Comparison conclusions:
pfSense offers paid options for additional support and features (pfSense Plus), a wider range of features and a larger community, but might have a steeper learning curve.
OPNsense provides a clean interface and built-in security features, but its community and documentation are smaller
The summary above is based on 40 interviews we conducted with pfSense and OPNsense users. To access the review's full transcripts, download our report.
"Their proxy-based inspection is responsive and secure."
"Fortinet FortiGate is a stable solution."
"The features that prevent internet connections, the filtering are the most valuable because we did not have any internet protection before."
"Fortinet FortiGate protects against internet-based threats, both internal and external. It is scalable, stable, easy to use, and easy to install."
"I really like the captive portal feature for our guest network. It has nice VLAN features in terms of separating our network. The anti-virus is also good."
"The FortiGate controls the user's activities and maximizes my bandwidth use overall."
"It's inexpensive compared to some of the other technology out there."
"The flexibility and ease of configuration are the most valuable features."
"What I like about pfSense is that it works well and runs on an inexpensive appliance."
"It is a good firewall with good performance."
"The flexibility of adding new kinds of services without spending any money can't be beaten."
"We can run it on any hardware."
"The GUI is easy to understand."
"Good basic firewall features."
"It is effective. We have not had any problems."
"The ability to create a VPN allows me to monitor branch offices from a central location."
"The solution is good for a basic firewall for a small business or for home use."
"What I like the most about OPNsense is that it offers an easy-to-use dashboard for device management and control."
"It has firewall and VPN capabilities, which are very valuable features."
"The technical support is very good."
"The feature I find most valuable, is that the program helped me to realize all the requested functionality that was needed."
"The system in general is quite flexible."
"I find the solution to be user-friendly. It has a lot of reports and easy settings."
"OPNsense is easy to scale when running on the hardware."
"I feel that the reporting needs to be improved."
"In the next release, maybe the documentation on how to use this solution could be improved."
"The cloud features can be improved."
"To the best of my knowledge, Fortinet does not have a CASB solution and Fortinet does not have a Zero trust solution."
"A couple of things I've seen that need improvement, especially in terms of a hard coding. The driver-level active moment really is out-of-the-box and we have to have contact the customer support and sometimes it is difficult to resolve."
"The central management for the FortiGate Fortinet Firewall needs improvement. They have the manager to do the essential management for both SD-WAN and for the security policy. They should also improve the SD-WAN function."
"Fortinet FortiGate could improve by adding FortiAnalyzer to its solution, we should not have to use another solution. FortiAnalyzer can provide more detailed information."
"If I had any criticism that I would give FortiGate, it would be that they need to stop changing their logging format. Every time we do a firmware upgrade, it is a massive issue on the SIM. Parsers have to be rebuilt. Even the FortiGate guys came in and said that they don't play well in the sandbox."
"The integration should be improved."
"I would like to see pfSense integrate WireGuard. Currently, pfSense uses OpenVPN, and there's nothing wrong with it, but WireGuard is a lot leaner and meaner."
"Lacks instructional videos."
"We would like to see ready-made profiles to cover most users' needs."
"The solution could use better reporting. They need to offer more of it in general. Right now, the graphics aren't the best. If you need to provide a report to a manager, for example, it doesn't look great. They need to make it easier to understand and give users the ability to customize them."
"Netgate pfSense needs to improve the configuration for a VPN."
"It requires more attention to provide a better alternative for open source to small government or educational institutions with reduced budgets in terms of technology."
"It needs to be more secure."
"The interface isn't so friendly user. But we have some technicians here who are quite confident with this tool. OPNSense could maybe add sets of rules so it's simpler to manage different groups with particular needs."
"In terms of improvement, the performance could be enhanced."
"The reporting part could be better."
"The user interface could be improved, and the DNS section should be more intuitive."
"There is room for improvement in SSL inspection."
"I would like to see better SD-WAN performance."
"The support for OPNsense is good because we have documents available on the internet. The support could improve a little."
"They should improve IPEs for security in the future."
Netgate pfSense is ranked 1st in Firewalls with 128 reviews while OPNsense is ranked 3rd in Firewalls with 36 reviews. Netgate pfSense is rated 8.6, while OPNsense is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of Netgate pfSense writes "User-friendly, easy to manage the firewall, rule-wise and interface-wise". On the other hand, the top reviewer of OPNsense writes "Robust network security and management offering a user-friendly interface, open-source flexibility, and cost-effectiveness, with challenges regarding initial setup and the absence of official support". Netgate pfSense is most compared with Sophos XG, Sophos UTM, KerioControl, Cisco Secure Firewall and WatchGuard Firebox, whereas OPNsense is most compared with Sophos XG, Untangle NG Firewall, Sophos UTM, IPFire and Cisco Secure Firewall. See our Netgate pfSense vs. OPNsense report.
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