# Netgate pfSense, OPNsense® vs Sophos Firewall Comparison | | Netgate pfSense | OPNsense® | Sophos Firewall | |---|---|---|---| | **Star Rating** | 4.7 out of 5 | 4.8 out of 5 | 4.6 out of 5 | | **Total Reviews** | 325 | 5 | 633 | | **Largest Market Segment** | Small-Business (68.7% of reviews) | Enterprise (60.0% of reviews) | Mid-Market (61.5% of reviews) | | **Entry Level Price** | No pricing available | No pricing available | No pricing available | --- ## Top Pros & Cons ### Netgate pfSense Pros: - Ease of Use (3 reviews) - Customizability (2 reviews) Cons: - Complex Configuration (2 reviews) - Difficult Learning Curve (2 reviews) ### OPNsense® Pros: - User Interface (2 reviews) - Affordable (1 reviews) Cons: - Difficult Installation (1 reviews) - Difficult Learning Curve (1 reviews) ### Sophos Firewall Pros: - Ease of Use (90 reviews) - Features (56 reviews) Cons: - Slow Performance (33 reviews) - Poor Reporting (17 reviews) --- ## Ratings Comparison | Rating | Netgate pfSense | OPNsense® | Sophos Firewall | |---|---|---|---| | **Meets Requirements** | 9.4 (260 reviews) | 9.3 (5 reviews) | 9.2 (529 reviews) | | **Ease of Use** | 8.5 (267 reviews) | 9.0 (5 reviews) | 9.2 (534 reviews) | | **Ease of Setup** | 8.7 (246 reviews) | 8.3 (5 reviews) | 9.1 (502 reviews) | | **Ease of Admin** | 8.8 (243 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.2 (445 reviews) | | **Quality of Support** | 9.1 (208 reviews) | 9.0 (5 reviews) | 8.9 (519 reviews) | | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | 9.2 (197 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.2 (439 reviews) | | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 8.6 (261 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.5 (517 reviews) | --- ## Pricing ### Netgate pfSense #### Entry-Level Pricing No pricing available #### Free Trial Yes ### OPNsense® #### Entry-Level Pricing No pricing available #### Free Trial No information available ### Sophos Firewall #### Entry-Level Pricing No pricing available #### Free Trial Yes --- ## Features Comparison By Category ### Firewall Software | Product | Score | Reviews | |---|---|---| | **Netgate pfSense** | 8.3/10 | 243 | | **OPNsense®** | 9.4/10 | 5 | | **Sophos Firewall** | 8.9/10 | 537 | #### Administration | Feature | Netgate pfSense | OPNsense® | Sophos Firewall | |---|---|---|---| | **Policy Management** | 8.8 (188 reviews) | 9.0 (5 reviews) | 9.2 (492 reviews) | | **Logging and Reporting** | 8.3 (209 reviews) | 9.3 (5 reviews) | 8.8 (492 reviews) | | **Application Gateway** | 8.4 (179 reviews) | 8.7 (5 reviews) | 9.1 (473 reviews) | | **Concurrent Sessions** | 9.0 (200 reviews) | 10.0 (5 reviews) | 9.1 (474 reviews) | #### Agentic AI - Firewall Software | Feature | Netgate pfSense | OPNsense® | Sophos Firewall | |---|---|---|---| | **Autonomous Task Execution** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.3 (37 reviews) | | **Adaptive Learning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.9 (36 reviews) | #### Functionality | Feature | Netgate pfSense | OPNsense® | Sophos Firewall | |---|---|---|---| | **Virtual Private Network (VPN)** | 9.1 (217 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.2 (475 reviews) | | **Antivirus** | 6.6 (136 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.1 (462 reviews) | | **URL Filtering** | 7.9 (167 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.2 (484 reviews) | | **Availability** | 9.3 (200 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.3 (471 reviews) | #### Monitoring | Feature | Netgate pfSense | OPNsense® | Sophos Firewall | |---|---|---|---| | **Load Balancing** | 8.5 (163 reviews) | 9.7 (5 reviews) | 9.0 (455 reviews) | | **Continuous Analysis** | 8.2 (168 reviews) | 9.7 (5 reviews) | 9.0 (467 reviews) | | **Intrusion Prevention** | 8.7 (188 reviews) | 9.3 (5 reviews) | 9.2 (478 reviews) | | **Intrusion Detection** | 8.4 (181 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.2 (476 reviews) | #### Generative AI | Feature | Netgate pfSense | OPNsense® | Sophos Firewall | |---|---|---|---| | **AI Text Summarization** | 6.7 (73 reviews) | Not enough data | 8.1 (264 reviews) | #### Artificial Intelligence - Firewall | Feature | Netgate pfSense | OPNsense® | Sophos Firewall | |---|---|---|---| | **AI Firewall** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.0 (168 reviews) | ### Business VPN | Product | Score | Reviews | |---|---|---| | **Netgate pfSense** | 8.8/10 | 181 | | **OPNsense®** | N/A | N/A | | **Sophos Firewall** | N/A | N/A | #### Usage | Feature | Netgate pfSense | OPNsense® | Sophos Firewall | |---|---|---|---| | **Multi-Device Usage** | 9.2 (146 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Multiple Concurrent Connections** | 9.5 (162 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Protocol Choices** | 9.3 (165 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Unlimited Bandwidth** | 9.4 (156 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **No Log Storage** | 7.9 (110 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Varied Server Locations** | 8.5 (113 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Unlimited Server Switches** | 8.5 (108 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Miscellaneous | Feature | Netgate pfSense | OPNsense® | Sophos Firewall | |---|---|---|---| | **Live Customer Support** | 8.1 (109 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Open Source Code** | 9.3 (147 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Multiple Payment Methods** | 8.2 (97 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | --- ## Categories **Shared Categories (1):** [Firewall Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/firewall-software) **Unique to Netgate pfSense (1):** [Business VPN Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/business-vpn) --- ## Reviewer Demographics ### By Company Size | Segment | Netgate pfSense | OPNsense® | Sophos Firewall | |---|---|---|---| | **Small-Business** | 68.7% | 20.0% | 21.5% | | **Mid-Market** | 25.0% | 20.0% | 61.5% | | **Enterprise** | 6.3% | 60.0% | 17.0% | ### By Industry #### Netgate pfSense - **Information Technology and Services:** 20.2% - **Computer & Network Security:** 11.0% - **Computer Software:** 6.3% - **Telecommunications:** 4.1% - **Computer Networking:** 3.8% - **Non-Profit Organization Management:** 3.5% - **Education Management:** 3.2% - **Government Administration:** 3.2% - **Higher Education:** 2.8% - **Health, Wellness and Fitness:** 1.9% - **Other:** 40.1% #### OPNsense® - **Computer & Network Security:** 40.0% - **Retail:** 20.0% - **Information Technology and Services:** 20.0% - **Computer Software:** 20.0% #### Sophos Firewall - **Information Technology and Services:** 15.1% - **Computer & Network Security:** 8.9% - **Manufacturing:** 5.0% - **Higher Education:** 3.4% - **Financial Services:** 3.1% - **Computer Software:** 2.7% - **Primary/Secondary Education:** 2.6% - **Education Management:** 2.6% - **Oil & Energy:** 2.4% - **Hospital & Health Care:** 2.4% - **Other:** 51.9% --- ## Alternatives ### Alternatives to Netgate pfSense - [Check Point Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs)](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-next-generation-firewalls-ngfws/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (583 reviews) - [WatchGuard Network Security](https://www.g2.com/products/watchguard-network-security/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (267 reviews) - [FortiGate-VM NGFW](https://www.g2.com/products/fortigate-vm-ngfw/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (230 reviews) - [Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls](https://www.g2.com/products/palo-alto-networks-next-generation-firewalls/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (167 reviews) - [SonicWall Next Generation Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/sonicwall-next-generation-firewall/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (153 reviews) - [Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense Virtual (formerly NGFWv)](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-secure-firewall-threat-defense-virtual-formerly-ngfwv/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (93 reviews) - [CrowdSec](https://www.g2.com/products/crowdsec/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (87 reviews) - [GlassWire Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/glasswire-firewall/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (50 reviews) - [Comodo Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/comodo-firewall/reviews) — 4.0/5 stars (38 reviews) - [Arista NG Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/arista-ng-firewall/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (17 reviews) ### Alternatives to OPNsense® - [Check Point Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs)](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-next-generation-firewalls-ngfws/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (583 reviews) - [Check Point Cloud Firewall (formerly CloudGuard Network Security)](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-cloud-firewall-formerly-cloudguard-network-security/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (286 reviews) - [WatchGuard Network Security](https://www.g2.com/products/watchguard-network-security/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (267 reviews) - [FortiGate-VM NGFW](https://www.g2.com/products/fortigate-vm-ngfw/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (230 reviews) - [Zscaler Internet Access](https://www.g2.com/products/zscaler-internet-access/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (195 reviews) - [Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls](https://www.g2.com/products/palo-alto-networks-next-generation-firewalls/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (167 reviews) - [SonicWall Next Generation Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/sonicwall-next-generation-firewall/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (153 reviews) - [NordLayer](https://www.g2.com/products/nordlayer/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (126 reviews) - [Palo Alto Networks Cloud NGFW](https://www.g2.com/products/palo-alto-networks-cloud-ngfw/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (108 reviews) - [Cloudflare One (SASE)](https://www.g2.com/products/cloudflare-one-sase/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (104 reviews) ### Alternatives to Sophos Firewall - [Check Point Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs)](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-next-generation-firewalls-ngfws/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (583 reviews) - [WatchGuard Network Security](https://www.g2.com/products/watchguard-network-security/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (267 reviews) - [FortiGate-VM NGFW](https://www.g2.com/products/fortigate-vm-ngfw/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (230 reviews) - [Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls](https://www.g2.com/products/palo-alto-networks-next-generation-firewalls/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (167 reviews) - [SonicWall Next Generation Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/sonicwall-next-generation-firewall/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (153 reviews) - [Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense Virtual (formerly NGFWv)](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-secure-firewall-threat-defense-virtual-formerly-ngfwv/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (93 reviews) - [Comodo Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/comodo-firewall/reviews) — 4.0/5 stars (38 reviews) - [Arista NG Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/arista-ng-firewall/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (17 reviews) - [Barracuda CloudGen Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/barracuda-cloudgen-firewall/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (51 reviews) - [GlassWire Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/glasswire-firewall/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (50 reviews) --- ## Top Discussions ### Netgate pfSense - Title: [Can pfSense be used as a router?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/can-pfsense-be-used-as-a-router) — 11 comments > **Top comment:** "pfSense is an open-source firewall and router software distribution based on FreeBSD. It supports NAT and different types of interfaces (WAN, LAN, DMZ). It..." - Title: [What is pfSense used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-pfsense-used-for) — 7 comments > **Top comment:** "router, firewall, vpn server" - Title: [Is pfSense still free?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-pfsense-still-free) — 5 comments > **Top comment:** "yes its available in both free and paid version " - Title: [What is pfSense software?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-pfsense-software) — 4 comments > **Top comment:** "It's a firewall/firewall." - Title: [Is pfSense any good?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-pfsense-any-good) — 3 comments > **Top comment:** "Yes, it's excellent " ### OPNsense® No discussions available for this product. ### Sophos Firewall - Title: [What is Sophos Firewall used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-sophos-firewall-used-for) — 3 comments > **Top comment:** "Perimeter protection and administration, navigation traffic control based on policies. Network high availability, deep inspection of packets, IPS, IDS,..." - Title: [Is Sophos XG free?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-sophos-xg-free) — 3 comments > **Top comment:** "They do have a home edition that is free for non commerical use. Excellent for learning and to get a fully featured firewall for home." - Title: [Is Sophos firewall good?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-sophos-firewall-good) — 3 comments > **Top comment:** "Yes, is good. I recommend you." - Title: [How do I manage Sophos XG firewall?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-do-i-manage-sophos-xg-firewall) — 2 comments, 1 upvote > **Top comment:** "Sophos XG firewall can be manage from sophos central cloud." - Title: [Sophos Certification](https://www.g2.com/discussions/sophos-certification) — 2 comments, 1 upvote > **Top comment:** "Sophos Certification is improving upskills in cybersecrity space. You have to be a part of any sophos partner to get training portal and certification." --- **Source:** [G2.com](https://www.g2.com) | [Comparison Page](https://www.g2.com/compare/netgate-pfsense-vs-opnsense-vs-sophos-firewall)