NetVallum vs pfManager: the difference is how it connects
pfManager (pfmngr.com) is a newer centralised pfSense manager: monitoring, policy deployment, scheduled tasks and config backups from one dashboard. The biggest difference between it and NetVallum is architectural — how each platform connects to your firewalls.
pfManager can connect using API keys or SSH credentials, and offers a browser-based SSH terminal into each firewall. That's powerful, but it means the platform can hold shell-level credentials to your entire fleet. NetVallum deliberately never uses SSH: every firewall is reached only through a dedicated, least-privilege REST API key, locked to the controller's IP address and encrypted at rest — a smaller attack surface, with no shell credentials to steal.
Where pfManager is strong
- A clean, modern dashboard with bulk policy deployment and flexible scheduling.
- Automated config backups with one-click restore.
- Security auditing and compliance reporting across firewalls.
Where NetVallum is different
| pfManager | NetVallum | |
|---|---|---|
| Connection to firewalls | API key or SSH credentials (browser SSH terminal) | Dedicated REST API key only — never SSH |
| Access model | Can hold shell credentials per firewall | Least-privilege key, controller-IP-locked, encrypted at rest |
| pfSense monitoring & alerts | ✓ | ✓ |
| Policy deploy, bulk & scheduling | ✓ | ✓ |
| Config backups + one-click restore | ✓ | ✓ Encrypted, tamper-proof + offline cache |
| Security audit / compliance reporting | ✓ | Health, availability/SLA & Shield reporting |
| Remote firmware upgrades (incl. scheduled) | Not documented | ✓ |
| VPN orchestration (wizard + topology) | Not documented | ✓ |
| Boot-environment management | Not documented | ✓ |
| Collective threat protection (NetVallum Shield) | — | ✓ |
| Managed TLS (browser-trusted Let's Encrypt) | — | ✓ |
| Multitenant white-label (distributor / partner / customer) | Not documented | ✓ |
| Zero-touch / no-touch onboarding (seed-token) | — | ✓ |
| European by design, EU-hosted | — | ✓ |
Comparison based on publicly documented pfManager capabilities, verified August 2026. pfManager is a recent product, so some items are marked “not documented” rather than absent. We only list differences we can verify — and we never compare on price.
The short version
pfManager is a promising, modern pfSense manager. If you're comfortable giving a platform SSH access to your fleet, it covers the basics well. NetVallum is built for MSPs who want the opposite of shell access: a locked-down, API-only architecture, plus deep management, collective threat protection and a multitenant white-label model — all European and EU-hosted.