Personal Firewall Software Considerations

Personal firewall software prevents identity theft and the frustration of restoring your credit. Your financial data and password lists may all be stored inside your computer. Even a novice hacker with the right tools can steal your identity.

A firewall is to a computer what a security system is to a home. A firewall, like a security system, only allows certain traffic through specified doors or ports. A personal firewall product will alert you or take one of many predetermined actions when someone tries to tamper with your computer.

Today's personal firewall software solutions can make it easy for novices and experts to keep personal information safe. On this site you'll find articles related to personal firewall protection and comprehensive reviews to help you make an informed purchasing decision.

At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don't Have To.™

What to Look For in a Personal Firewall Program

A personal firewall is software designed for use on a single PC. Personal firewalls lock out intruders to keep individual PCs safe at home or at the office. TopTenREVIEWS uses the following criteria to evaluate personal firewall software:

Feature Set
A personal firewall should offer features that go beyond standard protection. The bare necessities include keeping the system hidden and keeping uninvited people and programs out. The best firewalls include tools to manage spyware, cookies and viruses. Some firewalls offer Internet filtering to restrict content.

Ease of Use
A computer novice should be able to understand and use the firewall product without help. The control panel should be intuitive and convenient. We’ve reviewed a few advanced firewall products that are powerful tools, but inappropriate for novices. When we include one of these products we note this in the “Ease of Use” section of the review.

Setup Ease
Installing personal firewall software should be simple and fast, even for a computer novice.

Reliability
A firewall should keep intruders out. The firewall should keep your IP address and browser hidden while you browse the internet in stealth mode. This means that others should not be able to see your computer or personal identity unless you allow them. Your personal firewall should do its job consistently, without clashing with other software.

Support
The firewall software should give enough instruction for a computer novice to set up the product without help. The manufacturer should also have help online to answer common questions. Look for a firewall manufacturer willing to help you. Customer service telephone support is excellent; toll-free telephone support is a bonus. Some manufacturers use email or online question forms. Our favorite method of support is live chat online.

Help Documentation
The software should offer a well-written help section with easy-to-understand information. The manufacturer should also provide technical support in the form of FAQs, email and phone support.

To choose the personal firewall software that best fits your needs, check out our detailed reviews. Be sure to read about the top-rated software: Comodo Internet Security Pro, Online Armor Premium and Kaspersky Internet Security.

 
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Personal Firewall Software Review 

Stop Hackers Cold with Personal Firewall Software

You secure your home from thieves, but what about those thieves who enter unnoticed through an internet connection? Personal firewall software will protect valuable information in your computer.

Rank #1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10
Excellent score   Excellent
Very good score   Very Good
Good score   Good
Fair score   Fair
Poor score   Poor
Comodo Internet Security Online Armor Premium Kaspersky Internet Security Outpost Firewall Pro Norton Internet Security BitDefender Internet Security ZoneAlarm Pro Firewall Trend Micro Internet Security eScan Internet Security Suite McAfee Internet Security
Comodo Internet Security Online Armor Premium Kaspersky Internet Security Outpost Firewall Pro Norton Internet Security BitDefender Internet Security ZoneAlarm Pro Firewall Trend Micro Internet Security eScan Internet Security Suite McAfee Internet Security
Reviewer Comments Read Review
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Lowest Yearly Price Buy Comodo Internet Security
$49.95
Buy Online Armor Premium
$39.95
Buy Kaspersky Internet Security 2010
$59.95
Buy Outpost Firewall Pro 7
$39.95
Buy Norton Internet Security 2010
$69.99
Buy BitDefender Internet Security 2010
$39.95
Buy ZoneAlarm Pro Firewall 2010
$29.95
Buy Trend Micro Internet Security
$49.95
Buy eScan Internet Security Suite
$45.95
Buy McAfee Internet Security 2010
$49.99
Proportion of people who buy the product 92.30% 2.70% 0.30% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 4.70% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
 
Overall Rating Excellent Excellent Excellent Very Good Good Good Fair Fair Fair Fair
Ratings
Firewall Features Excellent Excellent Very Good Very Good Good Fair Fair Fair Fair Poor
Additional Security Features Very Good Very Good Excellent Very Good Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent
Ease of Use Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent
Help and Support Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent
View Specifications Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!
View Screenshots View Comodo Internet Security screenshots View Online Armor Premium screenshots View Kaspersky Internet Security screenshots View Outpost Firewall Pro screenshots View Norton Internet Security screenshots View BitDefender Internet Security screenshots View ZoneAlarm Pro Firewall screenshots View Trend Micro Internet Security screenshots View eScan Internet Security Suite screenshots View McAfee Internet Security screenshots
Special Offers
Discount Coupons 10% Off Coupon          
Firewall
Supports Windows XP, Vista and 7 Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Port scanning/filtering Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Port blocking Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
IP stealthing Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Automatic program and threat-database updates Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Wi-Fi security Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark  
State awareness of when to suspend alerts    Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark
Additional Security
Antiphishing Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Antivirus/antimalware Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Parental control    Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Instant message protection   Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Help and Support
Online knowledge base Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Online chat Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Email Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Telephone Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
User forum Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
 
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Lowest Yearly Price Buy Comodo Internet Security
$49.95
Buy Online Armor Premium
$39.95
Buy Kaspersky Internet Security 2010
$59.95
Buy Outpost Firewall Pro 7
$39.95
Buy Norton Internet Security 2010
$69.99
Buy BitDefender Internet Security 2010
$39.95
Buy ZoneAlarm Pro Firewall 2010
$29.95
Buy Trend Micro Internet Security
$49.95
Buy eScan Internet Security Suite
$45.95
Buy McAfee Internet Security 2010
$49.99
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