ZoneAlarm Free 8.0.298.0

3.5 out of 5 stars 3.5 (395 votes)

(March 30, 2009)

Windows Vista / Freeware / 126,330 downloads

ZoneAlarm includes five interlocking security services that deliver easy-to-use, comprehensive protection. Unlike any other security utility, it incorporates a firewall, Application Control, an Internet Lock, dynamically assigned Security Levels and Zones. Combined, these elements yield the strongest security possible.

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Reviews of ZoneAlarm Free

  1. 3 out of 5 stars
    BigOrange029

    Reviewing 8.0.298.0 (May 11, 2009)

    ZoneAlarm used to be the king of firewalls. I can remember when expert after expert scored it the highest among them all, and now it's just average. The nag screens during installation are annoying especially if you do not wish to pay the premium price for the paid version with the same nag screens and average tech support. It gets annoying with the popups whenever you update your software to newer versions, asking you for permission yet again. The lack of updates is disappointing as malware is ever evolving, it would be nice to see more definitions available.

    However, on the positive side, it is easy to setup once you get past the nag screens and if you are a beginner that is definitely a good thing. It's not very RAM intensive and I have yet to get an infection since pairing ZoneAlarm with Rising Anti-Virus. Solid, but not spectacular, there are better, but there are certainly much worse.

  2. 2 out of 5 stars
    DudeBoyz

    Reviewing 8.0.298.0 (Apr 15, 2009)

    Used to be the king of them all.

    Now it's not even close.

    Download a mini installer, go through nag screens during the install, check boxes just to get the free product to install at all and now you can't get any auto-updates unless you purchase the full version?

    Participate in this, hassle screens say that, then you have to do a full-on reboot when you FINALLY get done with all those nag screens? What an annoying drag!!!

    Not only that but it doesn't handle all of the Windows Network permissions properly on an existing installation of functioning networked PC's!

    Sorry Charlie. You forgot where you came from and this is what happens.

  3. 2 out of 5 stars
    Soozy

    Reviewing 8.0.298.0 (Mar 30, 2009)

    So sad that they still won't make the Free version Vista 64 bit compatible.

  4. 3 out of 5 stars
    Cris3

    Reviewing 8.0.065.0 (Dec 16, 2008)

    I also got the ZoneAlarm Pro and I put up with its nagging permission questions for two days before I took it back out. It blocked too much of my common functions without a message.

    Vista has a firewall that works fine when you add outbound protection with this free program.
    http://www.sphinx-soft.com/Vista/order.html

    a-squared anti-malware also provides good real time protection and is an excellent cookie blocker and mal-ware scanner.

  5. 5 out of 5 stars
    sturgess

    Reviewing 8.0.065.0 (Dec 16, 2008)

    Thanks to BetaNews heads-up last month, I now use ZoneAlarm Pro, thanks for the link guys much appreciated. Been using ZoneAlarm for ever, never let me down. It's free, it was the first, and more folk use it than any other, what more do you want ?

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