One can look at it as either of two or three choices: pfsense, OPNsense, or commercial hardware + software.
IF you choose commercial hardware with its included software, you MUST remain vigilant about hardware updates because the home-oriented boxes such as Linksys brand may choose to drop support when newer hardware is released. You should still periodically check to see whether any software updates are necessary, and not buy a device, install it and forget it. The frustrating part of this forced obsolescence is that the hardware technically continues to operate just fine, but the vendor chooses not to continue to supply "threat fingerprint" files tailored (if different, unlikely) for that device. This means that your previous Linksys with included security features may effectively become simply another modem/router. One might assume that commercial industry-oriented (ie., not cheap nor technically for home use) firewall hardware would include a support contract and regular updates that might even be handled by that vendor. Commercial industry-oriented devices may not be quite the same, but it remains important to be aware of updates and the need for them and to monitor to some degree that they have been handled in a timely manner.
The main issue, whatever your choice is, whether one of the two options mentioned in the thread or another FOSS option, or even commercial if affordable or appropriate, is that the software be maintained. Expecting things to always keep working perfectly with ZERO interaction, zero upkeep, zero monitoring, is foolish. No hardware that is computing-related will magically work flawlessly (yes, flawless includes functioning security) except in the consumer-oriented market among the naive non-techies and only in their minds because to them it IS magic.
I cannot say whether any home-oriented hardware has automated software updates, that those are enabled by default, or that hardware vendors have abandoned the forced obsolescence described above.
