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Networking · head to head

OPNsense vs Private Internet Access

OPNsense logo

OPNsense

Networking

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
P

Private Internet Access

Cybersecurity

Long-standing VPN service with a large server network and flexible multi-year plans

From
$11.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OPNsense has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Private Internet Access monthly plan is priced noticeably higher than the discounted multi-year commitments, penalizing short-term users.
  • They diverge on capability: OPNsense covers Stateful firewall on pf, Private Internet Access covers Split tunneling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which OPNsense and Private Internet Access actually diverge.

Attributes where OPNsense and Private Internet Access differ
AttributeOPNsensePrivate Internet Access
Starting priceFree$11.99/month
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feesubscription
Free tierYesNo
Platformsx86-64 appliances, Virtual machines, Deciso hardwarewindows, mac, linux, ios, android
CategoryNetworkingCybersecurity

Identical on both: 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 OPNsense

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

Only in Private Internet Access

  • Split tunneling
  • Kill switch
  • Ad and tracker blocking
  • Dedicated IP add-on
  • Bundled antivirus add-on

What people use each for

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

OPNsense

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

Private Internet Access

  • Encrypting traffic on public Wi-Fi with a kill switchnot OPNsense
  • Blocking ads and trackers network-wide via MACEnot OPNsense
  • Maintaining a consistent connection identity with a dedicated IP add-onnot OPNsense
  • Committing to a long-term plan for a lower effective monthly ratenot OPNsense

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Private Internet Access

  • Monthly plan is priced noticeably higher than the discounted multi-year commitments, penalizing short-term users.
  • Dedicated IP and antivirus are paid add-ons rather than included features.
  • Headquartered in a jurisdiction whose privacy reputation some competitors market against, despite audited no-logs claims.
  • App interface is less streamlined than some higher-priced premium VPN competitors.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Private Internet Access

$11.99/month
  • Monthly$11.99/month
    • Billed month to month
    • Full server network access
    • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • 1-Year$3.1/month
    • Billed annually at $37.19
    • Full server network access
  • 2-Year$2.19/month
    • Lowest advertised rate, billed every 2 years
    • Full server network access

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Private Internet Access if

  • You need split tunneling.
  • You work on windows, mac, linux, ios, android.
  • You also want kill switch.
Private Internet Access review

Questions people ask

Is OPNsense or Private Internet Access better?
Neither clearly leads. OPNsense starts at Free and Private Internet Access at $11.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, OPNsense or Private Internet Access?
OPNsense has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for OPNsense and $11.99/month for Private Internet Access.
Does OPNsense or Private Internet Access run on more platforms?
OPNsense runs on x86-64 appliances, Virtual machines, Deciso hardware. Private Internet Access runs on windows, mac, linux, ios, android.
Can I use OPNsense for free?
Yes. OPNsense has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Private Internet Access starts at $11.99/month.
What is OPNsense best used for?
OPNsense is most often used for replacing a small business firewall appliance whose renewal quote exceeded the cost of the hardware, branch offices where the firewall configuration must be produced by ansible rather than by hand, sites that need wireguard and intrusion prevention on the same box without separate feature licences, a homelab or lab network needing vlan routing, multi-wan and dns filtering on one machine. Of those, replacing a small business firewall appliance whose renewal quote exceeded the cost of the hardware and branch offices where the firewall configuration must be produced by ansible rather than by hand are not what Private Internet Access is typically brought in for.
What can OPNsense do that Private Internet Access cannot?
OPNsense covers Stateful firewall on pf, VPN suite, Suricata IDS and IPS, Full configuration API. Private Internet Access covers Split tunneling, Kill switch, Ad and tracker blocking, Dedicated IP add-on.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

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.

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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