Juniper vMX vs Palo Alto Networks VM-Series

JVJuniper vMX9.0Visit Palo Alto Networks VM-Series8.2Visit

Higher score JV Juniper vMX #2 in Virtual Routers Software 9.0/10 Pricing on request · 60-day trial Free trial✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Juniper

vs

Palo Alto Networks VM-Series #8 in Virtual Routers Software 8.2/10 Pricing on request ✓ 2 of 2 features Visit site

• Juniper vMX fits best

  Service providers needing Junos virtual routing

• Palo Alto Networks VM-Series fits best

  Cloud teams needing virtual firewall and basic routing

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Side by side

Feature	JVJuniper vMX 9.0/10 Visit ↗	Palo Alto Networks VM-Series 8.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.2
Ranking	#2 in Virtual Routers Software	#8 in Virtual Routers Software
Best for	Service providers needing Junos virtual routing	Cloud teams needing virtual firewall and basic routing
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Pricing on request · 60-day trial	Pricing on request
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	60 days	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Linux	Web
Integrations	2 integrations	12 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Juniper vMX 2/2 · Palo Alto Networks VM-Series 2/2
VPN support	✓	✓
High availability	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment type	Virtual machine	Not checked yet
Routing protocols	SPRING (segment routing)	BGP, OSPF, OSPFv3, RIP, static routing
Max throughput	100 Mbps	Not checked yet
Cloud platforms	AWS, AWS GovCloud, Microsoft Azure	Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Alibaba Cloud
Our review
Pros	Combines IPv4/IPv6 routing with unicast and multicast Layer 3 VPNs Supports BNG subscriber interfaces including PPPoE, DHCP and RADIUS Offers dual virtual Routing Engines and multiple automation interfaces	Inspects traffic at Layer 7 with inline security controls Supports BGP, OSPF, OSPFv3, RIP and static routing Runs across major public clouds and virtualization platforms
Cons	Requires a sales inquiry for licensing rather than published monetary pricing Integrations listed are limited to OpenStack and Juniper Contrail Cloud Platform Product page is an older datasheet and may not reflect current release support	Security-focused rather than a deep standalone routing platform Pricing requires a sales conversation No general free plan
Our verdict	Juniper vMX is a licensed virtual version of the MX Series universal edge router, running Junos OS with a virtual Trio forwarding plane on x86 servers or supported public clouds. It is aimed at service providers, cloud operators and… Read the review →	Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is a virtualized next-generation firewall for protecting workloads and inspecting traffic across public and private clouds, virtualized data centers, and enterprise branches. It is aimed at mid-market and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Juniper vMX — where it wins

  • Combines IPv4/IPv6 routing with unicast and multicast Layer 3 VPNs
  • Supports BNG subscriber interfaces including PPPoE, DHCP and RADIUS
  • Offers dual virtual Routing Engines and multiple automation interfaces

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires a sales inquiry for licensing rather than published monetary pricing
  • Integrations listed are limited to OpenStack and Juniper Contrail Cloud Platform
  • Product page is an older datasheet and may not reflect current release support

• Palo Alto Networks VM-Series — where it wins

  • Inspects traffic at Layer 7 with inline security controls
  • Supports BGP, OSPF, OSPFv3, RIP and static routing
  • Runs across major public clouds and virtualization platforms

  Where it doesn't

  • Security-focused rather than a deep standalone routing platform
  • Pricing requires a sales conversation
  • No general free plan

• JVJuniper vMX9.0/10 · Pricing on request · 60-day trial

  Junos-based virtual routing for service providers and enterprises needing MX edge capabilities.

  Visit JuniperFull verdict →
• Palo Alto Networks VM-Series8.2/10 · Pricing on request

  A cloud-ready virtual firewall with core routing protocols, VPNs and high availability.

  Visit siteFull verdict →