RouterOS Vs Pfsense – How do they compare
RouterOS and Pfsense are two of the most functional yet efficient routing and firewall solutions in the market today
Pfsense is a routing and firewall software that is built on a Free BSD Operating System, and is designed to allow users to build their own routers and routing systems from scratch. RouterOS is a Linux-based network operating system that is used as the basis for Router installation on Mikrotik Routers, giving the routers great routing functionality. It can be installed on Computers to give them routing and firewalling capabilities as well as the capacity to serve as a wireless AP and a Captive Portal.
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So, why would they be compared?
Pfsense and RouterOS perform a lot of the same functions, with the most impressive being that they can be installed to a PC, making it a router and firewall. Pfsense is based on Free BSD which is a great routing and firewall Operating System. Its wholesome features which are greatly borrowed from its Operating system, allow it to perform certain functionalities of an operating system, which enables the misconception that it is an OS and not a software.
Conclusion
It would be wrong to directly compare RouterOS to Pfsense because RouterOS is an Operating System while Pfsense is a software. It would make more sense to compare Pfsense to the software Mikrotik.
FAQs
Is RouterOS open source?
No it is not open source. The source code for the Operating system us available only by paid license. However, though it is Linux-based, it can operate on any computer that meets its standard hardware requirements.
