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5 stars
Version: Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro 4.0.1025.7828
"A Firewall That Actually Works!"
Pros: Used to use ZoneAlarm, but looked for something new after reading all the reviews here about the new version being so bloated.
Tried Comodo, but don't believe the hype, it can be bypassed by apps. Also, it would often start with the settings turned off, and sometimes it would even switch to "allow all" by itself. Either a bug, or taken over by other app, didn't work.
Outpost is amazing. It's not free but you get what you pay for. It really DOES protect itself from being modified by other apps (this is important), and has many awesome features. Gives just as much if not more detail than Comodo, and can let you control almost any aspect.
Applications can be configured with pre-defined rules, but then you can go in and change any aspect. You can also build the rules as needed - every time an application requests a network resource you can choose "Custom" and allow it, and build the permissions for the application over time. Also gives you the option to easily "Allow Once" or "Block Once" connections.
For the more casual user, you can "automatically" accept pre-defined rules for common applications (actually the default option) and then it cuts down the number of warnings significantly if that's what you're looking for. If you're looking for more control, make sure the "automatic" option is turned off. Either way, would suggest to make sure the setting for Outpost to protect itself is turned on.
It can also (depending on how you configure it): tell you when applications use/inject the memory of other applications, and when applications make critical changes to the registry (for example to start themselves at startup - common for bloatware/spyware/etc). You can block or "fix" such actions (but remember there are legitimate use cases too - drivers/etc). In general, use common sense. For the above average user.
The spyware scanner is also a nice plus.
This firewall works. Period. For the above average user it gives you great control and options - play around with the settings.
Cons: Interface not the most intuitive for novice users, but if you want something that works spend some time and look around - all the options are there (many not in the default view - explore the menu options). Really, what should be important for a firewall is how well it works, not how nice the user buttons/etc look.
An improvement could be to track critical registry changes and be able to undo them at a later date. You can undo critical registry changes when they happen, but this is the one feature that haven't found a way to go back to and fix later if you change your mind. Probably not easy to implement since being able to undo artibrary registry changes can cause unforseen problems, but hey it would be nice.
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