Advice Request Windows 10 Firewall Control - Sphinx Software - opinions ?

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Never used it, and in my opinion it looks pretty shady, i couldn't find infos about the company who made it in Google and the website looks a bit... old?

I'm not attacking the software or the company in any way, but these was my first impressions about it honestly
 
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Thiagoo said:
Never used it, and in my opinion it looks pretty shady, i couldn't find infos about the company who made it in Google and the website looks a bit... old?

I'm not attacking the software or the company in any way, but these was my first impressions about it honestly
Click to expand...
Exactly my impressions also.
Just use Malwarebytes Firewall Control.
 
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Afaik it's a firewall like others nothing shady about it. It even has a whole thread at wilders where it seems to be an ok firewall.
www.wilderssecurity.com

Windows 10 Firewall Control (Sphinx-Soft) Discussion Thread

Introducing: Windows 10 Firewall Control Homepage (when ready, actual: Windows 8 Firewall Control) http://www.sphinx-soft.com/Vista/ You can get the...
www.wilderssecurity.com www.wilderssecurity.com
 
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Sphinx is the best WFC I have ever used, but the free version is too limited, you can not control windows processes, and the paid version is too elaborate, like Comodo Firewall.
The advantage of WFC is obvious, WF allows any app (malware) with admin rights to add/remove rules at will, WFC prevents it. MS does not consider it as an issue. :cautious:
 
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It's an excellent firewall. I have a paid license for the Plus version, which allows to restrict not only application outbound connections, but even domain names using wildcards, making it possible to block ads and telemetry such as for example:

*.googleads*.com or *analytics.*

It's even nice if you want to direct Windows update processes to Microsoft domains, for example:

update.microsoft or ctldl.windowsupdate.com

However, development in recent years has been very slow for some reason. Also for no one particular reason other than mostly to simplify things, I decided recently to just use the free Malwarebytes Windows Firewall Control interface instead.
 
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I've used it before. Functionally, the description of @TairikuOkami ＆ @wat0114 says it all. There are no fancy bells and whistles, and the software has a very serious feel to it. I feel that this software loses a lot with its name. It was often confused with Malwarebytes Windows Firewall Control.

The reason I stopped using it was because I couldn't get used to the fact that the new connection dialog popped up as a large window instead of a popup.
 
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Thiagoo said:
Never used it, and in my opinion it looks pretty shady, i couldn't find infos about the company who made it in Google and the website looks a bit... old?

I'm not attacking the software or the company in any way, but these was my first impressions about it honestly
Click to expand...
I've used their Firewall Control Cloud edition v.7.5 for the past 8 years. It's a great little supplement to the Windows firewall. HOWEVER: the program cost me $24 back in 2016. I've used it on two computers at once, but the two computers rarely ran concurrently. 3 days ago I received an email from Sphinx-soft informing me that I violated my license. This morning, they connected to my computer remotely and shut down the program. This is the first and only time I've been contacted by Sphinx-soft (Sphincter-soft somehow seems more appropriate. I've never had license issues with any other software vendor). Bear in mind that the license is a one-time payment - no annual subscriptions or renewals.
 
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Windows 11 Firewall Control Plus seems free to use since the release of Version 9
Windows11FirewallControl/v9 is released. Registration is not required

Online registration of previous versions/editions ends in Aug 2025. Please perform free update to Windows11FirewallControl/v9
Click to expand...

: Sphinx Software

Windows11FirewallControl
sphinx-soft.com

Downloads are from GitHub, just look for the download button...
github.com

Windows11FirewallControl/precompiled/english/Windows11FirewallControlPlus-Setup.zip at main · Windows11FirewallControl/Windows11FirewallControl

Simple and exhaustive solution for applications network activity controlling and monitoring. - Windows11FirewallControl/Windows11FirewallControl
github.com github.com
 
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Hello,
some years ago I purchased a license for Windows 10 Firewall Control version 8 (Plus Edition) and I'm using this software continuously since then. A little over a month ago I updated it to Windows 11 Firewall Control version 9 which, as Silversurfer wrote above, is released for free. The UI is pretty identical to version 8 and the official website : Sphinx Software is lacking infos like comparison between Plus and Server Editions, screenshots etc. About the changelog from version 8 to version 9 the developers wrote on GitHub issues page "Windows 11 improved integration, internal optimization, refactoring". In my opinion is a good firewall, maybe a bit underrated. Here it is a features' list on GitHub GitHub - Windows11FirewallControl/Windows11FirewallControl: Simple and exhaustive solution for applications network activity controlling and monitoring.
Windows 11 Firewall Control version 9 is released in 2 languages, English and German, Plus and Server Editions, setup and portable versions, the latter for the Plus Edition only: Windows11FirewallControl/precompiled at main · Windows11FirewallControl/Windows11FirewallControl
Lastly here it is a detailed review of previous version, Windows 10 Firewall Control version 8 (Plus Edition) with some screenshots Windows 10 Firewall Control Review
 
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In my opinion, for security (not privacy... though you might argue they are too interconnected, in which case open source is first) you should trust: large companies > open source > small companies.

Large corporations typically possess substantial resources for security audits, compliance frameworks, and incident response, bolstered by reputational incentives to maintain trust. Open-source software offers transparency, enabling community-driven code review, though its security depends on the project’s maintenance and the expertise of its contributors. Small companies often lack the resources for comprehensive security measures, though exceptions exist.

Just a general idea, it's not going to be true all of the time, but its the safer bet.
 

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