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Index › IT › Network and edge › Firewalls › Palo Alto Networks NGFW vs pfSense
Next-generation firewalls · November 2026 Edition

Palo Alto Networks NGFW vs pfSense

One of fourteen models named Palo Alto Networks NGFW first on the direct prompt; zero named pfSense. Palo Alto Networks NGFW was named by fourteen of the fourteen models and pfSense by eight and Palo Alto Networks NGFW carries 59 labels and pfSense 10, so the shares are not directly comparable.

Palo Alto Networks NGFW

accepted challenger

Named in one category this edition.

pfSense

accepted challenger

Named in five categories this edition.

First-choice share8%4%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate20%20%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#2#3A position in a field of 9; printed, not drawn.
Labels5910A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Palo Alto Networks NGFW reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Fortinet FortiGate was named alongside these two in thirteen of the fourteen direct answers. Fortinet FortiGate vs Palo Alto Networks NGFW · Fortinet FortiGate vs pfSense · Palo Alto Networks NGFW vs Sophos Firewall

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the next-generation firewalls page.

By framing

How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Palo Alto Networks NGFWFirst choices, of fourteen modelspfSense
Direct101 against Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Paraphrase101 against Palo Alto Networks NGFW · 1 against pfSense
Comparative120
Budget-constrained024 against Palo Alto Networks NGFW · 1 against pfSense
Scale-constrained20
Negative206 against Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.

Across every category in the November 2026 Edition, Palo Alto Networks NGFW and pfSense were named in the same answer fourteen times, of the 164 answers naming Palo Alto Networks NGFW and the 44 naming pfSense. In those answers pfSense took the first choice zero times and Palo Alto Networks NGFW zero.

Every model, every framing

The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Palo Alto Networks NGFW and pfSense stood in it.
ModelDirectParaphraseComparativeBudget-constrainedScale-constrainedNegative
Claude Haiku 4.5
GPT-5.4 mini
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Perplexity Sonar
Grok 4.20
Mistral Small
DeepSeek V4 Flash
Llama 4 Maverick
Qwen 3.7 Flash
Kimi K2
GLM 4.7 FlashX
MiniMax M2.5
GPT-6 Luna
Muse Glimmer 30B
Palo Alto Networks NGFW pfSense first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Palo Alto Networks NGFW on the left and pfSense on the right.

The direct prompt

The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Palo Alto Networks NGFW and pfSense stood in it.

Palo Alto Networks NGFW first, pfSense not the choice

1 of 14 modelspfSense was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.
GPT-5.4 miniPalo Alto Networks NGFW alternatives: Cisco Secure Firewall, Fortinet FortiGate

Neither was the first choice, one was named

9 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.
Gemini 3.5 FlashFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall
Perplexity SonarFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall
Grok 4.20Fortinet FortiGate alternatives: Barracuda CloudGen Firewall, Check Point Quantum NGFW, Cisco Secure Firewall, Palo Alto Networks NGFW, SonicWall NSa Series, Sophos Firewall
DeepSeek V4 FlashFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Cisco Secure Firewall, Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Qwen 3.7 FlashFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall
Kimi K2Fortinet FortiGate alternatives: Palo Alto Networks NGFW
MiniMax M2.5Fortinet FortiGate alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Cisco Secure Firewall, Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall
GPT-6 LunaFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Muse Glimmer 30BFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall, WatchGuard Firebox

Neither was named

4 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.
Claude Haiku 4.5no first choice
Mistral SmallFortinet FortiGate, Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Cisco Secure Firewall
Llama 4 MaverickFortinet FortiGate
GLM 4.7 FlashXFortinet FortiGate

Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.

By buyer segment

The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Level: the same share of first choices.
Palo Alto Networks NGFW2%#6 of 9
pfSense2%#5 of 9
The full small business standing →
Mid-marketThe figures above
Palo Alto Networks NGFW leads by four points.
Palo Alto Networks NGFW8%#2 of 9
pfSense4%#3 of 9
The full mid-market standing →
Enterprise
Palo Alto Networks NGFW leads by forty-four points.
Palo Alto Networks NGFW44%#1 of 6
pfSense0%#– of 6
The full enterprise standing →

What the models said about Palo Alto Networks NGFW

Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.

“Avoid high-end like Palo Alto or full Cisco Secure Firewall unless scaled down” Grok 4.20 · budget prompt · hard negative
“Avoid Palo Alto Networks if budget is your primary constraint” Qwen 3.7 Flash · budget prompt · hard negative
“Typically higher hardware and subscription costs. More complex management (Panorama) and steeper learning curve. Overkill for many mid‑size B2B organizations” GLM 4.7 FlashX · direct prompt · soft negative
“Fortinet and Palo Alto are the most common choices — Fortinet for price-performance, Palo Alto for maximum security effectiveness and control” DeepSeek V4 Flash · scale prompt · first choice
“strongest reputation for security depth, threat prevention, and a broad platform approach centered on AI-driven inspection and Zero Trust” GPT-5.4 mini · comparative prompt · first choice
“Market leader, known for strong AI/ML threat detection... Palo Alto, Fortinet, and Check Point are generally considered the top leaders” Mistral Small · comparative prompt · first choice

What the models said about pfSense

Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Five of five in this category shown.

“can run on $200–$400 hardware and offer many NGFW features free of charge, but they require more technical expertise” DeepSeek V4 Flash · budget prompt · soft negative
“pfSense on a white‑box server can be a viable option, but you’ll need to invest more time in configuration” MiniMax M2.5 · paraphrase prompt · soft negative
“If you want the most budget-friendly option, pfSense is often recommended for its low cost and high ratings.” Mistral Small · budget prompt · first choice
“For Maximum Savings: Start with OPNsense or pfSense on your own hardware or a low-cost appliance.” Kimi K2 · budget prompt · first choice
“Lowest-cost flexible option: pfSense or OPNsense — Worth considering if the company has in-house networking expertise” Perplexity Sonar · budget prompt · alternative
Also compared
Fortinet FortiGate vs Palo Alto Networks NGFWFortinet FortiGate vs pfSensePalo Alto Networks NGFW vs Sophos FirewallPalo Alto Networks NGFW vs SonicWallpfSense vs Sophos FirewallpfSense vs SonicWallAll ten head-to-head pages and the full firewalls standing

Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.