Netgate pfSense Reviews, Competitors and Pricing (2024)

PfSense gives our customers high security, and it's easy to implement. Most customers are looking for a VPN, so we set up a static IP that makes the VPN easy. The benefits of pfSense are immediate. It has a few features that prevent data loss, such as backups and creating rules. It does packet inspection to ensure large known malware does not get through to the end users. It offers features that help us prevent downtime, but that doesn't apply to our customers. It has failover, so if an internet line were to go bad, you could failover to another line. That doesn't apply to our customers because they can't afford a second internet line.

The dashboard is pretty good. It lets you control different things. It also has widgets, and you're able to control which sockets are open or not, and you're able to have some open software that allows you to do geofencing. You can restrict the ability to access certain countries. It's been flexible enough for everything that we've needed to do with it. I have a small operation, so we don't have some of the requirements that a larger one would have. Since it's open software, there are typically open modules that you can add. The firewall software also has a menu option that allows you to download different new features. For instance, there's a piece of software called Notes that allows you to make some notes, so you can go into your firewall and look up configuration notes that were written there in the past. There's backup software, so there's another piece of software that allows you to back up the configuration to a file or a PC connected to the firewall. If you have a sufficiently bad power outage, you can lose your configuration. However, it has some features that allow you to track suspicious access to a device. You get a record of intrusion. You still need to interpret it yourself. However, you are alerted to potential hacks. We began to see the value immediately. It made a big made a big difference not to have to pay that annual fee. There was some learning curve involved. I like to learn new things.

Its ability to put some plug-ins into the system is helpful. There are a couple of packages that I'm using. Since I'm using it mainly as a firewall and sometimes as a VPN endpoint, it's really great. The flexibility is good. The fact that you can add packages makes the device quite flexible. Also, it's quite overpowered for my needs right now, so that's a good thing. Price-wise, the quality to price is pretty much up there, especially when you consider that you don't have to tinker with anything. With hardware, you don't know where you know, how long it's going to last or anything like that. However, with pfSense, you have guaranteed support with NetGate, and this is great. It's quite easy to configure. It's very intuitive. Maybe that's because I know the interface. There's also tons of of information available online. They have a very good user manual for the software as well. It's very detailed, and it's it's easy to work with. There's a forum where you can ask questions, and people are very friendly. Within a couple of hours, sometimes days, somebody has had the issue that you're having before. So, forum responses are quite quick. It's really easy to work with. There's peace of mind and no downtime. In terms of preventing data loss, any solution is only as good as its weakest point. And since this is at the very edge of my network, of the outside network, I feel I'm pretty prepared and protected from data breaches. That said, at the end of the day, I'm not opening myself up to many things in the outside world. It's blocking pretty well, and I don't feel threatened. If there's data loss, it's going to be from my end users, not from the device itself. It provides us with a single pane of glass management for my household. There's only one device that I use. The main advantage to me right now is that I'm using their reboot environment. It's really easy for me to update, and if some things don't go well, I can go to the previous version and be back up in no time. pfSense is just plug-and-play. Performance-wise, once you install the system, it works even when there's been a couple of software updates. It's probably overpowered for what I need. Performance is very good.

Valuable Features

Room for Improvement

ROI

Users have reported positive results from implementing Netgate pfSense, stating that it has led to increased security, improved network performance, and cost savings. The return on investment from utilizing Netgate pfSense has been seen as significant and worth the initial investment.

Pricing

Popular Use Cases

Users primarily leverage Netgate pfSense as a network firewall and routing solution. It is also commonly used for VPN connectivity and traffic monitoring. Many users praise its robust security features and ease of customization to fit their specific network needs. Additionally, users appreciate the software's reliability and stability in helping secure their network infrastructure.

Service and Support

Customers have praised Netgate pfSense for its excellent customer service and support. Users have expressed satisfaction with the quick response times and helpful assistance provided by the support team. Additionally, customers appreciate the extensive knowledge and expertise demonstrated by the support staff in addressing their queries and issues.

Deployment

Most users generally consider the initial setup of pfSense easy and straightforward, with deployment times varying from just 10 minutes to two weeks. Some users emphasize that deployment is quick and can be completed in a few hours by IT professionals, while others mention that the complexity of network configurations can extend the setup time.

Scalability

Many users find Netgate pfSense to be highly flexible and able to easily accommodate changing needs, with several mentioning that it can scale well to fit a variety of environments. Some users have noted that the solution is particularly useful for small to medium-sized businesses seeking an adaptable and expandable networking option.

Stability

Reviews from Real Users

Below is some feedback from PeerSpot Users who are currently using the solution.

T.O., a VP of Business Development at a tech services company, mentions, "What I found most valuable is the cost of the platform, the flexibility of the platform, and the fact that the ongoing fees are not there as they are with the competitor."