Firewalls: Reviews

Online Armor Personal Firewall bests all comers in the most rigorous rounds of testing, earning kudos for ease of use and low system drag. Alerts are saved for only the most critical situations, sparing users from the… constant barrage of pop-ups that other firewall programs present -- which themselves can compromise security. Features include a banking mode that increases security during online banking sessions, as well as protection against keyloggers, domain name systems and host checkers to prevent unauthorized website redirects and much more. A free version is also available, but most experts say that extra capability and usability of the paid version make it worth the cost.

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Though it's a little harder to use, the firewall in Comodo Internet Security tests nearly as well the paid version of Online Armor Personal Firewall and works much better than most other firewalls, either free or paid.… The free Comodo Internet Security suite also includes antivirus and anti-spyware software, along with a system monitor that looks for any suspicious activity. However, reviewers say you are better off just installing the firewall and forgetting about the rest since the protection provided falls short of what you can get elsewhere. (The firewall only comes as part of the suite.)

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If you want a single software suite to handle all your security needs and place a high priority on a top-end firewall, Outpost Security Suite Pro 2009 is worth a look. The firewall is among the highest-rated, and the… antivirus protection has earned 100 percent certification from Virus Bulletin -- a top independent tester. Outpost has earned a reputation as being challenging to use, though a new basic view makes things much easier. Still, those who want more control over things will need to deal with an interface that's not particularly user-friendly. The best security suite overall (discussed in our report on Internet Security Software) is Norton Internet Security 2009 (*Est. $60), but it's firewall component gets wildly divergent reviews.

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Though not every expert says third-party firewall is needed to supplement the one built into the Mac OS, those that do point to Little Snitch as the best choice. Reviewers say that it keeps a low profile while protecting… users from both inbound and outbound threats. Another nice feature is the network monitor, which keep track of which programs are accessing your network.

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