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Head-to-head · Virtual Routers Software

VyOS vs Palo Alto Networks VM-Series

  • Updated Sep 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score VyOS #5 in Virtual Routers Software 4.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 2 features Visit VyOS
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series #8 in Virtual Routers Software —/10 Pricing on request ✓ 2 of 2 features Visit site

VyOS leads on 1 check, Palo Alto Networks VM-Series on 2, and 0 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreVyOS · 4.0/10
  • Free planonly VyOS
  • Most featuresPalo Alto Networks VM-Series · 2 of 2

Our editors rank VyOS at #5 and Palo Alto Networks VM-Series at #8 for virtual routers software; Palo Alto Networks VM-Series has no rubric score yet (facts researched, not yet scored), so the checks below decide.

VyOS offers free plan; Palo Alto Networks VM-Series doesn't. Palo Alto Networks VM-Series offers vpn support; VyOS doesn't publish it. Palo Alto Networks VM-Series offers high availability; VyOS doesn't publish it.

VyOS is the better fit for teams automating routing across varied environments. Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is the better fit for cloud teams needing virtual firewall and basic routing.

  • VyOS fits best

    Teams automating routing across varied environments

  • Palo Alto Networks VM-Series fits best

    Cloud teams needing virtual firewall and basic routing

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Side by side

Feature VyOS 4.0/10 Visit ↗ Palo Alto Networks VM-Series —/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 4.0 —
Ranking #5 in Virtual Routers Software #8 in Virtual Routers Software
Best for Teams automating routing across varied environments Cloud teams needing virtual firewall and basic routing
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price Not published Not published
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Linux Web
Integrations 12 integrations 12 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features VyOS 0/2 · Palo Alto Networks VM-Series 2/2
VPN support Not published ✓ (best)
High availability Not published ✓ (best)
Specs
Deployment type Not published Not published
Routing protocols Not published BGP, OSPF, OSPFv3, RIP, static routing
Max throughput Not published Not published
Cloud platforms Not published Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Alibaba Cloud
Our review
Pros
  • Combines routing, firewalling, VPN, and high-availability capabilities.
  • Offers REST and GraphQL APIs plus Shell and Python scripting APIs.
  • Integrates with Ansible, Terraform, cloud-init, and major cloud platforms.
  • 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
  • Primarily self-hosted software, not a managed remote-access VPN service.
  • Paid subscriptions are needed for supported LTS releases and commercial support.
  • Best-effort support is the stated baseline for Corporate and Global plans.
  • Security-focused rather than a deep standalone routing platform
  • Pricing requires a sales conversation
  • No general free plan
Our verdict

VyOS is an open-source network operating system for organizations deploying virtual or physical routers, firewalls, VPNs, and related network services. It fits teams that want to run those functions on commodity hardware, virtual machines,…

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 →
  1. VyOSVirtual Routers Software 4.0Free plan
  2. Palo Alto Networks VM-SeriesVirtual Routers Software —Pricing on request

Strengths and trade-offs

  • VyOS — where it wins

    • Combines routing, firewalling, VPN, and high-availability capabilities.
    • Offers REST and GraphQL APIs plus Shell and Python scripting APIs.
    • Integrates with Ansible, Terraform, cloud-init, and major cloud platforms.

    Where it doesn't

    • Primarily self-hosted software, not a managed remote-access VPN service.
    • Paid subscriptions are needed for supported LTS releases and commercial support.
    • Best-effort support is the stated baseline for Corporate and Global plans.

  • 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
  • VyOS4.0/10 · Free plan

    A flexible virtual router for teams automating network services across on-premises and cloud environments.

    Visit VyOSFull verdict →
  • Palo Alto Networks VM-Series—/10 · Pricing on request

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

    Visit siteFull verdict →

More comparisons

All virtual routers software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026