The best application firewalls, according to hackers
5 application firewalls recommended in Hacker News comments over the past year, ranked by how many separate people recommend each one.
- Most recommendedLittle Snitch75 people recommend it
- Least regretNetGuard22 recommend, 4 criticize
- Free and lovedOpenSnitch27 people recommend it
All application firewalls
- Little SnitchShows every connection each app makes and lets you allow or block each one. Critics note it cannot stop trackers served from essential domains.75recommend
- OpenSnitchRecommended as a free, open source firewall that alerts on new outbound connections; critics find the UI lacking.27recommend
- NetGuardFree open-source Android firewall that blocks network access per app without root, popular for whitelist lockdowns and ad blocking. Caveat: clumsy UI, and some apps refuse to work when blocked.22recommend
- PortmasterFree open source application firewall that shows and controls each app's network connections; people call it powerful for open source. Critics say some local features moved behind a subscription.8recommend
- Local Privacy FirewallBlocks PII and secrets before they reach ChatGPT; praised for its approach. Critics call it a stopgap that does not stop Claude dumping files.5recommend