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No. 7 of 35 ·Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software

IPFire

Web · Linux · Self-hosted

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Freedom report

Two barsScore 6.4

  • Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
  • Open codeNo open-source code on record
  • Runs widely2 of 6 device platforms
  • DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

IPFire is a free, open-source firewall and network security platform for settings from home offices to large organizations. Its Linux Netfilter-based firewall supports network zones, port forwarding, NAT, and stateful packet inspection. For remote or site-to-site connections, it supports IPsec, WireGuard, and OpenVPN. A Suricata-powered intrusion prevention system detects and blocks malicious traffic in real time using updated rules. IPFire also includes a Squid web proxy, with optional URL filtering through URLFilter or SquidGuard. Its Red, Green, Blue, and Orange zones can separate trusted networks, DMZs, and Wi-Fi. The web interface monitors bandwidth, connections, and intrusion attempts; proxy authentication can use Microsoft Windows Active Directory, LDAP, or RADIUS. Downloads include x86_64 and aarch64 images for bare metal, virtual machines, embedded hardware, USB drives, and SD cards, with cloud images for AWS, Exoscale, and other providers. The project reports frequent security updates and provides documentation, forums, mailing lists, and a bug tracker. Lightning Wire Labs offers professional support. No feature tiers or licence renewals are listed.

Who it is for

IPFire is suited to individuals, businesses, and organizations that need a firewall with VPN, traffic filtering, and monitoring options. It supports several hardware and cloud deployment formats.

What is good

  • Supports IPsec, WireGuard, and OpenVPN.
  • Suricata-based intrusion prevention blocks malicious traffic.
  • Offers images for x86_64 and aarch64 deployments.
  • Monitoring covers bandwidth, connections, and intrusion attempts.

What to know first

  • SSL inspection is not supported.
  • Optional URL filtering uses URLFilter or SquidGuard.
  • Professional support is offered by Lightning Wire Labs.

Verdict

IPFire brings firewalling, VPN, intrusion prevention, and proxy functions together in a free, open-source platform. Its deployment images cover multiple hardware and cloud settings, while SSL inspection is not included.

IPFire plans and pricing

All plans
IPFire Not published Open-source firewall operating system · No feature tiers or licence renewals ipfire.org · 21 Sept 2026
IPFire Free Free to download and run · no feature tiers · no licence renewals ipfire.org · 3 Oct 2026

Compared on intrusion detection and prevention software

Free plan
Yes

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