pfSense vs OPNsense 2025

pfSense CE vs OPNsense (security)

When comparing the security of OPNsense and pfSense CE, OPNsense stands out as the more secure and community-focused choice, from my findings.

A detailed review of the shared packages between OPNsense 24.7.12 and pfSense CE 2.7.2, both the latest versions as of 17th January 2025, reveals that many binaries in pfSense CE are out of date. Compounding this issue, pfSense CE 2.7.2 is still based on FreeBSD 14.0-RELEASE, which has been end-of-life since 20th November 2023, exposing it to unresolved vulnerabilities.

A closer look at the business models of Deciso, the company behind OPNsense, and Netgate, the creator of pfSense, further highlights the disparity in approach. Netgate prioritises its commercial offering, pfSense+, pushing updates there first and only “potentially” porting them back to the community edition.

In contrast, Deciso ensures that all updates are rolled out to the OPNsense community edition first, thoroughly testing them before porting them to the Business Edition, which is entirely derived from the community version. This approach ensures that OPNsense remains secure, transparent, and community-driven, making it the superior option for users seeking a well-maintained and reliable firewall solution.

OPNsense 25.1 is scheduled for release on January 29, 2025. This release will be based on the latest supported version of FreeBSD, 14.2-RELEASE.

Shared package version differences between pfSense CE and OPNsense

Operating System OPNsense pfSense
FreeBSD :white_check_mark: 14.1 :x: 14.0 (:warning: EoL)
Package OPNsense pfSense
7-zip :white_check_mark: 24.09 :x: 23.01
apcupsd :heavy_equals_sign: 3.14.14 :heavy_equals_sign: 3.14.14
avahi :heavy_equals_sign: 0.8 :heavy_equals_sign: 0.8
bind :white_check_mark: 9.18.32 :x: 9.16.44
freeradius :white_check_mark: 3.2.6 :x: 3.2.3
gdbm :white_check_mark: 1.24 :x: 1.23
gnugrep :heavy_equals_sign: 3.11 :heavy_equals_sign: 3.11
graphviz :white_check_mark: 12.2.1 :x: 8.1.0_1
grepcidr :heavy_equals_sign: 2 :heavy_equals_sign: 2
haproxy :white_check_mark: 3.0.7 :x: 2.8.3
iperf :white_check_mark: 3.18 :x: 3.15
iprange :heavy_equals_sign: 1.0.4 :heavy_equals_sign: 1.0.4
jq :heavy_equals_sign: 1.7.1 :heavy_equals_sign: 1.7_1
ladvd :heavy_equals_sign: 1.1.2 :heavy_equals_sign: 1.1.2
lcdproc :heavy_equals_sign: 0.5.9 :heavy_equals_sign: 0.5.9
libmaxminddb :white_check_mark: 1.11.0 :x: 1.7.1
lightsquid :heavy_equals_sign: 1.8 :heavy_equals_sign: 1.8
lighttpd :white_check_mark: 1.4.76 :x: 1.4.72
lldpd :white_check_mark: 1.0.18 1.0.14
logrotate :white_check_mark: 3.13.0_2 :x: 3.13.0_1
lsof :white_check_mark: 4.99.4 4.98.0
net-snmp :white_check_mark: 5.9.4 :x: 5.9.1
nmap :heavy_equals_sign: 7.94 :heavy_equals_sign: 7.94
node_exporter :white_check_mark: 1.8.2 :x: 1.6.1
nrpe :white_check_mark: 4.1.3 :x: 4.1.0
ntopng :white_check_mark: 6.2 :x: 5.6
open-vm-tools :white_check_mark: 12.5.0 :x: 12.3.52
openvpn :white_check_mark: 2.6.12 :x: 2.6.8_1
py-maxminddb :white_check_mark: 2.6.2 :x: 2.4.0
php :white_check_mark: 8.2.27 :x: 8.2.11
python :white_check_mark: 3.11.11 3.11.6
redis :white_check_mark: 7.4.2 7.2.1
rsync :white_check_mark: 3.3.0 3.2.7
siproxd :white_check_mark: 0.8.2 0.8_1
snmptt :heavy_equals_sign: 1.5_1 :heavy_equals_sign: 1.5_1
softflowd :heavy_equals_sign: 1.0.0_1 :heavy_equals_sign: 1.0.0_1
squid :white_check_mark: 6.12 :x: 6.3
squidclamav :white_check_mark: 7.3_2 :x: 7.2
squidguard :heavy_equals_sign: 1.4_15 :heavy_equals_sign: 1.4_15
stunnel :white_check_mark: 5.74 :x: 5.71_1
sudo :white_check_mark: 1.9.16p2 :x: 1.9.14p3
surricata :heavy_equals_sign: 7.0.8 :heavy_equals_sign: 7.0.8
syslog-ng :white_check_mark: 4.8.1_3 :x: 4.4.0
tailscale :white_check_mark: 1.78.1 :x: 1.54
telegraf :white_check_mark: 1.33.0 :x: 1.28.2
tftp-hpa :white_check_mark: 5.2_3 :x: 5.2_1
tinc :white_check_mark: 1.0.36_3 :x: 1.0.36_2
udpbroadcastrelay :white_check_mark: 1.1 :x: 0.3.b
vnstat :white_check_mark: 2.12 :x: 2.11_1
webfonts :heavy_equals_sign: 0.3 :heavy_equals_sign: 0.3
zeek :white_check_mark: .0.5 :x: 6.0.1
zip :white_check_mark: 3.0_4 :x: 3.0_1

pfSense+ vs OPNsense

The fact that pfSense+ is running on FreeBSD 15-CURRENT, which is not a released or officially supported operating system, also raises valid concerns. FreeBSD CURRENT branches are intended for active development and testing, meaning they are not stable releases and often lack the rigorous testing and long-term support guarantees found in RELEASE or STABLE branches.

This approach introduces potential risks for production environments, as the use of a development branch increases the likelihood of encountering unresolved bugs, incomplete features, or security vulnerabilities that have not been addressed or patched yet. While this may allow Netgate to access newer features and updates earlier, it also potentially sacrifices the stability and reliability expected in critical firewall and security applications.

In contrast, OPNsense remains on stable, released versions of FreeBSD, prioritising robustness and long-term security. This approach aligns better with the expectations of users who need a dependable and thoroughly tested platform for their networking infrastructure. For businesses and individuals prioritising security and stability, the use of an unreleased operating system like FreeBSD 15-CURRENT in pfSense+ is a significant point of concern.

I’ve listed below the differing version numbers of the shared packages, further illustrating the out-of-date state of pfSense CE. These factors make OPNsense the superior choice for users prioritising security and reliability in their firewall solutions.

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