Am I a TRAITOR to pfSense?! Switching to the UniFi UDM Pro Max

For years, I’ve been one of the loudest pfSense advocates around. I’ve built firewalls, tested hardware, and shown you every trick I’ve learned along the way. But sometimes, even the most loyal of us have to stop, take a breath, and ask: is it time to move on?

That’s what this post is about — evaluating where pfSense stands today, and whether the UniFi UDM Pro Max has finally earned a place in my homelab rack.

The Backstory: My Long-Term Relationship with pfSense

If you’ve followed 2GuysTek for a while, you know I’ve been running pfSense for years. My trusty Sophos SG330, which I picked up off eBay and upgraded myself, has been my daily driver for over three and a half years.

It’s been solid, reliable, and powerful — but it’s also getting old. The SG330 came out in 2014 and it sounds like a jet engine under load. Between the age, the noise, and the growing list of newer alternatives, I decided it was time to evaluate what’s next.

Before jumping to conclusions, I started like I always do — with a requirements analysis.

Defining My Needs (and My Wants)

When it comes to network infrastructure, I break things down into two categories: Necessary and Nice-to-Have.

✅ Necessary

  • 5 Gbps Internet throughput for firewalling, packet filtering, and IDS/IPS
  • 10Gig network support with SFP+ connectivity
  • Must handle router-on-a-stick Layer 3 routing
  • Needs to support IPsec, WireGuard, or similar site-to-site VPN
  • Must be rack-mountable
  • Quiet or fanless design

💡 Nice-to-Have

  • A modern, easy-to-use UI
  • DHCP & DNS handling for multiple VLANs
  • Built-in URL/ad filtering
  • GeoIP blocking capabilities
  • Native Tailscale VPN integration

With that list in hand, I started exploring what the market had to offer.

pfSense Hardware Options from Netgate

I first looked at Netgate’s official hardware line. Prices range from:

  • $190 for the entry-level Netgate 1100,
  • up to $3,600 for the powerhouse Netgate 8300.

But once I factored in my need for 10Gig SFP+, the realistic contenders narrowed to:

  • Netgate 6100 – $850
  • Netgate 8200 – $1,500
  • Netgate 8300 – $3,600

The 8200 caught my eye immediately — it checks every box.

Netgate 8200 Specs:

  • 8-core Intel Atom C3758R (2.4GHz)
  • 128GB NVMe M.2 storage
  • 16GB DDR4 RAM
  • Dual 10Gig SFP+, four 2.5Gig, and two 1Gig combo ports
  • Up to 18.6Gbps L3 forwarding and 3.24Gbps IPsec throughput

It’s a beast. But it’s also expensive. So before committing, I wanted to see what “the dark side” had to offer.

The Challenger: Ubiquiti UniFi UDM Pro Max

Ubiquiti has exploded with new offerings recently. Their UDM Pro Max immediately stood out — not just for specs, but for how it could simplify my life.

UDM Pro Max Specs:

  • Quad-core ARM Cortex-A57 (2.0GHz)
  • 8GB RAM
  • 128GB SSD + 32GB eMMC
  • Dual 10Gig SFP+, one 2.5Gig, and eight 1Gig ports
  • Supports IPsec, OpenVPN, and UniFi’s own Site Magic VPN
  • Built-in UniFi Network and Protect controllers

Ubiquiti claims up to 5Gbps of IDS/IPS throughput, which perfectly fits my requirements — and at $600, it’s far more affordable than the pfSense options.

pfSense vs UniFi: Breaking Down the Experience

User Interface

Both pfSense+ and UniFi have modern, clean UIs — but UniFi wins on polish and user experience. Its dashboard is gorgeous and intuitive.

DHCP & DNS

Tie. Both systems handle this natively and effectively.

DNS Filtering

pfSense wins here, hands down. pfBlockerNG is still the gold standard for free, configurable ad and spam blocking. UniFi’s built-in filtering works, but can be overly aggressive.

GeoIP Blocking

Both platforms handle it well.

Tailscale VPN

pfSense supports Tailscale natively. UniFi doesn’t — though you can work around it with a small Proxmox VM running Tailscale.

Overall, both systems satisfy the core needs, but the price-to-feature ratio begins to tilt in Ubiquiti’s favor.

Consulting the Experts

Before making a decision, I reached out to Tom Lawrence — someone who’s already walked this path. His insights helped confirm my suspicions: UniFi’s innovation curve and user experience have outpaced pfSense in recent years.

If you want to see our full conversation, let me know in the comments or reach out — I’ll post the entire chat as a standalone video if there’s interest.

My Decision: Joining the Dark Side

After weighing everything, I made the switch.
Here’s why:

  1. Unified Experience – All my production networking gear is already UniFi. Adding the UDM Pro Max completes the “single pane of glass.”
  2. Cost – Even compared to the Netgate 6100, the UDM Pro Max is cheaper by around $150.
  3. Innovation – Ubiquiti is moving faster in terms of features and software improvements.
  4. No Licensing Fees – Once you buy it, you’re done. No annual pfSense+ renewals.

Sure, there are trade-offs — like the lack of native Tailscale or pfBlockerNG-level filtering — but I can solve those with small workarounds.

Migration and Setup

Setting up the UDM Pro Max was painless.

  • I racked it up, powered it on, and used the UniFi mobile app to onboard it.
  • The setup flow felt Apple-like — simple and elegant.
  • Firmware updated automatically, and within minutes, the system was live.

Next came the migration from my self-hosted UniFi controller. After downloading and restoring my backup (and updating software versions to match), the import went smoothly. A quick shutdown of my old controller fixed some connection conflicts, and soon everything was talking perfectly.

Within about an hour, my network was fully migrated.

Final Configuration and First Impressions

My UniFi dashboard now shows full visibility — LAN and WAN data unified.
My devices, SSIDs, VLANs, and icons all imported perfectly. I also activated CyberSecure for regional blocking and added zone-based firewalling.

One quick pro tip: enable east-west traffic logging under Syslog settings — it’s off by default but essential for troubleshooting VLAN-to-VLAN communication.

After tuning everything, the system looked rock-solid.

Final Thoughts: Loyalty vs Evolution

Do I feel like a traitor? Maybe a little.
But I remind myself that brand loyalty isn’t the goal — good engineering is. Evaluating alternatives and adapting when it makes sense is what any good technologist should do.

I still have a soft spot for pfSense. I hope Netgate continues to innovate because competition is healthy for all of us. But for now, the UDM Pro Max has earned its place in my rack.

And that’s the beauty of the homelab: we can experiment, evolve, and share what we learn with the community.

Special Thanks

Huge thanks to Tom Lawrence for sharing his insights and helping me through the decision process.

If you’ve made the switch (or are thinking about it), drop a comment below — I’d love to hear your experience.

Written by Rich Teslow — Founder of 2GuysTek, Senior Security Engineer, and lifelong homelabber.