The best firewall software is a digital barrier between your device and the internet. All of the traffic flowing from one to the other (and back again) is analysed by the firewall, which will detect any malicious files that could contain malware.
TechRadar's team of experts has years of experience testing the best firewalls. We've put all of the options below through their paces with four key criteria in mind. Detection and blocking, or how accurately the firewall spots and stops potential threats from being downloaded. Speed is next, and we measure how long the firewall takes to quarantine malicious files. Last, but not least, is ease of use – and we test the firewall across a range of different platforms to determine this.
We think that Bitdefender is the best firewall software available today, thanks to its well-stocked toolkit, but Norton 360 Deluxe and Avast Premium Security are great alternatives.
We've also tested and ranked the best free firewalls – though they typically come with fewer features than their paid counterparts.
Firewalls work best when paired with antivirus – and we've also ranked the best antivirus software.
The Best Firewall Software of 2026:
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Best firewall software overall
Bitdefender Total Security is a powerful internet security suite that offers a firewall among a range of featured security protections. It also comes with antivirus protection, and its multi-layered malware protection defends 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 includes anti-tracking, file shredder, parental controls, as well as protection for microphones and webcams to prevent them from being used by third-party apps without your consent. The final cherry on top is the built-in VPN with a reasonable limit of 200MB/day/device.
Bitdefender Total Security isn't exclusive to Windows users, either. It works with Android, macOS, and iOS. Even better, a single product license allows you to use the software on up to 5 different devices – so you can keep your home PCs and laptops secure, as well as your smartphones.
Overall, Bitdefender Total Security does what its name suggests, offering a wide range of security protections that go beyond a firewall. It costs $59.99 when paid for a year or $129.99 when paid for two years.
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Read our full Bitdefender Total Security review.
Best multi-feature firewall software
Norton 360 Deluxe offers an even richer and more feature-packed internet security suite than just a firewall. Antivirus and standard anti-malware protections are complemented by a whole host of features.
These include a secure VPN, parental controls, a password manager (although you may want to use the best password manager instead), and online cloud backup. Dark web monitoring also alerts you if any of your details appear for sale on the dark web, and AI Scam Protection keeps you and your bank account safe from scammers.
Norton 360 Deluxe costs $49.99 for the first year and renews at $119.99/year, making it more expensive than some of the other solutions listed here, like Bitdefender Total Security. But just like Bitdefender Total Security, Norton 360 Deluxe runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, and a single license covers up to 5 devices in total.
If you want to add identity theft protection, you can upgrade to Norton 360 with Lifelock, which provides additional identity protection, credit monitoring, and insurance coverage in the event that your personal information is misused.
Read our full Norton 360 Deluxe review.
Best multi-platform firewall software
Avast Premium Security is another full-featured internet security suite that you can either buy for a single device, be it Windows, macOS, iOS, or Android, or as a package that covers up to 10 devices, regardless of the platform.
As with Bitdefender and Norton, this means you can protect your home PC and multiple smartphone devices – and cover any devices owned by your family.
In addition to a firewall, Avast Premium Security also provides anti-ransomware protection and file shredder options. There are also anti-phishing and anti-fraud protections for safer online banking, and protection against unauthorized use of your webcam.
Overall, Avast Premium Security is a solid and reliable internet security suite, despite being let down by constant pop-up ads pushing PC tune-up software (and other cross-sells). It's not something that paying license holders should have to deal with.
Also, unlike some of its peers, Avast Premium Security doesn’t include a VPN, though it confusingly shows up in the dashboard despite requiring a separate subscription.
For one device, Avast Premium Security costs $49.08/year for the first year, and renews at $77.99/year. For 10 devices, it costs $69.48/year for the first year, and $99.99/year for subsequent years.
Read our full Avast Premium Security review.
Best value firewall software
Firewall, real-time malware detection, USB scanning, Wi-Fi protection, phishing protection: Panda Dome Essential has all the essentials – not to mention the valuable extras you'd expect from one of the best antivirus suites.
Panda Dome is brimming with added extras that some of the other plans on this list can’t match, including a dark web scanner and an integrated VPN. However, it also lacks some features you’ll get with the other products in this guide. For instance, there are no parental controls and no protection against ransomware.
On the brighter side, Panda Dome Essential covers Windows, macOS, and Android and iOS devices, as well as any tablets you and your family might have.
Another advantage here is the price – Panda Dome Essential is one of the best value programs we've reviewed. 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.
For a single device, Panda Dome Essential costs $34.99/year, or $69.99 for two years. You can cover up to 3 devices for $41.99/year, 5 devices for $48.99, 10 devices for $69.99, or any number of devices for $83.99.
Read our full Panda Dome Essential review.
Best lightweight firewall software
Just about every antivirus tool claims to be ‘lightweight’, but Webroot Essentials is the only one to deliver on this front. It has a minimal impact on system resources, which makes it a good option for older or less powerful computers.
Webroot protects a wide range of threats, including viruses, malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks. It also includes features like a firewall and a password manager. However, like Panda Dome Essential, Webroot Essential lacks a VPN and parental controls.
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 in-house tests show solid and reliable protection.
Another positive is that Webroot Essentials is compatible with all devices: Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. You also have the option of plans covering a single device, 3 devices, or 5 devices.
To protect 1 device, you’ll have to pay $37.49 for 1 year, $43.74 for 2 years, or $45.83 for 3 years. Similarly, for 3 devices, it’ll cost $52.49 for 1 year, $61.24 for 2 years, and $64.16 for 3 years. The 5-device protection plan costs $67.49 for 1 year, $78.74 for 2 years, and $82.49 for 3 years.
There's a lot to love about Webroot Essentials, and the 70-day 100% money-back guarantee gives you plenty of time to try before committing to a long-term subscription. If you're tired of overly complex and bloated software, Webroot is a worthy consideration.
Find the best deals on Webroot products with our Webroot promo codes.
Best Free Firewall of 2026
Best free firewall software overall
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus, also known as ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall, aims to provide more than just basic malware protection. Positioned as a lightweight security suite for Windows users, it combines classic antivirus tools with firewall functionality and a handful of extra features.
At its core, ZoneAlarm offers antivirus and anti-spyware protection designed to detect a wide range of threats, including viruses, bots, worms, and trojans. It offers two types of scans, namely Critical Scan, which is faster and scans critical areas of the file system and OS, and the Full Scan, which combs through the entire file system on the local disk as well as any attached USB devices.
It also features a two-way firewall that monitors traffic heading to and from your device, making it much harder for hackers to target your data, and we found that it does a solid job of preventing spyware from running riot.
ZoneAlarm has Free and Pro plans. The former lacks several features, including expert rules, anti-phishing protection, web monitor, threat emulation, and more. Still, it'll identify and block potentially unsafe traffic, hide open ports, and let you block apps from connecting to the internet – without costing a penny.
Read our full ZoneAlarm review.
Best lightweight free firewall software
TinyWall is actually designed to be used with Windows’ built-in Defender firewall, so its performance impact is minimal.
TinyWall will actively block trojans, viruses, worms, and other forms of malware, and prevent the modification of Windows Firewall’s settings by malicious programs. And it will do all of this without you needing to know about ports, protocols, or application details.
But probably its most appealing feature is its no-popup approach. Most firewalls will display a pop-up asking you what you want to do whenever an application is trying to access the internet. Not only is this annoying, but eventually you’ll just start granting access to everything to get rid of the popups, which isn’t very secure.
TinyWall gets around this problem by expecting you to whitelist programs that you actually want to be able to access the Internet. When you find a program has been blocked, it’s easy to add it to the whitelist, and then you can continue with what you were doing.
Read our full TinyWall review.
Best basic free firewall software
If you have a PC running a version of Windows more recent than XP, then you already have a free firewall installed, and unless you’ve changed any settings, it’s already active and running.
Known as Windows Defender since the release of Windows 10, the firewall is part of a suite of security tools included by default with Windows installations. Microsoft recommends that you leave Defender on, even if you’re also using another firewall.
To manage its settings, simply search for 'security' in Windows and select the Security app. When it opens, set the Windows Defender Firewall toggle to On. Turning it off again simply involves clicking the same button.
You can also configure the firewall to allow a certain app through the firewall. From the same place where you turn it on/off, you can select ‘Allow an app through firewall’ and then choose the app in question.
Read our full Windows Defender review.
Best designed free firewall software
GlassWire is a network monitoring and firewall tool known for its polished interface and user-friendly design. Its free edition is a good option for anyone who wants more visibility into their internet activity without navigating complex firewall configurations.
One of the key features in the free version is its ability to visually track real-time and historical network activity. You can see which apps are using bandwidth, what servers they're connecting to, and how much data is being transferred. This info can help you identify bandwidth-heavy apps or even detect unexpected network behavior.
In terms of firewall functionality, the free version includes a basic click-to-block feature that allows you to block up to two apps from accessing the internet. However, many of the more advanced features are only available in the $2.99/month Premium edition. For instance, the free version does not include the ability to detect new or unfamiliar devices on your local network, nor will it let you create multiple firewall profiles for different networks.
This is why it’s best to use GlassWire Free in tandem with Windows Firewall, using it more as a network traffic monitor rather than a firewall.
Take a look at our full GlassWire review.
We've also listed the best endpoint protection software.
Best firewall FAQs
How to choose the best firewall
When deciding which firewall to download and use, first consider what your actual security needs are. Sometimes free and budget software may only provide basic options, so if you need to use advanced tools, you may find a paid platform is much more worthwhile. Additionally, higher-end security software suites can usually cater for every need, such as providing other tools like a built-in VPN, antivirus, and malware protection, so do ensure you have a good idea of which features you think you may require from your firewall.
It's also important to consider the differences between a VPN and a firewall when choosing the best service for your needs.
How we test the best firewalls
To test for the best firewall, we first set up an account with the relevant platform, then we tested the service to see how simple and easy it was to set up, configure, and use. The aim was to see how useful the basic tools of each firewall were, and also how easy it was to get to grips with any more advanced tools. Additionally, we needed to make sure that each of the firewalls worked as intended.
Read more on how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar.
Do I need a firewall and antivirus software?
Firewalls and antivirus software have two different roles in cybersecurity.
A firewall acts as a barrier between your network and the wider internet, detecting threats that try to get through and blocking them. They can be hardware- or software-based. In theory, firewalls can protect your network from any type of threat: malware, ransomware, trojans, and viruses can all be stopped. Firewalls work by checking incoming 'packets' of data for malicious files.
Antivirus, on the other hand, is a software-based protection that prevents malicious files from being executed, or 'run', on your device. As the name implies, antivirus is designed to protect your device against viruses. Antivirus works by checking software and executables for viruses.
You can read more about the differences between antivirus and firewalls here.
What are the key differences between software and hardware based firewalls?
A software-based firewall is a program that sits between your network and the outside internet and scans the packets that pass through it for anything out of the ordinary or malicious.
A hardware-based firewall is a physical device that all network traffic routes through before reaching your network, and it does the same thing.
The key differences stem from the networks they are used in. Software-based firewalls are typically used by individuals and small teams, as they can run on a laptop or desktop without hindering device performance significantly. Software-based firewalls also work well for virtualized or hybrid environments.
Hardware-based firewalls are typically used by enterprises that require very fast internet speeds without any interruptions from the firewall. In this case, the firewall will have its own dedicated high-performance hardware that it uses to check files. Typically, a hardware-based firewall will be used to protect the network within an office of on-site workers, or to protect data centers and servers.
Will a firewall slow down my device or internet connection?
Depending on how a firewall is configured, it can either kill your internet speed or barely affect it.
A misconfigured firewall that is heavily restrictive will usually check all of the packets travelling through it, including those from trusted local connections or internal networks that already operate within a firewall. In this case, safe packets that have already been checked are being checked again unnecessarily.
If the device the firewall is operating on is outdated or doesn't offer the required hardware, the firewall may take extra time to check packets, resulting in your internet connection only being as fast as the firewall's checking speed.
What's more, if you have many devices trying to operate through the firewall, it may be much slower as it has more internet traffic to scan. In this case, it may be worth opting for a premium firewall that offers greater throughput and better features.
Should I use a free firewall or a premium firewall?
For personal use, the best free firewalls can offer a good amount of protection. But keep in mind that you won't get the same level of configurability or extra features offered by their premium counterparts.
However, for small teams, businesses, or even if you work from home, a premium firewall is always a good idea to not only protect your own data on the network, but also important business data.
Free firewalls may also come with speed or data restrictions, or lack the ability to work with a VPN without upgrading.
Are there firewalls for small businesses and teams?
Yes. There are dedicated firewall solutions tailored to small businesses and teams that offer specialized features for business environments. You can read our full guide to the best SMB firewall here.
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