Next-generation firewalls · November 2026 Edition
pfSense vs SonicWall
Zero of fourteen models named pfSense first on the direct prompt; zero named SonicWall. pfSense was named by eight of the fourteen models and SonicWall by ten and pfSense carries 10 labels and SonicWall 20, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in five categories this edition.
Named in five categories this edition.
First-choice share4%2%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate20%40%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#3#5A position in a field of 9; printed, not drawn.
Labels1020A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, pfSense 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 pfSense · Fortinet FortiGate vs SonicWall · Palo Alto Networks NGFW vs pfSense
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.
pfSenseFirst choices, of fourteen modelsSonicWall
Direct00
Paraphrase001 against pfSense
Comparative00
Budget-constrained211 against pfSense
Scale-constrained00
Negative008 against SonicWall
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.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where pfSense and SonicWall stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | | |
pfSense SonicWall first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, pfSense on the left and SonicWall on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where pfSense and SonicWall stood in it.
Neither was named
14 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5no first choice
GPT-5.4 miniPalo Alto Networks NGFW alternatives: Cisco Secure Firewall, Fortinet FortiGate
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
Mistral SmallFortinet FortiGate, Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall alternatives: Check Point Quantum, Cisco Secure Firewall
DeepSeek V4 FlashFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Cisco Secure Firewall, Palo Alto Networks NGFW
Llama 4 MaverickFortinet FortiGate
Qwen 3.7 FlashFortinet FortiGate alternatives: Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Sophos Firewall
Kimi K2Fortinet FortiGate alternatives: Palo Alto Networks NGFW
GLM 4.7 FlashXFortinet FortiGate
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
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
Mid-marketThe figures above
Enterprise
Level: the same share of first choices.
pfSense0%#– of 6SonicWall0%#– of 6What 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
What the models said about SonicWall
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Five of five in this category shown.
“Avoid: SonicWall devices running older firmware versions that are known to be unpatched (particularly the SMA 100 series).” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · hard negative
“High Concern: SonicWall ... Over 178,000 SonicWall NGFW devices were found publicly exploitable” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · hard negative
“Avoid if: ... due to update/vuln risks with SonicWall/Fortinet” Qwen 3.7 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative
“The best next-generation firewall for a company with a limited budget is the SonicWall (Gen 7 / TZ & NSa) or the Untangle NG Firewall (Arista).” Llama 4 Maverick · budget prompt · first choice
“Easy management, subscription-based threat feeds | SMBs and mid-market” GLM 4.7 FlashX · comparative prompt · alternative
Also compared
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.