Safing Portmaster is a free Next-Gen firewalls solution by Safing. Versa Next Generation Firewall is a commercial Next-Gen firewalls solution by Versa Networks. Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.
What our shortlists say about the one we picked.
Best for: Enterprises needing deep IoT and OT device visibility alongside NGFW
The deployment flexibility is real: cloud, virtual, and on-premises with a unified management console and zero-touch provisioning. The ZTNA capability is on-premises, which is less common than cloud-delivered ZTNA and suits organizations that need ZTNA without routing traffic through a vendor's cloud. The integration surface is broad, covering IAM, SIEM, SOAR, DLP engines, and encryption engines through native and API connections. The trade-off is that Versa is less well-known than Palo Alto, Fortinet, or Cisco, which means smaller community resources and potentially longer vendor support response times.
From Best Next-Generation Firewall Solutions for Business, Fall 2026
Reviewed by Nika (Nikoloz) Kokhreidze.
An open-source application firewall that monitors network traffic with custom rules
NGFW with threat protection, app visibility, and AI-driven security
See more solutions in this category, or build a security stack from your picks.
Based on what each listing shows: deployment, company size, price and open source.
Safing Portmaster fits if you need to run it on your own servers, you are a startup and you need a free product.
Versa Next Generation Firewall fits if you need both cloud and on-premises options and you are a small business or a mid-market company or an enterprise.
Common questions when comparing Safing Portmaster vs Versa Next Generation Firewall for Next-Gen firewalls.
Safing Portmaster: An open-source application firewall that monitors network traffic with custom rules, built by Safing.
Versa Next Generation Firewall: NGFW with threat protection, app visibility, and AI-driven security, built by Versa Networks.
The table above shows where their features, integrations, deployment and company size fit differ.
Safing Portmaster is made by Safing. Versa Next Generation Firewall is made by Versa Networks. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.
Often, yes. Safing Portmaster and Versa Next Generation Firewall are both Next-Gen Firewalls products. Key differences: Safing Portmaster is Free while Versa Next Generation Firewall is Commercial. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.
Need the answer fast? Best Next-Generation Firewall Solutions for Business picks Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls, Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall, Cisco Secure Firewall and 4 more.See the shortlist