#6 of 18 firewall and router platforms · Updated October 2026
VyOS review 2026
VyOS (VyOS Networks: LTS, Stream and rolling) · Dependable builder
VyOS ranks #6 of 18 firewall and router platforms in the Firewall and Router Ledger 2026, with a Ledger Index of 59.2 out of 100. VyOS is the routing-first network OS of this group, with BGP, VRF, MPLS and a VPP dataplane, but its LTS images and early security fixes are reserved for subscribers.
Scores
Source: Firewall and Router Ledger 2026, edition 2026-10-16. How each score works: methodology.
Pros
- Routing and WAN4.5/5
- VPN and remote access4/5
- Platform and hypervisor freedom4/5
Cons
- Threat protection0.5/5
What the Ledger says
VyOS scores highest in this group on routing because VRFs, MPLS, segment routing, IS-IS and RPKI shipped years ago and the 1.5 line added a VPP dataplane; it scores lowest on threat protection because it has no IDS, IPS or filtering engine at all. The commercial score carries the cost of that focus: LTS images are reserved for subscribers, the cheapest published on-premises tier is 10,000 USD per year, and in 2026 subscribers received security fixes five weeks before everyone else. A buyer running the free rolling or Stream images should treat them as what the vendor calls them, previews without support, and a buyer paying for LTS should check which tier and term the current price page actually offers, since the pages read in this pass disagree.
VyOS has no IDS or IPS, so there is nothing for AI to detect, and no assistant in the console. Its HTTP API and official Ansible collection are the agent surface; community MCP servers wrap that API without vendor involvement.
Capability by area
Buying, lock-in and release record
Buying and licence (commercial risk)(lower is better)
- Price and licence volatility2.5
- Tiers restructured on 2023-03-05 (Corporate 8,000, 3 or 5 year terms only); the 2026 page lists Corporate at 10,000 USD annual; prices on different VyOS pages conflict
- Purchase constraints3.5
- LTS images need a subscription from about 600 EUR (Professional, unconfirmed) to 10,000 USD per year, or a build from source; rolling and Stream are free but unsupported
- Channel and access3.5
- LTS downloads behind a support login; subscribers received the 1.5.1 and 1.4.5 security fixes five weeks before the public release
- Owner stability2
- Small private company; acquired its own support subsidiary in 2024; ownership and incorporation not published
- Cost of staying supported3
- Supported LTS requires an annual subscription; each LTS line lasts about two years with minors unsupported once three newer ones exist
Technical lock-in(lower is better)
- Formats1
- One plain-text configuration tree with set and delete commands, import and export; migration scripts carry the syntax between versions
- Export path1
- Configuration is readable text; converting to another vendor's syntax is manual; Vyatta and EdgeOS syntax is close
- Stack coupling0
- Any storage, any switch; standard Linux networking
- Hardware / cloud coupling0.5
- Any x86-64 machine or the listed clouds; fully offline; aarch64 not yet shipped
- Skills and tooling coupling1.5
- Debian skills transfer; the Vyatta-style CLI is its own dialect; official Ansible collection and HTTP API
Release credibility
- Cadence3.5
- About three LTS patch releases a year and monthly Stream images; LTS majors are irregular (1.3 in 2021, 1.4 in 2024, 1.5 in 2026) and dates are not published ahead
- Roadmap transparency3.5
- Public Phabricator tracker, blog posts and Stream previews of the next LTS; no dated roadmap
- Say-do3
- 1.4 LTS promised for 2023 shipped in June 2024; VPP announced in 2023 reached GA in 2026; the Stream channel arrived as announced; aarch64 pending
- Velocity4
- nftables rebuild, Kea, HTTP API sync, segment routing and the VPP dataplane within three years
- Lifecycle stability3
- Two-year LTS lines with a published minor policy and image rollback; 1.4 went to maintenance mode after 27 months; LTS access rules changed in 2018 and 2021
Partners and services
- Partner programme openness3.5
- Alliance tier for service providers from 25,000 USD per year with deployment rights, APT repository and certification vouchers; direct sales and marketplaces; terms beyond Alliance not found
- Multi-tenancy and self-service2
- VRFs and VRRP for tenant separation; no controller, portal or multi-site manager
- API and infrastructure-as-code3.5
- HTTP API, official vyos.vyos Ansible collection tested on 1.3.8, 1.4.1 and 1.5; Terraform documented for the clouds, no VyOS provider
- Skills and certification3
- VCNE (VyOS Certified Network Engineer) exists; a network engineer with Vyatta or Linux routing experience adapts quickly
Alternatives to VyOS
Questions about VyOS
Is VyOS any good?
VyOS ranks #6 of 18 firewall and router platforms in the Firewall and Router Ledger 2026, with a Ledger Index of 59.2 out of 100. Its strongest areas are routing and wan, vpn and remote access, platform and hypervisor freedom. Its weakest are threat protection.
What are the best alternatives to VyOS?
The closest by Ledger Index are Juniper vSRX (58.1), Sophos Firewall (58), Cisco Threat Defense Virtual (60.8), Check Point CloudGuard (62).
How is VyOS licensed and sold?
Tiers restructured on 2023-03-05 (Corporate 8,000, 3 or 5 year terms only); the 2026 page lists Corporate at 10,000 USD annual; prices on different VyOS pages conflict.
How much lock-in does VyOS bring?
VyOS scores 4 out of 25 on technical lock-in (lower is better). Export path: Configuration is readable text; converting to another vendor's syntax is manual; Vyatta and EdgeOS syntax is close.
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