Freeware 2009 firewalls compaired

Take a look at our round ups of the best overall antivirus and best antivirus software for Mac. Installing antivirus software as well as an additional firewall is your best chance of keeping your equipment malware-free.

Sophos is a rising star in the cybersecurity industry and its excellent business protection software is also available for home use. This security system is unusually advanced compared to the standard firewall software.

Given that most homes now run multi-user wifi networks, the Sophos approach to whole home cybersecurity coverage is a concept that is long overdue. Essentially, you get all of the system protection controls that you would for a business, but for your home network.

That being said, there is a major infrastructure requirement of this free firewall that may put you off.

Sophos XG has its own operating system OS and when you install it on a computer, it wipes out the existing OS and all software installed on that device. If you have a spare computer, then this firewall option is light years ahead of the competition.

It includes anti-malware, and gives you web security, connection privacy, and URL filtering. The console includes a network monitoring and reporting dashboard, providing all the system management facilities that large companies enjoy on their networks. ZoneAlarm Free Firewall installs on Windows 7, 8, 9, and This system has some great extras, which makes it a good choice for home wifi networks and laptops that connect to the internet in public places.

All you need to install it is an internet connection for the download and an email address for the activation. If you are in the US, you can call on the company for victim recovery assistance in the case of identity theft.

The software will add an extra layer of protection to your connections when you connect to public wifi hotspots and it assesses the security of your home wifi network to improve protection from attacks. It updates itself automatically, so you benefit from an up-to-date threat protection database. Download ZoneAlarm Free Firewall. Alternatively, you can download it from Tucows or Softpedia among other free software distribution sites.

This firewall runs on all versions of Windows from XP to Windows The firewall will block incoming connection requests and it includes other security measures.

These include the ability to select which applications on your computer are allowed to connect to the internet and a security level feature.

The software monitors activity in the registry and blocks alterations. This is a very important protection measure against worms and persistent malware. The AVS Firewall provides surfing protection as well as system security. These measures include an ad and popup blocker and parental controls. You can allocate bandwidth usage limits to devices, applications, or programs.

Download AVS Firewall. Comodo is an award-winning cybersecurity software house that produces a firewall for all versions of Windows from XP through to Windows As well as blocking incoming connections, this software package will monitor your computer for ongoing threats, with a constantly updated threat database. The monitor alerts you in real-time to detected risks.

You get a Sandbox environment for any new software you download to protect from hidden viruses. The system uses AI to build up a profile of normal operating behavior on your computer so that it can block suspicious activity. You can choose to block specific applications from accessing the internet while the software monitors all outgoing traffic as well as inbound data.

Other features include a browser cleanup utility and a games mode to enable interactive applications to operate over the internet. If anyone votes for Norton, they need to be removed from the gene-pool. Mathachew Veteran Posted January 6, MuffloN Posted January 6, BlueFlame Posted January 6, Blindlabel Posted January 6, Posted January 9, Thirtythree Posted January 16, Posted January 16, Lord Ba'al Posted January 18, Posted January 18, Clearly Outpost :woot: The Windows "Firewall" really shouldn't be in this poll, as it hardly deserves that name :no:.

Harlem39s Finest Posted January 18, Thirtythree Posted January 18, A firewall is a dedicated appliance, or software running on another computer, which inspects network traffic passing through it, and denies or permits passage based on a set of rules. Crono21 Posted January 21, Posted January 21, Whats the best Free firewall out now that's actually being updated? Spork Posted January 21, Posted January 25, Posted January 26, Matt Posted January 26, Loso Posted February 19, Posted February 19, Malfunctional Posted March 6, Bitdefender Total Security is a powerful internet security suite that offers a firewall among a range of featured security protections.

There's also anti-virus protection, but its multi-layered malware protection also protects against ransomware. Other features include anti-phishing, anti-fraud, and anti-theft options, as well as a performance optimizer. A wide range of privacy protection options include anti-tracking, file encryption and shredder, parental controls, as well as protection for microphones to prevent them being used by a third-party.

Bitdefender Total Security isn't just for protecting Windows users either, but can also be used to protect against attacks for Android , macOS, and iOS as well. Even better, a single product license allows you to use the software on up to 5 different devices, so you can use Bitdefender Total Security for your home PC as well as smartphone. Overall, Bitdefender Total Security pretty much does what it names suggests, offering a very wide range of security protections that goes beyond just a firewall.

However, pricing is very reasonable, making it cheap and easy to get peace of mind. Full review: Bitdefender Total Security. Avast Premium Security is another paid-for full-feature internet security suite which comes in two main forms: single PC use, or up to 10 devices including macOS, iOS, and Android.

As with Bitdefender, this means that you can protect both a home PC as well as mobile devices. However, because there's an option to protect up to 10 devices it means you can use a single license to protect the family as well. As well as a firewall for all devices, Avast Premium Security also protects anti-ransomware protection, file encryption and file shredder options.

There are also anti-phishing and anti-fraud protections for safer online banking, and there's also protection against your webcam being hacked by a third-party. Overall, Avast Premium Security is another solid and reliable internet security suite, but one thing that does let it down is the constant pop-up ads pushing on cross-sell for PC tune-up and other other software.

Full review: Avast Premium Security. Norton Premium offers an even richer and more feature-packed internet security suite than just providing a firewall. While it provides for antivirus and standard anti-malware protections like the above internet security suites it dares to go further. Additional features in the Norton Premium includes a secure VPN, parental controls, a password manager, and online cloud backup. There's also a feature for dark web monitoring so you can be alerted if any of your details appear for sale on the Dark Web.

This all comes at a more expensive price than the other internet security suites featured here, but the additional features and peace of mind are likely to be worth it for some people. If you want to add identity protection you can upgrade to Norton Premium with Lifelock Select, which provides additional identity protection and credit rating monitoring as well as insurance provision in the event that your personal information is misused.

Full review: Norton Deluxe. Firewall, real-time malware detection, speedy cloud-based scanning, URL filtering to block malicious websites: Panda Dome Essential antivirus has all the essentials — not to mention, the goodies — you'd expect from the best antivirus software. And, that's just the beginning. The interface will be a little bit decisive, too. With so many weird and wonderful features included, Panda Dome does a very capable job of making sure that they can all be accessed and you can go as in-depth as you need.

However, on the other hand, this might put off users who just want a quiet, simple antivirus package. One undoubted advantage here is the price - Panda Dome Essential is one of the best value programs out there. And, you even have the option of paying a little more and upgrading to cover an unlimited number of laptops, phones, tablets and desktops with a single subscription.

Full review: Panda Dome Essential. Installation takes seconds, the program files barely use 2MB of your hard drive, RAM footprint is tiny, and there are no bulky signature updates to tie up your bandwidth. Considering this, there's no compromise on features, which makes it all the more impressive. Along with the core protection, there's smart behavior monitoring, accurate real-time anti-phishing, network connection monitor, enhanced anti-ransomware, and of course firewall protection.

It's not easy to compare Webroot's accuracy with the competition, as the big testing labs rarely evaluate the company's products. However, when they are reviewed, they generally score high, and our own tests show solid and reliable protection.