Compare Netgate pfSense and Sophos Firewall 
At a Glance
Market Segments
Small-Business (68.8% of reviews)
Mid-Market (60.9% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
No pricing available
No pricing available
Netgate pfSense
Star Rating
(320)4.8 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (68.8% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
No pricing available
Learn more about Netgate pfSenseSophos Firewall
Star Rating
(335)4.6 out of 5
Market Segments
Mid-Market (60.9% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
No pricing available
Free Trial is available
Learn more about Sophos FirewallSummary
AI Generated Summary
AI-generated. Powered by real user reviews.
- Users report that Sophos Firewall excels in its Antivirus capabilities, scoring 9.0, while reviewers mention that Netgate pfSense falls short with a score of 6.5, indicating a significant difference in malware protection effectiveness.
- Reviewers mention that Sophos Firewall's URL Filtering feature is highly rated at 9.2, providing robust web security, whereas users on G2 note that Netgate pfSense's URL Filtering is less effective, scoring only 7.9.
- G2 users highlight that Sophos Firewall offers superior Quality of Support with a score of 8.6, compared to Netgate pfSense's 9.1, suggesting that users find more reliable assistance with pfSense.
- Users say that both products perform equally well in Virtual Private Network (VPN) functionality, each scoring 9.1, indicating that users can expect solid VPN support from either option.
- Reviewers mention that Sophos Firewall's Policy Management is rated at 9.0, providing a user-friendly experience, while users report that Netgate pfSense's score of 8.7 indicates a slightly less intuitive interface for managing policies.
- Users on G2 report that Sophos Firewall's Live Customer Support is rated at 8.3, which may be a concern for those needing immediate assistance, while Netgate pfSense's support is perceived as more responsive, contributing to its higher overall satisfaction ratings.
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Firewall Software
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Pricing
Entry-Level Pricing
Netgate pfSense
No pricing availableSophos Firewall
No pricing availableFree Trial
Netgate pfSense
Free Trial is available
Sophos Firewall
Free Trial is available
Ratings
Meets Requirements
9.4
256
9.0
250
Ease of Use
8.5
262
9.1
254
Ease of Setup
8.7
241
9.0
227
Ease of Admin
8.8
239
9.1
223
Quality of Support
9.1
204
8.6
248
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
9.1
193
9.0
219
Product Direction (% positive)
8.6
257
9.5
244
Features by Category
Administration
8.7
183
9.0
226
8.3
206
8.7
229
8.4
176
8.9
219
9.0
197
9.0
220
Functionality
9.1
213
9.1
216
6.5
133
9.0
209
7.9
164
9.2
223
9.3
197
9.3
215
Monitoring
8.5
160
8.9
198
8.2
165
8.9
209
8.7
185
9.2
216
8.4
178
9.1
216
Generative AI
Feature Not Available
Feature Not Available
Usage
9.1
143
Not enough data
9.5
159
Not enough data
9.3
162
Not enough data
9.4
153
Not enough data
7.9
107
Not enough data
8.5
110
Not enough data
8.5
105
Not enough data
Miscellaneous
8.2
106
Not enough data
9.3
143
Not enough data
8.2
95
Not enough data
Categories
Categories
Shared Categories
Netgate pfSense and Sophos Firewall are categorized as Firewall Software
Unique Categories
Netgate pfSense is categorized as Business VPN
Sophos Firewall has no unique categories
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
Netgate pfSense
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Sophos Firewall
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Small-Business
(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market
(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise
(> 1000 emp.)
Reviewers' Industry
Information Technology and Services
20.2%
Computer & Network Security
10.6%
Computer Software
6.1%
Telecommunications
4.2%
Computer Networking
3.8%
Other
55.1%
Information Technology and Services
16.8%
Computer & Network Security
9.9%
Computer Software
3.9%
Higher Education
3.3%
Oil & Energy
3.0%
Other
63.2%
Most Helpful Reviews
Netgate pfSense
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Chris G.
Verified User in Internet
pfSense is easy and fast to deploy on a variety of platforms, depending on the use case. As an enterprise service provider, we assist our customers with the deployment and hosting of systems in our cloud environment as well as on-prem datacenters. These...
Most Helpful Critical Review
Brian C.
Verified User in Computer Networking
It bricked itself on a reboot. It is impossible to configure. Devices intermittently had internet access even with only the most basic features enabled.
Sophos Firewall
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Verified User in Computer Software
I like the integration of sophos firewall with access points for full control over network n security
Most Helpful Critical Review
Verified User in Mental Health Care
Support has been poblematic, with long RMA lead times, lots of hardware failures. The devices are hard to scale.
Chris G.
Verified User in Internet
pfSense is easy and fast to deploy on a variety of platforms, depending on the use case. As an enterprise service provider, we assist our customers with the deployment and hosting of systems in our cloud environment as well as on-prem datacenters. These...
Verified User in Computer Software
I like the integration of sophos firewall with access points for full control over network n security
Brian C.
Verified User in Computer Networking
It bricked itself on a reboot. It is impossible to configure. Devices intermittently had internet access even with only the most basic features enabled.
Verified User in Mental Health Care
Support has been poblematic, with long RMA lead times, lots of hardware failures. The devices are hard to scale.
Alternatives
Discussions
Can pfSense be used as a router?
10 comments
SG
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...Read more
What is pfSense used for?
7 comments
RB
pfSense is a a preconfigured operating system and suite of tools for directing traffic between your LAN and the Internet.
The community version of pfSense...Read more
Is pfSense still free?
5 comments
JK
Yes, it is. There is a Community Edition and a Plus edition. The Community Edition is free. The Plus edition is free for home lab and comes pre-installed...Read more
Is Sophos XG free?
3 comments
MP
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.Read more
Is Sophos firewall good?
3 comments
AM
Yes Sophos is one of the best firewall I the market.
I will recommend my friends & family.
It's the most trust worthy cybersecurity product in the market Read more
What is Sophos Firewall used for?
3 comments
SP
Sophos firewall is used to have the control over the users in the organizations to restrict certain contents or protect from certain malicious activities....Read more
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