The Best Firewalls of 2023

1. Kaspersky Antivirus - Best Overall

Editors Rating:

9.6 /10

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How We Review

We signed up for Kaspersky’s Internet Security package to access the two-way firewall, and we were nothing if not impressed. Aside from blocking threats to our operating system by monitoring our network connections, the Kaspersky antivirus software also blocked malware, spyware, ransomware, adware, phishing attempts, and viruses. That’s more than enough protection for Windows, macOS, and Android devices as well as the network they’re connected to.

Plus Package

If you want a firewall with the Kaspersky antivirus software, you’ll need to purchase the Plus package, which starts at $11.99 per year for an Android device. Prices for three devices start at $49.99 per year, while prices for five devices start at $44.99 per year. Aside from a firewall, the Plus package also adds the Kaspersky VPN, which we tested in our Kaspersky VPN review, as well as the locking of smart camera access.

While the Plus package lacks the extra features of Premium, such as an encrypted vault, password manager, and parental controls, it’s still a comprehensive antivirus solution. Plus, Kaspersky’s antivirus pricing is on par with its competitors, and it may be even cheaper if you take advantage of Kaspersky antivirus deals.

Detected 100 Percent of Recent Malware

Although Kaspersky as a company is controversial, with alleged ties to the Russian government,1 when it comes to detecting malware, it’s at the top of its game. May 2020 tests from AV-Test revealed that Kaspersky detected 100 percent of the most widespread malware of the month, as well as 99.9 percent of the latest Android malware attacks in real time.

Both of these rates are higher than the industry averages of 98.1 percent and 96.9 percent, respectively. Because they draw from over 6,000 samples, we could trust Kaspersky to guard our devices and network (although the U.S. government might disagree, as Kaspersky is banned from all government departments).2

Easy-to-Use Apps

While iOS devices don’t need antivirus protection, you’ll need to get rid of viruses on Android devices. Similarly, even though there is some antivirus software built into their operating systems, Macs need antivirus software and Windows 10 devices need antivirus software.

Fortunately, whatever device we tested it on, Kaspersky had a clean interface. On our Macbook Pro, for example, the interface was clear. It’s broken into four sections: scans, reports, an on-screen keyboard, and a database. It was easy to see the results of our scans and start new ones. We decided to let Kaspersky antivirus run in the background, protecting us at all times.

2. Bitdefender Antivirus - Best for PCs

Editors Rating:

8.7 /10

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How We Review

When AV-Test tested Bitdefender’s Internet Security package in May and June of 2021, it detected 100 percent of zero-day malware attacks, which includes web and email threats as well as all of the widespread and prevalent malware of the past four weeks. Of course, you can’t do better than 100 percent, making Bitdefender the best antivirus software for Windows. And to protect your network, you can add a firewall rule in seconds.

Customizable Firewall

Setting up our firewall with Bitdefender took just a few seconds. Here’s the process:

1. We opened the Bitdefender PC app.
2. We clicked Protection.
3. We clicked Settings under the FIREWALL module.
4. We chose the Rules tab.
5. We clicked Add Rule. A new window appeared.
6. We had the rule apply to all applications.
7. Under Permissions, we clicked Allow to let the app access our internet and network.
8. Since we were at home, we selected the network Type to be Home/Office.
9. We chose our IP Protocol and selected Both for the traffic direction. This meant that the firewall was two-way, applying to both outgoing and incoming traffic.

But that wasn’t all. In the Advanced tab, we could choose specific remote or local IP addresses and ports for the firewall to protect. With so many custom options, we felt secure having our firewall on in the background.

Affordable and Effective Antivirus Protection

The most affordable firewall option with Bitdefender is the Internet Security package, which works with PCs only; if you need a firewall for macOS or Android, you’ll have to spring for Premium Security, which costs $89.99 per year for 10 devices. Unlike the Antivirus Plus option, Internet Security adds on a firewall, parental controls, and protection from adware, malware, spyware, and ransomware.

Prices start at $29.99 for one device per year, but if you want more savings for more devices, you can protect up to 10 devices for $199.99 for three years, which comes out to about $6.67 per device per year. That’s one of the lowest prices we’ve seen for antivirus software. Dive deeper into Bitdefender antivirus subscriptions or learn more about the cost of antivirus software in general.

Bitdefender VPN Add-On

If you also need a VPN, the Premium Security package adds a VPN for up to 10 devices; the cost is $89.99 per year, or only about $0.75 a month per device; that’s an amazingly low VPN cost! Learn more in our Bitdefender VPN review or our Bitdefender VPN pricing page, or read more about the average cost of VPNs.

3. ESET Antivirus - Best Firewall for Android Devices

Editors Rating:

8.4 /10

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How We Review

Need an Android antivirus? In July 2020 tests on Android 8, ESET detected 99.9 percent of widespread Android malware in the past four months. On top of that, the antivirus software protected against 99.8 percent of the latest Android attacks in real time, which is higher than the industry average. What’s more, having the ESET Mobile Security & Antivirus app on our Android device didn’t slow down our other devices; no wonder it has a 4.8 rating in the Google Play store!

Firewall Available With All Plans

Unlike some of the other antivirus programs we’ve tested out, ESET’s firewall was available with all of its plans across desktop and mobile. To set it up, all we had to do was allow a firewall rule. Once we turned it on, the firewall filtered out our local network and internet communication, deciding whether or not to allow certain traffic.

We could even customize our firewall to allow for certain applications, like when we downloaded Spotify. If we know something is safe, we don’t need a virus scan, so we loved the fact that ESET let us protect only what was necessary.

Advanced Protection

To get ESET on our Android device, we had to sign up for Advanced Protection, the second-tier plan. The lowest tier, Essential Protection, works only on Linux, macOS, and Windows devices and lacks a firewall. That being said, the Advanced Protection option gave us more than the Essential Protection plan, including:

• Protection against hackers, otherwise known as a firewall
• Security for our IoT devices
• Safe transactions

While ESET’s antivirus pricing isn’t the lowest on the market, as Advanced Protection plans start at $49.99 per device per year, it’s a better deal if you sign up for three years and five devices. While you’ll have to pay $189.98 total, that’s less than $13 per device per year, which is certainly a steal.

Since you’ll need antivirus for the long haul anyway, it makes sense to sign up for three years, especially considering that you can try out ESET for free for 30 days. And if you want another free antivirus software, check out our list of the best free antivirus software.

Solid Android App

Aside from using Android VPNs, we install antivirus software on all of our Android devices by using mobile applications from the Google Play store. The ESET app was a breeze to install and use, and we agreed with its rating of 4.8 out of 5. It was easy to run a scan whenever we opened our Android device, and it can run in the background with minimal impact on internet speeds.

Plus, when we started the free trial, we didn’t have to provide our credit card information to use the Android app, just our email address. Of course, keep in mind that the free version doesn’t include a firewall, but it is a nice way to test out the Android app for its usability, which was excellent.

4. AVG Antivirus - Best Firewall for Macs

Editors Rating:

8.6 /10

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How We Review

Lastly, we have AVG, one of the best antivirus programs for Macs. With the Internet Security package, which seems to be a theme, AVG scanned our apps, files, and network for threats, and provided extra ransomware protection, secure payments, and anti-phishing coverage.

And the best part? The first year cost us only $39.99 for one device or $47.88 for up to 10 devices. If you do the math, that breaks down to about $4.80 per device per year, meaning you can get antivirus protection for the whole family.

Mac Compatibility

Our 2020 Macbook Pro came with Big Sur, which was compatible with the AVG Internet Security subscription. However, the antivirus also works with other versions of macOS, including:

• macOS 10.15 (Catalina)
• macOS 10.14 (Mojave)
• macOS 10.13 (High Sierra)
• macOS 10.12 (Sierra)
• macOS X 10.11 (El Capitán)

Wi-Fi Inspector

Once we downloaded the AVG antivirus macOS app, not to be confused with the AVG VPN app, we headed over to the Preferences section to turn on the Wi-Fi Inspector. This showed us the nitty-gritty of the networks that the software had scanned previously. It was also where we told AVG to scan new networks when we brought our laptop into a coffee shop.

Enhanced Firewall

Next, we turned on the Enhanced Firewall, which, if you’ve read our page on AVG antivirus subscriptions, isn’t part of the free subscription; it’s part of the Internet Security package.

The Enhanced Firewall was enabled by default, but we customized it with network profiles for particular networks. For example, we had a private network profile for our home network and a public network profile for the public library we work in sometimes. This completely prevented all incoming communications from reaching our Mac and is the default network profile.

From there, we customized the firewall even further by organizing our work applications by vendor, specifying authorized ports, and determining actions for connections we haven’t authorized. These features make AVG a great business antivirus, with prices for Internet Security starting at $61.41 for a year.