Amazon Linux vs pfSense
| Amazon Linux | pfSense | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | No | Yes |
| Paid from | — | — |
| Open source | No | No |
| Platforms | Linux | Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Device types | EC2 instances; Docker container workloads | — |
| CPU architectures | x86-64 (x86-64v2); 64-bit ARM (aarch64, ARMv8.2+crypto; Graviton2 or later on EC2) | — |
| Support lifecycle | AL2023 supported until June 30, 2029; standard support through June 30, 2027, then maintenance support. Individual LTS kernels are supported for four years. | — |
| Built-in management | DNF package manager; versioned repositories; AWS Systems Manager for fleet kernel update management | — |
| App compatibility | RPM packages from AL2023 repositories; Docker-compatible container image; 32-bit userspace compatibility retained but deprecated | — |
| Deployment models | Amazon EC2 AMIs; Docker/container images usable in any environment, including local development | — |
Both are listed in Best Operating Systems. On Freedom251, pfSense scores higher on our published basis.