Ubiquiti Dream Machine Special Edition (UDM-SE) vs Ubiquiti Enterprise Fortress Gateway (EFG): Specs & Price Comparison

Ubiquiti Dream Machine Special Edition (UDM-SE)

★ 4.3 Value Score

Firewall Throughput: Not published by Ubiquiti
Threat Prevention Throughput: 3.5 Gbps IDS/IPS (Ubiquiti spec page; one retailer notes it was measured with iPerf3)
IPsec VPN Throughput: Not published by Ubiquiti; no UDM-SE-specific benchmark found
Max Sessions: Not published; Ubiquiti spec page lists 150 simultaneous users and marketing cites 1,000+ client support
New Sessions/sec: Not published by Ubiquiti
Interfaces: 8x 1GbE PoE/PoE+ LAN ports, 1x 2.5GbE RJ45 WAN port, 2x 10G SFP+ ports (most listings; one listing shows 1x 10G SFP+ and conflicts with this)
Form Factor: Desktop (1U-class chassis)
Processor: Quad-core ARM Cortex-A57 @ 1.7 GHz
Memory: 4 GB DDR4
Storage: 16 GB eMMC; 3.5-inch HDD bay (drive not included)
PoE Budget: Not confirmed in sources reviewed
Wi-Fi: None (wired gateway only)
VPN Protocols: IPsec, OpenVPN (client and server), L2TP server, PPTP; WireGuard supported per one review

✔ Pros: All-in-one gateway, controller, and PoE switch in a single unit; 8x PoE-capable GbE ports plus 2.5GbE WAN and 10G SFP+ uplinks; 3.5 Gbps IDS/IPS throughput makes it usable for moderate threat-prevention workloads; Lower entry price than UDM-Pro-class gateways with an included 3.5-inch HDD bay for local video storage; Runs UniFi OS with centralized management and frequent firmware updates; Supports multiple VPN protocols including OpenVPN and L2TP
✘ Cons: Ubiquiti does not publish firewall, IPsec VPN, or session-capacity figures, which makes sizing harder; IDS/IPS throughput drops significantly when threat management is enabled on all categories (community testing reports about 8 Gbps falling to about 3.5 Gbps); Only 4 GB RAM and a quad-core ARM CPU limit headroom for heavy IPS, VPN, or deep-inspection workloads; No built-in Wi-Fi, so a separate access point is needed; Conflicting port and session specs across retailer and official sources; Price varies widely by region, and no official USD MSRP was confirmed
Est. Price: $499 - $500

Ubiquiti Enterprise Fortress Gateway (EFG)

★ 4.9 Value Score

Firewall Throughput: 23.5 Gbps (routing, iPerf3, DHCP WAN)
Threat Prevention Throughput: 12.5 Gbps (IDS/IPS)
IPsec VPN Throughput: 580 Mbps (site-to-site, single tunnel)
Max Sessions: 1,000,000 concurrent
New Sessions/sec: 71,000 (listed under general capacity; not specific to VPN or IPsec)
Interfaces: 2x 2.5GbE RJ45, 2x 25G SFP28, 2x 10G SFP+ (some listings show 2x RJ45 + 4x SFP28; verify against the Ubiquiti datasheet)
Form Factor: 1U rack-mount, dual hot-swappable PSUs
SSL/TLS Inspection Concurrent Sessions: 10,000 (5,000 recommended under heavy traffic)
CPU / Memory: 18-core ARM v8.2 @ 2 GHz, 16 GB DDR4
UniFi Capacity: 500+ UniFi devices, 5,000+ clients

✔ Pros: 25G SFP28 and 10G SFP+ uplinks at a gateway price point; 23.5 Gbps routing throughput; 1 million concurrent sessions; 18-core ARM CPU with 16 GB RAM; hot-swappable redundant PSUs; supports 500+ UniFi devices and 5,000+ clients; manages through UniFi Network controller with a single pane of glass
✘ Cons: IPsec VPN throughput of 580 Mbps is low for a gateway at this price; IDS/IPS throughput of 12.5 Gbps halves routing performance when threat inspection is enabled; SSL/TLS inspection is limited to about 10,000 concurrent sessions; port configuration differs across listings and should be verified; frequently out of stock at major US retailers, with a $170 memory surcharge at some resellers; no built-in Wi-Fi, so it depends on separate UniFi APs and switches; reviewers cite a steeper learning curve than consumer-grade routers
Est. Price: $1,999 - $2,892

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