# Alternatives to GlassWire

Visual network monitoring firewall.

GlassWire ranks #6 of 7 in Firewall software, with an Alt Score of 55. It is proprietary, freemium from Free and available on Windows and Android. 8 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/glasswire/
Category: Firewall software

## Where GlassWire stands out

- **Profiles (home, public)** — 3 of 7 apps with a verified answer have this

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Windows and Android users who want visibility into which apps are using their network and the ability to block suspicious or unwanted connections. Useful for privacy-conscious users, IT-savvy people troubleshooting bandwidth issues, or anyone wanting early warning of malware phoning home.
- **What you get**: A real-time, graphed view of all network traffic in and out of your device, broken down by app, host, and IP address, plus a history you can scroll back through. A built-in firewall lets you approve or block any app's internet access individually, and you get alerts for new devices joining your network, unusual app behavior, and data usage nearing limits.
- **How it works**: GlassWire runs as a background monitor that inspects network traffic per-application, plotting it on an interactive graph and logging it for later review. Its firewall component intercepts connection attempts so you can allow or deny them per app, either automatically via profiles or through an ask-to-connect prompt.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-09)
- **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-09)
- **Starts at**: Free (verified 2026-07-09)
- **Platforms**: Windows, Android
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-09)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [pfSense](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/pfsense.md) | 75 | Apache-2.0 | Web |
| 2 | [NetGuard](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/netguard.md) | 70 | GPL-3.0-only | Android |
| 3 | [LuLu](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/lulu.md) | 65 | GNU General Public License v3.0 | macOS |
| 4 | [Little Snitch](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/little-snitch.md) | 60 | Proprietary | macOS |
| 5 | [OPNsense](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/opnsense.md) | 55 | BSD-2-Clause | Web |
| 6 | [Portmaster](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/portmaster.md) | 55 | GNU General Public License v3.0 | Windows, Linux |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Firewall software checklist | GlassWire | pfSense | NetGuard | LuLu | Little Snitch | OPNsense |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | OSS + paid hosting | Freemium | Donationware | One-time | OSS + paid hosting |
| Starts at | Free | $269 | Free | Free | €59 | Free |
| License | Proprietary | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0-only | GNU General Public License v3.0 | Proprietary | BSD-2-Clause |
| Platforms | Windows, Android | Web | Android | macOS | macOS | Web |
| Outbound connection alerts | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Per-app rules | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Network-wide (router / gateway) | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Profiles (home, public) | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Open source | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| One-time purchase option | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ? |
| Traffic monitoring UI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| IDS/IPS | Partial | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Low overhead | ? | Yes | Yes | Partial | ? | No |

## Sources

Sources for GlassWire. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Platforms**: Windows, Android — <https://www.glasswire.com/download/> (verified 2026-07-09)
  - Quote: “OS: Windows 10 or later ... Try GlassWire on Android”
- **License**: Proprietary — <https://www.glasswire.com/license/> (verified 2026-07-09)
  - Quote: “These are the terms on which GlassWire, a brand owned by Domotz Inc … enable you, the Subscriber … to access our integrated technology platform”
- **Pricing model**: Freemium — <https://www.glasswire.com/buy/> (verified 2026-07-09)
  - Quote: “Free Forever ... Download and use our software for free. Upgrade to premium and use all the features with no limitations for complete internet protection.”
- **Starts at**: Free — <https://www.glasswire.com/buy/> (verified 2026-07-09)
  - Quote: “Free ... €0 ... Free Forever”
- **Status**: active — <https://www.glasswire.com/download/> (verified 2026-07-09)
  - Quote: “Version 3.9.1102, 116.8MB ... GlassWire is now 64-bit. Faster, lighter, and built for modern Windows.”
- **Outbound connection alerts**: Yes — <https://www.glasswire.com/features/> (verified 2026-07-09)
  - Quote: “Whenever anything new on your computer accesses the network GlassWire lets you know with a discreet alert that won't interrupt your workflow or server.”
- **Per-app rules**: Yes — <https://www.glasswire.com/features/> (verified 2026-07-09)
  - Quote: “Take full control over how each application communicates with your network using GlassWire's bidirectional firewall. This feature lets you manage incoming and outgoing connections separately”
- **Network-wide (router / gateway)**: No — <https://www.glasswire.com/features/> (verified 2026-07-09)
  - Quote: “GlassWire only keeps track of bandwidth for the computer and server it's installed on and not total bandwidth usage on your network.”
- **Profiles (home, public)**: Yes — <https://www.glasswire.com/features/> (verified 2026-07-09)
  - Quote: “Firewall Profiles: Instantly switch between different profiles for different scenarios. Have one firewall profile for public WiFi and another for home user.”
- **Open source**: No — <https://www.glasswire.com/license/> (verified 2026-07-09)
  - Note: Proprietary commercial software owned by Domotz Inc.
  - Quote: “GlassWire, a brand owned by Domotz Inc ... Subscription, or Service Licenses”
- **One-time purchase option**: No — <https://www.glasswire.com/buy/> (verified 2026-07-09)
  - Note: Only annual subscription pricing; no lifetime/one-time option.
  - Quote: “Personal Plan ... €2.99 /mo * ... Paid annually”
- **Traffic monitoring UI**: Yes — <https://www.glasswire.com/features/> (verified 2026-07-09)
  - Quote: “Use GlassWire's simple to use interface to view all your past and present network activity on a graph. Click the graph to see what applications initiated the incoming or outgoing bandwidth”
- **IDS/IPS**: Partial — <https://www.glasswire.com/features/> (verified 2026-07-09)
  - Note: Limited IDS-like detection; explicitly disclaims full IDS and has no IPS beyond manual blocking.
  - Quote: “GlassWire also has a toolbox of network security checks like system file change detection, device list change detection, app info change detection, ARP spoofing monitoring”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/