Little Snitch vs Portmaster

Struggling to choose between Little Snitch and Portmaster? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Little Snitch is a Security & Privacy solution with tags like network, connections, firewall, privacy, security.

It boasts features such as Network monitor that shows all incoming and outgoing connections, Customizable rules to allow, deny or prompt connections, Alerts for unexpected connections or connection attempts, Monitors apps even when they are not actively being used, Map view shows geographic location of servers connections are made to, Dark mode support, Silent mode to run in background without alerts, Statistics and connection history and pros including Granular control over network connections, Improves privacy and security, Easy to use interface, Provides visibility into app connections, Lightweight and low system resource usage.

On the other hand, Portmaster is a Security & Privacy product tagged with firewall, privacy, security, https-proxy.

Its standout features include Application firewall, HTTPS proxy, Blocks malware, ads, and trackers, Protects against malicious content, Open source, and it shines with pros like Free to use, Effective at blocking malicious content, Open source and customizable, Lightweight and easy to use.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Little Snitch

Little Snitch

Little Snitch is a macOS firewall that monitors outgoing and incoming connections, alerting you to any unexpected activity. It lets you choose to allow or deny connections for improved security and privacy.

Categories:
network connections firewall privacy security

Little Snitch Features

  1. Network monitor that shows all incoming and outgoing connections
  2. Customizable rules to allow, deny or prompt connections
  3. Alerts for unexpected connections or connection attempts
  4. Monitors apps even when they are not actively being used
  5. Map view shows geographic location of servers connections are made to
  6. Dark mode support
  7. Silent mode to run in background without alerts
  8. Statistics and connection history

Pricing

  • Subscription-Based

Pros

Granular control over network connections

Improves privacy and security

Easy to use interface

Provides visibility into app connections

Lightweight and low system resource usage

Cons

Can be complicated for novice users

Requires manually creating rules

Must grant full disk access permission

Lacks some features of traditional firewalls

No Windows version available


Portmaster

Portmaster

Portmaster is a free, open source application firewall and HTTPS proxy for Windows that protects against malicious content getting to your computer. It blocks malware, ads, and trackers from making connections.

Categories:
firewall privacy security https-proxy

Portmaster Features

  1. Application firewall
  2. HTTPS proxy
  3. Blocks malware, ads, and trackers
  4. Protects against malicious content
  5. Open source

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Free to use

Effective at blocking malicious content

Open source and customizable

Lightweight and easy to use

Cons

Only available for Windows

May block some legitimate content

Limited customization options