pfSense is Best of Breed and Least Expensive
Updated May 21, 2025
pfSense is Best of Breed and Least Expensive
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Software Version
pfSense Plus (formerly pfSense Enterprise)
Modules Used
- pfSens Pluss
- Open VPN Client Export
- pfBlogerNG
Overall Satisfaction with pfSense
I have been using pfSense of over 15 years and have been extremely happy with it. I have use CISCO routers, Fortigate, SonicWAll, Ubiquiti UniFi and others, and the pfSense CE edition has more features and is is much easier to use while providing EXCELLENT protection. I have 18 pfSense CE versions running now on virtual or my on SuperMicro hardware at my hone and my servers at the WOW colocation facility in Tampa, FL and recommend it to all of my clients. I have upgraded many of them to pfSense Pluss which is $129 and fully supported by the Netgate team. (support hours additional $) It has more reliable updates and code than the CE edition. I HIGHLY recommend it.
Pros
- Fully configurable custom, automated or combines outbound NAT
- Floating rules that are applied before all others
- Very easy to GUI
- Logs for everything easily viewable in GUI
- Advanced or Wizard configuration for almost everything
Cons
- Some third party packages may not work with current version.
- + It is extremely Secure in Plus Version, inexpensive, can be virtualized
- + It runs on any server hardware
- + While being the best of the breed, it is also the least expensive
- - The CE version is open source, possibly giving hackers a way to figure out vulnarabilities
- + The Pluss version is NOT all opens source
- Cisco 1000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 1000) and Fortinet FortiGate
Cisco is too complex to configure unless you are a security guru. Seme with Fortinet
Do you think pfSense delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with pfSense's feature set?
Yes
Did pfSense live up to sales and marketing promises?
Yes
Did implementation of pfSense go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy pfSense again?
Yes
pfSense Feature Ratings
Evaluating pfSense and Competitors
Yes - Cisco. I replaced it because I could not configure a secure rulset that provided access to needed services while blocking attack pointa
- Ease of Use
pfSense+ along with provided add-on apps gave the protection and flexibility I needed.
I would not
pfSense Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response | Difficult to get immediate help Need to explain problems multiple times |
I purchased the basic $139 package for my home lab and the intermediate Pro version for my systems at a co-location facility. I did not purchase enterprise because I don't need phone support. I like the record in email.
Using an intel i226 chip win a whitebox system
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