Software Alternatives & Reviews

pfSense VS IPFire

Compare pfSense VS IPFire and see what are their differences

pfSense logo pfSense

pfSense is a free and open source firewall and router that also features unified threat management, load balancing, multi WAN, and more

IPFire logo IPFire

IPFire is a server distribution with intended to use as a firewall.
  • pfSense Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-20
  • IPFire Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-13

pfSense videos

pfsense Firewall Setup and Features in Depth Version 2.4

More videos:

  • Review - Pfsense: 5 Reasons to Use It
  • Review - Netgate SG-3100 Teardown / Speedtest / Review of this powerful pfsense packet pusher!

IPFire videos

Exploring IpFire Open Source Firewall

More videos:

  • Review - IpFire vs PfSense
  • Review - Introduction to ipFire Open Source Firewall

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to pfSense and IPFire)
Cyber Security
86 86%
14% 14
Operating Systems
75 75%
25% 25
Monitoring Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Perimeter Security And Firewalls

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare pfSense and IPFire

pfSense Reviews

Best pfSense Software Alternatives and Competitors
pfSense Software firewall is a robust, open-source security solution that is compatible with any hardware and can be tailored to meet your specific needs. It is a widely used technology, and many individuals seek dependable, popular software solutions with multi-device support, multiple concurrent connections, and protocol selections. Despite its usefulness, pfSense has...
The Best Open Source Router OS Software for Large or Small Networks
pfSense is a free and open-source router and firewall operating system based on the FreeBSD operating system. It is designed to be used on standard x86 hardware and can be deployed as a virtual machine or on dedicated hardware. pfSense offers advanced features and capabilities that are typically found in commercial routers and firewalls, making it an ideal solution for small...
Best free Linux router and firewall distributions of 2023
pfSense is one of the most popular operating systems today. It's a BSD-based system, similar to OPNSense, but with a longer history. pfSense started in 2004, and since then, it has grown to be the most well-known open-source platform in the industry. Although it gradually loses users to OPNsense, it's still an excellent system for new users because it has the most extensive...
Source: teklager.se
11 Best pfsense Alternatives To Secure Your Network
Unlike those of other available pfSense competitors, its capabilities allow it to be compared to commercial firewalls. You can also customize the pfSense firewall to match your needs based on the level of security and protection you want, as well as your specialist knowledge.
Top 7 pfSense Alternatives
Wait, I said alternatives to pfSense so what is this doing on the list? pfSense Plus recently forked away from pfSense community edition (CE). Over time pfSense Plus and pfSense CE will continue to diverge. pfSense Plus is expected to have more features.

IPFire Reviews

Best pfSense Software Alternatives and Competitors
When utilized as a virtual private network (VPN), IPFire facilitates access from afar. The IPFire firewall has additional features built-in, unlike pfSense, which is another wonderful reason to use it instead of that other firewall. These extras improve IPFire in several ways, most notably by allowing it to function as a wireless access point. In addition, they provide file...
The Best Open Source Router OS Software for Large or Small Networks
One of the key features of IPFire is its firewall capabilities. It offers advanced features such as stateful packet inspection, traffic shaping, and intrusion detection and prevention. These features allow administrators to block unwanted traffic and prevent malicious attacks on their networks. IPFire also supports VPN connections, allowing users to securely connect to their...
Best free Linux router and firewall distributions of 2023
IPFire is a Linux-based distribution intended for Firewalls and Routers. IPfire is a continuation of IPCop (mentioned above) but has been rewritten from scratch. The system is regularly updated and maintained, but it doesn't have many features found in pfSense or OPNSense. It passes all our requirements but barely makes this list of recommendations because it has no...
Source: teklager.se
11 Best pfsense Alternatives To Secure Your Network
IPFire is not built on any previous distribution; it was created from the ground up. This enables the programmers to harden IPFire to a greater degree than any host operating system and design all components expressly for use as a firewall.
Top 7 pfSense Alternatives
IPFire is a Linux-based router OS that’s an up-and-comer. It is a little newer than the other options in this article, but it is rapidly catching up to others in options and features. It has a ton of firewall features, but it is growing in router features as well.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, pfSense should be more popular than IPFire. It has been mentiond 10 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

pfSense mentions (10)

  • Need some help on setting up home network
    Https://pfsense.org (netgate hardware is used in businesses). Source: about 1 year ago
  • Is pfsense.org down, or is it just me?
    I am having trouble seeing available packages, updating pkg, or getting a response from pfsense.org. Is anyone else seeing this or am I going to spend the rest of my day chasing bugs? Source: over 1 year ago
  • Help with VLAN
    From the PIA Client to pfsense.org PING pfsense.org (208.123.73.69) from 10.6.112.128: 56 data bytes 64 bytes from 208.123.73.69: icmp_seq=0 ttl=49 time=49.455 ms 64 bytes from 208.123.73.69: icmp_seq=1 ttl=49 time=51.927 ms 64 bytes from 208.123.73.69: icmp_seq=2 ttl=49 time=49.333 ms 64 bytes from 208.123.73.69: icmp_seq=3 ttl=49 time=49.133 ms 64 bytes from 208.123.73.69: icmp_seq=4 ttl=49 time=49.027 ms ... Source: over 1 year ago
  • Can Surveillance Station record offsite cameras ?
    The above setup is critical to a reliable system. I'd use enterprise quality routers for a store and home connection. I personally use https://pfsense.org but there are many to choose from and several open source. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Exposing Synology to web: best/practical practices?
    What I would do is put that thing in DMZ and install a good router behind it like https://www.pfsense.org. No affiliation, just been my router for many years. There's also it's sibling https://opnsense.org. There are many, just get a enterprise quality router. Source: over 1 year ago
View more

IPFire mentions (2)

  • How does pfSense compare to IPFire?
    Hello, I'm running an IPFire firewall on an APU4C4 since years and am pretty happy with it. It does everything I need and does it very well. I'm not missing anything. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Microsoft identifies and mitigates new malware targeting Ukraine “within 3 hours”
    Antivirus software is just another form of disease. IPFire has the tools to keep you healthy. Back that up with Windows+Defender or use OSX, and you should be able to live a long life. Source: about 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing pfSense and IPFire, you can also consider the following products

MikroTik RouterOS - The main product of MikroTik is a Linux-based operating system known as MikroTik RouterOS.

OPNsense - OPNsense® you next open source firewall. Free Download. High-end Security Made Easy™. Offers Intrusion Prevention, Captive Portal, Traffic Shaping and more.

OpenWrt - OpenWrt is an open-source firmware based on Linux for wireless routers

SonicWall - SonicWall security solutions protects your network, systems, users and data from cyber threats.

VyOS - VyOS in an open source Linux-based operating system sold and distributed by Sentrium corporations. It is geared toward IT specialists and network administrators for the purpose of securing network and company data... read more.

Comodo Firewall - Comodo Firewall Pro - Secure your system against internal attacks such as Trojan viruses /...