The Free Ones: ZoneAlarm vs. Online Armor

[212eta]

After trying Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro 2008, I was dissapointed!
I experienced problems with both IE6 and Firefox 2.0.0.9, as I couldn't
download things properly, view certain pages etc.

I also tried Look'n'Stop, but I needn't find something really special about it.
While waiting for the final version of Comodo, I ended up with two (2) choices:
ZoneAlarm and Online Armor (both free versions).

I am looking for the best desktop personal FireWall (i.e a stand-alone one), as
I use seperate sofware for antivirus (NOD32) and antispyware (CounterSpy).
I have a 2.5 MHz Celeron D, 2GB of RAM, and WinXP Pro SP2.
I use a dial-up USB ADSL modem with 1.0 Mbps. I am a Home user; (no established Network)

1) Which one do you recommend? ZoneAlarm OR Online Armor ?
2) Is there another option, apart from these two (2) ones I have to consider?

Thank you in advance!!! :)

[Badcompany]

{QUOTE-> After trying Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro 2008, I was dissapointed!
I experienced problems with both IE6 and Firefox 2.0.0.9 as I couldn't
download things properly, view certain pages etc.

I also tried Look'n'Stop, but I needn't find something really special about it.
While waiting for the final version of Comodo, I ended up with two (2) choices:
ZoneAlarm and Online Armor (both free versions).

I am looking for the best desktop personal FireWall (i.e a stand-alone one), as
I use seperate sofware for antivirus (NOD32) and antispyware (CounterSpy).
I have a 2.5 MHz Celeron D, 2GB of RAM, and WinXP Pro SP2.

1) Which one do you recommend? ZoneAlarm OR Online Armor ?
2) Is there another option, apart from these two (2) ones I have to consider?

Thank you in advance :) <-QUOTE}


Online-Armor 100% Try it.
Badcompany.

[Peter2150]

I would have to agree on Online Armor. If you need help you will get it, and promptly.

Pete

[Coolio10]

Comodo final is only a week away :D. At least i hope because everyone knows comodo is known for late releases.

Is this an a v b thread?

[Bubba]

{QUOTE-> Is this an a v b thread? <-QUOTE}Pretty much but our policy that concerns "a v b thread" is only confined to our other anti-virus software forum (http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=180128) at this moment in time.

Bubba

[WSFuser]

Id go for Online Armor since its light and easy-to-use.

[MaB69]

Hi,

No doubt : Online Armor :P

MaB

[CJsDad]

Another here for Online Armor.
Just take a look at the support at the OA forums and a couple of the threads started here.

[jtcst]

Online Armor -- easy to use, set-it-and-forget-it firewall

[Peter2150]

{QUOTE-> Comodo final is only a week away :D. At least i hope because everyone knows comodo is known for late releases.

Is this an a v b thread? <-QUOTE}

Yes it is About ZA vs Online armour. The A v B policy is about anti virus's only at this time. However Comodo posts would be off topic.

[Coolio10]

{QUOTE-> Yes it is About ZA vs Online armour. The A v B policy is about anti virus's only at this time. However Comodo posts would be off topic. <-QUOTE}
I was replying to this: {QUOTE-> While waiting for the final version of Comodo, I ended up with two (2) choices <-QUOTE}

[Hairy Coo]

{QUOTE->
Is there another option, apart from these two (2) ones I have to consider?
<-QUOTE}

Of course there are,but to keep it simple and not complicate the issue-OA is probably as good as any.

[Diver]

Some take the view that the main differentiating performance among software firewalls is outbound leak prevention. Under that view Online Armor would be a clear choice as it tios the field in leak protection and ZA free is near the bottom.

In recent releases ZA has become bloated and buggy as well, a shame as it was once the one to have.

My gripes about OA free are a long duration splash screen and blank pages in the interface. They really are trying to get you to buy the full version.

[Peter2150]

{QUOTE->
My gripes about OA free are a long duration splash screen and blank pages in the interface. They really are trying to get you to buy the full version. <-QUOTE}

If no one bought it you wouldn't have the free one. It's called advertising.

[Hairy Coo]

{QUOTE->

In recent releases ZA has become bloated and buggy as well, a shame as it was once the one to have.

<-QUOTE}

Regrettably in my experience,that is exactly the reason I'm not using OA!

Most are obviously having good experiences and thats why it can be recommended-but its certainly not light!

[feniks]

212eta.

If you are not using p2p (probably not because you dial) and do not want spend to much time on learning and configuring firewall and yet have decent protection which you expect from firewall - just go for Online Armor and forget that subject.

That what I find out reading this forum for few weeks and testing myself OA.

[212eta]

After your valuable feedback :thumb: ,
my options are narrowed down to
Online Armor (free)
and Webroot Desktop v5.5.10.20.

1) Does anyone prefer Webroot Desktop v5.5.10.20 over Online Armor ?
2) Why?

:) Thank you ALL !!! :)

[Hairy Coo]

For a start narrow down what you want in a firewall(apart from security)-just saying the best,as in your first post, isnt very meaningful-wouldnt you agree..

Then read the threads to do with both.

They are quite different styles,try them both and you decide

As has been said many times-for final security there would probably be nothing in it.

In keeping with OA philosophy OA will be a bit more user friendly-they both have HIPS-DSA is noisier,but scores highly-whilst OA may have a bit better leaktest results for those who like that sort of thing,although that has not been established for the free version.They both seem fast as regards net latency and the memory hit is similar.

You seem to have a preference in any case for Comodo,judging by your first post-so why dont you wait a week or so till the latest is announced

[19monty64]

Just for clarification and not an endorsement, OA-Free 2.1.0.19 was the one that received the 100% from Matousec. But to agree with Hairy Coo, it would be improper to base a decision on leak-tests. A firewall that leaks is only important when malware has infected your pc or when you want to limit the "call-home" ability of M$ or installed apps. Besides, Matousec is upgrading his leak-tests and the rankings may change based on this. I tried OA and WDF to make my decision based on my own experience. Other users' experiences only influenced my decision to try them all. There is way too many firewalls available and differences between them to limit the choice between just a few options. As to which I prefer...I don't normally use a software-firewall.

[Perman]

Hi,

Both may differ in some or perhaps in many ways. They surely are freewares and likely share this feature: phoning home. My bold and wild guess.
Now that ZA has a long history of being accused of phoning home , and has to this day provided no explanation on this front; lately on this forum, member has raised a serious question re OA free 's similar service. Mike usually is very quick in responding to any concern/question of his product, still stays unanswered to this question. I do not think people in this closely knitted Firewall community have sworn to secrecy of this sort, but, but what may be then ??? Take care folks.

[twl845]

{QUOTE-> After trying Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro 2008, I was dissapointed!
I experienced problems with both IE6 and Firefox 2.0.0.9, as I couldn't
download things properly, view certain pages etc.

I also tried Look'n'Stop, but I needn't find something really special about it.
While waiting for the final version of Comodo, I ended up with two (2) choices:
ZoneAlarm and Online Armor (both free versions).

I am looking for the best desktop personal FireWall (i.e a stand-alone one), as
I use seperate sofware for antivirus (NOD32) and antispyware (CounterSpy).
I have a 2.5 MHz Celeron D, 2GB of RAM, and WinXP Pro SP2.
I use a dial-up USB ADSL modem with 1.0 Mbps. I am a Home user; (no established Network)

1) Which one do you recommend? ZoneAlarm OR Online Armor ?
2) Is there another option, apart from these two (2) ones I have to consider?

Thank you in advance!!! :) <-QUOTE}
I have no info on OA as I have never used it, however ZA is a crap shoot with respect to pc problems, bad updates, and complicated uninstalls. After using it for quite a few years with no problems, I ran out of luck with one of their upgrades, and things went from bad to worse after that. I finally gave up and after a long and complicated uninstall I went to Comodo, where I remain.:)

[feniks]

{QUOTE-> After your valuable feedback :thumb: ,
my options are narrowed down to
Online Armor (free)
and Webroot Desktop v5.5.10.20.

1) Does anyone prefer Webroot Desktop v5.5.10.20 over Online Armor ?
2) Why?

:) Thank you ALL !!! :) <-QUOTE}

If you are not to good in technical stuffs take OA as will be easier to use. However if you understand how to use HIPS and firewall and want to use p2p - between OA free and WDF I will choose WDF. Why:

1. Cover wider area than OA free.
2. Firewall is full Privatefirewall 6.0 which I think is decent firewall. Works flawlessly with p2p, have SPI etc. Look around for Privatefirewall but remember it is 6.0.
3. Have DSA which is decent HIPS.

So in short IMHO OA free is for somebody who does not want to much hassle and not use p2p.

WDF is "full" application and may need some more attention to setup. But nothing really hard.

In my opinion you will be fine with both. For me the only criteria here is ability to work best with p2p.

Try both and choose the one you like better and which works better with your system and setup. Pick either one and do not worry both are comparable.

[Hairy Coo]

{QUOTE-> Just for clarification and not an endorsement, OA-Free 2.1.0.19 was the one that received the 100% from Matousec. <-QUOTE}

Double checked-you're right,

[MikeNash]

{QUOTE-> Hi,

Both may differ in some or perhaps in many ways. They surely are freewares and likely share this feature: phoning home. My bold and wild guess.
Now that ZA has a long history of being accused of phoning home , and has to this day provided no explanation on this front; lately on this forum, member has raised a serious question re OA free 's similar service. Mike usually is very quick in responding to any concern/question of his product, still stays unanswered to this question. I do not think people in this closely knitted Firewall community have sworn to secrecy of this sort, but, but what may be then ??? Take care folks. <-QUOTE}

Hi Perman,

I've been out for the weekend - where is this post I've missed?

We're VERY clear on what OA does and why in communication with our servers, and why...

Mike

[Firebytes]

Some (possibly stupid) questions:

Does OA free allow programs' permissions to be set to ask for each time they attempt to access the internet or can they only be set to allow or deny? I was looking at some screenshots of OA free and did not see the ask button in the firewall's program control. Maybe I missed it.

Also, I had read that if an OA free user was accessing the internet at a wi-fi hotspot for instance that all other computers using it to connect to the internet would be treated as being in the trusted zone. Is that true?

I have been toying with the idea of trying OA free but I use an older version of ZA free right now and I am having no problems at all with it. That plus the fact that I do know it can be difficult to uninstall ZA completely makes me hesitant to change. I am behind a hardware firewall also but I like outbound control. Would I be better off just sticking with ZA since I am trouble free with it?

[MikeNash]

{QUOTE-> Some (possibly stupid) questions:

Does OA free allow programs' permissions to be set to ask for each time they attempt to access the internet or can they only be set to allow or deny? I was looking at some screenshots of OA free and did not see the ask button in the firewall's program control. Maybe I missed it. <-QUOTE}

Yes, you can set it to "Ask" for just this session on the popup that you get.


{QUOTE->
Also, I had read that if an OA free user was accessing the internet at a wi-fi hotspot for instance that all other computers using it to connect to the internet would be treated as being in the trusted zone. Is that true? <-QUOTE}

If you are handed a "private" IP address then OA Free will assume you are on a trusted, private network. So, in such case machines on the same network would be treated as trusted. This is something we will fix in an upcoming release.


{QUOTE->
I have been toying with the idea of trying OA free but I use an older version of ZA free right now and I am having no problems at all with it. That plus the fact that I do know it can be difficult to uninstall ZA completely makes me hesitant to change. I am behind a hardware firewall also but I like outbound control. Would I be better off just sticking with ZA since I am trouble free with it? <-QUOTE}

If you're concerned about the points above and use wireless access points regularly then I'd recommend you don't intsall OA Free right now - esp. if your other firewall is working.

If you're running at home, then it's a personal choice to give it a go or not.

[Firebytes]

MikeNash,

Thanks for your prompt and honest responses. I will keep an eye on OA and future releases and just stick with what I have for now.

[mercurie]

Online Armor folks actually care about their product. While I have not used it, I have used ZA. I would surely go with Online Armor, as I am seriously considering it myself. :thumb:

What did you not like about OutPost 2008 as you can see I am using a very old version?

[Perman]

{QUOTE-> Hi Perman,

I've been out for the weekend - where is this post I've missed?

We're VERY clear on what OA does and why in communication with our servers, and why...

Mike <-QUOTE}
Hi, Mike:

You have my respect as an expert in your field. And like anyone else on this planet, you deserve some private, enjoyable moments, sorry to disturb you. I deeply thought you are a workaholic.

Since you are very clear about what OA is doing and why. But we, users do not have that kind of privilege to stay smart. That is exactly why the OP in other thread asking you a question, I am sure others would have the same doubts too. You may have an excellent product, but if you intends to evade users' sincere question, and holding back those privileged info. I, perhaps many others may have this question over our heads all the time : what else we do not know ?
Be transparent about your product, you can hold off trade secrets, but other than that...... I have seen too much of those mentality of big/fat enterprise, and hoping you are far from that yet. Take care.

[MikeNash]

{QUOTE-> Hi, Mike:

You have my respect as an expert in your field. And like anyone else on this planet, you deserve some private, enjoyable moments, sorry to disturb you. I deeply thought you are a workaholic.

Since you are very clear about what OA is doing and why. But we, users do not have that kind of privilege to stay smart. That is exactly why the OP in other thread asking you a question, I am sure others would have the same doubts too. You may have an excellent product, but if you intends to evade users' sincere question, and holding back those privileged info. I, perhaps many others may have this question over our heads all the time : what else we do not know ?
Be transparent about your product, you can hold off trade secrets, but other than that...... I have seen too much of those mentality of big/fat enterprise, and hoping you are far from that yet. Take care. <-QUOTE}

Sure, we're always open - but I did a search here for Online Armor, phone home - cannot see the thread you refer to :( That's what I was asking - "where was the question ?",because I did not see it :(

We have and abide by our published privacy policy: http://www.tallemu.com/privacy_policy.html

It's linked from almost every page on our website.

Anyhow, I can tell again, that OA connects to the server for the following reasons:

a) Licence key validation.

b) Check for updates, and download of updates. This can also include Kaspersky servers if you are running Online Armor AV+

c) Tell the server about programs and actions/behaviors (for example, foo.exe was run, user allowed or blocked it, or bar.exe exhibits behaviour type "keylogger). This behavior can be opted out of of general tab.

d) Trusted DNS validation (when a site is protected, we check your local DNS lookup against a trusted server's DNS lookup to protect against local or ISP-level DNS attacks).

With all data that we handle, we take deliberate steps to anonymise it.

Thus, I can tell that (for example) 50,000 people have program "boo.exe" on their system, and 20,000 blocked it..... but I cannot tell that *you* have it or not - and I don't want to know.

The reason we want to get this data about programs out there is so that we can make a determination about them. Each program we assess is potentially (for example) 50,000 users that do not receive a popup. The more popups we prevent, the easier it is for people to use Online Armor. We try to assess as many as we can, as fast as we can for this reason.

So, if you have OA installed and sharing of info active then you help us to assess the programs more quickly that are installed on your PC.

The exception to this could be if you run a logging version of OA and send me log files. Then I can tell exactly what's on your PC - because it's logged, and you have given me the data. But, even these log files are destroyed after use to solve the problem.

If you (or anyone) has questions about the data we capture or what we do with it and why that is not covered above, then feel free to reply - or probably, make a thread.... or if a mod knows the thread that Perman is referring to move the post, etc :)

Mike

[Perman]

Hi, Mike:

Thanks for your speedy response.
There is a thread regarding to OA's phoning home. Since you have kindly answered that question here, where to locate that very question is not important anymore.

Your reply has clearly removed any doubts casting on OA free. If any other security app developer can have just partial portion of attitude exhibited by you ,we, users of any security app will have more confidence in them.

Again, congratulation, you have once again demonstrated you are truly different from others. I am sure many others, including me, will feel more secured using your product. Take care.

[twl845]

{QUOTE-> Some (possibly stupid) questions:



I have been toying with the idea of trying OA free but I use an older version of ZA free right now and I am having no problems at all with it. That plus the fact that I do know it can be difficult to uninstall ZA completely makes me hesitant to change. I am behind a hardware firewall also but I like outbound control. Would I be better off just sticking with ZA since I am trouble free with it? <-QUOTE}Like I always say if it ain't broke don't fix it. Just keep in mind that one of these days you'll want to upgrade and you could have problems. Then you may want to uninstall. I would get the uninstall complete instructions just in case. ;)

[Firebytes]

I would definitely switch to another program rather than upgrade. I do have the ZA uninstall instructions (the most complete I could find) but it's still a pain in the rear as far as I am concerned. If and when I do switch I want to be sure about the new program because I don't want to go through the ZA uninstall mess for nothing.

[the insider]

I think that there is a 3th choice : comodo 2.4 which is very good ! And to my opinion it's even better than the new upcomming version 3 (which is NOT user friendly IMO) Comodo can compete with OA free and ZA : for proof look at the matousec site : http://www.matousec.com/projects/windows-personal-firewall-analysis/leak-tests-results.php

I use OA free and Comodo 2.4 and I'm happy with both (on 2 different HD's that is ;D )