VNS3 review
A flexible cloud networking controller with a free edition and paid plans from $150/month.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
VNS3 from Cohesive Networks is an API-driven network edge controller for connecting, securing and automating cloud, multicloud and hybrid networks. Its mix of firewall, VPN, WAN, NAT and network-edge plugin capabilities is aimed at teams that want to manage these functions through a controller rather than assemble separate network services. Cloud and self-hosted deployment options make it relevant to small teams through enterprise deployments, though teams seeking a dedicated SD-WAN product should look elsewhere.
The product's breadth is its clearest draw: firewall policies span layers 3–7, with network segmentation, NAT rules, and encrypted overlays across regions and cloud providers. VPN connectivity includes IPsec, GRE over IPsec and NAT traversal, while Cloud WAN links clouds, datacenters and devices. Monitoring, tunnel-outage alerts and automated failover address operational continuity. Terraform, CloudFormation, a Python SDK, a Ruby CLI and REST API support automation; this ecosystem is a fit for teams comfortable managing networking through infrastructure tooling.
Pricing is tiered by controller and connection capacity. Free Edition costs $0 and includes 1 controller, 5 clientpacks, 1 IPsec endpoint, 1 tunnel and 1 container. Lite Edition is $150/month for 1 controller, 10 clientpacks, 4 IPsec endpoints, unlimited tunnels and 2 container slots. SME Edition is $350/month for 2 controllers, 25 clientpacks, 8 IPsec endpoints and 4 container slots; Enterprise Edition is $750/month for 2+ controllers, 50 clientpacks, 16 IPsec endpoints and 16 containers. All paid plans include a production license, and license prices exclude cloud VM runtime costs. VNS3 suits teams that value API-driven hybrid networking and can account for infrastructure costs; teams wanting a simpler, fully managed network service may prefer an alternative.
VNS3 pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Connects cloud, datacenter and device networks with VPN and encrypted overlays
- Combines firewall policies, segmentation, NAT and automated failover
- Offers Terraform, CloudFormation, Python SDK and Ruby CLI automation
- Where it doesn't
- License prices exclude cloud VM runtime costs
- Free Edition is limited to 1 controller, 5 clientpacks and 1 IPsec endpoint
- Plan limits on controllers, clientpacks and containers may constrain growth
VNS3 fact sheet, pricing and score →
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