Free pfSense Alternatives

    The best free alternative to pfSense is OPNsense, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 10 alternatives to pfSense and 16 is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to pfSense are NethServer (Free, Open Source), IPFire (Free, Open Source), ClearOS (Free, Open Source) and ZeroShell (Free, Open Source).

    The list of alternatives was last updated Jul 21, 2020
    pfSense info, screenshots & reviewsAlternatives to pfSense
    • 24 alternatives
    •  16 showing

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    • Online
    • BSD
    • VirtualBox
    • CentOS
    • VMware vSphere Hypervisor
    • OpenWrt
    • Microsoft Hyper-V Server
    • Proxmox Virtual Environment
    • LEDE - Linux Embedded Development Environment
    • Windows

    Features

    • VPN
    • Gateway
    • Proxy
    • Networking
    • Openvpn
    • Operating system
    • Web filter
    • Virtualization
    • Web Server
    • Load balancing
    • Email Server
    • Mesh network
    • User Management
    • DNS Server
    • Command line interface
    • DHCP Server
    • Distributed
    • Active Directory integration
    • Block ads

    License

    × Clear
    • Free
    • Open Source
    • Paid
    All Filters

    • OPNsense

      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. View 13 alternatives to OPNsense
      Almost everyone thinks OPNsense is a great alternative to pfSense.
      • Free • Open Source
      • Self-Hosted
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      OPNsense vs pfSense
      pros, cons and recent comments
      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 • about 4 years ago

      1
      OPNSense has the lost features in pfSense.
      Positive comment • over 4 years ago

      -5

    • NethServer

      NethServer is an operating system for Linux enthusiasts, designed for small offices and medium enterprises. View 13 alternatives to NethServer
      Some users think NethServer is a great alternative to pfSense, some don't.
      • Free • Open Source
      • Linux
      • Self-Hosted
      • CentOS
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      NethServer vs pfSense
      pros, cons and recent comments
      Aas Multi purpose server. Not just firewall.
      Top positive comment  over 2 years ago

      3
      It's main function (server) does not match pfSense (firewall)
      Top negative comment  almost 2 years ago

      7
      pfSense is a firewall and router, NethServer is a Linux server platform for running other types of services
      Negative comment • about 1 month ago

      0
      An orange is not like a piece of cheese
      Negative comment • about 2 months ago

      0
      atomicwrites pfSense is a dedicated firewall but this is a general turnkey server.
      Negative comment • 3 months ago

      0

    • IPFire

      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. View 11 alternatives to IPFire
      Almost everyone thinks IPFire is a great alternative to pfSense.
      • Free • Open Source
      • Linux
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    • ClearOS

      ClearOS is a family of operating systems for the enterprise, small business, and home. View 27 alternatives to ClearOS
      Some users think ClearOS is a great alternative to pfSense, some don't.
      • Free • Open Source
      • Linux
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    • ZeroShell

      Zeroshell is a Linux distribution for servers and embedded devices aimed at providing the main network services a LAN requires. View 8 alternatives to ZeroShell
      Almost everyone thinks ZeroShell is a great alternative to pfSense.

      Discontinued

      From the Zeroshell website (translated from Italian to English)

      Disposal of the Zeroshell project

      The 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

      • Free • Open Source
      • Linux
      • Self-Hosted
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    • LibreMesh

      LibreMesh is a set of modules extending the OpenWrt router distribution to create self-configuring wireless and wired mesh networks. View 21 alternatives to LibreMesh
      No screenshots yet
      • Free • Proprietary
      • Linux
      • OpenWrt
      • LEDE - Linux Embedded Development Environment
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    • Sophos XG Firewall

      A modern replacement for Sophos UTM based on Sophos, Cyberoam and Astaro technology combined. View 8 alternatives to Sophos XG Firewall
      • Free Personal • Proprietary
      • Self-Hosted
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    • IPCop

      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. View 12 alternatives to IPCop
      Almost everyone thinks IPCop is a great alternative to pfSense.

      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.

      • Free • Open Source
      • Linux
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      IPCop vs pfSense
      pros, cons and recent comments
      Low HW needs, easy to use.
      Positive comment • over 1 year ago

      0

    • OpenWISP

      OpenWISP is a software platform that can be used to implement a complete public wifi service. View 10 alternatives to OpenWISP
      No screenshots yet
      • Free • Open Source
      • Linux
      • Self-Hosted
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    • Smoothwall

      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... View 16 alternatives to Smoothwall

      Discontinued

      The site says the last release was October 2014.

      • Free • Open Source
      • Linux
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    Showing 10 of 16 alternatives