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Netgate pfSense vs Untangle NG Firewall comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
5.9
Netgate pfSense provides significant ROI with cost-effectiveness, eliminating license fees, ideal for small to mid-sized companies replacing costly systems.
Sentiment score
6.5
Untangle NG Firewall saves users time and money, simplifies management, enhances security, and offers substantial ROI through scalable solutions.
It's very favorable to have the inclusion of firewall, VPN, and router functionalities.
Owner at SimpleIT
Compared to what we were doing with Sophos, it provides a great value financially and in terms of time savings.
Director of IT at a religious institution with 51-200 employees
I have seen a return on investment with cost savings after implementing Netgate pfSense, as other firewalls would cost me lakhs of rupees while pfSense is free.
Information Technology Infrastructure Manager at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
My ability to monetize it as a gateway security appliance to offer enhanced service offerings allows me to increase our price point.
Service Delivery Manager at CasCom
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.8
Netgate pfSense receives praise for effective support, though some users experience slow responses; forums often suffice for troubleshooting.
Sentiment score
5.6
Untangle NG Firewall's support is responsive but faces challenges with time zones, expertise, resources, and documentation improvements.
When we're down, that's $8000 an hour on a $1500 firewall.
Chief information security officer at Center for Information Management, Inc.
The support is prompt and effective, making it well worth the investment.
Owner at GroupGates, LLC
Even when they're in the middle of deploying a new version, I've reached out and received a download link within five minutes.
Senior Network Engineer at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
They're able to remotely manage the devices if necessary for support.
Service Delivery Manager at CasCom
I use official documentation, guides, or manuals for Untangle NG Firewall.
Information Technology System Administrator at Ίδρυμα Ευγενίδου / Eugenides Foundation
They got back to me pretty quickly, the response time was fast, and they're knowledgeable.
Director of Information Technology at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.6
Netgate pfSense is highly scalable for SMBs, supporting high user counts and complex configurations depending on hardware choices.
Sentiment score
6.3
Untangle NG Firewall is versatile, scalable, and suitable for both large enterprises and small businesses, supporting varied user demands.
The next step up now is to the 4100, which gives you an additional preconfigured WAN port that allows you to easily separate networks.
CIO and President at Aim High! Inc.
Netgate doesn't come anywhere close to the scalability that its competitors do.
Chief information security officer at Center for Information Management, Inc.
Due to the absence of a single pane of glass management feature, scaling out pfSense becomes quite challenging.
Technical Project Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Since it can be put on any box, the scalability is fantastic.
Service Delivery Manager at CasCom
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
Netgate pfSense is highly stable, with users attributing minimal issues to hardware rather than the firewall, ensuring reliable performance.
Sentiment score
8.4
Untangle NG Firewall is praised for stability and reliability, experiencing minor issues but no major disruptions, suitable for large-scale administration.
Netgate pfSense rates a 10 for stability, and I have experienced no issues there.
Workday Reporting & Analytics Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Otherwise, I've never seen one have a problem. It's just rock solid.
Chief information security officer at Center for Information Management, Inc.
It has been running for four years now without any issues.
Director Solutions Architecture and Business Development at Puma Cybersystems, Inc.
I would rate the stability and reliability of Untangle NG Firewall as a ten.
Information Technology System Administrator at Ίδρυμα Ευγενίδου / Eugenides Foundation
I haven't had to mess with it too much; it's pretty stable.
Director of Information Technology at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Netgate pfSense requires better centralized management, an updated user interface, improved security integrations, and enhanced documentation for ease of use.
Untangle NG Firewall needs improved support, a streamlined console, and enhanced features like web filtering, mobile access, and reporting.
I need to speak to someone immediately.
Owner at GroupGates, LLC
You could add AI for troubleshooting with Netgate pfSense because it will be easier for new engineers.
Network & Security Engineer at Arrow PC Network Pvt Ltd
I would like to have the ability to control all my devices from one place.
CIO and President at Aim High! Inc.
The user interface, training, and general product innovation need improvement.
Service Delivery Manager at CasCom
I haven't dug into the advanced features, but I think some of the advanced capabilities are probably where it lacks a little bit, with the filtering and firewall rules.
Director of Information Technology at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
I would like to improve the ad blocker and SSL Inspector by having more settings in the filters, cookie filters, and pass lists.
Information Technology System Administrator at Ίδρυμα Ευγενίδου / Eugenides Foundation
 

Setup Cost

Netgate pfSense is affordable, offering open-source and paid versions with robust features and competitive hardware pricing.
Untangle NG Firewall's modular pricing varies with setup size, offering cost-effective open-source options and flexible enterprise packages.
The cost of the 3500 was closer to $4,000.
CIO and President at Aim High! Inc.
I don't always seek the cheapest or most expensive option but rather the best value for my investment.
IT Supervisor at a consumer goods company with 11-50 employees
The total cost of ownership is very low.
Technical Project Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
It's less expensive, especially because it has a lot of the pieces integrated into the firewall, so you get savings on that front.
Director of Information Technology at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
It is not very expensive, so it is affordable for my budget.
Information Technology System Administrator at Ίδρυμα Ευγενίδου / Eugenides Foundation
 

Valuable Features

Netgate pfSense offers reliable VPN and firewall features, user-friendly management, flexibility, cost-effectiveness, scalability, and strong community support.
Untangle NG Firewall provides versatile security features, easy setup, and centralized management, ideal for small businesses on generic hardware.
pfSense's flexibility is great. If you don't have the money to buy the NetGate hardware, anything works with it. You can toss it on any low-end piece of hardware or virtualize it if you choose to virtualize it.
Senior Network Administrator at Elite Computers
We have multiple VLANs, and with assistance, it was easy to get everything set up and running in our organization the way we needed it to.
Director of IT at a religious institution with 51-200 employees
We had downtime before pfSense. We've never gone down using the solution.
Head of IT at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The ease of use and the built-in and integrated features, including the apps that include OpenVPN, IPsec, and WireGuard VPN, are all built straight into Untangle NG Firewall.
Director of Information Technology at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
The all-in-one gateway security functions and the ability to install it on generic equipment stand out.
Service Delivery Manager at CasCom
The most useful features of Untangle NG Firewall are the firewall and bandwidth control capabilities.
Information Technology System Administrator at Ίδρυμα Ευγενίδου / Eugenides Foundation
 

Categories and Ranking

Netgate pfSense
Ranking in Firewalls
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
221
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Untangle NG Firewall
Ranking in Firewalls
32nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
Unified Threat Management (UTM) (11th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Netgate pfSense is 7.4%, down from 11.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Untangle NG Firewall is 1.0%, down from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Netgate pfSense7.4%
Untangle NG Firewall1.0%
Other91.6%
Firewalls
 

Featured Reviews

JA
Principal Cloud Architect - Software Engineer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Rapid VPN setup has connected offices in minutes and brings live insights for proactive issue control
What I appreciate the most about Netgate pfSense is the ease and straightforward nature of the platform. I can set up a new office in less than 10 minutes. The benefits of using Netgate pfSense are that I can set up VPNs in less than two to three minutes, and then just deploy the file across my networks, where everybody would be connected in less than an hour. The dashboards of Netgate pfSense bring all the necessary information that I need at a glance, and it is actually a live update every three to five seconds. It is spotless, and I have been able to catch issues before they hit operations.
Gary-Downey - PeerSpot reviewer
Director of Information Technology at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Has provided built-in VPN tools and reporting features that streamline remote access and monitoring tasks
We do an outside-sourced threat prevention regarding the Threat Prevention features. I haven't run into areas that could be improved or cons versus pros for Untangle NG Firewall. I haven't done anything too advanced when it comes to the filtering, so I'm not sure what can be improved or added. I haven't dug into the advanced features, but I think some of the advanced capabilities are probably where it lacks a little bit, with the filtering and firewall rules. These areas could be improved to make it a nine out of 10 or a 10 out of 10 for overall rating.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
12%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Comms Service Provider
17%
Construction Company
10%
University
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business171
Midsize Enterprise33
Large Enterprise29
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business26
Midsize Enterprise1
 

Questions from the Community

Help me find the best open source router
You don't really specify what type of router you are looking for but if you are talking about a gateway router I recommend PFSense. This software solutions can be installed on youf own hardware or ...
How do I choose between Fortinet FortiGate and pfSense?
Fortinet’s Fortigate is a firewall solution we use and are very much satisfied with its performance. We find Fortigate both cost-effective and efficient. One of the features we like most is that Fo...
What is the difference between PfSense and OPNsense?
Two of the most common and well recognized firewalls, PfSense and OPNsense both support site-to-site IPsec VPN and client, Open VPN and client, and PPTP client. Both also have intrusion detection a...
What needs improvement with Untangle NG Firewall?
I would appreciate improvements to the ad blocker and SSL Inspector of Untangle NG Firewall.
What is your primary use case for Untangle NG Firewall?
My usual use cases for Untangle NG Firewall are just like a firewall and router. The main purpose is for firewall functionality. It has a captive portal, web filter, virus blocker, spam blocker, ba...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Nerds On Site Inc., RKC Development Inc., Expertech, Fisher's Technology, Ncisive, Consulting, CPURX, Vaughn's Computer House Calls, Imeretech LLC, Digital Crisis, Carolina Digital Phone, Technigogo Technology Services, The Simple Solution, SwiftecITInc, Rocky Mountain Tech Team, Free Range Geeks, Alaska Computer Geeks, Lark Information Technology, Renaissance Systems Inc., Cutting Edge Computers, Caretech LLC, GoVanguard, Network Touch Ltd, P.C. Solutions.Net, Vision Voice and Data Systems LLC, Montgomery Technologies, Techforce, Concero Networks, ASONInc, CPS Electronics and Consulting, Darkwire.net LLC, IT Specialists, MBS-Net Inc., VOICE1 LLC, Advantage Networking Inc., Powerhouse Systems, Doxa Multimedia Inc., Pro Computer Service, Virtual IT Services, A&J Computers Inc., Envision IT LLC, CommunicaONE Inc., Bone Computer Inc., Amax Engineering Corporation, QPG Ltd. Co., IT 101 Inc., Perfect Cloud Solutions, Applied Technology Group Inc., The Digital Sun Group LLC, Firespring
North American Stamping Group, Cerebral Palsy of North Jersey (CPNJ), Brown County Schools, IN, City of Bridgeton, MO, Lancaster County, SC, Vision Charter School, Clay County Sheriff’s Department, NC, Breakwater School, Boys & Girls Club of Manchester, NH, Admiral Farragut Academy, Flow Companies, No Ordinary Hotel, KECdesign,
Find out what your peers are saying about Netgate pfSense vs. Untangle NG Firewall and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
908,800 professionals have used our research since 2012.