ExpressVPN vs IPFire

ExpressVPN is a premium consumer VPN known for fast speeds, a large global server network, and a very easy setup, with an audited no-logs policy. It is a mainstream, polished choice.

IPFire is an open-source Linux distribution built specifically to run as a firewall and network security gateway. It provides stateful packet inspection, network segmentation with DMZ and guest zones, and a web-based console for managing rules and monitoring traffic in real time, running on ordinary commodity hardware or as a virtual appliance. Beyond basic filtering, IPFire integrates Suricata-based intrusion detection/prevention, WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IPsec VPN support, a community-maintained domain blocklist, and an IP geolocation database for location-based rules. It is free and open-source with no paywalled features, while Core Updates ship regularly and commercial appliances and support are available separately.

• Fast and reliable
• Very easy to use
• Large server network
• Good for streaming

• Completely free and open source with no feature paywall
• Active development with regular Core Updates
• Built-in IPS via Suricata without extra licensing
• Flexible deployment on cheap hardware or VMs

• No free tier
• Pricier than rivals
• Fewer power-user features

• Requires more networking knowledge than a consumer router's firewall app
• No official cloud-hosted management, it is self-hosted
• Commercial support/appliances are a separate purchase