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Firewalla Purple vs Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

all judged against firewalls at a similar price

The Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max scores 7.3/10 overall, ahead of the Firewalla Purple at 5.7/10.

The Firewalla Purple leads on running costs.

The Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max leads on throughput, ports and networking and software and features.

They score the same on security record.

The biggest difference is ports and networking, where the Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max scores 8/10 to the Firewalla Purple's 4/10.

Firewalla Purple

Firewalla Purple

5.7/10verdict: good, not the best

Firewalla Purple is for home and small-office users who want an app-managed firewall on a gigabit connection. It suits people who want to avoid a monthly fee and keep power use low. The manufacturer's page says sales are paused, so availability needs checking first.

Typically about £300 in the UK when we researched itSearch Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max

Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max

7.3/10verdict: buy

The UniFi Cloud Gateway Max is for people who want a compact router, firewall and IDS/IPS box running Ubiquiti's UniFi software. It suits a UK gigabit line or faster, thanks to a 2.5GbE WAN port and a vendor IDS/IPS figure of 2.3 Gbps. It is a better fit for existing or planned UniFi users than for anyone who wants non-proprietary software.

Typically about £272.40 in the UK when we researched itSearch Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Scores, criterion by criterion

CriterionWeightFirewalla PurpleUbiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max
Throughput25%6/109/10
Ports and networking20%4/108/10
Software and features20%6/107/10
Security record20%5/105/10
Running costs15%8/107/10
Overall5.7/107.3/10

Specifications

SpecFirewalla PurpleUbiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max
Firewall / IPS throughput1 Gbps software packet processing (no separate IPS figure published)2.3 Gbps IDS/IPS (vendor figure; no separate firewall-only figure published)
Ports2x 1 Gbit Ethernet (LAN, WAN) plus USB-C power portFive 2.5G/1G/100M/10M RJ45 ports, one 2.5GbE WAN by default, up to four can be WAN; no SFP+ port listed
SoftwareFirewalla OS, managed through a smartphone appUniFi Application Suite (Network, Protect, Access, Talk, Connect); proprietary
VPN throughputWireGuard 500 Mbps; OpenVPN 120 Mbps; one site-to-site connectionnot listed
Processor6-core 64-bit ARMQuad-core ARM Cortex-A53 at 1.5 GHz
Memory2048 MB3 GB
Subscriptions neededNo monthly fee for standard features; paid apps for pro or business users may come laternot listed

Strengths and weaknesses

Firewalla Purple

  • + No monthly fee for standard features
  • + Owners praise low power use
  • + WireGuard, OpenVPN, VLANs and Geo-IP filtering listed
  • − Gigabit ports only; no 2.5GbE or SFP+
  • − No separate IPS throughput figure published
  • − Manufacturer says sales are paused

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who need 2.5GbE or SFP+ ports
  • Anyone who needs a published IPS throughput figure before buying
  • Users who want more than 5 VLANs or several site-to-site VPN connections
Read the full Firewalla Purple review ›

Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max

  • + 2.3 Gbps IDS/IPS figure from the vendor
  • + Five 2.5GbE-capable ports, up to four usable as WAN
  • + Owners report roughly 8–10W idle draw
  • − No firewall-only throughput figure published
  • − Proprietary software; no SFP+ port listed
  • − Storage variants confuse buyers

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who want non-proprietary firewall software
  • Anyone who needs an SFP+ port on the gateway itself
  • Buyers who need a documented firmware and advisory track record before purchase
Read the full Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max review ›

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