Suggestions for a good, low resource, free firewall…

I have been running my computer for a while now without a firewall; I feel that it is time to get one. But I am having trouble on deciding which one to get, like mentioned I am looking for something that is free and low on resources. It seems like the most popular free ones are Zone Alarm, Sygate, Kerio and Outpost, I have read good and bad things about all of these programs. I am also confused about which version to get for example I have heard that Kerio 2.1.5 is lighter on resources than 4.0 yet is still effective and works fine. Same with Zone Alarm, I have heard that 4.5 was good and 5.0 had some issues (not sure how 5.5 is). I am just confused about which program and version to choose. I practice very safe browsing habits so I don’t necessarily need the most rock solid firewall out there; I just want something that is light and will not mess with my system. Thanks.

 

check this thread out here

 

When you get down to it, there's no substitute for just installing and trying out a few of the most popular ones.. Then you will have a better idea of which one you like, and why...

 

I have done some searching and it sounds like Kerio 2.1.5 is what I am looking for, a simple no nonsense firewall that works and is easy on my system. My only concern is that it sounds like it is a bit hard to set up for maximum security if you don’t know what you are doing. From what I have read Zone Alarm seems to cause trouble on *some* people machines and uses more resources due to its fancy interface (which I don’t care about). I think it is between Outpost free and Kerio 2.1.5 now.

 

If you like the rules orientation, I'd go with Kerio 2.1.5. Just a suggestion though. For more help with Kerio see the link below, as well as the other threads in that forum:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,8023708~mode=flat