F
FNetgate pfSense vs NordVPN
Pricing, features, platforms and who each one suits — side by side.
N
Choose Netgate pfSense if…
- you need an API to build on
- you want to trial it before paying
- you work on Web, Self-hosted
- you're in its core audience: home and pro-home users, small and medium businesses
N
Choose NordVPN if…
- you want the lower entry price ($2.99/mo vs $10.75/mo)
- you're in its core audience: individual consumers, families
Side by side
Feature Netgate pfSense NordVPN
Pricing modelFree trialPaid
Starting price$10.75/mo$2.99/mo
Free plan
Free trial
API
Open source
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted—
CategoryFirewalls & network securityVPN
CompanyRubicon Communications LLC (Netgate)—
Full feature lists
N Netgate pfSense
- Stateful firewall with rule-based traffic filtering
- Routing with traffic prioritization and dual WAN failover
- Site-to-site and remote-access VPN, including IPsec
- High availability with CARP
- Add-on packages for IDS/IPS, block lists and content filtering
- Web GUI management
- Deploy on appliances, bare metal, VMs, AWS or Azure
- TNSR router scaling to 100 Gbps with RESTCONF API
N NordVPN
- Encrypted VPN connections that hide your IP address
- Threat Protection included in all plans
- Up to 10 devices per subscription
- NordPass password manager on higher tiers
- Data Breach Scanner on Plus and higher
- 1 TB encrypted NordLocker storage on Complete
- Pay by card, crypto or PayPal
Their home pages
What each vendor shows first: the pitch, the plans and the sign-up.
NordVPN · nordvpn.comWhat you'd pay
The cheapest plan that fits, per month, billed yearly where the plan offers it.
Netgate pfSense
Software (3rd-party hardware)$129/yr
Cloud (AWS/Azure)$0.08/hr–$0.40/hr
Netgate ApplianceFrom $189
TNSRContact sales
NordVPN
Basic$3.49/mo on 2-year plan; $14.99 month-to-month
Complete$4.49/mo on 2-year plan; $19.99 month-to-month
Prime$7.49/mo on 2-year plan; $29.99 month-to-month
Strengths and limitations
Netgate pfSense
- No feature or throughput upcharges on pfSense Plus
- Software licence starts at $129/yr for third-party hardware
- pfSense Plus is included free with Netgate appliances, which start at $189
- Free 30-day trial on cloud marketplaces
- TNSR pricing is only available through sales
- TNSR has no web GUI and is managed through a CLI or the RESTCONF API
- Phone and priority support require paid TAC subscriptions
NordVPN
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Covers up to 10 devices
- Higher tiers bundle a password manager and 1 TB of storage
- Accepts card, crypto and PayPal
- No free plan
- Long-term plans are billed upfront
- Prices and plan names vary by region and promotion
More comparisons
Other options to consider
FF
Contact
F
Next-generation firewalls, SASE and security operations for enterprises
Firewalls & network security
P
PP
Contact
P
Enterprise network, cloud, identity and SOC security platforms with AI
Firewalls & network security
S
SS
From $2.49/mo
E
EE
From $2.99/mo
P
PSwiss no-logs VPN with a free plan, 20,000+ servers and built-in ad blocking
Free, from $3.49/mo
P
Free, from $3.49/mo
P
Swiss no-logs VPN with a free plan, 20,000+ servers and built-in ad blocking
VPNFree planOpen source
C
C
From $2.19/mo
Facts from each vendor's public pages, prices checked Nov 9, 2026. Editorial policy