Netgate pfSense Reviews

We use pfSense as our main router.

We implemented pfSense to address the instability and limited customization options we experienced with our previous router.

pfSense is highly flexible, allowing for creating IPsec tunnels and various other configurations.

Adding features to pfSense is easy.

Since implementing pfSense, our overall stability has improved significantly over the last ten years as we transitioned from Prosumer equipment to a more robust tool. This success has allowed me to implement more pfSense routers in other locations. We saw the benefits of pfSense in less than a couple of weeks. Having that added stability is great.

pfSense Plus provides us with the visibility to make data-driven decisions. We can see historical data and bandwidth utilization, allowing us to make informed decisions about our internet connection based on that information.

The most valuable aspects of pfSense are the stability, hardware compatibility, and low cost.

I want pfSense to add some next-generation firewall features.

The scalability has room for improvement.

I have been using Netgate pfSense for ten years. 

I rate the stability of pfSense ten out of ten.

Due to the absence of a single pane of glass management feature, scaling out pfSense becomes quite challenging. I'd rate its scalability a three out of ten, as the process is far from straightforward at present.

The few times we've had to engage support, they have been professional and incredibly knowledgeable. If we encounter someone who doesn't have the answer immediately, they can find it very quickly. In the past, they have even joined meetings with us and a client to work on a problem, providing a lot of insight and assistance throughout the process.

We previously used Prosumer routers, but their capabilities were insufficient for our needs.

Initially, it was a bit complex when I started using the system over ten years ago. pfSense required a deeper understanding than the Prosumer devices I had used before. I had to grasp the ramifications of every action. However, once I overcame that learning curve, it became knowledge I possessed.

It took us about two weeks to implement and learn how to use pfSense. I've noticed that with pfSense, I'm always learning something new. Just because we've used something for a long time doesn't mean we know all of its functionality. For example, I needed to establish an IPsec tunnel for the first time last year. I called in support, and we successfully established the tunnel to another location. There's always something new to learn, whether pfSense adds new features or we encounter a need for functionality we haven't used before.

pfSense Plus is cost-effective for what we're getting. I've been using Netgate hardware for a long time, and including the pfSense Plus license with the hardware offers significant value. Additionally, using pfSense software for free is of great value.

The total cost of ownership is very low. We've used pfSense historically in a simple configuration, and I've been able to train peers on how to use the Netgate hardware and pfSense Plus effectively.

I rate Netgate pfSense seven out of ten only because of the lack of ability to manage all our switching and WAP from one location.

We have three locations, and two to 25 users use a combination of wired and wireless devices and a typical broadband connection.

pfSense requires maintenance when new versions or patches are released. This does not happen often, but it does happen.

I recommend pfSense to others. Once you overcome the learning curve, it becomes almost second nature to use. The cost is also a major factor. Every year or so, I explore alternatives to Netgate hardware, but almost everything I find is subscription-based, like Cisco Meraki or other brands. I'd struggle to justify renewing a router license every 18 months or risk it stopping working. So, using a platform like pfSense without an annual fee is a huge benefit for our budget.

I use the solution in my home. It's my firewall, DNS server, DHCP server, intrusion detection server, and reverse proxy server.

The solution's web interface is very feature-rich and well-supported. There's a large community of users out there you can get to. There are many things that I'm not using at the time. It's got great support for VPNs. One of the ways that I'm using it is for VPN support as well. Netgate pfSense is a great product.

Netgate pfSense is an extremely flexible solution.

You'll see the benefits of Netgate pfSense immediately after you deploy it. The more features you use, the more benefits you get from it. I'm using the tool for VLAN support. That was something I implemented first, and it completely changed the way I was using my network. That was a real game-changer because it provided greatly enhanced security for my network and reduced the complexity of my network.

The firewall, the intrusion detection service, the VPN support, and VLAN support keep me from getting hacked and possibly having problems with ransomware and potential data loss.

pfSense Plus provides features that help us minimize downtime. You can create copies of different environments that you set up. If you want to try a setting but want to be protected from loss and downtime, you can create a copy of your current working environment.

You should try adding the new change to your pfSense configuration. If that doesn't work, you can easily go back to the working configuration with just a simple change from within the web interface. It also does automatic backups of its configuration.

The visibility of pfSense Plus helps us optimize performance. You can overcome latency issues through traffic shaping. I previously had buffer bloat issues, which I don't have currently.

If you have a slower connection, you can use traffic shaping limiters and priority queues to ensure that your VoIP traffic, internet TV traffic, or streaming traffic has enough guaranteed bandwidth. In my case, my broadband connection is wide enough, and I do not have to really use those features.

The cost of ownership of Netgate pfSense with the hardware cost was about $ 350.

It would be nice for the code optimization to run on even slower processes. It's optimized quite a bit, but there's always room for improvement.

I have been using Netgate pfSense for two years.

We haven’t faced any issues with the solution’s stability.

From my point of view, the solution's initial setup is pretty easy. Many YouTube videos are out there to help you get it up and running. There's a lot to try, a lot of things to do, and a lot of technology to play with, but I'm afraid I'm a bit of a tinkerer. To do what I initially wanted, I probably spent a day.

I would like to see the solution's price reduced.

There is some complexity to adding features to pfSense and configuring them. I would not say it's extremely complex, but it's got a high degree of complexity.

The website is all you need to configure Netgate pfSense. If you choose to, you can use its SSH terminal interface, but that's not something that most users would do. I would think they would stick with its fully developed, mature web interface.

The solution by itself does not need any maintenance. However, if you use the incursion detection plugins, you need to make sure that those are tuned properly. That involves periodic checks and possible adjustments. New users should be prepared to learn, read the manual, and utilize YouTube resources. It'll be worth it.

Overall, I rate the solution ten out of ten.

We primarily use the solution for firewalling, site-to-site VPNs, and VPN management.

We largely needed a good firewall solution. We wanted to find a suitable firewall for our company size and what we're doing with it.

It's open-source and everything is available to me without having to pay subscription fees. 

The support with NetGate probably is the most value I've seen from it. They've been really, really helpful. The open-source nature of pfSense, paired with the amount of support we receive, has been great.

The flexibility is great. It does everything I need it to do. The amount of open apps for it is extensive. I was able to help track some networking issues using the pfSense to scan the network.

It's significantly easier than expected to configure the solution and simple to handle add-ons.

pfSense can help prevent data loss. In our environment, things are fairly strict. However, it makes it easy to manage and configure the firewall and handle inter-VLAN routing and firewalls between them.

We do have access to a single pane of glass management. It's easy to review traffic, usage between VLANs, threat monitoring, and user connectivity. I'd have to monitor items separately without this single pane which would make monitoring difficult. 

We do use pfSense Plus. It provides us with the features we need to minimize downtime. The updates and everything that comes with it have been great.

The visibility provided allows us to make data-driven decisions. The modules I have access to for network monitoring and management have been very helpful.

We've been able to optimize performance. With NetGate support, I've been able to utilize traffic shaping and performance optimizers. 

I'd like to see it become more of a next-gen firewall or deep packet inspection, however, I'm very happy with the way it is as of now. 

I've used the solution personally for about two years. My company has been using it for about eight years now.

The stability is very good. 

We have two locations. I have yet to uncover any scalability limitations. 

Support is quick to respond. For the amount we pay a year, the support has paid for itself. I'm very happy with the level of support we get. 

Positive

I do have experience with Meraki and NetGate devices. I've used FortiGate devices in the past. The expense and support were not near the quality of pfSense.

The initial setup was easy to set up and straightforward to configure. It did take a moment to learn where each tool set was. However, after that, it's really good. I handled the deployment myself. I was able to implement it within 16 hours. 

There isn't really any maintenance; it is pretty much set and forget. I do updates every three months or so and that's it. 

90% of the setup was handled in-house; I referred to NetGate support for a few items along the way. 

We do pay about $600 a year for NetGate support. pfSense is free, however, NetGate, that made the appliance, charges for a support package. I'm very happy with the quality of service that I get for the price. 

We would have paid another $7,000/year for subscription fees if we went anywhere else.

I'd recommend the solution to others. I'd rate it ten out of ten.

We use Netgate pfSense as a firewall solution for small and medium-sized businesses.

Netgate pfSense offers firewall protection, VPN access, and a range of monitoring tools.

Adding features to pfSense is easy to do through the wizard.

Netgate pfSense is well documented, and the interface is easy to use when we consult the documentation.

Netgate pfSense was recommended, so the benefits were immediate.

It provides a single wizard. Some third-party tools out there allow us to manage remotely. It also helps us optimize performance by enabling us to turn features on and off.

With the inclusion of firewall, VPN, and router functionality, we love pfSense's total cost of ownership. 

The most valuable features are the alerting and local monitoring.

We are a security shop. It would be very useful if we could place pfSense appliances in customer environments and remotely manage them.

I have been using Netgate pfSense for four years.

Netgate pfSense is relatively stable. It has been running for four years now without any issues.

The scalability is limited without upgrading the appliance.

The technical support offers great quality and good response times.

Positive

The initial deployment is not a plug-and-play out of the box. It takes a little bit more than that. For us, it takes ten to 20 minutes for one person to deploy one pfSense firewall.

Netgate pfSense has a great pricing model.

I would rate Netgate pfSense ten out of ten.

Maintenance is required for software updates.

We use it for home solutions and 200+ enterprises. We use it to address routing issues (NATing issues through VPNs).

Our environment consists of many enterprises with many subnets.

pfSense makes everything easier compared to Cisco or Fortinet.

Policy-based firewall rules are the most valuable feature because every other brand it is 200% more complicated to accomplish the same operation.

The flexibility is easy. We can implant in small businesses for less than 500 CAD and in 5k users enterprises. The only part that needs to be improved is the hardware, everything else is out of the box.

I would rate the ease of adding features a ten out of ten. With telecom knowledge, the product is crystal clear easy.

Evaluation and contracting could be improved. 

I have been using pfSense since 2016.

The scalability is good, they should offer filtration or a next-gen firewall.

From my experience, their support is very quick. 

Positive

I haven't evaluated any solutions since 2016. With pfSense you get the bang for your buck. pfSense routing, VPN, policy rules, NAT forwarding, everything is better.

The initial setup is straightforward. It was easy. We have 16 years of experience. I did the deployment, it only required one person. 

It is cheaper than other options. 

I would rate it a 9.5 out of 10. My advice would be to take the time to do an online course if you find using the solution a bit hard. It is worth it.

We use pfSense as a firewall to improve our security. 

pfSense is viable and works as it's supposed to. It prevents data loss. I've used it on several networks. It's there in the background and just works. It minimizes downtime by running dual WANs and automatically switching between two connections.

pfSense is relatively easy to set up and just runs. It's easy to use. The platform is flexible. We've been able to do everything we've tried. It seems very complete. I'm not using all of the capabilities, but it does what we want to do. 

Once you find what you're looking for, it's relatively easy to add features and configure them. Google helps out. I've been able to do anything I wanted.

The learning curve is a little long.

We deployed pfSense in the last five years. 

I rate pfSense 10 out of 10 for stability. 

It's a small firewall and we have a small network. 

I rate Netgate support 10 out of 10. I've only contacted them a couple of times, and it's been fine. They've responded quickly and done the job. 

Positive

I've only used off-the-shelf routers without a truly community-built firewall product. 

My background is in IT, so the installation is relatively straightforward once you understand a few concepts, but that's normal. I got pfSense running in a day.  d

The price of pfSense is fair. We have a relatively small network, and most of the competitors are pretty expensive. 

I rate pfSense 10 out of 10. It does everything it should do.

I recently started using pfSense to secure my home network. As an IT consultant working remotely, I needed better security than my router offered. I run servers in a lab environment to demo software for clients, and in my previous consulting role, I managed networks for companies of all sizes, some with hundreds of thousands of devices. Since we can't modify a client's environment directly, having a secure home lab for testing is crucial. pfSense allows me to segment my network and use a VPN for secure remote access, offering more functionality than my previous setup. While a free version exists, I opted for the convenience of a pre-configured appliance.

pfSense surprised me with its ease of use, even though it's powerful enough for corporate environments. Unlike my previous complicated Cisco firewall that now collects dust in the garage, pfSense offers the flexibility and functionality I need.

pfSense offers a default rule that allows all traffic initially. While I prefer to block everything by default and only allow specific traffic, this approach led me to accidentally lock myself out of the firewall during configuration. The device functioned as intended, following my overly restrictive rule. Resetting to factory settings was a learning experience, and now I understand how to avoid self-imposed lockouts. After diagnosing my initial setup issues, I successfully corrected them and implemented filters that boosted our internet speed. This experience made clear the benefit of pfSense for our network.

The firewall acts as my first line of defense against data loss by controlling incoming and outgoing traffic. Additionally, I keep my devices updated with security patches and utilize application whitelisting, which restricts programs to those from approved vendors with verified digital signatures. This helps prevent unknown malware from executing on my system. While demonstrating data loss prevention for a government agency, I encountered a connection hurdle between my devices on different subnets. Realizing a firewall was blocking communication, I opened the necessary ports to allow the connection. This highlights the firewall's role as a first line of defense. Even if one device is compromised, the firewall helps prevent the attack from spreading to other segments of the network. However, it's important to remember that the subnet itself remains at risk, which is why I also use local firewalls on individual devices for additional protection.

When it comes to the firewall functionality of pfSense, it does provide a single-pane-of-glass to manage everything.

The most valuable aspect of pfSense for me is its firewall functionality. It allows me to set up different networks, and VLANs, and control how subnets communicate with each other, all the way down to individual nodes. This granular control is very important for my network security. Additionally, pfSense offers a variety of alternatives like VPN that I haven't explored yet, but my top priorities are the firewall features that protect my network from external threats and allow me to segment internal traffic. I also use the filter feature to filter internet ads and adult content. The filter list depends on someone keeping it updated, but the community has been great for this and it makes my internet browsing much faster because all the junk ads are blocked. 

pfSense would be much more efficient if it allowed exporting the entire configuration of a device after it's been set up. This way, the configuration could be easily imported onto another device, saving time and effort.

I have been using Netgate pfSense for one year.

Netgate pfSense is stable with zero downtime related to the firewall.

Netgate pfSense can scale at an enterprise level.

Cisco's firewall device proved too complex for me, ending up unused in my garage. Thankfully, pfSense offered a much more user-friendly experience.

pfSense deployment was straightforward thanks to the available documentation and video tutorials, although I did lock myself out once due to user error. While IT professionals might not always consult the manual first, pfSense helpfully allows saving configurations without immediate application, a feature that would have prevented my mistake. Learning from this experience, I now know how to leverage the provided resources for a smoother pfSense deployment process.

I did the deployment myself but someone who is not an IT person will require the help of an integrator or consultant.

I deployed pfSense in two and a half days. It included setting up VLANs for different purposes like a DMZ, server LAN, user devices, guest network, and VMware management. I also configured a firewall with rules to isolate these networks and implemented an IPSec VPN to filter out ads and malicious sites.

The implementation was completed in-house.

pfSense offers a surprisingly affordable enterprise-grade solution for small businesses. While my own pfSense 6100 costs $700, the value it provides makes it a very cost-effective purchase.

I would rate Netgate pfSense nine out of ten.

Other than installing updates, pfSense has not required any maintenance.

Before configuring your network devices, plan out your network segmentation. This written plan will guide how you set up VLANs, servers, DHCP scopes, and DNS. Think of it as a blueprint for your network design. While implementing the plan on a Netgate device or pfSense might be straightforward, without a clear strategy, you'll be overwhelmed by the available features. 

I use the solution in my home network as the main firewall before all data heads out to the internet. I use it for DNS resolution as well.

I noticed the benefits of pfSense immediately after deployment. I was able to take complete control of my security to my house, and it gave me all the things that I needed in order to secure my home network.

The GUI and the user interface have been very clean, understandable, and feature-rich across the board.

The flexibility of pfSense is great. 

It is very easy to add features. 

There are features that help to prevent data loss. The rules engine of pfSense, a traditional firewall rule structure, has always been the same.

There's definitely a single pane of glass. There's definitely a lot there in front of you. 

pfSense provides visibility that enables users to make data-driven decisions. I'd rate the capabilities seven out of ten. 

Sometimes it's a bit of a challenge to know how to do something when you want to do something, for instance, setting up a point to point VPN.

Configuration is sometimes a challenge just due to a lack of knowledge on my side. I find that if I don't set up the rules correctly, and this goes to lack of knowledge of being an expert in the firewall space, it's a bit of a challenge sometimes in setting that up.

I would ask them to update it to a more modern interface, as it does look a little tired compared to GUIs today. However, the features are there. A redesign would be greatly appreciated, just from a human engineering aspect.

It might be easier if they separated things out a little bit more instead of putting all the aspects of what pfSense can do for you in a single menu. For instance, they have services, and they have all the services that you could have on your system. It's a lot.

Sometimes I find it difficult to find the data visibility that I would need in the interface to then go make a data-driven decision.

pfSense helps optimize performance. From a performance standpoint, setting up firewall rules does a great job of laying out exactly what those rules are. The layout of the firewall rules makes it easy to create a secure environment on my home network, albeit not very big. However, all the features are within the firewall, and I can create individual rules and organize the rules.

I've used the solution for six years. 

I have never experienced downtime from my pfSense device. I'd rate stability ten out of ten.

The scalability is very good. I'd rate it a ten out of ten.

I contacted technical support when there was a major upgrade a few years back, and I needed some assistance.

The quality was perfect. They were fast and very helpful. Even though I wasn't a paying customer for support, they still gave me great guidance and helped me focus on the issues at hand.

Positive

I've always had my service provider, Verizon, with their main router, and that router usually has a firewall built into it. I've never used anybody else besides pfSense outside of that.

The initial setup is straightforward. I've done it for my son at college in a matter of two hours, from unboxing to operation. It's easy to deploy a box. I can deploy it by myself.

It does not require any maintenance.

The ROI and the TCO are significant. You get a lot of features under one product. However, I don't use it as a router. I only use it for firewall and VPN capabilities and DNS.

The pricing and licensing are spot on. It's well below the industry average.

I did not look into other options. I knew of pfSense as being a leader in the industry, and that it is utilized by major corporations in large environments. To that end, I assumed it wouldn't hurt for me to have familiarity with the product and use it at home.

I'm an end-user.

I use the Plus version of pfSense. However, I do not pay for support.

I would rate the solution eight out of ten.