Overview

GlassWire presents current and past network activity in a form that connects usage to software, destinations and traffic types. That makes it a practical choice when a user needs to identify the application behind unexpected bandwidth consumption or investigate a change in network behavior. Alerts for unusual network or application changes can point to activity associated with malware, while notifications about unknown devices joining Wi-Fi add a useful household-network check.

It remains a personal monitoring and firewall product rather than a complete security suite. Its value is clearest for people who want visibility and direct app-level decisions without adopting an enterprise monitoring platform.

Key features

Desktop traffic analysis can be sorted by IP or host, application, traffic type and other categories. These views help narrow a bandwidth spike to a particular program or destination instead of leaving only an overall total. Bandwidth alerts provide an additional way to notice unusual consumption.

Premium adds bidirectional firewall control, custom profiles, Ask to Connect and Lockdown Mode. Together, these controls let users decide whether applications may communicate and change those rules for different situations. They are a meaningful upgrade for anyone who needs prevention as well as observation; free users are limited to the monitoring side.

History is the major free-tier constraint. Free accounts retain 24 hours of network history, one day of bandwidth-usage history and alert logs for the current day. Premium removes those limits with unlimited network history, bandwidth history and alert logs, making it far more suitable for reviewing an incident after it happened or comparing usage over time.

The Android app graphs data use by application, alerts when apps access the network, and can block connections over mobile or Wi-Fi. GlassWire says Android app and data-usage information stays on the phone and that the app itself uses no data. That makes the mobile edition relevant to users managing cellular quotas or unwanted app connections, not just desktop traffic.

Pricing

GlassWire uses a freemium model. The Free plan is free forever, and includes the short history windows described above plus community support. It suits occasional checks and users who mainly need to see what is happening now.

The Personal Plan costs 2.99 USD per month, billed annually. It supports up to 20 licenses and includes unlimited bandwidth usage, unlimited network history and unlimited alert logs, along with premium firewall controls and dedicated support. The annual billing term and license ceiling matter for households or small groups; users wanting only occasional visibility may find the free plan sufficient, while anyone needing durable records or tighter connection control has a clear reason to upgrade.

Platforms

GlassWire is offered on Windows, Android and the web. The desktop download requires Windows 10 or later and supports both x64 and ARM64 architectures, so older Windows installations are not covered. GlassWire also publishes recent download hash values on its changelog so users can verify that a downloaded file was not corrupted or tampered with. Its bug bounty program is hosted on HackerOne.

Who it's for

Choose GlassWire if you are an individual or small group that needs app-level bandwidth visibility, Wi-Fi device alerts and optional firewall enforcement in one product. It is especially well matched to Windows users troubleshooting unexplained traffic and Android users watching application data use.

It is less suitable when you need long-term records without paying, broad infrastructure monitoring, or a platform built primarily for large managed networks. The free history limits make delayed investigation difficult, and the desktop requirement excludes unsupported Windows versions.

Pros and cons

Pros

Traffic can be traced by application, IP or host and traffic type, which is more actionable than a single usage total.
Alerts cover unusual app or network changes and unknown Wi-Fi devices, giving users specific events to investigate.
Premium combines bidirectional firewall control with profiles, Ask to Connect and Lockdown Mode.
The Android app can block connections on mobile or Wi-Fi, while GlassWire says its usage information remains on the phone.
The Personal Plan allows up to 20 licenses and removes history and alert-log limits.

Cons

Free history lasts only 24 hours for network activity, one day for bandwidth usage and the current day for alerts, limiting retrospective troubleshooting.
Premium is billed annually at 2.99 USD per month, so the displayed monthly price requires an annual commitment.
Desktop support starts at Windows 10, leaving earlier Windows systems out.
Monitoring and firewall features are aimed at personal use rather than comprehensive enterprise network operations.

Alternatives

For a rule-focused bandwidth tool across Linux, macOS and Windows, SoftPerfect Bandwidth Manager offers a free Lite plan with five rules or streams, usage reports and penalties for heavy transfers; its Standard single-device plan costs 49.00 USD.

Nagios XI is the better direction for API, Linux, self-hosted or web monitoring, with a free plan capped at seven nodes or 100 services and a 2595.00 USD Standard plan.

ElastiFlow fits flow-oriented deployments, offering a free Basic plan for up to 4,000 records per second, 25 SNMP devices, 40-plus dashboards and 120-plus ML detections.

ntopng is an open-source option for home and network practitioners, with a suggested maximum of 256 live local hosts on its Community plan.

sFlowTrend is designed for traffic monitoring on high-speed switched networks.

FlowViewer is free software for Linux and web use that requires a Unix server; custom support is 75.00 USD per hour with a four-hour minimum.

Intermapper uses device-based licensing with subscription or perpetual options and custom quotes.

ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer suits interface-focused deployments, with a free edition for two interfaces and paid editions starting at 172.00 USD per month for 10 interfaces.

For broader comparisons, see Bandwidth Monitoring Software and Network Monitoring.

Verdict

GlassWire is a strong fit for Windows and Android users who want readable, app-specific traffic insight plus the option to block connections. Choose the Personal Plan when unlimited history, alert records and bidirectional firewall controls matter; choose the free tier for short, immediate checks. Look elsewhere for enterprise-scale infrastructure monitoring or if a free plan must retain activity for longer than a day.

	Big Sister	GlassWire
Free plan		Yes
Paid from		$2.99/mo
Platforms	Linux, Web, Windows	Android, Web, Windows
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Synthetic checks	Yes
Traffic monitoring	Yes
Topology maps	No
Alert channels	email
Deployment	self_hosted
Paid from		2.99 /mo
Application monitoring		Yes
Historical data retention		unlimited
Bandwidth alerts		Yes

Big Sister vs GlassWire

Big Sister

GlassWire