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Best for Robust Security
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Multi-tab navigation may be overwhelming at first
Best for Families
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Multiple pop-ups for text notifications can be annoying
Best for Enhanced Firewall
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Various scanning options may be confusing to some people
If you’re looking for a personal firewall to protect your home data and systems, the best chance of success comes in bundling it with an antivirus program. Antivirus software with a firewall is a great solution that adds more than one secure layer to your home network, protecting you against malware, viruses, and other threats. Norton 360, McAfee, and AVG offer solid antivirus solutions for home internet users interested in an antivirus plus firewall solution.
Norton 360 includes a variety of advanced features, McAfee has unlimited device allotment, and AVG has a premium option that includes an enhanced firewall. All three are excellent choices for managing a small home network. If you want robust security features, Norton 360 has it. McAfee is great for families, and AVG offers an enhanced firewall with comprehensive coverage. But which one is right for you? Let’s take a look and find out.
In a nutshell, firewalls help to prevent cyberattacks, protect sensitive data, and maintain network security and privacy on your operating system. Any device with an internet connection can benefit from a firewall's ability to mitigate risk.
A firewall is a security system that monitors the traffic moving to and from your computer network. It can block traffic based on the security rules set by either you or the provider you choose. While you may think a firewall is simply something you download, it can also be an actual piece of hardware connected to your machines.
Yes, it is worth it to have a firewall at home. While you might feel like a firewall is overkill, there are plenty of reasons why it belongs in your home. It can protect you against cyberattacks, guard your privacy, and help prevent viruses and malware infections. If you do any work from home, or even if you connect your phone to both your home and work Wi-Fi, a firewall can help stop a hacker from using your devices to attack your office or home.
A personal firewall is beneficial for everyone. You may think it only applies to corporate networks or remote employees, but using a firewall on your home network can guard against a myriad of issues that arise with the use of internet-connected devices.
Whether it’s stopping malicious scripting embedded in the code of a suspicious website or deterring a hacker by adding an additional layer of security, a firewall is a good choice for everyone to keep devices safe.
Firewalls monitor your network traffic so an infected download or a malicious script can’t run on your computer. They stop or deter hackers by making access to your computer more difficult. You can enjoy increased privacy because a firewall helps guard your personal information from prying eyes. Firewalls can stop computer viruses and malware, which can include spyware, ransomware, and adware. Overall, a firewall strengthens your defenses, including the chance of being the victim of a DDoS attack, which aims to overload and crash your network.
Software is a program you download onto your computer, gaming console, mobile device, etc. The purpose of software is to run a specific application like a game, or in this instance, a firewall, on that device. Firewall software works exactly the same way. It can be downloaded and provides a buffer between the information that comes into your computer and the information that leaves it. Often, it comes as a subscription, and you may pay annually or monthly for the service.
Hardware is a physical device you have in your space. Firewall hardware is literally a device you plug your computer into that blocks malicious traffic on your home network. It’s independent of the machine it’s protecting, so it likely has zero impact on the memory capabilities of your computer. This puts less strain on your operating systems while still protecting your network with firewall rules.
You might find hardware firewalls in homes, but you’re more likely to find software firewalls bundled into some other kind of security software like antivirus. The bundles work well for home users, especially considering you won’t have to do many, if any, configuration changes. Everything is automated, but it also usually has the option for some customization.
While you can purchase a firewall separately, it will do more for your security if it’s bundled with an antivirus product for extra protection. If you also include a VPN, you have a wall of protection that monitors, encrypts, and protects your traffic.
Norton 360 offers a VPN, firewall, identity theft protection, and more. McAfee allows for unlimited devices on all of its plans, and the family plan is definitely in the middle budget range. AVG’s free product only has a limited firewall feature, but you can upgrade to a paid plan that offers comprehensive firewall protection.
| Antivirus |  |
 |
 |
| Starting price | $29.99/first yr | $39.99/first yr | $46.68/first yr for 1 device |
| Free version | |||
| Firewall | |||
| Phishing protection | |||
| Ransomware protection | |||
| Parental controls | |||
| Learn more | Get Norton 360 |
Get McAfee |
Get AVG |
4 plans available, all including antivirus, malware, ransomware, and hacking protection, Cloud backup, and a secure password manager
Option to add VPN connection, dark web monitoring, privacy monitoring, and more
Available for up to 10 devices depending on plan
Anyone looking for all the bells and whistles will find that with Norton 360. If you add LifeLock, you’ll have even more security, not just online but for your identity as well. This is a robust security product from a trusted name in cybersecurity. It’s definitely the way to go if you want comprehensive protection.
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We like how thorough Norton 360 is in regard to your security needs. It’s powerful, trusted, and has great third-party testing scores. That means that not only does it claim to be a great security product, but it can back those claims up with solid proof. Third-party testing is important because it makes sure products do what they claim, and Norton’s always gets top scores.
Norton is the kind of product that has something for everyone. If you’re single, there’s a Norton product for you. If you’re a multi-generational family, Norton 360 has you covered. Anywhere you fall with your needs, Norton’s thought of a way to cover them. We can really appreciate a company with that much consideration of its users.
All of that power and convenience come at a cost. Norton’s not cheap, and renewal pricing can actually cost more than your initial annual price. That’s why it’s important to lock in Norton’s new customer pricing with a multi-year product. We know not everyone can afford that, however, which is something we wish Norton would change.
We mentioned there’s something for everyone, which means it’s easy to get confused about which product to purchase. Norton’s advanced firewall is included with every Norton 360 product, although it’s not always listed on the features page. Confusing language like this could definitely be fixed.
| Starting price | $29.99/first yr |
| Free version | |
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 60 days for annual plan and 14 days for monthly plan |
| Firewall | |
| Phishing protection | |
| Ransomware protection | |
| Webcam protection | |
| Network protection | |
| Parental controls | |
| Extras | Password manager, VPN, identity theft protection, dark web monitoring, and more |
| Learn more | Get Norton 360 |
Inclusive antivirus, scam, and web protection with the added privacy of a VPN, identity monitoring, and secure password manager
Get a real-time Protection Score that measures your online safety and offers guidance to improve security
Added peace of mind with 24/7 expert online support and McAfee’s Virus Protection Pledge
While McAfee doesn’t have a monopoly on family security products, we do feel like it has a few features that make it a great choice. It has a lower annual price than Norton but still offers unlimited devices, which isn’t the case with every cybersecurity product. McAfee has been around for a long time, so it has proven user-friendly features that are easy to navigate. Overall, we think anyone in your home would have an easy time with McAfee’s interface and usability.
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McAfee has a clean dashboard and aesthetic design that makes it easy for anyone to use. We really like that you can install unlimited devices on your dashboard and monitor them all from there. You may think that might be overkill, but we recently counted our own devices and found we have over 30 in our home that connect to the internet. That’s a lot of ways into our home network. By enabling the firewall on McAfee’s antivirus, we can boost our overall protection.
We do like McAfee’s pricing. Even the family plan is pretty reasonable and includes bonuses like identity theft protection. It’s not the least expensive product on the market, but at least you know you’re getting solid protection at a reasonable price.
Like Norton, McAfee has a lot of options. It’s great for customization but can get confusing. Also, like Norton, the initial price isn’t guaranteed on renewal.
McAfee offers other products like parental controls, but they come at an additional fee. Since McAfee offers a family plan, we hoped they’d be included. It would be nice if they’d consider additional, reasonably priced bundles with everything you need.
| Starting price | $39.99/first yr |
| Free version | |
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 60 days for annual plan |
| Firewall | |
| Phishing protection | |
| Ransomware protection | |
| Webcam protection | |
| Network protection | |
| Parental controls | |
| Extras | VPN, identity theft protection, password manager, data cleanup |
| Learn more | Get McAfee |
Award-winning antivirus, malware, and ransomware protection for up to 10 devices
Includes webcam protection, safe browsing and email, automatic updates, and 24/7 protection
Suite of protection benefits including a secure VPN, anti-tracking capabilities, safeguards against phishing sites, and more
Although AVG's enhanced firewall is only available for PC users, its features are comprehensive. AVG offers four categories of firewall protection, each with robust features: Apps, Networks, Logs, and Premium. Apps tracks active and inactive apps. With Networks, you have the power to trust or not trust connected internet networks. The Logs feature keeps a record of your computer's actions and allows you to see what logs are running or have run so you can identify possible malware and block it. With Premium, you have increased security against data leaks, remote desktop protocol (RDP) attacks, and address resolution protocol (ARP) attacks.
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Although AVG has a higher price point for premium coverage, the paid plans offer robust, easy-to-use firewall security features. Plus, AVG sends security alerts to let you know what's happening in real-time.
We also love how uncomplicated AVG is with its subscription plans. There are three options. That’s it. You won’t have to worry if you’re getting the right thing because it’s all right there for you to see.
AVG has a free product for security, but if you want an enhanced firewall, you’ll need to upgrade. Because AVG Antivirus Free is good for a budget, it doesn’t include a lot of extra features and only offers limited firewall protection.
Also, AVG’s customer support isn’t the most robust. There’s no phone number to call, and you either need to use their guides to troubleshoot or wait for a ticket response via email from a technician. It’s not the most convenient.
| Starting price | $46.68/first yr for 1 device |
| Free version | |
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 30 days |
| Firewall | |
| Phishing protection | |
| Ransomware protection | |
| Webcam protection | |
| Network protection | |
| Parental controls | |
| Extras | Ransomware protection, safe shopping and banking, phishing protection |
| Learn more | Get AVG |
The best antivirus software usually includes additional features like a firewall. If you don’t think Norton Antivirus, McAfee, or AVG are the right fit for you, you could try one of the options below. Whatever you decide, make sure you always have some kind of protection when you’re online.
We suggest choosing a firewall that’s included with the best antivirus software. You won’t have to worry about configuring it yourself while having additional protections in place. Also, you can feel confident knowing that it’s compatible with your security software.
If you do decide to purchase a separate firewall, whether it’s hardware or software, ensure it’s compatible with your current software and hardware. Also, make sure you know how to properly install and configure it so you can get the most benefit.
There are a variety of types of firewalls; the three main types include packet-filtering, stateful inspection, and proxy. The original iterations, which are still in use today, were proxies that were application-specific. Newer next-generation firewalls are mostly used to protect users from computer viruses, malware, and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. They can even help with filtering geo-locations. While the old proxies do provide solid protection, new, next-generation firewalls offer more variety and a wider breadth of coverage for a variety of systems, networks, and other devices.
Proxy servers are considered the most secure firewall. A proxy server is essentially a secure tunnel to access the internet. It has its own IP address, which allows it to hide yours. They also work to balance internet traffic, which can help with lagging, buffering, and connectivity. While this likely won’t come into play in the average home, it means that you can use one to keep your traffic from getting all jammed up by regulating the flow.
Yes, there are free firewalls. As with many free products, you’ll need to make sure it has excellent ratings and third-party testing results to check the effectiveness and validity of the product. Most will come with restrictions like they only work on Windows or are preinstalled on your router. It’s a good idea to research the best practices for your particular free firewall so you’re using it effectively.
A firewall and a router are two completely different things. A firewall, whether it’s hardware or software, is a security feature meant to filter your internet traffic and keep it secure based on a certain set of rules. A router is a piece of equipment that distributes the internet from your modem to all of the connected devices in your space. Some routers may have cybersecurity features, including firewalls, installed on them, but they don’t require that to function properly.
The disadvantages of traditional firewalls definitely don’t outweigh the benefits, but they can cause issues. They have less flexibility when it comes to specifics within applications, can slow down your network, require a lot of management, and lack upgrade abilities to keep up with emerging threats.
The best antivirus software with firewall protection is one that is easy to use, is affordable on any budget, and comes equipped with coverage for all of the people in your network. Whatever your situation, making sure you have security software that fits your needs is essential. That’s why we chose Norton 360, McAfee, and AVG. While each of these programs provides you with a variety of different tools and price points, they’re all trusted and worthwhile programs you can feel good about using.
| Starting price | Best for | Learn more | |
| Norton 360 | $29.99/first yr | Best for robust security | Get Norton 360 |
| McAfee | $39.99/first yr | Best for families | Get McAfee |
| AVG | $46.68/first yr for 1 device | Best for enhanced firewall | Get AVG |
When looking at what antivirus programs would be the best for a firewall, we looked at compatibility, price, ease of use, and reputation. We wanted to make sure to give you software that is easy for anyone to use and can be configured with little to no advanced technical knowledge. We also wanted it to work for a variety of operating systems and have several price points for any budget. Finally, we only wanted to recommend software that is reputable and has third-party testing behind it. We want security providers who both know the history of the industry and are making strides forward in the next generation of protection.
Inclusive antivirus, scam, and web protection with the added privacy of a VPN, identity monitoring, and secure password manager
Get a real-time Protection Score that measures your online safety and offers guidance to improve security
Added peace of mind with 24/7 expert online support and McAfee’s Virus Protection Pledge
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