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Check Point Quantum Force vs Netgate pfSense comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 22, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Check Point Quantum Force
Ranking in Firewalls
29th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.7
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Netgate pfSense
Ranking in Firewalls
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
223
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Check Point Quantum Force is 0.9%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Netgate pfSense is 6.8%, down from 10.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Netgate pfSense6.8%
Check Point Quantum Force0.9%
Other92.3%
Firewalls
 

Featured Reviews

AMITKUSHWAHA - PeerSpot reviewer
Optical Fiber Splicer at a tech company with 51-200 employees
Layered security has improved policy management and supports clear monitoring workflows
Sophos has a low price, so customers with lower budgets will purchase Sophos. Customers with good budgets who want security features will implement Fortinet, Palo Alto, and Check Point because these are enterprise-level solutions and provide better security. Sophos is only compared for its price point. Price is a significant factor. When we refer customers to Check Point Quantum Force, the price is high compared to other firewalls, and customers are not agreeable because their budgets do not accommodate Check Point Quantum Force. Fortinet firewall and Sophos firewall are more easily available and have more accessible pricing compared to Check Point Quantum Force and Palo Alto. Check Point Quantum Force does not have strong local support. We are based in India, and Check Point Quantum Force does not have extensive local support. It takes time for responses, and sometimes they provide local SI contact numbers, but we sometimes face delayed problem resolution rather than quick action.
Juan-Arias - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal Cloud Architect - Software Engineer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Rapid VPN setup has connected offices in minutes and brings live insights for proactive issue control
What I appreciate the most about Netgate pfSense is the ease and straightforward nature of the platform. I can set up a new office in less than 10 minutes. The benefits of using Netgate pfSense are that I can set up VPNs in less than two to three minutes, and then just deploy the file across my networks, where everybody would be connected in less than an hour. The dashboards of Netgate pfSense bring all the necessary information that I need at a glance, and it is actually a live update every three to five seconds. It is spotless, and I have been able to catch issues before they hit operations.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The most valuable features I find in Check Point Quantum Force are the security policy features, including all security features that are provided by firewall, IPS/IDS."
"The security features and layered security features are better compared to others."
"In performance and threat prevention, it has benefited my cybersecurity strategy."
"The outcomes from Check Point Quantum Force firewall gave us the ability to be fit and secure from the cyber world."
"The biggest benefit of pfSense is its ease of setup, especially for VPN — both the end-user VPN and site-to-site feed."
"The open-source nature of pfSense, paired with the amount of support we receive, has been great."
"For me, pfSense is a ten out of ten."
"Great extensibility of the platform."
"The initial setup was straightforward, therefore I wanted to continue using the product."
"pfSense made my life easier for controlling users and their bandwidth."
"I like how easy it is to access VPNs and stuff like that. It's so simple to set up a site-to-site VPN."
"The main features of this solution are customization and ease to use."
 

Cons

"The complexity of configuring a VPN needs to be improved because we need to go back and forth to configure VPNs."
"I see good competition which is less expensive."
"I have observed weaknesses in Check Point Quantum Force, particularly when configuring tunnels from any point product to a peer, which has very complex configuration requirements."
"Check Point Quantum Force does not have strong local support. We are based in India, and Check Point Quantum Force does not have extensive local support in our region."
"I would like to see a single pane of glass for multiple devices."
"The domain blocking lists need to be improved."
"Maybe they can add two-factor authentication."
"I expect a better interface with more log analysis because I create my own interface."
"A way to clean squid cache from the GUI."
"Proxy filters are not supported for the blocking of HTTPS sites."
"The intrusion protection system is provided by a third-party provider that's verified by pfSense. It would be best to have an option for IPS because when you deploy pfSense to a SOC, you have to subscribe to another IPS provider. The IPS should be a default feature. On the other hand, that's also the benefit of pfSense because you can also acquire another IPS solution."
"​Perhaps the documentation is not clear and because it is supported in the community there is no basic documentation."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"I would like to see the solution's price reduced."
"pfSense Plus is cost-effective for what we're getting."
"The solution software does not require a license, it is free. The support contract is about $600 dollars."
"It is on the higher side. If you want to purchase pfSense Plus alone, the cost is roughly $150 a year, but the value provided justifies the expense. However, a lower-end tier option, around $100, would be beneficial."
"It is an open source solution. Therefore, the price is good."
"It is free. It is open source."
"It is very suitable in terms of the price. If a client cannot acquire a Netgate appliance, I provide a custom-made appliance, and I install the Community edition of pfSense. It is a very good and affordable solution for enterprises. Some of the clients pay monthly but usually, it is annually."
"The pricing is lower than some of its competitors."
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917,433 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
16%
Construction Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Outsourcing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business172
Midsize Enterprise34
Large Enterprise29
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Check Point Quantum Force?
In terms of pricing, setup cost, and licensing, many users and clients say that the pricing is high. The license structure, with which blades and features are included and what extra licenses you n...
What needs improvement with Check Point Quantum Force?
I would assess Check Point Quantum Force's real-time threat intelligence in guarding against ransomware as not effective. I have not used its real-time threat intelligence. I am not very familiar w...
What is your primary use case for Check Point Quantum Force?
I am dealing mostly with firewalls and I am working with Check Point Quantum Force. I have utilized the capability to secure only the on-premises environments and not in cloud.
Help me find the best open source router
You don't really specify what type of router you are looking for but if you are talking about a gateway router I recommend PFSense. This software solutions can be installed on youf own hardware or ...
How do I choose between Fortinet FortiGate and pfSense?
Fortinet’s Fortigate is a firewall solution we use and are very much satisfied with its performance. We find Fortigate both cost-effective and efficient. One of the features we like most is that Fo...
What is the difference between PfSense and OPNsense?
Two of the most common and well recognized firewalls, PfSense and OPNsense both support site-to-site IPsec VPN and client, Open VPN and client, and PPTP client. Both also have intrusion detection a...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Nerds On Site Inc., RKC Development Inc., Expertech, Fisher's Technology, Ncisive, Consulting, CPURX, Vaughn's Computer House Calls, Imeretech LLC, Digital Crisis, Carolina Digital Phone, Technigogo Technology Services, The Simple Solution, SwiftecITInc, Rocky Mountain Tech Team, Free Range Geeks, Alaska Computer Geeks, Lark Information Technology, Renaissance Systems Inc., Cutting Edge Computers, Caretech LLC, GoVanguard, Network Touch Ltd, P.C. Solutions.Net, Vision Voice and Data Systems LLC, Montgomery Technologies, Techforce, Concero Networks, ASONInc, CPS Electronics and Consulting, Darkwire.net LLC, IT Specialists, MBS-Net Inc., VOICE1 LLC, Advantage Networking Inc., Powerhouse Systems, Doxa Multimedia Inc., Pro Computer Service, Virtual IT Services, A&J Computers Inc., Envision IT LLC, CommunicaONE Inc., Bone Computer Inc., Amax Engineering Corporation, QPG Ltd. Co., IT 101 Inc., Perfect Cloud Solutions, Applied Technology Group Inc., The Digital Sun Group LLC, Firespring
Find out what your peers are saying about Check Point Quantum Force vs. Netgate pfSense and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
917,433 professionals have used our research since 2012.