The Android operating system has a distinguished protective system, especially since all Play Store applications must be verified before enlisting on the Application. However, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of mobile phones to finish work-related assignments or entertainment increased rapidly, and cyberattacks on mobile phones increased as well. One of the ways to protect your Android phone is by installing a powerful Firewall, which will keep malicious factors at bay and monitor your phone’s activity.

In this article, we will list the market’s top free Android firewall programs after understanding the job of a firewall and how it works on Android phones.

What is a firewall? Why do you need one?

A firewall is an invisible shield that protects your device from the dangers lurking on the internet. This beneficial program works on monitoring your network’s activity and blocks unknown and malicious incoming attacks. We recommend installing a firewall for your Android smartphone so you can have complete control over your phone’s applications. If an application is hiding a malicious factor, it will try connecting to the internet to transfer data to the attacker; a firewall will monitor and block this activity and will inform you of such an attempt so you can take proper action.

How does a firewall work on Android phones?

On a computer, a firewall works as the gatekeeper of your network, where it monitors incoming and outgoing network operations and connections to allow verified ones and block possibly malicious factors. Firewalls on Android phones have a similar job, as they prevent malicious factors from infecting your phone. An additional feature of Android phone firewalls is they give you the option to prevent certain applications from connecting to the internet. This feature will help you protect personal and confidential data.

Best Free Android Firewall: What to get and expect!

The Google Play Store, Android’s application store, has an unlimited number of free and powerful firewall applications. But the applications we’re bringing you here are the best of these firewall applications, and we’re sure they’ll protect your data well.

Avast Antivirus

Avast antivirus is one of the world’s most successful software for both computers and smartphones. The free Avast version offers a firewall in addition to the antivirus feature, a VPN, a photo vault and app and calls blockers. To be able to benefit from Avast’s powerful firewall, you will need to have a rooted smartphone; because this software works on the root level. You will have the ability to block any applications you want from accessing the internet.

NetGuard

NetGuard is an Android firewall that allows you to monitor incoming traffic to your smartphone. If you’d like to also monitor the outgoing network traffic, you can buy this feature, plus more features like custom blocking rules from the application’s settings. What NetGuard does is it offers you customisation options for your notifications; its VPN will allow you to block any of your phone’s applications from accessing the internet.

You can create your own firewall rules by choosing any of the system’s applications that can have internet access. In addition to working on rooted devices, NetGuard also works on non-rooted devices and will allow you to control your data’s usage to last longer. This firewall is one of the few that won’t bother you with many ads as you use it, and you will need permissions from your Android system or antivirus application, if you have one, to allow you to control applications.

DataGuard

DataGuard is one of the newest firewall applications on the market, and it provides good protection for Android phones. The application will work on both rooted and non-rooted smartphones and will allow you to control which applications can connect to the internet. It will also notify you if any of these blocked applications try to connect to the internet. DataGuard monitors your network traffic and will notify you if any application uses this traffic.

Droid Firewall

Droid Firewall is Kaspersky’s Android firewall; the cybersecurity tech giant created a multifunctional smartphone firewall that works only with rooted Android smartphones. Like all Android firewalls on our list, Droid Firewall allows you to restrict certain applications from accessing the internet, whether through your data or Wi-Fi network. However, Droid Firewall doesn’t allow you to control any outbound connections.

Whenever you install a new application, Droid Firewall will monitor, block the application’s attempts to connect to the internet and will notify you of such cases. In other words, no application has internet access until you give it access. The free version comes with antivirus features with excessive ads, and the premium version will monitor and block any unknown application access.

Glass Wire Data Monitor

Glass Wire’s main feature is to monitor your mobile’s data usage, where it monitors incoming and outgoing connections and activity using your Wi-Fi network. This application is also available for Windows, which will help synchronise your data between your devices, and you can create separate firewall profiles for each device. Glass Wire’s simple and elegant interface allows you to easily track your applications’ activity and discover if any application is sending unauthorised data and slowing the speed of your connection.

Firewall NoRoot

If you’re looking for a zero advertisements firewall, then NoRoot is the application for you. What distinguishes it is the use of AI to block spy servers; this saves time and provides excellent protection. You can choose one of two modes, the silent mode and the warning mode. The former will allow all applications to connect to the internet while you select which connections to allow, while the latter works the other way; it blocks all connections and allows you to select which ones to allow. This means you will have complete control over which applications can access the internet. Moreover, you can monitor your applications’ individual online activity.

VPN Safe Firewall

Like all other Android firewalls on our list, VPN Safe Firewall allows you to control all your Android applications by monitoring, allowing or blocking any of them from accessing the internet. While many Android firewalls require you to create and interchange between the different mobile data and Wi-Fi profiles, VPN Safe works with both your mobile data and Wi-Fi. This extra advantage means you don’t need to change profiles to monitor your applications.

VPN Safe is one of the few Android firewalls that don’t contain ads and allow you to instantly stop all internet connections if any need arises. Perhaps the only downside of VPN Safe is the complexity of its user interface; it isn’t beginner friendly, and only the premium version allows you to monitor your network traffic.

NetPatch Firewall

NetPatch is a no-root Android firewall that gives you total control over your smartphone’s network. It is generally regarded as more advanced than typical Android firewalls because of the many additional features it provides. These features include creating rules based on IP addresses, network rules and even domain names. This firewall allows you to control the use of your network and battery and protect your privacy while offering you solid cyber security. There’s a free and premium version of NetPatch, and you can try this premium version for free for 7 days. Premium features include an unlimited number of IP and domain group creations, viewing all the network’s logs and blocked connection requests.

AFWall+

This root-requiring Android firewall allows you to control your smartphone’s activity. AFWall+ is an iptables firewall, an Android firewall feature that allows you to create unique rules for incoming and outgoing data traffic over mobile data and Wi-Fi. Other Android firewalls use VPN to protect your device, and they’re more common than iptables that require rooted Android phones. You will have control over all types of connections from your smartphone, whether data connections or Wi-Fi and even LAN connections. AFWall+ doesn’t consume much space on your smartphone, nor does it slow it down, making it the perfect Android firewall.

NoRoot Data Firewall

In addition to allowing you to choose which applications can access the internet and which cannot, NoRoot Data Firewall notifies you in case a blocked application attempts an internet connection. This powerful Android firewall gives you the option to filter host names or domain names and blocks any suspicious connection attempts. Moreover, NoRoot Data Firewall will record and analyse all internet connections by your smartphone’s applications and will notify you of any suspicious connections. One of its interesting features is you can set a timer for each application, say 1 hour, to connect to the internet, and the firewall will automatically terminate the connection afterwards.

Mobiwol

Mobiwol is one of the diverse Android firewall applications on the market that don’t require root access. This means it is suitable to use on a wider range of Android smartphones and that you can immediately halt all internet connections for whatever reason in addition to giving you total control over your smartphone’s applications and choosing which applications to individually allow their connection to the internet. Mobiwol contains continuous ads in its free version, but they don’t hinder your use of the internet as it blocks applications in the background.

InternetGuard

InternetGuard is one of the market’s top-rated Android firewalls that give you full control over your smartphone’s connections. It works on both rooted and non-rooted smartphones, which testifies to its inclusivity. Using InternetGuard, you can create individual rules for each application or domain to either allow or block from accessing your data or Wi-Fi connection. The user-friendly interface makes monitoring your applications’ activity easier and either allows or denies incoming and outgoing connections. You will also get a notification if a blocked application tries to connect to the internet.

Remember that providing protection for your smartphone will allow you to protect your data from intrusive factors that attempt to steal your data!

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