# Netgate pfSense, Tailscale vs FortiGate-VM NGFW Comparison

| | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Star Rating** | 4.7 out of 5 | 4.6 out of 5 | 4.6 out of 5 | 
| **Total Reviews** | 326 | 31 | 230 | 
| **Largest Market Segment** | Small-Business (68.5% of reviews) | Small-Business (65.5% of reviews) | Mid-Market (58.9% of reviews) | 
| **Entry Level Price** | No pricing available | Free 6 Monthly Active Users Per Month | 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)

### Tailscale

Pros:
- Ease of Use (8 reviews)
- Device Connectivity (5 reviews)

Cons:
- Access Issues (3 reviews)
- Expensive (2 reviews)

### FortiGate-VM NGFW

Pros:
- Ease of Use (12 reviews)
- Features (10 reviews)

Cons:
- Difficult Learning Curve (4 reviews)
- Expensive (4 reviews)

---
## Ratings Comparison
| Rating | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
  | **Meets Requirements** | 9.4 (261 reviews) | 9.0 (24 reviews) | 9.2 (182 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Use** | 8.5 (268 reviews) | 8.7 (26 reviews) | 9.0 (185 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Setup** | 8.7 (247 reviews) | 9.4 (26 reviews) | 8.9 (151 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Admin** | 8.8 (243 reviews) | 9.2 (13 reviews) | 9.1 (138 reviews) | 
  | **Quality of Support** | 9.1 (209 reviews) | 9.2 (13 reviews) | 8.7 (180 reviews) | 
  | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | 9.2 (197 reviews) | 9.2 (8 reviews) | 9.1 (134 reviews) | 
  | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 8.6 (262 reviews) | 10.0 (20 reviews) | 9.4 (182 reviews) | 

---
## Pricing

### Netgate pfSense

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

Yes

### Tailscale

#### Entry-Level Pricing

Plan: Personal

Price: Free 6 Monthly Active Users Per Month

Description: For individuals who want to securely connect devices, servers, or software. Access nearly all of Tailscale's offerings and products for free, indefinitely.

Key Features:
- Users: Up to 6
- Unlimited user devices
- Up to 3 ACL groups

[Browse all 4 editions](https://www.g2.com/products/tailscale/pricing)

#### Free Trial

Yes

### FortiGate-VM NGFW

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

Yes

---
## Features Comparison By Category

### Unified Threat Management (UTM)

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Netgate pfSense** | N/A | N/A |
| **Tailscale** | N/A | N/A |
| **FortiGate-VM NGFW** | 9.3/10 | 118 |

#### Security - Unified Threat Management

| Feature | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Antivirus** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.3 (95 reviews) | 
| **Whitelists** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.4 (97 reviews) | 
| **Antispam Filtering** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.0 (89 reviews) | 
| **Content Filtering** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.3 (95 reviews) | 
| **Web Filtering** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.7 (96 reviews) | 
| **Firewall** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.8 (100 reviews) | 

#### Administration

| Feature | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Reports & Analytics** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.7 (96 reviews) | 
| **Dashboard** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.4 (98 reviews) | 

### Data Center Security Solutions

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Netgate pfSense** | N/A | N/A |
| **Tailscale** | N/A | N/A |
| **FortiGate-VM NGFW** | 9.4/10 | 74 |

#### Prevention

| Feature | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Intrusion Prevention** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.6 (58 reviews) | 
| **Firewall** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.5 (60 reviews) | 
| **Encryption** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.2 (54 reviews) | 
| **Security hardening** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.4 (55 reviews) | 
| **Cloud Data Protection** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 

#### Detection

| Feature | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Intrusion Detection** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.4 (56 reviews) | 
| **Security Monitoring** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.4 (53 reviews) | 
| **Anti-Malware / Malware Detection** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.3 (54 reviews) | 

#### Administration

| Feature | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Compliance** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.4 (53 reviews) | 
| **Administration Console -** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.4 (58 reviews) | 
| **API / integrations** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.0 (51 reviews) | 

### Firewall Software

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Netgate pfSense** | 8.3/10 | 244 |
| **Tailscale** | N/A | N/A |
| **FortiGate-VM NGFW** | 9.0/10 | 122 |

#### Administration

| Feature | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Policy Management** | 8.8 (188 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.2 (101 reviews) | 
| **Logging and Reporting** | 8.3 (209 reviews) | Not enough data | 8.9 (101 reviews) | 
| **Application Gateway** | 8.4 (179 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.2 (92 reviews) | 
| **Concurrent Sessions** | 9.0 (200 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.3 (98 reviews) | 

#### Agentic AI - Firewall Software

| Feature | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Autonomous Task Execution** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Adaptive Learning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Functionality

| Feature | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Virtual Private Network (VPN)** | 9.1 (218 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.4 (104 reviews) | 
| **Antivirus** | 6.6 (136 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.0 (96 reviews) | 
| **URL Filtering** | 7.9 (167 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.4 (101 reviews) | 
| **Availability** | 9.3 (200 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.5 (98 reviews) | 

#### Monitoring

| Feature | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Load Balancing** | 8.5 (163 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.2 (92 reviews) | 
| **Continuous Analysis** | 8.2 (168 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.0 (93 reviews) | 
| **Intrusion Prevention** | 8.7 (188 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.2 (104 reviews) | 
| **Intrusion Detection** | 8.4 (181 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.3 (98 reviews) | 

#### Generative AI

| Feature | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **AI Text Summarization** | 6.7 (73 reviews) | Not enough data | 8.2 (20 reviews) | 

#### Artificial Intelligence - Firewall

| Feature | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **AI Firewall** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 7.7 (5 reviews) | 

### Business VPN

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Netgate pfSense** | 8.8/10 | 181 |
| **Tailscale** | 9.0/10 | 16 |
| **FortiGate-VM NGFW** | N/A | N/A |

#### Usage

| Feature | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Multi-Device Usage** | 9.2 (146 reviews) | 9.9 (16 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Multiple Concurrent Connections** | 9.5 (162 reviews) | 9.8 (14 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Protocol Choices** | 9.3 (165 reviews) | 8.3 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Unlimited Bandwidth** | 9.4 (156 reviews) | 9.7 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **No Log Storage** | 7.9 (110 reviews) | 8.0 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Varied Server Locations** | 8.5 (113 reviews) | 9.1 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Unlimited Server Switches** | 8.5 (108 reviews) | 9.3 (10 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Miscellaneous

| Feature | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Live Customer Support** | 8.1 (109 reviews) | 8.3 (7 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Open Source Code** | 9.3 (147 reviews) | 8.9 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Multiple Payment Methods** | 8.2 (97 reviews) | 8.3 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | 

### Data Security

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Netgate pfSense** | N/A | N/A |
| **Tailscale** | N/A | N/A |
| **FortiGate-VM NGFW** | N/A | N/A |

#### Compliance

| Feature | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Access Management** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **At-Risk Analysis** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **DLP Configuration** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Sensitive Data Compliance** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Administration

| Feature | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Database Management** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Deduplication ** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Backup** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **API / integrations** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Security 

| Feature | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Multi-Factor Authentication** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Data Transport** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Data Types** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Security Tools** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

---
## Categories

**Unique to Netgate pfSense (2):** [Firewall Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/firewall-software), [Business VPN Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/business-vpn)

**Unique to Tailscale (1):** [Business VPN Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/business-vpn)

**Unique to FortiGate-VM NGFW (3):** [Firewall Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/firewall-software), [Data Center Security Solutions](https://www.g2.com/categories/data-center-security-solutions), [Unified Threat Management Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/unified-threat-management-utm)


---
## Reviewer Demographics

### By Company Size

| Segment | Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | FortiGate-VM NGFW | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Small-Business** | 68.5% | 65.5% | 18.7% | 
| **Mid-Market** | 25.2% | 31.0% | 58.9% | 
| **Enterprise** | 6.3% | 3.4% | 22.4% | 

### By Industry

#### Netgate pfSense

- **Information Technology and Services:** 20.1%
- **Computer & Network Security:** 11.0%
- **Computer Software:** 6.3%
- **Telecommunications:** 4.1%
- **Computer Networking:** 3.8%
- **Non-Profit Organization Management:** 3.5%
- **Education Management:** 3.1%
- **Government Administration:** 3.1%
- **Higher Education:** 2.8%
- **Health, Wellness and Fitness:** 1.9%
- **Other:** 40.3%

#### Tailscale

- **Information Technology and Services:** 24.1%
- **Computer Software:** 24.1%
- **Computer & Network Security:** 10.3%
- **Higher Education:** 6.9%
- **Telecommunications:** 3.4%
- **Renewables & Environment:** 3.4%
- **Marketing and Advertising:** 3.4%
- **Internet:** 3.4%
- **Industrial Automation:** 3.4%
- **Financial Services:** 3.4%
- **Other:** 13.8%

#### FortiGate-VM NGFW

- **Information Technology and Services:** 22.2%
- **Computer & Network Security:** 11.6%
- **Telecommunications:** 10.1%
- **Financial Services:** 6.8%
- **Computer Software:** 6.3%
- **Computer Networking:** 4.8%
- **Education Management:** 2.9%
- **Construction:** 2.4%
- **Information Services:** 1.9%
- **Hospital & Health Care:** 1.9%
- **Other:** 29.0%

---
## Alternatives

### Alternatives to Netgate pfSense

- [Sophos Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/sophos-firewall/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (729 reviews)
- [Check Point Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs)](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-next-generation-firewalls-ngfws/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (587 reviews)
- [WatchGuard Network Security](https://www.g2.com/products/watchguard-network-security/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (267 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 (88 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 Tailscale

- [Twingate](https://www.g2.com/products/twingate/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (76 reviews)
- [OpenVPN Access Server](https://www.g2.com/products/openvpn-access-server/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (347 reviews)
- [OpenVPN CloudConnexa](https://www.g2.com/products/openvpn-cloudconnexa/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (127 reviews)
- [Check Point SASE](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-sase/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (221 reviews)
- [Cisco Secure Client](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-secure-client/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (345 reviews)
- [Absolute Secure Access](https://www.g2.com/products/absolute-secure-access/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (225 reviews)
- [WireGuard](https://www.g2.com/products/wireguard/reviews) — 4.8/5 stars (14 reviews)
- [AWS Client VPN](https://www.g2.com/products/aws-client-vpn/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (22 reviews)
- [NordLayer](https://www.g2.com/products/nordlayer/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (126 reviews)
- [SoftEther VPN](https://www.g2.com/products/softether-vpn/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (17 reviews)

### Alternatives to FortiGate-VM NGFW

- [Check Point Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs)](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-next-generation-firewalls-ngfws/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (587 reviews)
- [WatchGuard Network Security](https://www.g2.com/products/watchguard-network-security/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (267 reviews)
- [SonicWall Next Generation Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/sonicwall-next-generation-firewall/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (153 reviews)
- [Barracuda CloudGen Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/barracuda-cloudgen-firewall/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (51 reviews)
- [Juniper Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/juniper-firewall/reviews) — 3.9/5 stars (31 reviews)
- [Huawei Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/huawei-firewall/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (15 reviews)
- [KerioControl](https://www.g2.com/products/keriocontrol/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (10 reviews)
- [Sophos Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/sophos-firewall/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (729 reviews)
- [Cisco Meraki](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-meraki/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (217 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)

---
## 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 "

### Tailscale

No discussions available for this product.

### FortiGate-VM NGFW

- Title: [What is FortiGate-VM used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-fortigate-vm-used-for) — 2 comments
  > **Top comment:** "FortiGate-VM is Fortinet's virtual appliance version of the FortiGate firewall, designed for deployment in virtualized environments. It serves as a..."
- Title: [What is FortiGate NGFW used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-fortigate-ngfw-used-for) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "It is a next generation firewall which has capability to do layer 7 insapaction "
- Title: [Is FortiGate and fortinet the same?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-fortigate-and-fortinet-the-same) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "Fortinet is the company and FortiGate is their Firewall name :)"
- Title: [What three key additional security features do next generation firewalls provide that legacy firewalls do not?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-three-key-additional-security-features-do-next-generation-firewalls-provide-that-legacy-firewalls-do-not) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "with FortiGate has many Features including SD-WAN, SSL-VPN, Video Filtering, integrated with Sandbox...."

---
**Source:** [G2.com](https://www.g2.com) | [Comparison Page](https://www.g2.com/compare/netgate-pfsense-vs-tailscale-vs-fortigate-vm-ngfw)