Smoothwall Vs Pfsense – Which is the better open source firewall solution

In the search for an open source firewall, pfsense and Smoothwall often come up as being capable and reliable, but which one is better?

Pfsense and Smoothwall are both open source and free firewall solutions, making them available to any user.This factor alone makes them ranked against each other because of the difficulty involved in getting a quality firewall at no software cost. It is notable that Pfsense developers have an upgraded product Pfsense Pro, which is paid and extremely well ranked and endowed with a wide variety of features. Going back to the free Pfsense version, it is a reliable firewall software, similar to Smoothwall. Despite receiving no updates for quite a number of years, Smoothwall is still able to stand its ground against regularly updated firewall systems like pfsense, which speaks greatly to its foundation and relevance. However, updates are integral in ensuring the security of any firewall system because hackers are consistently searching for and finding bugs in software. For this reason, Smoothwall is recommended for single-user and home use while Pfsense can be used for homes and businesses.

What are the differences between Smoothwall and Pfsense?

Feature	Smoothwall	Pfsense (Winner)
Cost	Free	Free
Operating system	Linux	Free BSD
User Interface	Graphic User Interface	Graphic User Interface
System Updates	None	Regular
Number of users supported	Very few	Many
	Download here	Download here

Smoothwall Vs Pfsense- How do they compare?

• Customer support and software updates

As highlighted in the table, both Sonicwall and Pfsense are free and open source. However, users of pfsense have the option of paying for additional product support or switching to Pfsense Pro which is a very highly rated paid product. Smoothwall offers no such options with product support only being available in online cyber communities.The Smoothwall project has not seen updates since around 2014, implying that it is slowly getting outdated. It is notable that its foundation was very strong which is the reason that it still stands strongly against other free firewalls in the market today, but this may not be the case in future times. Pfsense boasts of regular and consistent system updates that are based solely on market trends and continued user demand and feedback.

This makes Pfsense preferable because it has regular updates and has the option of paid customer support.

• Scalability

A major drawback of Smoothwall is that it is not scalable for use in large organisations or simply to manage a relatively large or medium sized network system. The software has been known to collapse or reset under such pressure, or have poor functionality. Pfsense, on the other hand, is very scalable, making it suitable for a wide range of networks from home to work and even to enterprise networks. It offers consistent and high quality firewall service to the network despite its size, making it widely used in large scale businesses.

This makes Smoothwall preferable for a small number of users in one network while Pfsense is more suitable for business and enterprise use.

• Operating system

Pfsense is based on free BSD, while Smoothwall is based on Linux. The limitations and strengths of these operating systems can only be seen in line with a prospective user in mind. For example, Linux systems are said to be harder to navigate than most systems, but they are notoriously repetitive, making them easy to learn and adaptable for a user who is familiar with the basic Linux command line. The Smoothwall operating system is also rather notorious for having limited support for Wi-Fi systems which is not the case for Pfsense.

This makes Smoothwall harder to use than Pfsense for a regular user, but easier navigate for an experienced Linux user.

Smoothwall Vs Pfsense – A comparison review

Smoothwall

The Smoothwall project was first set up around the year 2000. It was designed to develop a free firewall that would include its own secure Linux (GNU) operating system with an easy to use web based interface. The system has proven to be extremely useful to companies and other groups of users that have few financial resources coupled with low level of technological firewall knowledge, that operate a small or otherwise domestic network. It is ill-suited for larger networks with a lot of devices connected to the system, because it may crash under the pressure. In addition to this, the Sonicwall project seems to have been abandoned by its developers in 2014, because the website has not been updated since, neither has the software been updated. Despite the abandonment of the project, the software is still gaining users because it is very functional and still relevant to firewall issues today. There is also a wide network of online forums that offer good technological advice and support.

Pros

• It is free and open source
• It runs very well on Linux based devices and networks
• It is easy to install and use

Cons

• The project seems to be abandoned so there are no new system updates

Pfsense

The pfsense project was coined to help users build and develop their own functional routing systems from scratch. This function allowed it to have all rounded network functions including firewalling routing and additional server functionalities making it one of the most popular firewall and router solutions today. Pfsense is suitable for use in both large and small network systems. Its increasing popularity is accredited to the availability of extensive documentation on the software, together with its large and extremely supportive online communities that spans all continents. There are also numerous videos, blogs and other forms of tutorials available on the internet which make it the go to choice for a new self-teaching user.

Pros

• It is free and open source
• It can scale well to a high number of users
• It has frequent updates
• There is an extensive online community of users who help each other learn and navigate the system

Cons

• It has regular updates that follow current trends and user demand

Conclusion

Smoothwall and Pfsense are two of the top open source firewall solutions available today because of their efficiency and wide scope of additional features. The biggest drawback to using Smoothwall is that the project has not been updated since 2014, putting its security into question. However, Smoothwall is still very suitable for single-user and home use, while pfsense is better suited for corporate use.

Verdict- So which is better, Smoothwall or Pfsense?

Sonicwall and Pfsense are both very capable and efficient firewalls. However, I feel that it would be advisable to choose a security solution that still has system updates and boots that are in line with the changing market, which is Pfsense.

FAQs

Is Smoothwall dead?

When Smoothwall was introduced to the market, it quickly rose to make a very good name for itself, which still stands strong today. However, the project has been silent since 2014 with no additional updates or changes of any sort. The product network website is still up and running with an active online community but has not been updated in years.

Is Pfsense free?

Pfsense is still free and can be downloaded from the official Pfsense website. However, there is a paid version of Pfsense called Pfsense Pro that competes very well with highly ranked commercial routers and firewalls, information for which is also available on the official website.