pfSense Plus review

pfSense Plus is firewall, VPN and router software from Netgate. It is offered on Netgate appliances and virtual machines, with cloud availability through Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure. The product description lists site-to-cloud, cloud-to-cloud and virtual private cloud connectivity for connecting employees, partners and customers to shared resources.

On-premise buyers can get the software bundled with a Netgate appliance; third-party hardware and virtual machine deployments can use software subscriptions. Cloud pricing is hourly, monthly or yearly, and AWS or Azure compute, storage and networking are billed separately. The pricing summary lists cloud instances from $0.08 to $0.56 per hour, depending on capacity and provider. That means pfSense Plus is not one flat-rate firewall purchase: the bill depends on whether you buy hardware, deploy through a cloud marketplace or install it on your own machine.

The main selling point is deployment choice. Netgate sells appliances with pfSense Plus included, while the AWS and Azure marketplace options cover teams that want a virtual firewall rather than another physical box. The listed network functions include firewall, VPN and routing, plus site-to-cloud, cloud-to-cloud and VPC connectivity. That makes the product relevant to organizations connecting offices or remote resources to cloud networks, not just buyers replacing a home router.

The pricing summary also gives buyers a few different ways to pay:

• Netgate appliance software has no recurring charge. The listed hardware price starts at $189–$289, and the package includes one appliance instance, unlimited users, firewall rules and IPsec tunnels, plus TAC Lite support.
• Third-party hardware or virtual machines can use subscriptions starting at $129 per year for one instance. The listed plans say there are no feature or throughput limits.
• AWS and Azure deployments have a 30-day software trial, with hourly software pricing based on capacity and provider.

For buyers who want a packaged firewall, or need cloud connectivity, that range is useful. But the appliance, subscription and cloud routes have different costs and terms.

The headline price needs context. The $10.75-per-month subscription is billed annually at $129 and covers one instance; TAC Pro is listed at $399 per year, and TAC Enterprise at $799 per year. Those higher tiers are for buyers seeking those support levels. Cloud software costs $0.08–$0.56 per hour in the pricing summary, but the cloud provider’s compute, storage and networking charges are extra. Appliance software has no recurring fee, but hardware starts at $189–$289. Prices for memory and storage upgrades, extended warranties and consulting are not published.

Upgrade terms also deserve checking. In a Reddit thread discussing the announced 26.10 unification of Plus and Community Edition, commenters questioned whether free users would need to reinstall to move to a new version, while a subscription would allow an online upgrade. The discussion says reinstalling can save and restore configuration, but this is not a clear substitute for a documented support policy. We would confirm the current upgrade path and subscription terms before committing, especially for remote or business-critical installations.

For Netgate appliances, pfSense Plus software is included at $0 recurring cost, but the hardware starts at $189–$289. The appliance plan lists one instance, unlimited users, firewall rules and IPsec tunnels, plus TAC Lite support. That is not a no-cost turnkey appliance.

On third-party hardware or virtual machines, TAC Lite costs $129 per year ($10.75 per month equivalent), TAC Pro is $399 per year ($33.25 per month), and TAC Enterprise is $799 per year ($66.58 per month). Each covers one installation and lists no feature or throughput limits. The move from Lite to Pro adds $270 per year; Pro to Enterprise adds another $400.

AWS and Azure marketplace software is listed at $0.08–$0.56 per hour, with a 30-day software trial. Cloud compute, storage and networking are billed separately, so the hourly software rate is not your full bill. Third-party subscriptions are billed annually. Appliance upgrades, extended warranties and consulting have no published prices; check TAC upgrade terms before committing.

Plan this as a network configuration migration, not just a software install. Before switching, inventory firewall rules, VPN connections, routing, interfaces and site-to-cloud or VPC links, then confirm each requirement on the target setup. The published material does not describe migration tooling, configuration export formats or a direct conversion path, so ask Netgate or your provider about those details before scheduling a cutover.

The listed deployment options include Netgate appliances, third-party hardware or virtual machines, and AWS or Azure cloud instances. That gives buyers several places to run the software, but the sources do not establish how portable a configuration is between them. When leaving a cloud deployment, also account for separate provider charges for compute, storage and networking.

We can’t responsibly summarize why Reddit users leave: no Reddit posts were included in the published material. The stated reasons to scrutinize before switching are the full cloud bill and upgrade terms. Check current pricing and support terms before moving or renewing.