Editors' choiceFirewalla Gold SE (2 Gbps Smart Firewall)
The Gold SE is the sweet spot of Firewalla's lineup: multi-gig inspection, ad-blocking, per-device parental controls and VPN with zero recurring fees. It sells direct at ~$449.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Price checked Jul 21, 2026.
What we loved
Worth knowing
Why we recommend it
We put the Gold SE on a busy family network for six weeks and it quietly did its job the entire time. Setup was the standout — plug it in, scan a code, and the app walks you through everything without a single confusing screen.
For a small business it doubles as a capable little security appliance: VPN server, network segmentation and intrusion detection all included. That it does this with no recurring fee is why it tops our list.
Want remote access to your home network through this box? The one-tap VPN server (and the per-device VPN client) is walked through in how to set up a VPN at home.
At a glance
Where this product shows up in our guides
- How to Set Up a VPN at Home (2026): App, Router or Your Own Server'Set up a VPN at home' means two completely different things. Work out which one you want, then follow the 10-minute path for it — most people never need port forwarding at all.
- What Happened to CUJO, Akita, RATtrap, Dojo & the Other 'Smart Firewall' Boxes — and What to Buy InsteadWe reviewed most of these boxes when they launched. Nearly all are gone — some are bricks. Here is the status of each, why the category died, and what replaced it.
- Firewalla vs pfSense for Home: The Honest Total-Cost ComparisonWe ran both for months: the app-first appliance against the build-it-yourself firewall. The honest total cost — money and hours — decides it.
- How to Use Firewalla with eero or Deco Mesh (Bridge Mode)Keep the mesh you love, add the firewall it lacks: the working setup for Firewalla with eero and Deco, and the double-NAT trap to avoid.
- Is Firewalla Worth It in 2026? An Honest Answer by Household TypeNo subscription, real blocked-threat counts, and three different boxes — the answer depends on which household you are. We break it down by type.
- Firewalla Gold SE vs Gold Pro: Don't OverpaySame app, same features, same zero-subscription deal — the $430 gap buys raw throughput. Here's who actually needs the Pro.
How it compares in Firewalls & Network Security
| Product | Our score | Price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firewalla Gold SE this review | 9.4/10 | $449 | families, prosumers | |
| Ubiquiti UDR7 | 9.1/10 | $279 | prosumers, UniFi ecosystems | Review → |
| Firewalla Gold Pro | 9/10 | $879 | 10G fiber, small business | Review → |
| Firewalla Purple SE | 8.9/10 | $229 | budget, first firewall | Review → |
| Fortinet FortiGate 40F | 8.8/10 | $650 | small business, branch office | Review → |
| GL.iNet Flint 2 | 8.8/10 | $160 | VPN power users, OpenWrt tinkerers | Review → |
| FortiGate 50G | 8.6/10 | $850 | small offices, FortiGate 40F upgraders | Review → |
Full ranking and our test notes: all Firewalls & Network Security reviews.
