Many free firewalls only offer inbound protection, leaving your online grid vulnerable if your rig is compromised.
Norton also happens to come with an excellent antivirus that detects and removes all threats from your system.
Nortons Smart Firewall protects against unauthorized connection attempts, port access, and other data pipe intrusions.
I was impressed with the firewalls advanced protection.
However, I think Norton360 Deluxeoffers the best value for most users.
Bottom Line:
Norton360offers the best firewall on the market.
It also happens to be the best overall antivirus suite.
The Smart Firewall will give you tools to monitor your web link and block web link intrusions.
Its quite customizable and effective even against advanced threats.
Each of its plans is backed by a risk-free 60-day money-back guarantee.
Its actually ourtop-rated antivirus for Mac.
Intego further enhances Apples native security with features like:
Intego offers 2 affordable plans that include the firewall.
The more advancedMac Premium Bundle X9adds parental controls and excellent Mac system optimization tools for IDR593,230 / year.
Intego includes the best firewall for Mac.
Its highly customizable and blocked every web link threat during my tests.
you might try it out yourself with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
It offers two-way protection and uses a uniquely non-intrusive design.
TinyWall solves this problem by removing pop-ups entirely.
Its also less than 2 MB in file size, which is really cool.
And you get everything TinyWall has to offer at no cost at all.
During my tests, TinyWall blocked more threats than the firewall in Windows Defender.
As a standalone firewall, its excellent.
It has an intuitive design and requires no expertise at all anyone can use it.
TinyWall offers more customization options than Microsoft Defenders firewall and is completely free for anyone to install and use.
ZoneAlarmFree Firewallis pretty good, but some features like stealth mode are locked behind a paywall.
you’re able to also pay extra for up to 50 gadget licenses.
ZoneAlarm is a secure two-way firewall with several good free features, like Wi-Fi protection.
The free version doesnt offer much customization but its simple to use.
That said, it’s possible for you to try out ZoneAlarmPro Firewallrisk-free with its 30-day money-back guarantee.
I really appreciate the clean, well-designed interface.
GlassWireFreedoesnt have as many features asZoneAlarmor evenTinyWall.
I really like the online grid monitoring tools in GlassWireFree, but GlassWirePremiumgives you a complete firewall.
GlassWirePremiumhas a complete firewall, customization options, and other features like a lockdown mode.
The paid plans include a 14-day money-back guarantee so that you’re able to try them out risk-free.
It analyzes the behavior of applications and processes running on your system to identify suspicious activity.
But while it has a decent set of features, Comodo Firewall isnt perfect.
Sometimes it can be overprotective, blocking applications you know to be safe.
Overall though, Comodo Firewall is a good free firewall.
Its lightweight and can give you the essential protection you gotta stay safe online.
Comodo is a lightweight firewall for older versions of Windows.
It offers a lot of customization options while remaining very beginner-friendly.
It has a decent set of features, including a host intrusion prevention system.
While this can be an effective setup, it wont work unless you have a spare Intel-compatible PC.
Other firewalls likeTinyWallandZoneAlarmwork on Windows and dont require an extra machine.
It also comes with basic parental controls, remote gadget management, and more.
Sophos FirewallHome Editionis a great free firewall that uses dual AV scanning engines to catch threats in real time.
Sophos also offers a premium antivirus plan that includes excellent malware protection, basic parental controls, and more.
It offers a 30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee on the premium plan.
Each firewall on this list outshone its competitors and successfully met every benchmark in our rigorous evaluation.
Risks & Disadvantages of Using a Free Firewall
I generally dont recommend relying on free cybersecurity tools.
Others are packed with potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) or even malware.
Even some of the good options will bombard you with ads and upselling attempts.
That said, using a reliable free firewall is definitely better than having no protection at all.
Even a quality free firewall (like theones on my list) cant replace a full antivirus suite.
Their main function is to protect your internet from intrusions and threats.
Id recommend a premium antivirus suite likeNorton360instead,which offers all of those additional security features and much more.
How Does a Firewall Work?
Additionally, firewalls can be hardware-based, software-based, or use a combination of both.
Hardware firewalls are great for managing large networks and dont consume system resources, but they can be costly.
Software firewalls are typically cheaper and easier to configure but might slow down your system.
In any case, a firewall will block or allow traffic based on predefined security rules.
The main types of firewalls include:
Antivirus vs. Firewall: Whats the Difference?
While both firewalls and antivirus software are vital for your online safety, they serve different purposes.
Firewalls are focused on the networks your devices connect to.
Antiviruses (many of which include firewalls as part of the package) do a whole lot more.
Firewalls act as gatekeepers for data entering and leaving a connection or gear.
A firewall cant detect or remove malware.
On the other hand, antivirus software is designed to stop malware on an individual machine.
They can scan your machine for malicious activities and files, using signatures and heuristics to identify threats.
Many will also block dangerous phishing sites and other threats.
Firewalls are essential but only effective against a limited set of threats.
Antiviruses often include firewalls and are effective against virtually every possible cybersecurity threat.
Its important to only have one firewall running at a time, so choosing the right one is vital.
Why is a firewall important?
Do I need an antivirus if I have a firewall?
Yes, you definitelystill need an antivirusif you have a good firewall.
All of Nortons plans come with a generous 60-day money-back guarantee so you might try it out risk-free.
What is the best free firewall for Windows?
TinyWallis my favorite truly free firewall for Windows.
