OPNsense

What OPNsense does

OPNsense is an open-source firewall and routing platform developed and commercially operated by Deciso B.V., a private Dutch limited company headquartered in Middelharnis, Netherlands. The software is forked from pfSense (2015) and built on Hardened BSD, providing a stateful IPv4/IPv6 firewall with multi-WAN load balancing and failover, integrated VPN (IPsec, OpenVPN, WireGuard, Tinc), hardware failover via CARP, reporting through RRD graphs and NetFlow, and intrusion detection and prevention using Suricata with Proofpoint Emerging Threats rules. The platform serves SMBs, enterprises, home users, and managed service providers seeking an open, verifiable alternative to proprietary commercial firewalls.

The product is offered in two tiers: a free Community Edition under a BSD/MIT 2-clause license and a paid Business Edition sold as an annual subscription through shop.opnsense.com. The Business Edition adds commercial firmware, Web Application Firewall, Proxy Access, Extended Blocklist, OPNcentral centralized management, integrated GeoIP database, and bundled training (Practical OPNsense e-book and Introduction Course). Deciso also manufactures and sells purpose-built OPNsense hardware appliances engineered in Europe, ranging from compact fanless desktops to rack-mountable units. An extensible plugin ecosystem (HAProxy, CrowdSec, Tailscale, Nginx, Wazuh, etc.) augments core functionality.

The go-to-market is predominantly product-led and community-led: free downloads drive adoption across a community of over 300,000 participants worldwide, while commercial conversions occur via the official e-commerce shop and direct enterprise sales ([email protected]). Revenue is generated from Business Edition subscriptions, hardware appliance sales, donations, and training materials. No external institutional funding or venture capital is disclosed, indicating a bootstrapped commercial open-source model.

Name

OPNsense

Legal name

Deciso B.V.

Website

https://opnsense.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Short description

OPNsense is an open-source FreeBSD-based firewall and routing platform operated by Deciso B.V., serving SMBs, enterprises, and MSPs globally. It monetizes via a paid Business Edition subscription, European-manufactured hardware appliances, training materials, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Network Security Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Edge Security Delivery (DDoS, WAF, Bot Mitigation at Edge) (HDABAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

VPN Gateways & Concentrators (IPsec/SSL) (HDAFAFAC)

Keywords

• Open source firewall
• Network security platform
• Intrusion prevention software
• FreeBSD routing platform
• VPN gateway solution

Headquarters

HQ city

Middelharnis

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Business Edition Subscriptions: OPNsense offers a paid Business Edition designed for companies, enterprises, and professionals seeking turnkey, high-end security solutions. The paid version unlocks premium features and advanced tools including Web Application Firewall, Proxy Access, Extended Blocklist, OPNcentral, and Integrated GeoIP database. Purchasing the paid version also supports the project, ensuring community continues to benefit from ongoing innovation.
2. Hardware Appliances: OPNsense sells purpose-built hardware appliances engineered in Europe, combining premium quality, performance, and sleek design. The range includes compact fanless desktops to powerful rack-mountable appliances, built for ease of use, seamless deployment, and long-term reliability. Hardware is sold through the official shop.
3. Donations: OPNsense accepts donations from the community to support continued development and improvement of the project. Donors are acknowledged on the donate page, with many being mentioned publicly if they wish.
4. Training and Educational Materials: OPNsense sells the Practical OPNsense 5th Edition e-book by Markus Stubbig with the Business Edition license. Training courses including the Official OPNsense Introduction Course presented by trainer Maher Haddad are also offered with purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OPNsense is an open-source, FreeBSD-based firewall and routing platform that provides stateful IPv4/IPv6 firewalling, Multi WAN load balancing and failover, integrated VPN support (IPsec, OpenVPN, WireGuard, Tinc), hardware failover via CARP, intrusion detection and prevention through Suricata, and modern reporting via RRD graphs and NetFlow. It is offered as a free Community Edition under a BSD/MIT 2-clause license and as a paid Business Edition that adds Web Application Firewall, Proxy Access, Extended Blocklist, OPNcentral centralized management, and an integrated GeoIP database, with purpose-built hardware appliances sold alongside.

Product overview

OPNsense is an open-source firewall and routing platform available in two editions: the free Community Edition delivering comprehensive network security features including stateful firewalling, Multi WAN, VPN, intrusion prevention, and hardware failover; and the paid Business Edition adding Web Application Firewall, Proxy Access, Extended Blocklist, OPNcentral centralized management, and integrated GeoIP database. The platform is extended through Community Plugins (e.g., HAProxy, CrowdSec, Tailscale, Nginx) and Third-Party Plugins. Official hardware appliances are also sold to complement the software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OPNsense Community Edition Free open-source firewall and routing platform for individuals, SMBs, and enterprises, providing stateful IPv4/IPv6 firewalling, Multi WAN load balancing and failover, integrated VPN (IPsec, OpenVPN, WireGuard, Tinc), hardware failover via CARP, RRD/NetFlow reporting, and Suricata-based intrusion prevention.
• OPNsense Business Edition Paid commercial subscription that unlocks Web Application Firewall, Proxy Access, Extended Blocklist, OPNcentral centralized management, integrated GeoIP database, commercial firmware repository, official OPNsense Open Virtualisation Image, a bundled E-book, and a free hands-on labs e-learning course for beginners. Designed for companies, enterprises, and professionals seeking turnkey, high-end security solutions.
• OPNsense Official Hardware Appliances Purpose-built firewall and routing hardware appliances engineered in Europe, ranging from compact fanless desktops to rack-mountable units, designed and optimized to run OPNsense with premium build quality, performance, and long-term reliability. Sold as one-time/perpetual purchases through the official shop.
• OPNsense Community and Third-Party Plugins Extensible plugin ecosystem extending the OPNsense platform with curated community-contributed plugins (HAProxy, Nginx, Tailscale, CrowdSec, etc.) and third-party-maintained plugins, allowing customers to add capabilities such as load balancing, content filtering, behavioral analysis, DNS, caching, and observability to their firewall deployment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Data breaches averaging over $4 million globally drive demand for cost-effective open source security alternatives like OPNsense
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Q-FeedscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Q-Feeds provides advanced threat intelligence integration for OPNsense, offering real-time protection against emerging threats. The partnership enables fast deployment with threat intelligence active within 5 minutes and flexible subscription options for different threat levels. Q-Feeds integration is available as an optional plugin.
• DecisocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeciso B.V. is the Dutch company behind OPNsense, responsible for commercial activities, hardware development, Business Edition, and project governance. The company operates from Middelharnis, Netherlands and maintains the official shop, sales, and support operations.
• Proofpoint (Emerging Threats)coreTechnology or IntegrationOPNsense integrates Proofpoint's Emerging Threats Open rules for intrusion detection. Users can also choose the optional ET PRO (commercial subscription) or ET PRO Telemetry (free sign-up) for enhanced threat intelligence.
• FreeBSD ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOPNsense is built on Hardened BSD, utilizing the FreeBSD foundation for its core firewall and routing capabilities. The project leverages FreeBSD's network stack and security features as the foundation of its platform.
• SuricatacoreTechnology or IntegrationOPNsense uses Suricata for its intrusion detection and prevention system (IDS/IPS), providing advanced inline inspection capabilities. The integration includes Suricata 8.0.3 and newer versions with declarative conf.d structure.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• CrowdSec: Open-source behavioral detection engine available as an OPNsense plugin. While not a direct firewall competitor, CrowdSec is part of OPNsense's plugin ecosystem and represents the collaborative open-source security community OPNsense participates in.

Emerging players

• Untangle (ngfw.com): Open-source-based UTM/next-generation firewall platform with free and paid tiers targeting SMBs. Overlaps with OPNsense's SMB and MSP customer base, offering comparable firewall, web filtering, and VPN features through a different deployment model.
• VyOS: Open-source network operating system supporting routing, firewall, and VPN functionality. Competes in the open-source networking space and appeals to users seeking Linux-based alternatives to BSD-based OPNsense, particularly for SD-WAN and service provider deployments.
• Endian Firewall: Open-source UTM/firewall platform (Endian Switchboard) targeting SMBs and industrial customers. Competes with OPNsense in the cost-sensitive firewall segment with similar feature breadth including VPN, IDS/IPS, and content filtering.

Direct peers

• pfSense (Netgate): Direct open-source firewall competitor from which OPNsense forked in 2015. Netgate offers pfSense CE (free) and pfSense Plus (commercial subscription) with overlapping feature sets including stateful firewalling, VPN, IDS/IPS, and hardware appliances, making it the closest head-to-head competitor.
• IPFire: Open-source Linux-based firewall distribution commonly ranked alongside OPNsense and pfSense as a top-3 open-source firewall. Competes directly for cost-conscious SMB and home users seeking a free, feature-rich alternative to commercial firewalls.

Broad incumbents

• Fortinet: Dominant commercial firewall and network security vendor with FortiGate appliances and the Fortinet Security Fabric. Competes with OPNsense in the enterprise and mid-market segments where OPNsense's Business Edition and hardware appliances are positioned, though Fortinet offers a much broader portfolio.
• MikroTik: Latvian manufacturer of RouterOS-powered routers and firewalls widely deployed in SMB and service provider networks. Competes on price-performance for routing-plus-firewall functionality, often appearing alongside OPNsense in budget-conscious network builds.
• Sophos: Commercial firewall and endpoint security vendor with Sophos XGS hardware appliances and centralized management. Targets the same SMB and mid-market firewall segment as OPNsense, offering bundled security subscriptions that compete against OPNsense's Business Edition value proposition.
• Palo Alto Networks: Enterprise firewall leader with PA-Series hardware and Prisma SASE cloud platform. Competes in the high-end enterprise firewall market that OPNsense targets through its Business Edition, though Palo Alto serves a fundamentally different buyer profile and price point.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/opnsense

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OPNsense