Sygate free or pro?

As I appear to have settled on Sygate for my firewall (LnS being too complex for me to fully understand and Outpost Pro wouldnt configure to my likeing) I am left with the quandry of whether to stay with the free versions of Sygate or pay up and go with the Pro version.

They appear at first inspection to basically the same just with some extra switchable features on the Pro. Is it the better of the 2 and worth the money, or am I better to stay with the free version and accept the slightly reduced control of settings?

(ps I have no problem paying for software if it is the better option, and is cost effective)

Cheers

 

Check out the screen shot. it looks as if you do get quite a bit more in the pro version

 

I have the Pro version and feel it is worth the upgrade as you do have more control over the software plus you will be able to update the Trojan signature library which is not possible with the free version (although this is no substitude for separate Trojan software as the updates are not frequent!)

If you need more control over your firewall then the upgrade is worth looking at, I am running the Pro even though I have a router firewall.

 

Hi Kentish:
If I may suggest I have tried at least 15 firewalls out....in their own right the have postive and negative aspect...depending on your needs. What I have learned is simple is usual the best. I am running Kerio 2.14 version. Its lean mean and does the job. Nothing complicated about it it protects you pc and has passed all the stealth tests.
You can download from here to give it a try.
http://www.computercops.biz/downloads-cat-5.html

 

Musicman.. does that include all the referrer stuff as well? Have to say that Kerio isnt really on my wish list, tried it briefly but removed it very quickly as it didnt sit right for me.
To be honest I would rather LnS be my firewall of choice, its just that I find it very complecated (as an intelligent but not seriously knowledgeable pc wise person) as it is way by far the lightest running resource wise. However due to its complexity and lack of support (ok it has a section here but just look at the action going on..its almost comatose) I feel Sygate is my considered and compromised option. I just need to know that apart from the extra options in the Pro version...is it any more secure, and by how much.

 

Hi Kentish, I really don't think Sygate Pro is significantly more secure than the free version if you are going to be running it at default status. The extra security would only be evoked if you configured a lot of avanced rules and used the various tools provided with the Pro version. Sygate is not an 'easy' firewall such as an 'out of the box' and it works but they do have a support forum which is very useful if things do not run smoothly.

I must admit before I purchased my router I was a little stressed with the Sygate icon showing as the 'Diamond' in my taskbar when attacks were logged. My router takes this pressure now and Sygate is there for me to control my applications i.e 'Outgoing' traffic.

Unfortunately to configure a firewall such as Sygate it does take time and learning. I do like the fact I can remove 'Act as Server' very easily and also have driver layer protection plus an Anti Application Hijack feature (I am not sure if this is with the free version)

Personally I do like to have registered versions of my software as I feel the money paid will help in the development of the software. I have 15 tools available under the 'Security Tab' plus 3 ways of smart traffic handling; I am not sure how many there are with the free version. I don't think Sygate would risk anyone's security just because they install the free version it is down to the extent of configurations you will have with the Pro.

At the end of the day the importance is placed on security layers which includes many other applications added to your firewall (free of pro)

 

Cheers Robyn your initial comment has helped me immensly.
TBH, I have been using Sygate free since I went broadband around 3 yrs ago, and I only started to look at other firewalls when after updating to version 5.5 of Sygate free I had problems with my on-line gaming. Having reverted back to vers 5.0, my gaming was stable again, but I then decided to look at alternatives which is where LnS, Outpost Pro,and Kerio come in. ZoneAlarm was disgarded years ago for its anchor like action on my pc performance ,plus its unwillingness to be easily unistalled.

I dont really find Sygate hard to work or understand, as I like the application based types of firewalls, the rule type based being a little bit deep for 1 who doesnt really have the time to fully get to learn it all.

Cheers

 

I can add that version 5.5 has caused a lot of issues for users who depend on Sygate alone and they too reverted to 5 / 5.1 to resolve the problems. The latest build 2525 still has some bugs which need to be 'ironed' out so best keep the bug free treasure you have rules I just wish someone could provide a ruleset that we didn't have to dig deep for!

 

Kentish - I understand that you're looking primarily at Sygate but, if your experiences with ZA were years ago, you might wish to give the latest version a shot. This is quite possibly THE program of choice for those looking for an 'install, set it and forget it' firewall.

 

Sorry but my time using Zone Alarm has put me right off even looking at the latest version. I need a firewall that is secure, stable and doesnt impact on the pc resources, and whilst ZA was the first 2, it sure slowed everything down badly. Also as I said previous it was a git to uninstall completely, and to my mind any software that is that difficult to uninstall isnt worth considering.
I understand where your coming from, but Zone Alarm wouldnt even be on my list even if it was the last firewall in the world.

My firewall hope now is the pro version of Sygate, but only if I can run version 5.0, and not the current latest version.

 

Hi Kentish,
I'm still with LooknStop (despite the forum problems...) as it meets my needs exactly - it is small and light on system resources. I'm hoping that running the supplied enhanced ruleset will make it pretty secure and that I won't need to change any of its other settings, as it looks far too complicated for a casual user to start messing with!!

I also tried the various 'contenders' - and settled on Sygate (for a while), but it seemed to me to be quite a drain on resources, and the machine certainly 'felt' slower whilst it was running. I'd be interested if you also notice this?

(Actually, my requirements fall into two camps, as at home I've got a hardware router/firewall (the Netgear 834G) so as this is doing the inbound security, and I turn off the 'internet' side of LooknStop but leave it checking which applications are allowed out. When I'm away from home I can click the 'enable internet filtering' box and let LnS do its thing. I don't know if this feature is availiable on Sygate /others ? I'm even thinking about running a-wall - part of the xWall firewall (http://sphinx-soft.com/firewall/) as this purely does app filtering and is free )

Thanks
SimonW

 

Sygate free version 5.0 is fine resource wise, but higher than that caused me problems with my on-line gaming ie slowing everything down. TBH, for that reason LnS gets a big thumbs up from me, its just the complicated rule setting that stops me going fully that way...especially as I just couldnt configure it to allow me to play Raven Shield on-line.

If I could get LnS to do as required without headaches and major investigation then I would pay up and run it full time, but I cant so Sygate is getting the nod at the mo.
Thing is I do like to understand what it is I am using, and sometimes tinker with settings and of course be able to work out why something doesnt work.

Cheers