pfSense vs. Untangle NG Firewall

PfSense and Untangle NG are competing firewall solutions with options for SMBs, remote workers and home offices, as well as larger campuses, designed to help users manage and protect their networks against attacks (e.g. phishing, malware). PfSense software is available through an open source Community Edition, or the pfSense Plus licensed edition. These can be bundled with relatively low priced Netgate pfSense security gateway appliances, priced and oriented around the needs of small to medium sized businesses and branch offices. Untangle, also catering to small businesses, offers a collection of NG Firewall Apps to give users custom, a la carte protection, that provides the user just what his small businesses needs, without undue cost and bloat. Untangle also offers their z series appliances that come pre-loaded with NG Firewall, packaged and ready for small businesses. There is also a higher tier edition for corporate campuses and data centers.

Features

PfSense and Untangle NG Firewall support core network security features such as spam or GeoIP blocking, VPN functionality, WAN balancing, etc. but users describe a few standout features that distinguish them from each other, though bear in mind these are similar entry level network security options, equally well regarded.

PfSense has a strong and helpful open-source community, with plenty of documentation and expertise available online to get users started. The open-source Community Edition of the product is serviceable, and with it companies with niche security needs can customize a solution to fit their distinct requirements at little cost, low resource usage, and on commodity hardware if desired. PfSense has libraries of free and purchasable add-ons that add new features and extend on basic functionality. Its VPN and load balancing are favored.

Untangle NG Firewall apps share a UI that is easy to work with, and notably Untangle apps also work well with the user’s choice of hardware, from commodity to enterprise (e.g. Cisco) appliances, or Untangle’s own budget friendly z series. Implementing Untangle is easy. Particularly, Untangle NG Firewall’s web filtering feature is very well regarded, and allows administrators to selectively block portions of a website without blocking the entire site. Users report helpful, responsive support from Untangle’s customer assistance team. 

Limitations

PfSense and Untangle NG Firewall have much in common as full featured open source firewall solutions with free options and are highly rated, but they have limitations to consider before choosing one over the other.

PfSense’s wide array of open-source add-ons can be a strength and a weakness. Administrators using PfSense add-ons must continually check for updates to maintain their system. Since add-on developers are under no obligation to continue development, critical add-ons may be deprecated without warning and with no guarantee that others will continue development. Some users find PfSense’s UI dated, hard to navigate, and difficult to learn for new users. Implementing PfSense as a free solution may require more technical knowledge than some users have, removing the free option for businesses without the expertise.

Untangle NG Firewall offers limited documentation in comparison to PfSense, and a few have said Untangle apps can be resource-intensive. Finally, Untangle NG Firewall hasn’t offered a wide variety of VPN features in the past. However, recent updates to the software have added new, streamlined VPN options and improved existing VPN functionality to give users faster, more stable VPN connections. While available at lower cost than strictly enterprise-focused security options, Untangle pricing can increase steeply for the user on a budget. 

Pricing

PfSense is open-source and available for free download. The vendor also offers a wide variety of pre-configured hardware, ranging from $179.00 to $5,298.00. Additionally, PfSense is available in a cloud-based service, starting at $0.08 per hour. Cloud-based pricing varies depending on whether you use AWS or Microsoft Azure. Contact the vendor for a customized quote.

Untangle NG Firewall offers a free 14-day trial. Their Complete package starts at $25.00 per month and includes all of the product’s features and functionality for up to 12 licensed devices. Pricing for the Complete package varies depending on the number of licensed devices. The z series appliances are available from $299 for the branch office z4, and range to z20 campus edition, coming in at $3499.