The best firewalls, according to hackers
8 firewalls were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 3 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The three most recommended firewalls with the badge. Each figure is 5 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Readable, intuitive configuration syntax
Recommended for its readable configuration syntax, simplicity and reliability; critics cite single-threaded performance and syntax changes that break configs.
Readable and easy to configure
Linux firewall tool people prefer over iptables for readable, atomic rulesets and easy configuration files. Common caveat: the syntax is hard to learn and the documentation lags behind pf.
Free alternative to Little Snitch
People recommend LuLu as a free, simple macOS app for blocking outbound connections and an alternative to Little Snitch. Critics say its interface could use improvements.
All 8 firewalls, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | pf (OpenBSD Packet Filter) | 53 | 7 | 88% | 11 | — | Approved |
| 2 | nftables | 29 | 10 | 74% | 8 | — | Approved |
| 3 | LuLu firewall | 27 | 3 | 90% | 9 | — | Approved |
| 4 | iptables | 15 | 22 | 41% | 7 | — | — |
| 5 | UFW | 12 | 15 | 44% | 6 | — | — |
| 6 | firewalld | 11 | 6 | 65% | 2 | — | — |
| 7 | ZoneAlarm | 9 | 2 | 82% | 2 | — | — |
| 8 | ipset | 5 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same firewall in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to firewalls that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.