Side by side
Batfish vs Forward Enterprise
Both stand on network security policy management software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APILinuxMac+2
Choose Batfish if you need configuration-based checks for policy, security, change impact, or network resilience. Teams working with Aruba, Dell Force10, or Foundry should account for the project's limited support for those platforms.
Visit Batfish
Free trial APISelf-hostedWeb
Forward Enterprise brings network modeling, verification, and security visibility together for enterprise-scale environments. Buyers should confirm trial eligibility and request pricing; Forward Predict is currently described as beta.
Visit Forward EnterpriseThe facts
| Batfish | Forward Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | A free trial |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows | API, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Not published | Free or on request |
| Plans published | None | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | batfish.org | forwardnetworks.com |
| On network security policy management software | #1 of 37 | #4 of 37 |
Batfish: what it does well
- Analyzes configurations without direct access to network devices.
- Validates planned changes before deployment.
- Checks security policy and expected traffic paths.
- Assesses reachability after a single-link or device failure.
- Includes a Python SDK and example Jupyter notebooks.
What to know first
- Core analysis requires network device configurations.
- Support is limited for Aruba, Dell Force10, and Foundry.
Forward Enterprise: what it does well
- Builds a digital twin from network device state and configuration.
- Checks forwarding behavior, segmentation, and policy against intent.
- Identifies CVE-affected assets and ranks exposure.
- Supports hybrid deployment and API access.
What to know first
- No free plan is listed.
- Pricing is available on request.
- Forward Predict is described as being in beta.
- Trial eligibility is limited by company size and headquarters location.
Alternatives to Batfish Alternatives to Forward Enterprise The whole list