

    Since

    • Since 2015

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted

    • Italy
    • EU

    

    

    

    +2

    

    More about NethServer  

    

    Good alternative?Is NethServer a good alternative to pfSense?

     

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    5comments

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    NethServer vs pfSense Comments

    Negative comment by Guest · May 3, 2021

    pfSense is a firewall and router, NethServer is a Linux server platform for running other types of services

    Negative comment by Guest · Apr 27, 2021

    An orange is not like a piece of cheese

    Negative comment by atomicwrites · Mar 28, 2021

    pfSense is a dedicated firewall but this is a general turnkey server.

    3 of 5 comments

    

    

    • NethServer is Freemium and Open SourcepfSense is also Freemium and Open Source
    • NethServer is a VPN pfSense is a Firewall
    • NethServer is Privacy focusedpfSense is not according to our users
11. 

    

    IPCop

     14 likes

    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...

    11 IPCop alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    • Firewall

    Origin

    • Germany
    • EU

    Since

    • Since 2009

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux

    • Germany
    • EU

    

    

    

    More about IPCop  

    

    Good alternative?Is IPCop a good alternative to pfSense?

     

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    1comment

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    Discontinued

    The project seems to be no longer updated. Last version, 2.1.9, released in February 2015, can be still downloaded from the official website.

    IPCop vs pfSense Comments

    Positive comment by Guest · Nov 7, 2019

    Low HW needs, easy to use.

    1 of 1 comments

    

    

    • IPCop is Free and Open SourcepfSense is Freemium and Open Source
12. 

    

    OpenWISP

     11 likes

    OpenWISP is a free and open-source platform for efficient IT network deployment, monitoring & management. It allows automation of many aspects of networks: from configuration to monitoring, RADIUS, hotspots, mesh and firmware upgrades, all backed by the reliability of the...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    • Wi-Fi Hotspot

    Origin

    • Italy
    • EU

    Since

    • Since 2017

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted

    • Italy
    • EU

    

    

    

    +2

    

    More about OpenWISP  

    

    Good alternative?Is OpenWISP a good alternative to pfSense?

     
13. 

    

    LibreMesh

     20 likes

    LibreMesh is a set of modules extending the OpenWrt router distribution to create self-configuring wireless and wired mesh networks.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (AGPL-3.0)

    Since

    • Since 2016

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • OpenWrt
    • LEDE - Linux Embedded Development Environment

    

    Good alternative?Is LibreMesh a good alternative to pfSense?

     
14. 

    

    CacheGuard Gateway

     7 likes

    CacheGuard Gateway is a free, open-source network security appliance for startups, growing businesses, and SMEs/SMBs that need enterprise-grade protection without the complexity or cost.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    • Firewall

    Origin

    • France
    • EU

    Since

    • Since 2016

    Platforms

    • VirtualBox
    • Self-Hosted
    • VMware vSphere Hypervisor
    • Microsoft Hyper-V Server
    • Proxmox Virtual Environment

    • France
    • EU

    

    

    

    More about CacheGuard Gateway  

    

    Good alternative?Is CacheGuard Gateway a good alternative to pfSense?