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Netgate pfSense Reviews & Product Details

Netgate pfSense Overview

What is Netgate pfSense?

pfSense® Plus software is the world’s most trusted firewall. The software has garnered the respect and adoration of users worldwide - installed well over three million times. Made possible by open source technology. Made into a robust, reliable, dependable product by Netgate.

Netgate pfSense Details
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Product Description

The Netgate pfSense project is a powerful open source firewall and routing platform based on @FreeBSD.


Seller Details
Seller
Netgate
Year Founded
2002
HQ Location
Austin, US
Twitter
@NetgateUSA
8,920 Twitter followers
LinkedIn® Page
www.linkedin.com
124 employees on LinkedIn®
Description

Netgate is a technology company specializing in network security and performance solutions. They offer a range of products, including firewalls, routers, and software, primarily focused on providing secure and reliable networking for businesses and organizations. Their solutions are built on open-source technologies, particularly pfSense, which is a widely used firewall and router software. Netgate is committed to enhancing network security and performance while delivering user-friendly solutions. For more information, visit their website at https://www.netgate.com.


Greg P.
GP
Overview Provided by:

Recent Netgate pfSense Reviews

JW
James W.Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
5.0 out of 5
"Powerful front-end security device"
pfSense is rock solid, it is one of the few appliances that I never question. It is highly configurable for VLAN, DHCP, Routing and much more.
Verified User
A
Verified UserMid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
3.5 out of 5
"Is a good option for basic needs"
Is easy manage using the web interface. Comes with a good logic and help to solve the basics needs for standard connections
Mohd, R.
MR
Mohd, R.Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
4.0 out of 5
"pfsense is one of the appliance that is recommended for stock router replacement"
pfsense allow you to build your own router using your CPU that is no longer in use.
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1 person requested security information

Netgate pfSense Media

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Video Reviews

320 Netgate pfSense Reviews

4.8 out of 5
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320 Netgate pfSense Reviews
4.8 out of 5
320 Netgate pfSense Reviews
4.8 out of 5

Netgate pfSense Pros and Cons

How are these determined?Information
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Pros
Cons

Overall Review Sentiment for Netgate pfSenseQuestion

Time to Implement
<1 day
>12 months
Return on Investment
<6 months
48+ months
Ease of Setup
0 (Difficult)
10 (Easy)
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Shaik B.
SB
Security Architect
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Organic Review from User Profile
What do you like best about Netgate pfSense?

Awesome product I have ever seen in free of cost.

Very powerfull opensource Firewall with full bundeled packed.

Its very easy to use software and hardware, I can customize many things as like I can add additional ports and SSD ect..

I took only 30 minutes to make this product live very smooth and easy to implimentation.

Yes, I have TAC Enterprice support so I get very good quick and premium support as I usually get from many other premium Firewall provider. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Netgate pfSense?

Since this is opensource, If you know the concept then only this product is helpfull or else you will feel very dificylty to impliment itself. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Netgate pfSense solving and how is that benefiting you?

PfSense+ solved my many problems from the traditional Firewall.

1, Cost.

2, URL filtering.

3, End users tracking.

4, multi WAN as I want.

5, Load balancing as per my priority.

6, Captive portal and IPS/IDS.

7, User identity and self hosted RADIUS.

etc.., Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

deepak s.
DS
IT Admin
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about Netgate pfSense?

Easy to install, Easy to understand, Easy to implement, rules creation and log check process use full and easy tounderstand and reporting pasrt also very stroing and use full bandwidth management and capping very easy.Very fast customer/tesc support. User it on daily basis. easy to integrated packages. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Netgate pfSense?

Backup process may have auto process for tackn and installation. CLI past have some comlications. path and storage auto cleaning process issue and version dependancey. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Netgate pfSense solving and how is that benefiting you?

VPN services at the time of covid very use full for us and we sun the app poeration smoothe for WFH user and we adopted this process and function till now. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Mohd, R.
MR
Software System Staff Engineer
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about Netgate pfSense?

pfsense allow you to build your own router using your CPU that is no longer in use. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Netgate pfSense?

It is a bit hard to configure for the first time. But netgate did provide the user guide for installation/configuration that you can use as reference. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Netgate pfSense solving and how is that benefiting you?

pfsense is a replacement for my stock router that is provide by ISP. I want to explore the available options. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Hospital & Health Care
AH
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Organic
What do you like best about Netgate pfSense?

Is easy manage using the web interface. Comes with a good logic and help to solve the basics needs for standard connections Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Netgate pfSense?

Dont have options to interact confortly using CLI or scripting Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Netgate pfSense solving and how is that benefiting you?

centralize the solution to keep the connectivity managed easily Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Chris G.
CG
President
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite on behalf of seller
Incentivized Review
(Original )Information
What do you like best about Netgate pfSense?

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 are typically customers who for reasons of their own are not willing to trust a public cloud with their data. Having the ability to choose a hardware solution or virtualized installation of the pfSense software grants lots of freedom in design and deployment.

The web-based interface is intuitive and responsive. It's certainly competitive with other offerings.

We have engaged with support on a one-off as well as TAC subscription basis and find Netgate / pfSense support to be first rate. We appreciate having a trusted partner. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Netgate pfSense?

pfSense update management can sometimes be a bit ungainly. We'd really appreciate the ability to enable automated updates, especially to patch security threats. Or perhaps even a notification that would be sent to the pfSense admin when a new update is available.

Oftentimes the only time a user realizes there is an update is when they log into the web interface, and many of our users can go weeks or months between log-ins. A push or email notification would be helpful in this regard.

Lower-end pfSense appliances from Netgate have shown themselves to be a bit flaky. They will lock up on updates, or sometimes lock up for no reason at all. When this happens, we've noted that even a reboot of the system doesn't bring it back online and it must be accessed via emulated serial console (over USB) in order to manually walk it through a startup sequence. This is extremely problematic at remote / unstaffed locations. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Netgate pfSense solving and how is that benefiting you?

pfSense is great at the customer edge. IPSEC tunnels are quick and easy and perform especially well in our virtualized environments. In addition, the built-in OpenVPN with the client config builder is a great timesaver.

We're also experimenting with multi-tenancy options that allow a single installation to reach across multiple VLAN'd networks, providing unique internal subnets and routing for each. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Christian H.
CH
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite on behalf of seller
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about Netgate pfSense?

I have been using pfSense for many years. First on my own hardware and later on netgates hardware. The System is easy enough to use but also gives you the ability to have fine tuned rules.

I think because the pfSense Firewall software is open source and has a very large community you have a higher chance to find solutions to edge cases than with other non-open source firewalls. Some solutions might feel a bit hacky but there's always a way to get the software to behave like you want Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Netgate pfSense?

I have had a few clients which have the 1000+$ Netgate 7100 hardware firewall which have had heat related problems (total freeze if the temperature exeeds a value that it was easily reaching in normal use).

After opening the case I realized the heat sinks were mounted in the wrong orientation (not with, but against airflow) which seemed to be a production error because later versions of this firewall had the fans on the side and the rotated orientation would make sense there but not with the version my customers had.

After fixing the orientation of the heat sinks I had no more overheating problems though. Thanks to the standard hardware it was easy enough to fix. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Netgate pfSense solving and how is that benefiting you?

pfSense is a good blend of a for-profit company and open source software. They benefit from the large community which is there because it is open source, and companies benefit from having Netgate as a primary contact for support.

The market for open source firewall software is not very large and pfSense is the main choice for people who want to use open source and selfhostable software. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Esther Cheng of Netgate pfSense

Thank you for your detailed feedback on your experience with pfSense. We're glad to hear that you find the system easy to use and appreciate the fine-tuned rules it offers. We apologize for the heat-related problems with the Netgate 7100 hardware firewall, and we appreciate your understanding and resolution of the issue. We value your continued support and feedback as we strive to improve our products and services.

KB
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite on behalf of seller
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about Netgate pfSense?

I can configure just about anything in pfSense. It is a much better value offering than other vendors, and due to its open source nature, I was even able to fix a bug in the ACME package that handles Let's Encrypt certificate renewing.

The interface is not extremely modern but it is very functional.

I also buy Netgate hardware for my devices, but this is not a requirement, which I love. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Netgate pfSense?

There is controversy in the community about some of Netgate's historical practices around a competing project called OPNsense, so any time a question or problem is posted, a pack of seagulls descend on the post to say they use OPNsense instead. Great, thanks?

I do hope that Netgate continues to ignore the drama and make a great open source product I can depend on. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Netgate pfSense solving and how is that benefiting you?

Provides a configurable, extensible firewall that serves as the backbone of our small business network. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Esther Cheng of Netgate pfSense

We're glad to hear that you find pfSense to be a valuable and versatile solution for your network security needs. We appreciate your feedback on the open source nature and the ability to customize the system to your requirements.

NO
ICT Consultant
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: Seller invite
Incentivized Review
(Original )Information
What do you like best about Netgate pfSense?

Switching from a rather locked down routing software to PFSense has been a great experience. Configuration of PFsense from the Setup Wizard to customizations such as the implementation of site-to-site VPNs, HAProxy, DNS and PFBlockerNG. The abiliity to also have a Configuraiton Backup and easily spin-up a virtual Router should the physical hardware fail is also a relief. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Netgate pfSense?

I haven't really experience anything that I dislike all that much. I suppose, it would be nice to have a Dashboard that could auto-populate with features that would be of interest rather than having to determine yourself what you want to visualise. Though, I suppose that's the power of running your own Firewall - You can control what you do and don't want to see. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Netgate pfSense solving and how is that benefiting you?

PFSense solves the issue of being able ot ensure router's have up to date software. Previously, router's were supported for a few years and then support was dropped by the vendor. With PFsense, since it's software you can move along with it provided you keep your system updated. You also have the added option of using their own hardware which is also feature rich and well supported. PFsense has also made it easy setting up site-to-site VPNs allowing for a choice between VPN technology such as Wireguard or IPSEC. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Emmanuel G.
EG
Ingénieur en cybersécurité
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite on behalf of seller
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about Netgate pfSense?

The first upside of using pfSense is of course the ease of use, and the great interface. It may not be as complete as what Palo Alto offers for example but realistically, the price range is not the same. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Netgate pfSense?

I have to say, I don't really like the firewall logs, I think there is room for improvements like for example pagination on live monitoring.

It would be awesome to see an application based firewall, even if it comes with a specific version of pfSense. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Netgate pfSense solving and how is that benefiting you?

pfSense permits me to have a VPN connection to my home network while I'm elsewhere and I need to get a specific file, or just want to browse the internet without ads. It also gives me the ability to open ports (for example for game servers with friends) and to do strict firewall rules. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Esther Cheng of Netgate pfSense

Thank you for sharing your positive experience with Netgate pfSense. We understand your feedback about the firewall logs and live monitoring, and we'll take that into account for future enhancements.

Michael P.
MP
Assistant Professor
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
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Validated Reviewer
Verified Current User
Review source: G2 invite on behalf of seller
Incentivized Review
What do you like best about Netgate pfSense?

The pfSense software is widely-known and very flexible. There are considerable resources on the Internet, from books to videos. Good technical support from Netgate. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Netgate pfSense?

I'm used to configuring routers and firewalls for my advanced home network. pfSense had a learning curve for me. It would be nice if there were a more intuitive visual interface where it's more obvious that firewall rules and DHCP servers are based on interfaces, and aliases are definitions that go into the rules and such.

Also, it should be much easier to analyze and reduce bufferbloat and other common connection nonidealities. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Netgate pfSense solving and how is that benefiting you?

The Netgage 1541 provides more than enough throughput for my 1.6 Gbps Internet connection. It provides support for the isolated wireless networks in my house, and has two 10 Gbase-T connections for connecting to my primary switch. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Esther Cheng of Netgate pfSense

We appreciate your positive feedback about the flexibility and resources available for pfSense software. We understand your concerns about the learning curve and user interface, and we are constantly working to improve the user experience.