Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GlassWire VS Nmap

Compare GlassWire VS Nmap and see what are their differences

GlassWire logo GlassWire

Visualize network activity in detail, get notified when new apps access the network, look out for...

Nmap logo Nmap

Nmap Free Security Scanner, Port Scanner, & Network Exploration Tool. Download open source software for Linux, Windows, UNIX, FreeBSD, etc.
  • GlassWire Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-20
  • Nmap Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-06-15

GlassWire features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    GlassWire offers a visually appealing and intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to monitor network activity and understand data usage.
  • Comprehensive Network Monitoring
    GlassWire provides detailed insights into the user's network activity, including bandwidth usage, application connections, and geographic data for connected servers.
  • Real-Time Alerts
    The software offers real-time alerts for suspicious activity, helping users quickly respond to potential security threats.
  • Firewall Management
    GlassWire integrates firewall management features, allowing users to block specific applications from accessing the network.
  • Privacy Protection
    The software includes various privacy protection features, such as detecting spyware, malware, and other unwanted software.
  • Historical Data
    Users can access historical network activity data to analyze trends and identify unusual behavior over time.
  • Ease of Installation
    GlassWire is easy to install and set up, making it accessible even to users with minimal technical expertise.

Possible disadvantages of GlassWire

  • Cost
    Although GlassWire offers a free version, many advanced features are locked behind a paywall, which could be a drawback for cost-conscious users.
  • Resource Usage
    Some users have reported that GlassWire can consume a significant amount of system resources, potentially slowing down their computer.
  • Limited Cross-Platform Support
    While GlassWire supports Windows and Android, it lacks support for other popular platforms like macOS and iOS, limiting its usability for some users.
  • Complexity for Novices
    Despite its user-friendly design, some of GlassWire's more advanced features may be overwhelming for users who aren't familiar with network security concepts.
  • Periodic Connectivity Issues
    Some users have reported occasional connectivity issues, including problems with the service not starting or functioning properly.
  • Updating Issues
    There have been occasional reports of problems during the update process, where features may not work as expected or data may seem inconsistent post-update.
  • False Positives
    GlassWire's real-time alerts sometimes generate false positives, causing unnecessary alarms and potential inconvenience.

Nmap features and specs

  • Comprehensive Scanning
    Nmap can perform a wide variety of scans, including port scanning, service detection, and OS fingerprinting, making it a versatile tool for network exploration and security auditing.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source tool, Nmap is free to use and has a large community of users contributing to its development and improvement.
  • Scripting Engine
    The Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE) allows users to write custom scripts to automate tasks, detect vulnerabilities, and extract information, significantly extending its capabilities.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Nmap is available on multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, and macOS, ensuring broad accessibility for users.
  • Large Knowledge Base
    Nmap has extensive documentation and a wealth of online resources, tutorials, and community support, making it easier for beginners to learn and use the tool effectively.
  • Performance Optimization
    Nmap is designed to be efficient and can handle large networks, making it suitable for both small-scale and enterprise-level scanning.

Possible disadvantages of Nmap

  • Complexity
    Due to its extensive features and options, Nmap can be overwhelming for beginners, requiring a steep learning curve to fully utilize its capabilities.
  • Potential for Misuse
    Nmap can be used for malicious activities such as unauthorized network scanning, potentially leading to security violations and ethical concerns.
  • Permission Issues
    Using Nmap without proper authorization can be illegal in some jurisdictions, and unauthorized scans can be considered invasive or hostile by network administrators.
  • False Positives/Negatives
    Like any scanning tool, Nmap can produce false positives and negatives, requiring additional verification and analysis to ensure accuracy.
  • Resource Intensive
    Some Nmap scans, especially comprehensive ones, can be resource-intensive, potentially affecting network performance and consuming significant CPU and memory resources.
  • Network Disruption
    Aggressive scanning techniques used by Nmap can disrupt network services and lead to denial of service, particularly in sensitive or critical environments.

Analysis of GlassWire

Overall verdict

  • Overall, GlassWire is a solid choice for individuals looking to enhance their network security and gain insights into their data usage. Its combination of functionality and ease of use makes it a favorite among both tech-savvy users and beginners.

Why this product is good

  • GlassWire is considered a good network monitoring tool due to its user-friendly interface, detailed network activity visualizations, and comprehensive security features. It helps users monitor their network usage in real-time, detect unusual activity, and understand data consumption by different applications.

Recommended for

    GlassWire is recommended for users who prioritize security and want detailed visibility into network activity, including those who manage small to medium-sized networks, privacy-conscious individuals, and anyone interested in monitoring their data consumption.

Analysis of Nmap

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Nmap is a highly effective and reliable tool for network scanning and security auditing. Its comprehensive suite of features and frequent updates ensure it remains relevant in the constantly evolving landscape of network security.

Why this product is good

  • Nmap is widely regarded as a powerful and versatile network scanning tool. It is known for its ability to discover hosts and services on a computer network, thus creating a 'map' of the network. Security professionals and system administrators use it to conduct network inventory, manage service upgrade schedules, and monitor host or service uptime. Its robustness, open-source nature, and support of a wide range of platforms make it a staple in the toolkit of network security experts.

Recommended for

  • Network security professionals
  • System administrators
  • Penetration testers
  • IT professionals responsible for network management
  • Anyone interested in learning more about network mapping and security

GlassWire videos

Glasswire Firewall Review | Tested against Ransomware

More videos:

  • Review - BEST FIREWALL.... EVER?! // GlassWire Review - Personal Security & Privacy Monitoring
  • Review - Master Your Network With Glasswire 2.0

Nmap videos

Nmap Tutorial For Beginners - 1 - What is Nmap?

More videos:

  • Review - Nmap - Review of Scan Types
  • Review - LABS 50 Bypassing Windows Firewall Using Nmap Evasion Techniques REVIEW

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GlassWire and Nmap)
Monitoring Tools
38 38%
62% 62
Cyber Security
100 100%
0% 0
Security
0 0%
100% 100
Firewall
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare GlassWire and Nmap

GlassWire Reviews

Best firewall software of 2024
Probably its best feature is the presentation of detailed statistics of network usage broken down by IP/Host, application, and type of network traffic. GlassWire has an โ€˜Ask to Connectโ€™ mode to allow or deny new app connections. And you can create custom profiles, for instance, when youโ€™re connected to your home WiFi or when youโ€™re at work.
Best Free Firewalls for Windows, Mac & Android in 2024
GlassWire monitors incoming and outgoing traffic to protect against intrusions. Itโ€™s among the most beginner-friendly and intuitive firewall programs Iโ€™ve seen. The app provides useful graphs that make it easy to tell what each process is doing. Once youโ€™re in the app, youโ€™ll see 5 tabs that highlight the following details:
Source: www.wizcase.com
10 Best Free Firewall Software for Windows in 2024
The software in the list have different priorities, some of them are great for features, security, and privacy, the others have an edge on pricing. For optimal protection and prevention from threats, we would recommend you to go for ZoneAlarm, Comodo Firewall, or Glasswire. If you want visibility and control of your applications, then go for Peerblock, or Tinywall. The best...

Nmap Reviews

The Top 5 Open Source Vulnerability Scanners
Nmap is a tool that scans ports, does service fingerprinting, and identifies versions of operating systems. Nmap also comes with a scripting engine that detects security vulnerabilities. Once these are detected, Vulcanโ€™s platform can help you to prioritize and fix vulnerabilities.
Source: vulcan.io
9 Best Angry IP Scanner Alternatives Reviewed 2021 (Free & Paid)
If youโ€™re a network administrator looking for more depth and raw power from a port scanner, look no further than Nmap. What Nmap lacks in frills and functional GUI it makes up for with sheer command-line based power. If youโ€™re not a fan of strictly just a command-line interface, you can always use Zenmap, which is the exact same software just with a graphical interface. Both...
15 Best Nmap Alternatives Network Security Scanner
Nmap is an open-source tool that lots of IT professionals find useful in their careers. It is a tool that can locate available hosts and other services that they offer within a network. The Nmap program makes use of raw IP packets to find the hosts and services that are available.
10 Best WireShark Alternatives for Android Devices in 2021
Nmap is a popular open-source network scanning app for Android and desktop. While it works on both rooted and non-rooted Android, you get more functionality during a rooted Android smartphone. Like some apps, Nmap is not available on Google play store or their website.
Source: techreen.com
Alternatives to Nmap: from simple to advanced network scanning
This month marks the 20th anniversary of Nmap, the open-source network mapping tool that became the standard used by many IT professionals, but that can be a bit much if you only need to do general network maintenance and are intimidated by its command-line interface.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Nmap seems to be a lot more popular than GlassWire. While we know about 202 links to Nmap, we've tracked only 2 mentions of GlassWire. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

GlassWire mentions (2)

  • What is the use of an Av when it can be bypassed easily?
    Donโ€™t use netstat use Glasswire as it will help to monitor your network and let you know to where your data is being sent, including the file/service which is sending it. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Bandwidth - 20p-40p per day passive.
    I run the app behind pihole with sinkhole but if your looking to monitor the traffic it sends to see if its any good for you use something like glasswire.com The free version will allow you to monitor the outgoing traffic. Source: over 3 years ago

Nmap mentions (202)

  • Network Reconnaissance with Nmap: The Complete Guide
    -- Example NSE script Local nmap = require "nmap" Local shortport = require "shortport" Local http = require "http" Description = [[ Example HTTP service detection script. ]] Author = "Your Name" License = "Same as Nmap--See https://nmap.org/book/man-legal.html" Categories = {"safe", "discovery"} Portrule = shortport.http Action = function(host, port) local response = http.get(host, port, "/") if... - Source: dev.to / 23 days ago
  • Would you like to be a movie star by contributing to open source?
    As described on its web site nmap is a Network exploration tool and security / port scanner. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • ๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ Top 10 Free Penetration Testing Tools Every Security Team Should Use in 2025
    Nmap (Network Mapper) is like a GPS for your network. Scan ports, find devices, and discover whatโ€™s alive and vulnerable. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • 3 Types of Chaos Experiments and How To Run Them
    Start by mapping out your networkโ€™s topology, including routers, switches, gateways, and the connections between different segments. Tools like Nmap or network diagram software can help visualize your networkโ€™s structure. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • How to Install and Use Nmap in Termux
    If you want to scan a website, Nmap can help you find its open ports, see active IPs, and get other important details quickly. For anyone serious about cybersecurity, Nmap is a necessary tool. To learn more, visit their official website at Nmap.org. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing GlassWire and Nmap, you can also consider the following products

TinyWall - Lightweight and non-intrusive firewall

Angry IP Scanner - Open-source and cross-platform network scanner designed to be fast and simple to use

Windows Firewall Control - Windows Firewall Control is not the built in firewall system in the Windows operating systems.

Zenmap - Zenmap is the official cross-platform GUI for the Nmap Security Scanner.

Little Snitch - Little Snitch is a firewall application that monitors and controls outbound internet traffic.

Fing - Discover which devices are connected to any Wi-Fi network, map devices, detect intruders, assess...