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FNetgate pfSense vs Proton VPN
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
P
Choose Proton VPN if…
- you want a free plan to start with
- you want the lower entry price ($3.49/mo vs $10.75/mo)
- you want open source you can self-host or audit
- you work on Windows, macOS, Linux
- you're in its core audience: privacy-conscious individuals, travelers and streamers
Side by side
Feature Netgate pfSense Proton VPN
Pricing modelFree trialFreemium
Starting price$10.75/mo$3.49/mo
Free plan
Free trial
API
Open source
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedWindows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome
CategoryFirewalls & network securityVPN
CompanyRubicon Communications LLC (Netgate)Proton AG
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
P Proton VPN
- 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries
- NetShield DNS-level ad, tracker and malware blocker
- Secure Core multi-hop routing
- VPN Accelerator for up to 400% faster speeds
- Kill switch and always-on VPN
- WireGuard and OpenVPN with AES-256 or ChaCha20
- P2P/BitTorrent support on paid plans
- Up to 10 simultaneous devices
Their home pages
What each vendor shows first: the pitch, the plans and the sign-up.
Proton VPN · protonvpn.comWhat you'd pay
The cheapest plan that fits, per month, billed yearly where the plan offers it.
Work it out for your team
- Proton VPNVPN Plus$3.49/mo
- Netgate pfSenseSoftware (3rd-party hardware)$10.75/mo
The cheapest paid plan with a published price that fits. Custom and sales-quoted plans aren't included.
All plans and prices
Netgate pfSense
Software (3rd-party hardware)$129/yr
Cloud (AWS/Azure)$0.08/hr–$0.40/hr
Netgate ApplianceFrom $189
TNSRContact sales
Proton VPN
Proton FreeFree
VPN Plus$3.49/mo on 2-year plan ($9.99 monthly)
Proton Unlimited$7.99/mo on 2-year plan ($12.99 monthly)
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
Proton VPN
- Free plan with no ads and no data limits
- Open-source apps and publicly available no-logs audit
- Swiss jurisdiction
- Paid plans cover 10 devices
- Free plan covers 1 device and servers in 10 randomly selected countries
- Free plan excludes streaming, P2P and the ad blocker
- Lowest price requires a 2-year commitment
More comparisons
Other options to consider
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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
P
Open-source VPN with unlimited devices, no-logs policy and servers in 113 countries
From $2.03/mo
P
From $2.03/mo
P
Open-source VPN with unlimited devices, no-logs policy and servers in 113 countries
VPNOpen source
P
PP
From $1.69/mo
C
C
From $2.19/mo
A
ACensorship-resistant VPN app with paid, free and self-hosted server options
Free, from $3.30/mo
A
Free, from $3.30/mo
A
Censorship-resistant VPN app with paid, free and self-hosted server options
Obfuscation & anti-censorshipFree planOpen source
Facts from each vendor's public pages, prices checked Nov 7, 2026. Editorial policy