Best value firewallFirewalla Purple SE (Gigabit Smart Firewall)
Purple SE brings the same app, parental controls and threat blocking as its bigger siblings at an entry price. It is the right first firewall for any home on a gigabit-or-slower connection.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Price checked Jul 21, 2026.
What we loved
Worth knowing
Why we recommend it
Purple SE brings the same app, parental controls and threat blocking as its bigger siblings at an entry price. It is the right first firewall for any home on a gigabit-or-slower connection.
In our testing the highlights were clear: full Firewalla app features with no subscription; gigabit routing, parental controls, ad blocking; tiny, portable, low power.
It is not perfect — 1 GbE only — not for multi-gig plans; no WiFi radio — pair with an access point or router. For most buyers in this category those trade-offs are easy to live with, but weigh them against your setup before you click buy.
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.
- Home Network Security: The Complete 2026 GuideEverything that actually matters, in the order it matters: router hardening, WiFi, guest networks, IoT, and when dedicated hardware earns its keep.
- 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.
How it compares in Firewalls & Network Security
| Product | Our score | Price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firewalla Purple SE this review | 8.9/10 | $229 | budget, first firewall | |
| Firewalla Gold SE | 9.4/10 | $449 | families, prosumers | Review → |
| Ubiquiti UDR7 | 9.1/10 | $279 | prosumers, UniFi ecosystems | Review → |
| Firewalla Gold Pro | 9/10 | $879 | 10G fiber, small business | 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.
