I'm using Windows 7 and would like to have a feature like Little Snitch on the Mac that alerts you whenever a program on your computer makes an outgoing connection. Description of Little Snitch from its website. A firewall protects your computer against unwanted guests from the Internet. Mar 29, 2018 Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises Little Snitch Izzie Gibbs Little Snitch ℗ 2018 Dice Recordings Released on: 2018-03-30 Auto-generated by You.
Windows has a built-in firewall that is quite powerful and highly configurable. However, Windows built-in firewall only does one-direction filtering by default. Moreover, the user interface makes it a complicated job to properly configure rules and block/allow applications. In fact, unless you are an advanced user or system administrator who knows your way around, it is very hard to configure the built-in firewall.
That being said, there are quite a few free firewall software for Windows 10 that make it a treat to manage application and operating system access to the internet and protect you from malicious connections. Here are some of the best free firewalls for Windows 10.
Read: Little Snitch Alternatives for Windows and Mac
Best Firewall For Windows 10
1. Comodo Firewall
Comodo Firewall is one of my favorite and generally my go to Windows 10 firewall thanks to its ease of use and included features. One of the reasons I really like Comodo Firewall is that it makes it easy to allow or block an application from accessing the internet. Moreover, out of the box, Comodo Firewall monitors and blocks certain processes and show a warning or permission window whenever they are trying to access another process or making system changes.
Comodo Firewall also has other features like HIPS (Host Intrusion Prevention System) protection, application sandboxing, predefined and custom firewall and HIPS rulesets, website filtering, dynamic process analyzing and scanning, kill switch to stop or block problematic processes, etc.
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 custom rulesets to manage the firewall activities however you want.
All in all, Comodo Firewall is pretty good at what it does. However, be vigilant while installing Comodo Firewall as it offers to change your DNS to Comodo DNS and tries to install additional Comodo software like Comodo Dragon browser.
Price: Comodo Firewall is completely free but if you want to, you can upgrade to Comodo Internet Security for additional features like anti-virus and anti-malware protection. In case you are wondering, as of writing this, Comodo doesn’t bother its users with constant upgrade pop-ups.
2. Glasswire
Glasswire is another popular free network monitor and firewall application for Windows 10. Unlike other software in this list, Glasswire’s user interface is pretty modern and fluid. What I like most about Glasswire is how easy and intuitive to use it and the beautiful graphs it shows relating to the network activity. The graphs are not just beautiful but they serve as a time machine where you can see past network activity like when a certain application or process first connected to the internet, security alerts, host information etc.
Features of Glasswire include but not limited to full-fledged bandwidth monitoring, privacy protection, evil twin detection that alerts you when a WiFi network is using the same name as you or when your network suddenly losses its password, application blocker, multiple remote server monitoring, lockdown mode to restrict all firewall activities, ask only mode that blocks all the applications from accessing the internet unless you give the permission, etc.
Additionally, you can also create custom firewall profiles so that you can easily switch between different firewall rulesets. So, if you are looking for a firewall that does the job while looking good and giving you the options to create custom firewall rules then Glasswire is for you.
Price: The base version of Glasswire is free but it is severely limited. For instance, you will not have access to the ask-only mode or you cannot block applications from connecting to the internet. For that, you need to upgrade it to either Basic, Pro, or the Elite version that costs $39, $69, $99 respectively.
3. PeerBlock
PeerBlock is not your traditional firewall the monitors and blocks specific or all applications. Instead, PeerBlock is made to block incoming and outgoing connections to and from specific IP addresses. In case you are wondering, PeerBlock has a centralized built-in list of IP addresses that are considered malicious and/or related to government entities or shady ISPs, ads, etc. If need be, you can add your own list or individual IP addresses to block. Additionally, you can also block specific organizations and even entire countries too.
As you can tell, PeerBlock is not for everyone. If you are a heavy torrent user or just someone who share files via peer-to-peer then give PeerBlock a try. It is effective at 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 lets you easily manage the incoming and outgoing connections. TinyWall is very different compared to the others on this list. i.e, it uses the highly efficient built-in Windows firewall to manage all the connections. Not only TinyWall configures the Windows firewall to be more secure but gives you a sane user interface to quickly configure the rules as needed. Moreover, being a non-intrusive firewall, TinyWall doesn’t show any pop-up notifications asking you to permit an application to access the internet, instead, it makes it simple to block or unblock various applications and processes from accessing the internet.
Features of TinyWall include the ability to whitelist and blacklist programs, automatic learning mode, restrict or allow LAN communication, monitor open ports, blocklists for ports and domains, multiple firewall modes, password protection for settings, etc.
If you are looking for a no-nonsense and lightweight program that makes use of the powerful built-in Windows firewall then TinyWall is for you.
Price: TinyWall is completely free.
5. ZoneAlarm
When it comes to third-party Windows firewall, ZoneAlarm is one of the oldest and popular one out there. ZoneAlarm has a very solid firewall that blocks any and all malicious connections while being easy to customize and configure. The application can also block ports, hide ports, monitor and block malicious traffic, and auto-block programs on suspicious activity. Though the user interface looks a bit dated, it is updated quite regularly with new definitions.
All in all, ZoneAlarm is a pretty good firewall that is good enough for most users. However, compared to Comodo Firewall, ZoneAlarm lack a few advanced features that I would like to have, like custom rulesets, HIPS protection, etc. That being said, if you are a beginner, ZoneAlarm is pretty good.
Price: The base version is free but for additional features like zero-hour protection, application control, multi-layer protection, boot protection, etc., you need to upgrade it to the pro version which costs you $24.95 per year.
6. Firewall App Blocker
The app name says it all. If you are looking for a simple app that lets you block applications from accessing the internet then the Firewall App Blocker is for you.
To block an application using Firewall App Blocker, all you have to do is simply drag and drop the applications into it or use the menu options to manually browse, find, and add the .exe files. No need to shift through different menu or options. What makes Firewall App Blocker special is that it does one job only and does it better. Moreover, Firewall App Blocker is completely portable. i.e, you don’t have to install the application to use it.
Price: Firewall App Blocker is completely free.
Hope that helps. Comment below sharing your thoughts and experiences about using the above firewall apps for Windows 10.
Also Read: Best Firewall Apps for Android to Disable Internet for certain Apps
Little Snitch is a popular Mac app that detects outbound connections and lets you set up rules to block those connections. Once installed, Little Snitch monitors your internet traffic and every time it detects an outbound connection, for example, Adobe Reader trying to access the internet, it pops up a window and ask you if you want to allow the connection one time, or make a rule to allow Adobe Reader to access the Internet but just not go to adobe.com
In short, Little Snitch is one of the best apps, to keep an eye on your Mac’s Internet connections. But, do we really need an alternative? Well, for starters, it costs you over $40 and upgrades are extra. This alone can be a reason to look for alternatives that cost nothing or at least relatively cheaper than Little Snitch.
So here are some alternatives to Little Snitch for Windows and macOS. Let’s start with Mac first.
Read: The Best WiFi Analyser For Mac
Little Snitch Alternatives for Mac
1. Murus Lite
Mac’s own firewall comes with one of the best features available in network firewalls called the PF (packet filter). However, for some users, it may seem a little complex to use and this is where Murus comes in the picture.
Murus brings the PF feature of a firewall in an intuitive, drag & drop based interface that lets you define your own rule set and control the network permissions on your mac. What makes it different from the existing inbuilt firewall? Well, here’s the catch. Common firewalls like Mac’s own PF, restrict and monitor the inbound and outbound network traffic based on attributes like IP address, ports, protocols etc. and by restricting the network functions itself, it affects all the applications. Murus, on the other hand, helps to use PF feature to convert the network firewall into an application firewall wherein you can allow or restrict movement of data packets for each application individually which even helps in restricting spreading of virus, worms or data leak by an application.
Price: Murus comes in three versions: Murus Lite (Free), Murus Basic ($10), and Murus Pro ($17). While Murus lite is the free version of the application, Murus Basic and Murus Pro are the paid versions that come packed with some extra features like logs Visualizer, Vallum, and all companion apps.
Check it out here: Murus
2. Radio silence
Radio Silence is yet another application to control your app specific firewall functions. It has one of the simplest interfaces which allows you to keep a tab on applications. Softwares that try to connect with a remote server outside the user’s control are blocked instantly. The Firewall has its eye on the incoming traffic, Radio Silence does the opposite and looks for outgoing traffic too.
Little Snitch vs Radio Silence
Initially, Little Snitch gives you too many notifications about connection, which may feel overwhelming to some users. Although, it goes away after few weeks of usage.
Radio silence, on the other hand, is quite silent in the functionality as it runs in the background. without any active tabs, icon display or pop-ups. Once you block an app with Radio Silence, it stays blocked, there is no notification or pop-ups, ever.
Price: Radio Silence costs around $9 and comes with a testing trial of 30 days. You get your money back if it doesn’t meet your expectations. There’s also a 24-hour free trial available for those who want to test this software’s limits in a single stretch.
Check out: Radio Silence
3. Private Eye
Private Eye, a real-time network monitoring application that allows monitoring of your live connections made by an application. The app also indicates the presence of an online server where such information is being transmitted.
It displays all attributes of the live connections that the applications in your system have to the web like the time of connection and the IP address of the server connected to.
Although you can filter and view the results by application or by incoming and outgoing traffic, Private Eye doesn’t have the power to alter any of these connections. You get just enough information to know when an app connects to a server without authorization.
Price: Private Eye is a free application.
Check out: Private Eye
4. Hands off
Hands off is one of the most trusted applications and alternative to Little Snitch when it comes to network privacy. It is also an all-rounder application that gives protection both as the network firewall and application-specific firewall. It controls both inbound and outbound traffic of an application.
Read: See What Others Are Browsing on Your WiFi
Hands off is a little different from other similar applications. It protects and monitors the disk access, and giving an intuitive and user-friendly interface. This app monitors and blocks access to the files stored in your system from online servers and also from the local applications. It prevents the applications from seeking IP address, accessing disk data, erasing disk data, and even storing cookies. Its disk management is so strict that it even controls the read and write permissions of the disk data files even if the applications have access to the files but the interface and usage come in handy.
Price: Hands Off is otherwise an expensive application ($49) but can be tried and tested for free with limited functionality. The advanced functions of the application are accessible in the paid version. The tutorial file that tags along with the application setup is informative.
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Check out: Hands Off
5. TCPBlock
TCPBlock is by far the lightest application based firewall available for mac and is absolutely free. It also monitors and protects both inbound and outbound traffic on your mac and can prevent certain applications from opening network connections to unknown servers while you are online.
TCPBlock is implemented as a loadable kernel module which contains all the blocking logic. You can configure it in the System Preferences > TCPBlock preference pane or with the TCPBlock command line utility. All the configuration changes are made in a configuration file on the hard disk of your mac.
Murus Vs Little Snitch Full
Price: Although TCPBlock has discontinued from the market, its previous versions are still available to download for free. It requires only 1.1 MB of your disk space. TCPBlock has the best reviews that an application can get and is still one of the favorites amongst the users. The only catch in using the available version of this application is turning off the SIP (System Integrity Protection). SIP when deactivated, allows third-party applications to run on your mac.
Check out: TCP Block
6. Security Growler
Little Snitch is still hands-down the best connection alerting software available for Mac, we suggest to check it out if you want a comprehensive firewall/alerting system, and are willing to pay a few bucks to get it. Security Growler, on the other hand, is centered around monitoring log files for any kind of pattern. It doesn’t just monitors the TCP connection table but also alerts you of Sudo events, Keychain authorization events, and anything else you can think of that’s reported to a log file.
This app is significantly more lightweight than Little Snitch, it comes in at <15MB of RAM used, simply because it aims to solve a simpler problem than Little Snitch. This application is not designed to prevent malicious connections, that’s what firewalls are for, it’s just meant to keep an unobtrusive log, and alert you whenever important security events are happening. The more informed you are, the better you can protect yourself.
Security Growler is a menu bar based application that sends you notifications whenever one of its monitored patterns have a log update. One thing that sets it apart from other applications, Prowl which sends you notifications over your iPhone and iPad.
Check out: Security Growler
7. LuLu
LuLu by Objective see is another popular opinion amongst Mac users who wish to keep a check on their system’s network activity. The reason for its popularity is because the software is open source, has no ads whatsoever, and comes with all features.
LuLu aims to block all unauthorized outgoing connections unless you specifically allow them. You can choose to allow local or third-party apps and services from the separated menu available. The app interface is pretty simple yet extensive and its operations are so simple that even a child could use it.
When you first install the app you can choose to allow or disallow Apple programmes and previously installed third-party apps. These settings could be later changed from preferences. Under the ‘rules’ head, you can select the services and apps you wish to block from using network services. The app even has a passive mode where it will allow all new apps and still work in silence for the previously installed apps.
Check Out: LuLu by Objective See
Little Snitch Alternatives for Windows
While there is no true alternative to Little Snitch in Windows, we found two applications that came close.
8. Glasswire
GlassWire is quite a simple app which allows you to monitor changes in the system like microphone, webcam or apps in general. It also comes with a firewall feature just like Little Snitch, however, it isn’t that powerful. For example, Little Snitch can allow or refuse to authorize the specific domain and ports of an application trying to access a server online. GlassWire on the other hand only allows or block all connections an application attempts to initiate. There is no option to make specific rules for an app in Glasswire.
Read: 5 Best Network Monitoring Tools for Windows
Price: Glasswire follows the freemium model, The free version of Glasswire shows you which program is connected to which IP address. Although, the paid version of Glasswire has “ask to connect” feature, which gives you a pop-up when an app attempts to make a connection.
Check out: GlassWire
9. Net Limiter
Compared to Glasswire, Net Limiter is a similar alternative to Little Snitch on Windows. Once installed, the app shows you the list of all apps that are making connections to the internet along with their present download and upload speed. You can block network connectivity on individual programs or even restrict how much bandwidth a particular app gets.
Price: Net Limiter is a paid app that cost $29, however it comes with a full 30 days trial.
Check out: Net Limiter
Little Snitch Alternatives
So, these were some of the free and paid alternatives to Little Snitch. It would be nice if Apple would build such detailed functionality into macOS, but they won’t do it for as simple a reason that it’s too hard to use for a regular mac user. So, you can either spend a few bucks and buy little snitch, or use these alternatives, whatever you use, let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments. And if you ask my opinion, I’d suggest LuLu because of its intuitive UI and simple controls.