Pfsense Vs Fortigate – Which is the better firewall solution

In the search for a comprehensive firewall Pfsense and Fortigate are two options that consistently top the list of choices. Which one should you go for?

When it comes to choosing the right software for your specified needs, it is seldom as simple as picking the best rated or cheapest option. It requires you to analyse your needs against your current hardware and software capabilities and using this analysis to examine the available options before settling on one firewall software. Both pfsense and Fortigate use different operating systems, which already makes their systems of functionality very different but they both use a GUI (Graphical user interface), making them fairly easy to use compared to a command line. They both are highly rated and widely used security software, with a lot of functional similarities but few yet significant differences.

What are the differences between Pfsense and Fortigate?

Pfsense Vs Fortigate- How do they compare?

• Pricing

Pfsense is free while Fortigate is paid. However, there is a version of pfsense, (Pfsense-pro), which is paid and rivals Fortigate better than the common free and open source version. Comparing pfsense-pro to Fortigate in terms of cost, Fortigate is definitely more affordable. Keeping in mind that the common version of pfsense, and the subject of this review is free, Fortigate seems pricey. The chances of getting errors and bugs in pfsense is higher because it is open source. However, the developers frequently release new versions and updates to combat this, which could be tasking to a user to keep up with.

Pfsense is definitely more affordable than Fortigate, and worth it, if you can keep up with the frequency of updates to fix bugs.

• Operating systems

As highlighted in the comparative table, Pfsense uses the free BSD operating system while Fortigate uses a specialized FortiOS. There are several implications of this for both software; the first is that because it is specialized for cyber security, the FortiOS is safer and less prone to bugs and errors than the free BSD operating system. Because it is free and open source, the codes on the free BSD operating system can easily be tweaked and re-written to be used as a basis for a completely different software, which is not the same for FortiOS.

This makes the Operating system for Fortigate more specialized, which translates to higher system security.

• Ease of use

As mentioned above, both Pfsense and Fortigate use a GUI to interact with the user, making them easier to use than your average firewall software. However, the GUI on Fortigate is very intuitive and easy to use, making it easier to navigate than pfsense. The interface on Pfsense contains a lot of side and drop menus that are very confusing for a new user, compared to the well laid out and intuitive arrangement that Fortigate has.Fortigate gives the user the option to use a command line interface together with the GUI, which is not the case for pfsense. This option allows experienced CLI users to quickly adapt to the system as well as making it faster and more efficient. It also adds a new flexibility to the software that pfsense does not have.

Therefore, Fortigate is definitely easier to use for any user.

• Security

Pfsense weakly compares to the vast feature set and wide array of technical security services that Fortigate offers its users. This is because Fortigate has a very large network of sensors in its system that are designed to detect malicious cyber activity, whose functionality is licenced and owned by Fortinet and occasionally licenced over to some security companies. In addition to this, pfsense is free and open source which lowers its overall security compared to a paid and patented firewall solution.

This makes Fortigate the more secure firewall option.

Pfsense Vs Fortigate – A comparison review

Pfsense

Pfsense is an open source and free firewall and routing software that was initially developed to help users build their own routing systems from scratch as well as offer firewall solutions for said users. Its securities are quite impressive including basic rule based filtering for online traffic and intrusion protection systems as well as additional features like built in connection proxies and load balancing. It also allows for use of open VPN as well as VPN client.

Over time, it has become very popular in different sizes and types of businesses as well as homes as their go to firewall solution, primarily because it offers a variety of features despite being totally free. It is also easy to use because it is based on Free BSD and has a lot of documentation available as well as an endless stream of online forums and tutorials on how to use it.

Pros

• It is free to download and use
• It has a variety of diverse uses outside firewalling
• It has a lot of additional features

Cons

• It has trouble with changing network cards

Fortigate

Fortigate is the initial security networking programme from the company Fortinet, formed in 2002. Through time, and with consistent and reliable modifications and upgrades, Fortigate has risen to be a top industry-leading firewall solution for a wide range of businesses. It is favoured for its reliable security features such as web filtering, IPS (Intrusion protection systems) and SSL (Secure sockets layer). These features coupled with their amazing customer support system make Fortigate a very reasonable investment for cyber security.

Fortigate has modern Artificial Intelligence-driven firewall operations that make the already efficient security system highly intuitive to the user’s needs by automatically detecting and appropriately responding to a wide range of types of cyber threats. It not only provides security based networking but also accelerates the user experience quality, making it very easy and convenient to use in any work or home environment.

Pros

• Its GUI is designed to be very easy to use
• Although it is priced, it is very affordable for its functionality
• Fortinet offers great customer support

Cons

• Customer care for overseas countries is not as excellent after hours

Conclusion

When pit against each other as security software, Fortigate definitely shines far above pfsense in every sense, save for the flexibility that comes with being an open source software as well as using the free BSD operating system. However, pitting pfsense pro against Fortigate gives a more challenging comparison but the affordability factor still allows Fortigate to come out on top.

Verdict- So which is better, Pfsense or Fortigate?

Both Fortigate and Pfsense offer great security solutions for a wide scale of users. However, in a situation where you can only pick one, I would definitely make a worthy investment in Fortigate.

FAQs

What are the hardware requirements to download and run pfsense?

The minimum requirements are a CPU of 500 MHz and a 512 MB RAM. However, for seamless functionality, it is recommended that you have a CPU of about 1 GHz and a 1 GB RAM. Additional requirements are individual use specific and can be found on the internet.

What is FortiOS?

This is the specified security system operating system that is used as the foundation for Fortigate. It allows the user to control the entire network synchronized to their Fortigate application using one operating system that is highly intuitive.