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Portmaster

Free, open-source application firewall for Windows and Linux that also blocks ads and trackers system-wide.

Free plan + paidOpen sourceAd and tracker blockers
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About Portmaster

Portmaster, from the Austrian company Safing, is a privacy-focused application firewall for desktop computers. It shows every network connection each program makes and lets you set rules per application, and it blocks ads, trackers and malicious domains at the DNS level for the whole system, with filter lists you can toggle. It can force encrypted DNS and prevent apps from bypassing your settings. The core features are free and open source, and paid plans add network history, bandwidth statistics and access to SPN, Safing's multi-hop privacy network that works like a VPN. It runs on Windows and on Linux (Debian, Ubuntu and Fedora packages); there is no macOS version. It suits people who want to see and control what their apps are doing, not only block ads. The amount of information can be overwhelming, and deep network hooks occasionally conflict with VPNs or other security software.

Best for: Windows and Linux users who want to see and control every app's connections.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Per-app firewall plus system-wide ad and tracker blocking
  • Core features free and open source
  • Shows every connection each program makes

Why people leave

  • No macOS version
  • Can conflict with VPNs and security software
  • History and SPN features are paid

Top Portmaster alternatives

See all 4
  1. 1AdGuard logo
    AdGuard

    Paid system-wide ad blocking for Windows and Mac, with less firewall detail.

    66.5
  2. 2Pi-hole logo
    Pi-hole

    Network-wide DNS blocking that covers every device, not just one computer.

    62.6
  3. 3NextDNS logo
    NextDNS

    Cloud DNS filtering for all devices without a local firewall.

    59.6
  4. 4uBlock Origin logo
    uBlock Origin

    Free browser-level blocking if you don't need app-level control.

    57.2

Why people left Portmaster

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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Portmaster: common questions

Is Portmaster free?

Portmaster has a free plan and paid plans. Free plan: Core features free forever (checked on Portmaster's own site).

Is Portmaster open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at safing/portmaster.

What platforms does Portmaster run on?

Portmaster is available for Windows and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to Portmaster?

The highest-ranked Portmaster alternatives right now are AdGuard, Pi-hole and NextDNS. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 Portmaster alternatives