Editors' choiceFirewalla Gold SE (2 Gbps Smart Firewall)
A no-subscription 2.5G smart firewall that gives families enterprise-grade visibility in an app.
FamiliesProsumersMulti-Gig Fiber
Firewalls & Network Security
A good firewall quietly blocks the threats your router misses. These are the boxes that give a home or small office serious protection without an IT team.
Editors' choice
Editors' choice (prosumer)Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Router 7 (UDR7)
A $279 all-in-one WiFi 7 gateway that brings UniFi's pro networking stack home.
ProsumersUniFi EcosystemsCamera Setups
Premium pickFirewalla Gold Pro (10 Gbps Smart Firewall)
The world's most affordable 10-gigabit smart firewall, ready for WiFi 7 and 10G fiber.
10G FiberSmall BusinessWiFi 7 Networks
Best value firewallFirewalla Purple SE (Gigabit Smart Firewall)
The most affordable way into Firewalla's no-subscription network protection.
BudgetFirst FirewallSub-Gigabit Homes
Best for small businessFortinet FortiGate 40F NGFW (hardware + 1-yr UTP bundle)
The classic small-office enterprise firewall — powerful, but budget for annual licenses.
Small BusinessBranch OfficeCompliance
Best VPN routerGL.iNet Flint 2 (GL-MT6000) WiFi 6 VPN Router
The community-favorite OpenWrt router that runs your whole home through a VPN at near line speed.
VPN Power UsersOpenWrt TinkerersBudget
Enterprise NGFWFortiGate 50G Next-Gen Firewall (1-yr UTP bundle)
The 40F's successor with a year of FortiGuard UTP in the box — small-office grade protection.
Small OfficesFortiGate 40F UpgradersCompliance Needs
Best DIY firewallProtectli Vault Pro VP2420 (4-port, 16GB/480GB)
Fanless quad-2.5GbE hardware that runs pfSense or OPNsense exactly how you want.
PfSense/OPNsenseHomelab BuildersMulti-Gig Networks
Budget DIY firewallProtectli Vault FW4C (4-port, 8GB/120GB)
A silent four-port box that makes your first pfSense or OPNsense build cheap and easy.
First PfSense BuildGigabit HomesQuiet Racks
Best value gatewayUbiquiti Cloud Gateway Ultra (UCG-Ultra)
IDS, VLANs and the whole UniFi console in a $129 palm-size gateway.
UniFi StartersIDS on a BudgetVLAN Homes
Why a hardware firewall?
Your router’s built-in firewall blocks unsolicited traffic from outside, but it can’t see what your own devices are doing — which smart plug is calling home to a server in a country you’ve never heard of, or which laptop just started uploading gigabytes at 3am. A dedicated firewall box gives you that visibility plus per-device controls, ad blocking and VPN access to your home network. We favor devices with no monthly subscription — you should own your security.
Start with our ranked best hardware firewall for home guide, or the head-to-heads: Firewalla vs pfSense, Gold SE vs Gold Pro and is Firewalla worth it. Looking for a CUJO, Akita, RATtrap, Dojo or Bitdefender BOX? Those boxes are gone — here is what happened to them and what to buy instead.