Sygate or Zone Alarm?

How does Sygate free compare with Zone Alarm free. I'm new to this and want the best protection I can get. I hear good things about Sygate but have heard a lot about Zone Alarm too except for the problems with version 5. Which version is best?

 

I've tried both and I think Sygate free is much better than ZA free. Sygate has good logging, rules, and protects well. I guess it's a matter of personal preference.. You might try both and see which one suits you best.. Sygate is very good though.

 

I read somewhere that Zone Alarm is a bit difficult to uninstall? But I cannot confirm that now since I lost the link to the thread.

I am looking at Sygate and Kerio now. I think both of them are good but to me all firewalls are complext thing to set up. hmmm ....

 

If you're looking for simple setup and good protection, give ZA free a try and, if you don't like it, I've never had a problem uninstalling it whenever it was necessary.

 

I've used both at one point or another during my periods where my Mcafee lisence expired.

I found that both gave me adequete protection but that Syngate eventually crapped out and demanded that I register it...I must have missed a free lisence key explanation somewhere along the line. I personally liked ZoneAlarm beter because the interface was easier to use/install/configure. I've heard more negative feedback about ZoneAlarm, some have claimed that it is one of the easier firewalls to crack, but this is only from what I've heard, for all I know it could be someone trying to give it a bad rep.

I'd say if your going for something free ZoneAlarm would be a good choice, though I personally prefer a commercial product, Mcafee has never failed to protect me.

 

I would say it depends on your knowledge and likes/dislikes of tinkering with a program. ZoneAlarm seems to me to be more for newbies if you will. When you allow an application permission to access the internet in Sygate it defaults to giving it client and server rights, and thus you have to go in to the individual app settings to change it to just client rights. ZA will ask for each type. Most apps do not need server rights and setting them as such can be dangerous. However even taking this into account I prefer and use Sygate ( Pro version actually). ZA never was stable on my system would crash frequently, and I did have trouble uninstalling it. Try each of them and see which works best for you on your system. Remember to uninstall one before installing the other.

 

Thanks everyone for your advice.

I am still reading as much info on all the firewall as possible. Still learning and the curve is rather steep too!

Apparently Sygate 5.0, 5.1 and 5.5. will have difficulties working behid Proxy Server (I am behind that) ... localhost loop problem ... etc.,

Zone Alarm free version is still not very keen by many. Problem uninstalling it etc., and crackable ... hmmm ...

Kerio 2.5.1 ... hmmm ... I need to check this out in detail as the setting is rather difficult for a novice like me ...

So read on me ...

cheers

Chew

 

see this thread https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?p=222977#post222977, apparently the vulnerability mentioned in post #6 is not fixed, but I couldn't comment because I don't use and have never tried Kerio.

 

I have used both, and I must say Sygate 5.5 free is the best of the two, simply because its less of a resource hog, and I find it easier to use, and less annoying (ZoneAlarm would give me warnings every 5-7 seconds, which you couldn't turn off!) I think all-in-all Sygate is the best firewall I've used.

 

Reading the directions is always a good idea. Very simple thing to take care of when you have the information.



As to ZA being crackable, not sure where you got your info but it has been solid since 4.5. FYI every firewall has had a vulnerability at one point or another which is fixed fairly quickly.

One other thing to keep in mind is that you can go overboard on security. If you don't have risky habits... P2P, IRC, pr0n surfing, opening attachments before scanning etc... a decent firewall and AV will take care of things just fine. It really boils down to what app you are comfortable with and how well the companies support their products.

 

they are both good free firewall solutions. ZA is a bit stiff when it comes to tweaking where Sygate is wonderfull. Sygate provides better application level security where ZA stands out in repelling nuking and DDoS attacks. i never had trouble uninstalling ZA in both 9x and NT platforms. regarding cracking issues there are unreleased trojans capable of bypassing both. but users shouldn't be bothered about it. those bugs won't be released.