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Cybersecurity · head to head

Avast One vs OPNsense

Avast One logo

Avast One

Cybersecurity

All-in-one protection for your digital life

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OPNsense logo

OPNsense

Networking

FreeBSD-based firewall and routing platform with weekly updates and a full configuration API

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Avast One ransomware and Wi-Fi vulnerability protection only on paid plans; OPNsense throughput depends entirely on hardware you selected yourself, and intrusion prevention at multi-gigabit rates will saturate a machine that handled plain firewalling fine, with no vendor sizing commitment to fall back on.
  • They diverge on capability: Avast One covers Antivirus, OPNsense covers Stateful firewall on pf.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Avast One and OPNsense actually diverge.

Attributes where Avast One and OPNsense differ
AttributeAvast OneOPNsense
Pricing modelUnknownOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWindows, macOS, iOS, Androidx86-64 appliances, Virtual machines, Deciso hardware
CategoryCybersecurityNetworking
Founded1988Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Avast One

  • Antivirus
  • Firewall
  • VPN
  • Data breach monitoring
  • Email Guardian
  • Webcam Shield
  • Ransomware Shield
  • Performance optimization

Only in OPNsense

  • Stateful firewall on pf
  • VPN suite
  • Suricata IDS and IPS
  • Full configuration API
  • High availability
  • Weekly update cadence

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Avast One

  • Antivirusnot OPNsense
  • Internet Securitynot OPNsense
  • Privacy Toolsnot OPNsense

OPNsense

  • Replacing a small business firewall appliance whose renewal quote exceeded the cost of the hardwarenot Avast One
  • Branch offices where the firewall configuration must be produced by Ansible rather than by handnot Avast One
  • Sites that need WireGuard and intrusion prevention on the same box without separate feature licencesnot Avast One
  • A homelab or lab network needing VLAN routing, multi-WAN and DNS filtering on one machinenot Avast One

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Avast One

  • Ransomware and Wi-Fi vulnerability protection only on paid plans
  • Free plan VPN is limited, no data breakthrough monitoring
  • Rebuilt app in May 2026 may have stability issues

OPNsense

  • Throughput depends entirely on hardware you selected yourself, and intrusion prevention at multi-gigabit rates will saturate a machine that handled plain firewalling fine, with no vendor sizing commitment to fall back on.
  • The weekly update cadence is good for security but means more change events than a team used to annual appliance firmware, and occasional regressions reach production installations.
  • FreeBSD underneath limits driver support compared with Linux, so recent network cards and some virtualisation drivers can be unsupported or slow.
  • The plugin ecosystem is uneven in quality; some plugins are maintained by a single contributor and can lag a major release, breaking a function you depended on.
  • Community support is a forum, so an outage at two in the morning on the free edition is your problem alone unless you bought the business subscription in advance.

Pricing, plan by plan

Avast One

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Antivirus
    • Limited VPN
    • Privacy tools
  • Silver$2.99/month
    • Enhanced antivirus
    • VPN
    • Device cleanup
  • Premium$4.19/month
    • Full antivirus
    • VPN with 55 servers
    • Password manager
  • Premium Plus$11.67/month
    • All Premium features
    • 30 devices covered

OPNsense

Free
  • OPNsense Community EditionFree
    • MIT licence with no feature restrictions
    • All VPN, IDS and HA features included
    • Weekly updates and two major releases a year
  • OPNsense Business Edition$undefined/year
    • Stabilised update track lagging community releases
    • Commercial support from Deciso
    • Additional enterprise plugins and configuration backup

Which should you pick?

Choose Avast One if

  • You need antivirus.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want firewall.
Avast One review

Choose OPNsense if

  • You need stateful firewall on pf.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on x86-64 appliances, Virtual machines, Deciso hardware.
  • You also want vpn suite.
OPNsense review

Questions people ask

Is Avast One or OPNsense better?
Neither clearly leads. Avast One starts at Free and OPNsense at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Avast One or OPNsense?
Avast One starts at Free and OPNsense at Free.
Does Avast One or OPNsense run on more platforms?
Avast One runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. OPNsense runs on x86-64 appliances, Virtual machines, Deciso hardware.
Can I use Avast One for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Avast One best used for?
Avast One is most often used for antivirus, internet security, privacy tools. Of those, antivirus and internet security are not what OPNsense is typically brought in for.
What can Avast One do that OPNsense cannot?
Avast One covers Antivirus, Firewall, VPN, Data breach monitoring. OPNsense covers Stateful firewall on pf, VPN suite, Suricata IDS and IPS, Full configuration API.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Avast One: Is Avast One free?

Yes. Avast One offers a free tier with antivirus, VPN (limited), and privacy tools. Paid plans start at $2.99/month for Silver and $4.19/month for Premium covering up to 5 devices.

Source
OPNsense: How is it different from pfSense?

It is a 2015 fork with an MIT licence, a fixed weekly release cadence, a complete configuration API and a different interface. Feature coverage is comparable; the release process and API are the real differences.

Avast One: What does Avast One include?

Avast One provides antivirus, VPN, password manager, device cleanup, Wi-Fi security, data breach monitoring, and protection against AI-generated scams and deepfakes.

Source
OPNsense: Do I need the Business Edition?

Only if you want commercial support or a slower, stabilised update stream. No features are withheld from the community edition.

Avast One: Does Avast One have ransomware protection?

Ransomware protection is available only on paid plans, not the free tier. Free users get antivirus and basic protection only.

Source
OPNsense: Can it handle a gigabit internet connection?

Plain firewalling on modest current hardware, comfortably. With Suricata inspection enabled, expect to need a considerably stronger CPU.

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