The Best Firewall Software in 2026
We researched firewall software from official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. Rankings reflect each product’s outbound control, rule editing, alerts, platform coverage, verified features and value for money for desktops and servers.
Our top picks
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Top ranked
FortiGate#1 of 769.4/10A broad hybrid firewall platform for organizations that need deep security and network controls.
Pricing on request · 30-day trial
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Runner-up
Arista NG Firewall#2 of 769.3/10A broad firewall platform with a free plan and extensive network controls.
Free plan · 30-day trial
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Top-ranked free plan
Google Cloud NGFW#3 of 769.2/10Google Cloud-native firewall protection with free rule evaluation and usage-priced advanced controls.
Free plan
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 76 tools, best first · page 1 of 2
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Best forEnterprise hybrid environments
A broad hybrid firewall platform for organizations that need deep security and network controls.
Pricing on request · 30-day trial Our FortiGate verdict → Visit FortinetFor vendors Sponsor this spot · #1 · $149/mo →9.4/10★★★★★Visit Fortinet -
Best forBroad firewall protection with strong value
A broad firewall platform with a free plan and extensive network controls.
Free plan · 30-day trial Our Arista NG Firewall verdict → Visit AristaFor vendors Sponsor this spot · #2 · $99/mo →9.3/10★★★★★Visit Arista -
Best forGoogle Cloud-native firewall protection
Google Cloud-native firewall protection with free rule evaluation and usage-priced advanced controls.
- Central management
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Google Cloud -
Best forOpen-source firewall with built-in IPS
A broad, self-hosted firewall platform for teams that need IPS and network control.
9.1/10★★★★★Visit OPNsense -
Best forAzure-centric enterprise firewalling
A deep Azure-native firewall for sensitive workloads, with consumption-based pricing.
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit Microsoft -
Best forAWS network perimeter protection
Centralized AWS perimeter protection with deep inspection and usage-based pricing.
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forHybrid enterprise firewall deployments
A broad firewall platform for organizations combining branch, data center, and cloud security.
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Forcepoint -
Best forFree self-hosted firewall with IPS
A free self-hosted firewall with IPS, VPNs, segmentation, and traffic controls.
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit IPFire -
Best forProgrammable open-source network security
A programmable self-hosted firewall platform for complex network environments.
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit VyOS -
Best forGlobally distributed cloud filtering
A programmable cloud firewall for globally distributed Layer 3 and 4 filtering.
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Cloudflare -
Best forAlibaba Cloud enterprise firewall deployments
Broad Alibaba Cloud boundary protection with enterprise pricing and cloud-focused coverage.
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Alibaba Cloud -
Best forCentral management for Palo Alto firewalls
A focused management center for policy, deployment, analysis, and updates across Palo Alto firewalls.
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forMulti-vendor firewall policy governance
A governance layer for visibility, analysis, workflow, and automation across firewall environments.
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Tufin -
Best forMulti-vendor policy analysis and change control
A strong fit for multi-vendor policy analysis, automation, and controlled change.
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit AlgoSec -
Best forEnterprise firewall governance and automation
A governance platform for enterprises managing complex, multi-vendor firewall policies.
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit FireMon -
Best forJuniper firewall policy administration
A focused policy administration platform for Juniper SRX and vSRX environments.
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Juniper -
Best forOn-premises multi-vendor firewall analysis
A broad on-premises firewall analysis suite with clear multi-vendor and enterprise coverage.
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit ManageEngine -
Best forCentralized SonicWall administration
A focused platform for managing SonicWall firewalls across teams, tenants, and deployments.
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit SonicWall -
Best forCentralized Sophos firewall management
A centralized Sophos firewall management layer for teams running multiple devices.
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit Sophos -
Best forOpen-source firewall deployments
A flexible open-source firewall for teams managing routing, VPNs, and network policy.
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit pfSense -
Best forSmall businesses needing firewall and directory services
A capable small-business firewall and directory platform with free and supported editions.
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit Zentyal -
Best forLinux gateway and content-filter deployments
A broad Linux gateway platform with strong free capabilities and paid support tiers.
- Central management
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit ClearOS -
Best forLinux administrators needing native firewall controls
A capable open-source Linux firewall for administrators who need native network controls.
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit firewalld -
Best forFree built-in Windows protection
A free Windows security suite combining antivirus, firewall, ransomware controls, and device safeguards.
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Microsoft -
Best forFree Windows desktop firewall protection
A focused free Windows firewall with useful traffic and application controls.
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit ZoneAlarm -
Best forWindows users wanting bundled firewall security
A broad Windows security suite for users who want firewall protection bundled with antivirus.
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit Comodo -
Best forUsers prioritizing firewall visibility and alerts
A visibility-focused firewall with clear alerts, history, and application controls.
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit GlassWire -
Best forMac users needing detailed connection control
Detailed Mac connection control with strong monitoring, but no Windows or free tier.
6.4/10★★★☆☆Visit Little Snitch -
Best forFree Windows Defender Firewall management
A free control layer for managing Windows Defender Firewall rules and traffic.
- Application rules
6.3/10★★★☆☆Visit Malwarebytes -
Best forWindows users wanting simple application control
Simple Windows application control with whitelisting, timed rules, and connection views.
6.2/10★★★☆☆Visit TinyWall -
Best forDesktop application firewall users
A focused Windows and Linux firewall with detailed application and outbound controls.
- Connection alerts
- Application rules
6.1/10★★★☆☆Visit Portmaster -
Best forThreat-driven blocking across varied infrastructure
Open-source behavioral detection with automated remediation across infrastructure.
6.0/10★★★☆☆Visit CrowdSec -
Best forWorkload segmentation and microsegmentation
A workload-focused segmentation platform for visibility, policy control, and quarantine.
- Central management
- Connection alerts
- Application rules
5.9/10★★★☆☆Visit Illumio -
Best forFree open-source firewall appliances
A self-hosted firewall appliance with broad network controls and security tools.
5.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Endian -
Best forLinux administrators building custom firewall rules
A capable, free Linux firewall component for administrators who want granular rule control.
- Connection alerts
- Application rules
5.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Netfilter -
Best forFreeBSD administrators needing packet filtering
FreeBSD's free, deeply configurable firewall for administrators comfortable with command-line rules.
- Connection alerts
5.6/10★★★☆☆Visit FreeBSD -
Best forMac users needing application firewall controls
A focused macOS firewall with detailed inbound, outbound, and local-network controls.
- Connection alerts
- Application rules
5.5/10★★★☆☆Visit Intego -
Best forOpenBSD-native packet filtering
A capable, free firewall subsystem for OpenBSD networks, with limited platform reach.
5.4/10★★★☆☆Visit OpenBSD PF -
Best forSimple open-source Windows firewall control
Free, open-source Windows firewall control with detailed traffic rules and logging.
- Connection alerts
- Application rules
5.3/10★★★☆☆Visit simplewall -
Best forFeature-rich open-source gateway firewall
A broad open-source firewall stack with VPNs, IPS, DPI and multi-WAN networking.
5.2/10★★★☆☆Visit NethSecurity -
Best forWindows proxy and small-network firewalling
A Windows-only gateway combining firewalling, proxies, NAT, policies and monitoring.
- Central management
- Application rules
5.1/10★★★☆☆Visit WinGate -
Best forLinux outbound application control
A Linux firewall focused on interactive outbound application control with centralized management.
- Central management
- Connection alerts
- Application rules
5.0/10★★☆☆☆Visit OpenSnitch -
Best forDNS and Android threat-domain blocking
A free, open-source option for DNS blocking, Android controls, and network visibility.
4.9/10★★☆☆☆Visit RethinkDNS -
Best forCisco network configuration automation
A broad Cisco network automation system, but not a dedicated firewall enforcement platform.
4.7/10★★☆☆☆Visit Cisco -
Best forConfig-file-driven multi-firewall administration
A file-driven Linux firewall for detailed network control across multiple firewalls.
- Central management
- Connection alerts
4.7/10★★☆☆☆Visit Shorewall -
Best forEmbedded devices and custom router builds
A flexible open-source network OS with firewall capabilities, not a dedicated firewall suite.
4.6/10★★☆☆☆Visit OpenWrt -
Best forFree basic self-hosted firewalling
A free self-hosted firewall with core filtering, VPN, monitoring, and Snort IDS.
4.5/10★★☆☆☆Visit Smoothwall -
Best forServiceNow teams automating firewall governance
A ServiceNow governance layer for discovering, requesting, approving, and auditing firewall changes.
- Central management
4.4/10★★☆☆☆Visit ServiceNow -
Best forLinux firewalling for specialized networks
A Linux-only firewall OS with deep inspection, industrial networking, VPNs, and centralized appliance access.
- Central management
- Application rules
4.3/10★★☆☆☆Visit Endian -
Best forMac users wanting rich low-cost rules
Rich bidirectional firewall rules for Mac users at a low one-time price.
- Connection alerts
- Application rules
4.2/10★★☆☆☆Visit murus.it
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
Head-to-head All 25 comparisons →
- FortiGate vs Google Cloud NGFW
- FortiGate vs OPNsense
- FortiGate vs Azure Firewall Premium
- FortiGate vs AWS Network Firewall
- FortiGate vs IPFire
- Arista NG Firewall vs Google Cloud NGFW
- Arista NG Firewall vs OPNsense
- Arista NG Firewall vs Azure Firewall Premium
- Arista NG Firewall vs AWS Network Firewall
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How we rank firewall software
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update