Network Security Tools
Network security tools decide which connections are allowed: zero trust access brokers, secure web gateways, firewalls, and cloud-delivered secure access platforms that replace VPNs and perimeter appliances.
Software in Network Security Tools
13 toolsNo tools in this category match the selected filters.
| Tool | License | Platforms | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare One Unified SASE platform delivering ZTNA, secure web gateway, CASB, DLP, and email security from Cloudflare network. | Proprietary | Web | Freemium |
| Firezone WireGuard-based zero trust access platform with identity-based policies and SSO integration. | Apache-2.0 AND Elastic-2.0 | Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android | Free / Commercial |
| FortiGate Fortinet next-generation firewall line with SD-WAN, FortiGuard services, and ASIC acceleration. | Proprietary | Hardware, Web | Commercial |
| Headscale Self-hosted implementation of the Tailscale control server for a single tailnet. | BSD-3-Clause | Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android | Open Source |
| IPFire Open source Linux firewall distribution with IPS, VPN, and DMZ segmentation. | GPL-3.0-or-later | Hardware, Linux | Open Source |
| NetBird Open source WireGuard zero trust overlay with SSO, MFA, and a self-hostable management plane. | BSD-3-Clause AND AGPL-3.0-only | Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android | Free / Commercial |
| Netskope One SSE Security service edge platform combining SWG, CASB, ZTNA, and firewall-as-a-service on one client. | Proprietary | Web | Commercial |
| OpenZiti Open source zero trust overlay network that authenticates connections with cryptographic identity. | Apache-2.0 | Linux, macOS, Windows | Free / Commercial |
| OPNsense Open source FreeBSD firewall and routing platform with IDS integration and a paid business edition. | BSD-2-Clause | Hardware, FreeBSD | Free / Commercial |
| pfSense CE Open source community edition of the pfSense FreeBSD firewall, with a separate commercial Plus edition. | Apache-2.0 | Hardware, FreeBSD | Free / Commercial |
| Prisma Access Cloud-delivered security service from Palo Alto Networks with ZTNA and network security, part of Prisma SASE. | Proprietary | Web | Commercial |
| Tailscale Identity-based WireGuard mesh network for teams, with managed coordination and open source clients. | BSD-3-Clause | Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android | Free / Commercial |
| Zscaler Zero trust exchange delivering secure internet access (ZIA) and private application access (ZPA). | Proprietary | Web | Commercial |
About Network Security Tools
Network security tools enforce access decisions on network traffic. The category covers zero trust network access (ZTNA) platforms that broker connections to private applications based on identity and device posture instead of network location, secure web gateways (SWG) that filter outbound web and DNS traffic against malicious destinations and policy, and firewalls that apply rules between network segments. Several platforms, such as Cloudflare One and Netskope One, combine these functions as secure access service edge (SASE) or security service edge (SSE) services delivered from the cloud. This enforcement layer differs from the network monitoring category: monitoring tools observe and record traffic to find threats, while the tools here block or allow it. Open source projects in this category cover self-hosted zero trust overlays, such as OpenZiti, Headscale, and NetBird, and firewall platforms, such as OPNsense, pfSense CE, and IPFire. The gateway and SASE platforms listed here are commercial services. The category overlaps with IAM, since access policy keys off identity, and with cloud-native security, since cloud workloads need the same access controls.
Covered Topics
In This Catalog
- This category lists 13 tools: 6 free / commercial, 4 commercial, 2 open source, and 1 freemium.
- By platform, 6 run on Linux, 5 on Windows, 5 on macOS, and 5 on the web.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Network Security Tools?→
Network security tools decide which connections are allowed: zero trust access brokers, secure web gateways, firewalls, and cloud-delivered secure access platforms that replace VPNs and perimeter appliances.
What topics does the Network Security Tools category cover?→
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Firewalls, Secure Access Service Edge (SSE)
Which Network Security tools are open source?→
2 of the 13 tools in this category are open source: Headscale and IPFire.