We performed a comparison between Meraki MX and OPNsense based on real PeerSpot user reviews.
Find out in this report how the two Firewalls solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI."The product offers very good security."
"The reporting you receive out of this appliance is excellent. You will not need an external management system."
"It is easy to manage, and it doesn't need much knowledge from the team. It is a stable device, and there are many features that are included out of the box."
"I like several features that this product has, such as antivirus and internet navigation inspection. It is also simple to use."
"Fortigate represents a really scalable way of delivering perimeter network security, some level of layer 7 security, WAF, and also a way to create a meshed ADVPN solution."
"Virtual Domains (VDOMs) are a feature that we found valuable."
"The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate are the different types of profiling. It has been the most effective for me. The WAF and the antivirus profile are the most effective in network protection."
"FortiGate improved our security. It's one of the best hardware firewalls."
"WAN optimization is the best feature of the solution."
"It is very easy to use and manage. It is also very easy to scale."
"I love the simplicity of Meraki MX — specifically, the simplicity of the dashboard."
"Meraki MX offers advanced filtration options, plus it behaves like a router and a firewall at the same time."
"The simplicity of configuration is the most valuable feature of the solution."
"The most valuable feature of Meraki MX is I can manage the solution from anywhere remotely, I can throttle bandwidth, and create all rules. Additionally, it is secure for our customers."
"We've had no issues with the scalability or the stability of this solution"
"Meraki makes it easy to be secure and know where the holes are to fix them. We have been fixing anything that we have ever found for 20 years. We keep up-to-date with firmware upgrades. We just try to stay on top of everything for security, like maintaining updates and getting rid of old systems. I feel like we're on top of it."
"The solution is good for a basic firewall for a small business or for home use."
"We have been operating here in our lab for several months, and everything appears to be extremely stable."
"The DNS-level filtering is impressive for thwarting time scanners."
"One of the most valuable features is the network checking. Additionally, the firewall and web filtering functionalities are highly useful."
"It is a very good solution. I like the dashboard. I can see what is going on and manage it as I like it."
"The VPN server feature is the most valuable. It is integrated with Radius and AAA for doing accounting and authentication. Insight view is also an important feature for me at this time. It allows me to assess our network traffic. I also like the firewall feature. The BSD kernel has a packet filter. It is one of the most solid frameworks for firewalls. Its user interface is one of the best interfaces I have used."
"The most valuable features of OPNsense are the GUI and frequent updates."
"The system in general is quite flexible."
"Its reporting can be improved. Sometimes, I don't get proper reports."
"The improvement is related to logs. Instead of the CLI, we should be able to have more insights into the logs of the firewall in the GUI."
"In the future, I would like to see improvements made to cloud-based management."
"There are some complex administration tasks in their administration portal. That needs to be improved."
"Fortinet doesn't provide multiple virtual firewalls which would facilitate end users and customers."
"Web security solutions can be improved."
"The solution's framework needs to be frequently updated in order to have a stable solution."
"It could use more templates for third-party site-to-site VPN setups other than FortiGate and Cisco."
"You can only have one tunnel in the whole infrastructure — one tunnel with one device."
"Meraki MX firewalls are great for small to medium-sized businesses, but other solutions are better for enterprise-sized companies."
"Meraki tech support staff have a lot more visibility into your network than you do, which is frustrating at times. I understand the approach is to keep the dashboard easier to understand. This will frustrate more advanced users at times."
"FortiGate is cheaper than Meraki. Even the license renewal is less than Meraki."
"Management can be improved in Meraki MX."
"Meraki MX can come across as an expensive solution."
"I need more UTM protection security features."
"The configuration options for firewall and IPS have limitations."
"The interface of the solution is an area with shortcomings."
"An area for improvement in OPNsense is the hardware, which needs to be updated more frequently. DNS blocking is another good feature I want to be added to the solution. pfSense has a peer-blocking feature that I also want to see in OPNsense."
"While they do have paid options that actually gives better features, for most of the clients, if they tend to take a paid option will instead opt for Fortinet."
"The solution could be more secure."
"The scalability needs improvement."
"I would like better documentation concerning the provided packages and their integration."
"The ability to set the VPN IP address would be a welcome addition."
"There are some add-ons that need enhancements to make management easier for users, especially the reporting features. Some reports don't show the level of detail I'm looking for, and I've had trouble installing certain add-ons, especially for Internet bandwidth shaping within my company."
Meraki MX is ranked 2nd in Unified Threat Management (UTM) with 58 reviews while OPNsense is ranked 3rd in Firewalls with 36 reviews. Meraki MX is rated 8.2, while OPNsense is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of Meraki MX writes "Cost-effective, simplified, easy to manage, and reliable with advanced security features and granular visibility". On the other hand, the top reviewer of OPNsense writes "Robust network security and management offering a user-friendly interface, open-source flexibility, and cost-effectiveness, with challenges regarding initial setup and the absence of official support". Meraki MX is most compared with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls, Cisco Secure Firewall, Sophos XG, SonicWall TZ and Azure Firewall, whereas OPNsense is most compared with Netgate pfSense, Sophos XG, Untangle NG Firewall, Sophos UTM and IPFire. See our Meraki MX vs. OPNsense report.
See our list of best Firewalls vendors.
We monitor all Firewalls reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.