what is the best free firewall for windows 10 2020?
Windows has a built-in firewall that is powerful and highly customizable. However, the built-in Windows Firewall performs only one-way filtering by default. Moreover, the user interface makes it difficult to properly configure rules and block / allow applications. In fact, unless you are a power user or a knowledgeable system administrator, setting up a built-in firewall is very difficult.
That being said, there are quite a few free firewalls for Windows 10 that allow you to control the access of applications and the operating system to the Internet and protect you from malicious connections. Here are some of the best free firewalls for Windows 10.
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Best Firewall for Windows 10
1. Komodo Firewall
Comodo Firewall is one of my favorites and I tend to switch to Windows 10 Firewall due to its ease of use and the features it has on. One of the reasons I really like the Comodo Firewall is that it makes it easy to allow or block applications from accessing the Internet. What’s more, Comodo Firewall monitors and blocks certain processes out of the box and shows a warning or permission window whenever they try to access another process or make changes to the system.
Comodo Firewall also has other features such as HIPS (Host Intrusion Prevention System) protection, application sandboxing, predefined and customizable firewall and HIPS rulesets, website filtering, dynamic analysis and process scanning, emergency switch to stop or block problematic processes, and T. D.
Even with all these features, Comodo is pretty easy to use, even for beginners. If you are an advanced user and know what you are doing, you can create your own rulesets to control what the firewall does however you want.
All in all, Comodo Firewall is pretty good at what it does. However, be careful when installing Comodo Firewall as it suggests changing your DNS to Comodo DNS and tries to install additional Comodo software such as the Comodo Dragon browser.
Price: Comodo Firewall is completely free, but if you wish, you can upgrade to Comodo Internet Security for additional features such as virus and malware protection. If you’re curious, at the time of this writing, Comodo doesn’t bother its users with constant update pop-ups.
2. Glass wire
Glasswire is another popular free network monitoring and firewall application for Windows 10. Unlike other programs on this list, Glasswire’s user interface is quite modern and flexible. What I love the most about Glasswire is its ease of use and intuitiveness, as well as beautiful graphs displayed in relation to network activity. The graphs are not just beautiful, they serve as a time machine where you can see past network activity, such as when a particular application or process is first connected to the Internet, security alerts, host information, etc.
Glasswire features include but are not limited to, full bandwidth monitoring, privacy protection, evil twins detection that alerts you when a WiFi network uses the same name as you, or when your network suddenly loses its password, app blocker, multiple remote monitoring servers, block mode to restrict all firewall actions, request the only mode, which blocks all applications from accessing the Internet unless you give permission, etc.
In addition, you can also create your own firewall profiles so that you can easily switch between different sets of firewall rules. So, if you’re looking for a firewall that does the job but looks good and gives you the ability to create your own firewall rules, then Glasswire is for you.
Price: The basic version of Glasswire is free, but its options are severely limited. For example, you won’t have access to the request-only mode or you won’t be able to block applications from connecting to the Internet. To do this, you need to upgrade it to Basic, Pro, or Elite, which costs $ 39, 69, and $ 99, respectively.
3. PeerBlock
PeerBlock is not a traditional firewall that monitors and blocks specific or all applications. Instead, PeerBlock is designed to block inbound and outbound connections to and from specific IP addresses. In case you’re wondering, PeerBlock has a centralized built-in list of IP addresses that are considered malicious and / or associated with government agencies or shadowy ISPs, advertisements, etc. You can add your own list or individual IP addresses if needed. block. Moreover, you can also block specific organizations and even entire countries.
As you can see, PeerBlock isn’t for everyone. If you are an avid torrent user or just someone who shares files over a peer-to-peer network, try PeerBlock. Effective in monitoring and blocking IP addresses.
Price: PeerBlock is free and open source.
4. TinyWall
As the name suggests, TinyWall is a free, small and lightweight application that makes it easy to manage your incoming and outgoing connections. TinyWall is very different from others on this list. that is, it uses the highly efficient built-in Windows Firewall to manage all connections. TinyWall not only configures Windows Firewall for more security, but also provides a sane user interface for quickly setting up rules as needed. Moreover, being an unobtrusive firewall, TinyWall does not display toast notifications asking to allow an application to access the Internet, instead it makes it easier to block or unblock various applications and processes from accessing the Internet.
TinyWall features include whitelisting and blacklisting programs, automatic learning mode, restricting or allowing LAN communications, monitoring open ports, blocking lists for ports and domains, multiple firewall modes, password protection for settings, etc.
If you are looking for a serious and lightweight program that uses the powerful built-in Windows Firewall, then TinyWall is for you.
Price: TinyWall is completely free.
5. ZoneAlarm
ZoneAlarm is one of the oldest and most popular when it comes to third-party Windows Firewall. ZoneAlarm has a very robust firewall that blocks any malicious connections and is easy to configure and configure. The app can also block ports, hide ports, monitor and block malicious traffic, and automatically block programs when suspicious activity occurs. Although the user interface looks a bit dated, it is updated with new definitions quite regularly.
All in all, ZoneAlarm is a pretty good firewall that’s good enough for most users. However, compared to Comodo Firewall, ZoneAlarm lacks some of the extra features I would like to have, such as custom rulesets, HIPS protection, etc. That said, if you’re a beginner, ZoneAlarm is pretty good.
Price: The basic version is free, but for additional features such as zero hour protection, app management, multi-layered protection, download protection, etc., you need to upgrade to the professional version which costs $ 24.95 per year.
6. Firewall application blocker
The name of the app speaks for itself. If you are looking for a simple application that allows you to block applications from accessing the internet then Firewall Application Blocker is for you.
To block an application with Firewall App Blocker, all you have to do is simply drag and drop applications into it, or use the menu options to browse, search, and add .exe files manually. There is no need to switch between different menus or options. What makes Firewall App Blocker special is that it only does one job and does it better. What’s more, Firewall App Blocker is completely portable. that is, you do not need to install the app to use it.
Price: Firewall App Blocker is completely free.
what is the best free firewall for windows 10 – 2020
Hope this helps. Comment below, share your thoughts and experiences with the above Windows 10 firewall apps.
Also Read: Best Android Firewalls to Disable Internet for Specific Apps
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