Member Avatar for grgreen

What are some good firewalls that you can use that are free or relatively cheap?? Are they better than the Windows firewall??

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Dani AI

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As asked, the question is whether a free desktop firewall is worth it and which to pick. Replies from , and rightly point to layering: a perimeter device plus host controls. The practical answer today is not just "which product" but "what you configure." For Windows 10/11 the built-in host firewall is capable if you harden and monitor it; add a dedicated host firewall only when you need extra outbound control, simple alerts, or a different UI. See the official Windows Defender Firewall guidance for advanced configuration and logging. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-firewall/windows-firewall-with-advanced-security)

Concrete actions that helped most systems here:

  • Turn on and review firewall logs, then fix rules that repeatedly show blocked legitimate traffic.
  • Use program-path or publisher-based allow rules rather than broad port rules, and tie rules to the correct network profile (private/public/domain).
  • Remove unnecessary port forwards on your perimeter device, disable UPnP if you do not need it, change default admin credentials and keep firmware updated.

If you want a free, more capable perimeter/router appliance for small office/home use, a community firewall/router distribution is an option worth considering; it gives visibility and packet-level controls you do not get on cheap consumer units. For external exposure checks use an external port-scan service and local scans from another machine (for example, an Nmap scan) to verify what is actually reachable. For formal guidance on firewall roles and policy, NIST SP 800-41 is a solid reference. (https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication800-41r1.pdf) (https://www.pfsense.org/) (https://www.grc.com/shieldsup)

Troubleshooting tip: when an app stops communicating, consult the firewall log first to see whether it was blocked, then create the narrowest rule that fixes that single case.

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Member Avatar for DimaYasny

I use a router at home. it keeps attackers out. and a good antivirus to stop trojans from getting out.
if you're connected directly, without a router I'd suggest comodo or zonealarm.

Member Avatar for grgreen

Yeah, I use a router at home too. I didn't know if that sufficed or if it was good to also have firewall software.

Member Avatar for jbennet

a desktop firewall as well as a router is a good idea. I use zonealarm.

Member Avatar for Johnathan

I would recommend comodo or zonealarm for free firewalls however these can often attract people or things trying to harm your computer. I would recommend you use a router or buy a hardware firewall but these can get very expensive.

Member Avatar for jbennet

my wireless router with builtin firewall and vpn cost me £39.99 - ($75?)

Member Avatar for grgreen

yeah, i have a pretty basic linksys wireless router that I believe provides the same features

Member Avatar for jbennet

yeha. mine is a linksys too (ive got the really small silver wireless g one)

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