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Should I use IPFire.org?

IPFire is a hardened, versatile, state-of-the-art Open Source firewall based on Linux. - ipfire.org

Depends. Buy it if you (or someone on your team) are comfortable administering Linux networking and want a free, capable firewall. Avoid it if you need vendor support, compliance certifications, or plug-and-play simplicity.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources: official site and docs, community forums, Reddit, NVD/CVE records, and comparison reviews.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

IPFire (open source)

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
AWS Marketplace AMIPay AWS infra only

Best for

  • Homelab builders and tinkerers
  • Small offices with a network admin
  • AWS/VPC perimeters on a budget
  • Privacy-focused open-source shops

Not for

  • Non-technical households wanting a plug-and-play router
  • Enterprises needing vendor SLAs or compliance certifications
  • Teams with nobody comfortable on a Linux shell
  • Buyers who want one vendor to call when it breaks

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Patch fast: 2025 remote-code-execution CVEs affected the product.

medium

Free software means your time is the support cost; no included commercial help.

medium

You supply the hardware; wrong NIC choices caused real pain for users.

medium

Some community members publicly worry about declining project engagement.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free and fully open source; every part auditable
  • Regular security updates and a published security policy
  • AWS Marketplace AMI for cloud deployment
  • Active development; WiFi 7 support added in Core Update 199
  • Community forums offer hands-on help for setup problems

Cons

  • Assumes Linux and networking knowledge; not plug-and-play
  • Remote code execution vulnerabilities reported in 2021 and 2025
  • No vendor SLA; support is community-run and donation-funded
  • Hardware compatibility friction; users report NIC speed problems

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/21/2026 - 12 sources - Regular core updates and a published security policy, but remote code execution CVEs in 2021 and 2025.

official x4review x4security x3news x1
  • CVE-2025-34313, NVD-listed IPFire vulnerability published October 28, 2025; check NVD for affected versions.
  • CVE-2025-34314, CVE record for IPFire published October 28, 2025.
  • Remote command execution vulnerability, Disclosed July 2025: a remote command execution vulnerability exists in IPFire.
  • IPFire 2.25 authenticated RCE, Authenticated remote code execution exploit published May 2021.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Entirely free, donation-funded open source.
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Web UI exists; community debates usability gaps.
  • Feature depth: 4/5. VPN, IDS, DNSSEC, WiFi 7, cloud images.
  • Support quality: 3/5. Community forums only; donors question engagement levels.
  • Security posture: 3/5. Rapid updates, but 2025 RCE CVEs exist.
  • Free Starting price Open source; donations optional
  • Yes Free tier Entire product is free software
  • Donations Funding Project entirely independent, donation-funded

Pricing

IPFire (open source)

Free

  • Full firewall, IDS, VPN, DNSSEC
  • Community support via forums
  • Donations optional

AWS Marketplace AMI

Pay AWS infra only

  • Launch in your VPC
  • Software itself still free

Security

Regular core updates and a published security policy, but remote code execution CVEs in 2021 and 2025.

  • CVE-2025-34313NVD-listed IPFire vulnerability published October 28, 2025; check NVD for affected versions.⁴
  • CVE-2025-34314CVE record for IPFire published October 28, 2025.
  • Remote command execution vulnerabilityDisclosed July 2025: a remote command execution vulnerability exists in IPFire.
  • IPFire 2.25 authenticated RCEAuthenticated remote code execution exploit published May 2021.⁵

What users say

Users see a capable hobbyist firewall, but forum threads flag hardware quirks, usability gaps, and doubts about project engagement.

“What are thoughts on ipfire.org for home firewall?”
Facebook, Home Server Setups group
“Main problem with IPFire and other firewall distros”
IPFire Community forum
“ipfire.org is down? Anyone know why?”
Reddit, r/ipfire
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources: official site and docs, community forums, Reddit, NVD/CVE records, and comparison reviews.

Free, hardened open-source firewall. Great for tinkerers and small offices; wrong if you want plug-and-play or vendor support.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources: official site and docs, community forums, Reddit, NVD/CVE records, and comparison reviews.

Sources

  1. Welcome to IPFire (official site)ipfire.org
    official
  2. About IPFireipfire.org
    official
  3. IPFire Security Policyipfire.org
    security
  4. CVE-2025-34313 Detail - NVDnvd.nist.gov
    security
  5. IPFire 2.25 - Remote Code Execution (Authenticated)exploit-db.com
    security
  6. AWS Marketplace: IPFireaws.amazon.com
    official
  7. IPFire vs PFsense - Firewall Reviewjimiz.net
    review
  8. Improving Usability? - IPFire Communitycommunity.ipfire.org
    review
  9. Hardware purchase for amateur use - IPFire Communitycommunity.ipfire.org
    review
  10. r/ipfire - Redditreddit.com
    review
  11. IPFire 2.29 - Core Update 199 releasedipfire.org
    official
  12. IPFire - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    news

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