Why Personal Firewall Software?

One of the reasons for installing personal firewall software is to prevent identity theft and the lengthy process 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 could easily get into your system to copy these without detection.

A firewall is to a computer what a security system is to a home. A firewall, like a security system, only allows specified traffic through specified doors or ports. A personal firewall product will alert you or take one of many pre determined actions when someone tries to tamper with your computer without permission.

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 and comprehensive reviews to help you make an informed decision for your personal firewall software purchase.

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 your individual PC safe, at home or at the office. Below are the criteria TopTenREVIEWS used to evaluate personal firewall software.

  • Feature Set –A personal firewall should offer features that go beyond standard protection. The bare necessities include keeping your system hidden and keeping uninvited people and programs out. The best firewalls include tools to manage spyware, cookies (software outsiders put onto your computer) and viruses. Some firewalls offer Internet filtering to restrict content viewed in your home.
  • 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. Your personal firewall should not be so finicky that it requires you to uninstall other programs before it will function. And your firewall should be compatible with any typical operating system.
  • Reliability – The least a firewall should do is to keep intruders out and keep your system stealth (well hidden) online. 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 to see these. Your personal firewall should do its job consistently, without clashing with your 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 online, live chat.

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 that best fits your needs, check out our detailed reviews. To read about the top-rated software, ZoneAlarm Pro, click here.

 

 
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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 that enter unnoticed through your internet connection? Personal firewall software will protect valuable information in your computer.

Rank #1#2#3#4#5#6
Excellent score   Excellent
Very good score   Very Good
Good score   Good
Fair score   Fair
Poor score   Poor
ZoneAlarm Pro Outpost Firewall Pro Norman Personal Firewall eConceal Pro Webroot Desktop Firewall Injoy Firewall
ZoneAlarm Pro Outpost Firewall Pro Norman Personal Firewall eConceal Pro Webroot Desktop Firewall Injoy Firewall
Reviewer Comments Read Review
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Lowest Price Buy ZoneAlarm Pro 7.0
$29.95
Buy Outpost Firewall Pro 4
$39.95
Buy Norman Personal Firewall 1.4.1
$60.44
Buy eConceal Pro 2.0
$34.95
Webroot Desktop Firewall 5.5
Buy Injoy Firewall 4
$30.00
 
Overall Rating Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Very Good Very Good
Ratings
Feature Set Excellent Excellent Excellent Very Good Very Good Good
Ease of Use Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Very Good Very Good
Ease of Installation Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Very Good Excellent
Reliability Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent
Help/Support Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Very Good Very Good
View Specifications Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!
View Screenshots View ZoneAlarm Pro screenshots View Outpost Firewall Pro screenshots   View eConceal Pro screenshots    
Features
Email protection Check Mark Check Mark     Check Mark Check Mark
File Protection Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark
Personal Information Protection Check Mark Check Mark        
Registry Protection Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark     Check Mark
Port Monitoring Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Network Traffic Monitor Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Data Filtering Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark  
Intruder/Hacker Detection Tools
Intruder Alert Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark      
Intruder ID Lookup Check Mark   Check Mark      
Intruder Tracking Log Check Mark Check Mark        
Internet Tools
Stealth Mode Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Popup Blocking Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark    
Cookie Blocking Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark      
Spyware Blocking Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark      
Browser History Blocking Check Mark Check Mark        
Parental Controls   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark    
Trusted Websites List Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark  
Blocked Websites List Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark  
Website History Log Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Setup and Management
Password Protection Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark    
Individual User Settings Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark      
Network Time Restrictions Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark     Check Mark
Preset Firewall Defaults Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Automatic Software Rules Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark  
Instantly Disable Firewall Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Instantly Block All Traffic Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Help/Support
Phone Support Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Live Chat Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark    
Email or Online Forms Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Easy Upgrades Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Supported Configurations
Windows Vista Check Mark       Check Mark  
Windows XP Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Windows Server 2003 Check Mark Check Mark       Check Mark
Windows 2000 Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark
Windows 98   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark
Windows 95     Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark
Windows NT     Check Mark Check Mark    
Windows ME   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark    
 
Reviewer Comments Read Review
Read Review
Read Review
Read Review
Read Review
Read Review
Lowest Price Buy ZoneAlarm Pro 7.0
$29.95
Buy Outpost Firewall Pro 4
$39.95
Buy Norman Personal Firewall 1.4.1
$60.44
Buy eConceal Pro 2.0
$34.95
Webroot Desktop Firewall 5.5
Buy Injoy Firewall 4
$30.00
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