The Best Free pfSense AlternativesTop Firewalls & VPN Services like pfSense
The best free alternative to pfSense is OPNsense, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to pfSense and many of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to pfSense are ClearOS, NethServer, IPFire and Endian Firewall Community.
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pfSense alternatives are mainly Firewalls but may also be VPN Services or Router Custom Firmware. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of pfSense.
17 OPNsense alternativesOPNsense 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.
OPNsense Features
- Two-factor Authentication
- Privacy focused
- Geofencing
- Web filter
- Encrypted VPN
- Load balancing
OPNsense VS pfSense
Is OPNsense a good alternative to pfSense?
26 ClearOS alternativesClearOS 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.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Linux
ClearOS Features
- Spam Filter
- Web-Based
- Gateway
- PhpMyAdmin
ClearOS VS pfSense
Is ClearOS a good alternative to pfSense?
11 NethServer alternativesNethServer is a CentOS-based Linux distribution for servers. The product's main feature is a modular design which makes it simple to turn the distribution into a mail server and filter, web server, groupware, firewall, web filter, IPS/IDS or VPN server.
NethServer Features
- OpenVPN
- Active Directory integration
- Gateway
- Web filter
- Linux-based
NethServer VS pfSense
Is NethServer a good alternative to pfSense?Comments about NethServer as an Alternative to pfSense
AasMulti purpose server. Not just firewall.
3It's main function (server) does not match pfSense (firewall)
6pfSense is a firewall and router, NethServer is a Linux server platform for running other types of services
0An orange is not like a piece of cheese
-1atomicwritespfSense is a dedicated firewall but this is a general turnkey server.
0
13 IPFire alternativesIPFire 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.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Linux
IPFire Features
- DHCP Server
- DNS Server
IPFire VS pfSense
Is IPFire a good alternative to pfSense?
18 Endian Firewall Community alternativesEndian 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...
License model
- Free Personal • Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Linux
Endian Firewall Community Features
- Security focused
- Email security
- Network activity
- Gateway
Endian Firewall Community VS pfSense
Is this a good alternative to pfSense?
10 ZeroShell alternativesZeroshell is a Linux distribution for servers and embedded devices aimed at providing the main network services a LAN requires. It is available in the form of Live CD or Compact Flash image and you can configure and administer it using your web browser.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Linux
- Self-Hosted
ZeroShell Features
- DHCP Server
- DNS Server
- Load balancing
DiscontinuedFrom the Zeroshell website (translated from Italian to English)Disposal of the Zeroshell projectThe project has now reached the end of its life. Zeroshell was born in June 2006 and has over 200,000 installations worldwide. Any security updates will be guaranteed until September 30, 2021. I thank everyone who believed and contributed in various ways to improving the project. The zeroshell.org domain will be divested or sold on September 30, 2021
ZeroShell VS pfSense
Is ZeroShell a good alternative to pfSense?
12 IPCop alternativesIPCop 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...
DiscontinuedThe 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
Is IPCop a good alternative to pfSense?Comments about IPCop as an Alternative to pfSense
Low HW needs, easy to use.
0
21 LibreMesh alternativesLibreMesh is a set of modules extending the OpenWrt router distribution to create self-configuring wireless and wired mesh networks.
License model
- Free • Proprietary
Platforms
- Linux
- OpenWrt
- LEDE - Linux Embedded Development Environment
LibreMesh Features
- Decentralized
- Based on Debian
- Mesh network
- Distributed
LibreMesh VS pfSense
Is LibreMesh a good alternative to pfSense?
10 OpenWISP alternativesOpenWISP is a software platform that can be used to implement a complete public wifi service.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
Platforms
- Linux
- Self-Hosted
OpenWISP Features
- User Management
- Mesh network
OpenWISP VS pfSense
Is OpenWISP a good alternative to pfSense?
Comments about OPNsense as an Alternative to pfSense
Read this: https://teklager.se/en/pfsense-vs-opnsense/ Especially the part under "Politics, drama & bad blood between the two projects"
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.
OPNSense has the lost features in pfSense.