9 Best Network Security Software for Small Business in 2026, Compared
Compare the 9 best network security software for small business options on price, free plans and firewalls, with every price checked November 7, 2026.
Shamim Mia, Founder, SerpAstraLast verified November 7, 202614 min readWe compare pricing pages, documentation and public reviews. We never accept payment for rankings.
Key takeaways
- Cloudflare Zero Trust is the best starting point for most small businesses at $0 for up to 50 users; Bitdefender follows at $227.49 a year for 10 devices, and NordLayer at $8 per user per month.
- A firewall alone is not network security: pair it with endpoint protection and patching, or the gaps stay open.
- The single most important buying factor is the price model that matches your shape — per-user, per-device or per-year — because the same 10-person team pays $227 a year on one stack and $1,187 on another.
- Introductory prices jump at renewal: McAfee Basic rises from $29.99 to $89.99 a year, and Bitdefender from $227.49 to $324.99 a year.
On this page
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare Zero Trust | Cloud-first small businesses and remote teams that want Zero Trust access without buying hardware | Free; $7/user/mo paid | Yes (free plan) |
| Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security | Small businesses with 1 to 100 devices and no dedicated security staff that want set-and-forget endpoint protection | $227.49/yr | No (30-day trial) |
| NordLayer | Remote and hybrid teams that need business VPN access with threat blocking, without buying hardware | $8/user/mo (annual) | No (14-day guarantee) |
| Untangle NG Firewall | Small offices that want a software firewall on their own hardware, with web filtering and VPN included | $25/mo | Yes (open-source edition) |
| Sophos Firewall XGS | Single offices and branch sites that need inspected traffic at the network edge, with hardware included | Custom quote | No |
| McAfee Total Protection | Owners who want one simple suite per device — antivirus, VPN and password manager in a single install | $29.99/yr | No (trial available) |
| NinjaOne | Small IT teams and MSPs that manage dozens of devices and want patching, monitoring and remote access in one console | Custom quote | No (14-day trial) |
| Site24x7 | Small teams that need to know the moment a website, server or network link goes down | $9/mo | Yes (free plan) |
| ManageEngine Endpoint Central | IT teams that want patching, software deployment and endpoint security from a single console | $795/yr | Yes (free edition) |
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Request a listingThe best network security software for small business
Cloudflare Zero Trust
Best for: Cloud-first small businesses and remote teams that want Zero Trust access without buying hardware
Cloudflare Zero Trust is the cheapest way for a small business to protect remote access. The free plan covers up to 50 users with Zero Trust Network Access, a secure web gateway and DNS filtering, all on Cloudflare's global network, so staff reach internal apps without a VPN concentrator or hardware to buy. Setup is a dashboard job: connect your identity provider, write the access rules, and install the WARP client on each device.
The catch is the 50-user ceiling. Past 50 users, every seat moves to the $7 per user per month plan, and the free plan keeps logs for 24 hours with community support only. CASB, custom data-loss prevention and browser isolation are paid add-ons. Pick Cloudflare when your team is remote or cloud-first and under 50 people; pick NordLayer for a simpler VPN-style setup.
What we like
- Free for up to 50 users with Zero Trust access, a secure web gateway and DNS filtering included
- No hardware to buy or VPN concentrator to run — policies are set in a dashboard
- Runs on Cloudflare's global network, so remote staff get the same protection anywhere
- Pay-as-you-go pricing has no seat minimum and no user cap once you outgrow the free plan
Watch out for
- Free plan stops at 50 users — the 51st user moves every seat to the $7/user/month plan
- Free plan keeps logs for 24 hours only and offers community support, not phone or chat
- Advanced features such as CASB, custom data-loss prevention and browser isolation are paid add-ons or Enterprise only
Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security
Best for: Small businesses with 1 to 100 devices and no dedicated security staff that want set-and-forget endpoint protection
Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security is endpoint protection built for organizations with 1 to 100 devices and no dedicated security staff. One lightweight agent combines anti-malware, ransomware mitigation with file rollback, anti-phishing, fileless attack defense and a built-in firewall, managed from a single cloud console. Install the agent, and the console shows every threat it stopped.
The price to watch is the renewal: $227.49 for 10 devices in year one, then $324.99 at list price — a 43% jump — so budget on the list price, not the promo. Two optional add-ons cost $41.99 each for 10 devices a year. Buy Bitdefender for proven device protection without hiring anyone to run it; buy McAfee for a simpler per-device suite.
What we like
- Built for 1 to 100 devices with no dedicated security staff — one lightweight agent per device
- Anti-malware, ransomware mitigation with tamper-proof file rollback, anti-phishing and a built-in firewall in one agent
- Machine-learning behavioral detection and fileless attack defense included on the entry tier
- One cloud console manages every device, with executive summary reports included
Watch out for
- First-year price jumps at renewal — $227.49 a year becomes $324.99 a year for 10 devices
- Priced per device, so a growing device count raises the bill every year
- Cloud console only — there is no on-premises management option for the Small Business tier
NordLayer
Best for: Remote and hybrid teams that need business VPN access with threat blocking, without buying hardware
NordLayer is a business VPN built for companies rather than consumers. Lite costs $8 per user per month on annual billing and gives a remote team secure internet access with threat prevention, single sign-on and multi-factor authentication — no hardware to buy, no concentrator to maintain. Staff install one app and connect; the admin controls who reaches what from one dashboard.
The limits are the minimums and the upsells. Every plan has a five-user minimum, so a two-person business pays for five seats, and Core and Premium add a dedicated IP server at $40 a month. Network segmentation and site-to-site connections sit on Premium at $14 per user per month. Pick NordLayer when your team is remote and you want VPN access running today; pick Cloudflare when the team is under 50 and free matters more.
What we like
- Business VPN with threat prevention from $8/user/month — no hardware, no concentrator to maintain
- Simple setup: staff install one app and connect, with admin controls in a single dashboard
- Core adds network access control and segmentation for teams that outgrow basic VPN access
- Single sign-on and multi-factor authentication included, so access control is enforced per user
Watch out for
- Lite is the only plan without a dedicated IP requirement — Core and Premium add $40/month for a dedicated IP server
- Five-user minimum on every plan, so a two-person business still pays for five seats
- Threat blocking and network segmentation sit on higher tiers — Lite is mainly secure access
Untangle NG Firewall
Best for: Small offices that want a software firewall on their own hardware, with web filtering and VPN included
Untangle NG Firewall is the budget firewall in this list: a software firewall for hardware you already own. Complete costs $25 a month for up to 12 devices and bundles web filtering, application control, intrusion prevention and VPN — OpenVPN, IPsec and WireGuard. The open-source core edition is free, so a tiny office can start at $0 and pay only for the paid apps.
The trade-off is that you are the hardware vendor: no appliance is included, so you need a spare server to run it on, and support is thinner than Sophos or Fortinet offer. The $25 tier also stops at 12 devices; the next step is $50 a month for 25. Pick Untangle when you have spare hardware and want the cheapest firewall; pick Sophos when you want an appliance and a support number to call.
What we like
- Full next-generation firewall — web filtering, application control, intrusion prevention and VPN — from $25/month
- Runs on your own hardware, so there is no appliance purchase to budget for
- Open-source core edition is free, and the paid Complete edition adds the paid apps
- OpenVPN, IPsec and WireGuard VPN built in, with centralized cloud management
Watch out for
- $25/month covers only 12 devices — larger offices pay $50 a month for 25 devices
- You supply the hardware or a server to run it on; there is no included appliance at this price
- Support is thinner than the big firewall vendors, and Arista's takeover has brought more bugs per user reviews
Sophos Firewall XGS
Best for: Single offices and branch sites that need inspected traffic at the network edge, with hardware included
Sophos Firewall XGS is the hardware firewall in this list, and the highest-rated one on G2 at 4.7 out of 5 from 880 reviews. XGS appliances inspect traffic at the network edge with Xstream deep packet inspection and TLS inspection, deep-learning threat detection and sandboxing, managed from the Sophos Fusion cloud console. Desktop models suit small offices, and synchronized security links the firewall to Sophos endpoints.
The catch is the buying process. Sophos sells through resellers and managed service providers, so there is no published price — you request a quote, and partners set the final figure. Every firewall also needs a support subscription for firmware updates and Fusion management. Pick Sophos when the office needs inspected traffic at the edge and a real appliance; pick Untangle when the budget comes first and you have hardware to spare.
What we like
- Enterprise-grade next-generation firewall hardware with Xstream deep packet inspection and TLS inspection
- Deep-learning threat detection and sandboxing built into the Xstream Protection bundle
- Centralized cloud management through Sophos Fusion, with synchronized security to Sophos endpoints
- Desktop models built for small offices and branch sites, with a hardware-as-a-service option for MSPs
Watch out for
- No published price — hardware plus the Xstream Protection subscription are priced by a partner quote
- Every firewall needs a support subscription for firmware updates and Sophos Fusion management
- Advanced configuration can be complex for an administrator with no firewall experience
McAfee Total Protection
Best for: Owners who want one simple suite per device — antivirus, VPN and password manager in a single install
McAfee Total Protection is the simplest tool in this list: one suite per device bundling antivirus, a built-in VPN, a password manager and identity monitoring. Basic costs $29.99 for the first year for one device, Essential covers 5 devices for $39.99, and Premium covers unlimited devices. Every plan carries a 30-day money-back guarantee with 24/7 chat support.
The price to watch is the renewal, which is steep: Basic renews at $89.99 a year — three times the first-year price — and Essential renews at $119.99. Older guides still quote $39.99 a year for one device; that is now the Essential first-year price for 5 devices, not the entry price. McAfee is a device suite, not a network firewall, so pair it with a firewall or Cloudflare Zero Trust. Pick McAfee when simplicity wins; pick Bitdefender for business-grade endpoint protection.
What we like
- One install covers antivirus, a built-in VPN, a password manager and identity monitoring
- AI-powered scam detection and antivirus in a familiar consumer design that needs no training
- Essential covers 5 devices for $39.99 in the first year, and Premium covers unlimited devices
- 30-day money-back guarantee on every plan, with 24/7 chat support
Watch out for
- First-year price is an intro offer — Basic renews at $89.99 a year, three times the $29.99 first-year price
- Basic covers one device only, so a five-device household needs Essential at $39.99 a year
- A consumer suite, not a business firewall — it protects devices, not the network edge
NinjaOne
Best for: Small IT teams and MSPs that manage dozens of devices and want patching, monitoring and remote access in one console
NinjaOne is the management platform in this list: remote monitoring, automated patching, software deployment and remote access in one console. Patching is the core job — automated across Windows, Mac, Linux and 1,000+ apps — so vulnerabilities close before attackers find them. NinjaOne publishes a per-device range of $1.50 to $3.75 a month by volume; the exact rate comes from a sales quote.
The trade-off is that the price is a range, not a rate card, so budgeting needs a sales conversation. At 50 or fewer endpoints you pay the top of the range, $3.75 per device a month. Backup and mobile device management are separate products, so the full stack costs more than the core platform. Pick NinjaOne when patching and device management are the job; pick Endpoint Central for a published annual price.
What we like
- Automated patching across Windows, Mac, Linux and third-party apps from a single cloud console
- Per-device pricing falls with volume — $3.75/device/month at 50 or fewer endpoints, $1.50 at 10,000
- Remote access, monitoring and software deployment included, with free unlimited support and training
- Highest-rated tool in this list on G2 at 4.7/5 from 5,780 reviews
Watch out for
- No fixed plan price — the exact per-device rate comes from a sales quote, so budgeting needs a conversation
- Per-device pricing grows with every endpoint, so a device-heavy office pays more than a flat-rate tool
- Backup, MDM and other modules are separate products, so the full stack costs more than the RMM alone
Site24x7
Best for: Small teams that need to know the moment a website, server or network link goes down
Site24x7 is the monitoring tool in this list, and it answers a different question: not whether you are attacked, but whether your site or server is still up. Paid plans start at $9 a month for web uptime monitoring, with checks every minute from 130+ locations and alerts by email, SMS and chat. A free plan covers 5 monitors, and every paid plan includes a 30-day free trial.
The limit is scope. Site24x7 watches and alerts — it does not block attacks, filter traffic or patch devices — so it belongs next to a firewall and endpoint protection. The $9 plan covers web uptime only; server, network and application monitoring sit on higher plans. Pick Site24x7 when uptime is the worry and someone is around to act on alerts; pick NinjaOne or Endpoint Central when patching matters more.
What we like
- Website, server, network and cloud monitoring in one console from $9/month
- Checks run every minute from 130+ locations, with instant alerts by email, SMS and chat
- Free plan covers 5 monitors, and every paid plan includes a 30-day free trial
- Part of the ManageEngine and Zoho ecosystem, so it pairs with Endpoint Central in this list
Watch out for
- Monitoring only — it watches and alerts, but it cannot block an attack or patch a device
- The $9 plan covers web uptime; server, network and application monitoring cost more
- Alerting needs someone to act on it — there is no automated remediation on the entry plan
ManageEngine Endpoint Central
Best for: IT teams that want patching, software deployment and endpoint security from a single console
ManageEngine Endpoint Central is the endpoint lifecycle platform in this list: patch management, software deployment and remote troubleshooting, with next-gen antivirus built in. Professional starts at $795 a year for 50 endpoints, and a free edition manages up to 25 — enough for a tiny office at $0. It is the only tool here that also sells perpetual licences, which lowers long-term cost for a stable device count.
The catch is the 50-endpoint floor. A 10-device office pays the full $795 a year — $79.50 per device — so the value only shows once the device count grows toward 50. The console is deep — patching, deployment, device control and vulnerability assessment — and can overwhelm a new administrator. Pick Endpoint Central when you manage 25+ endpoints and want a published annual price; pick NinjaOne for per-device billing.
What we like
- Automated patching across Windows, Mac, Linux and 1,000+ third-party applications
- Next-gen antivirus with AI-driven behavioral detection, plus vulnerability assessment and device control
- Free edition manages up to 25 endpoints, so a tiny office may never pay
- Perpetual licences available alongside annual subscriptions, which lowers long-term cost
Watch out for
- Professional starts at $795 a year for 50 endpoints — a 10-device office pays the full 50-endpoint price
- Enterprise depth needs more skill than a consumer suite; the console can overwhelm a new administrator
- Security add-ons such as next-gen antivirus extras and vulnerability management cost more than the base edition
The best network security software for small business does three jobs at once: it controls who reaches your network, it protects the devices on it, and it closes the holes attackers use to get in. No single tool here does all three, so we ranked the nine tools below by fit for the most common buyer — a small US business with no dedicated security staff — starting with the free options and ending with the management platforms, and every price was checked on the vendor's own pricing page on November 7, 2026.
How to choose the best network security software for small business
- Start with your network shape. A remote team needs Zero Trust access or a business VPN; a single office needs a firewall at the edge; a team with both needs one of each.
- Cover three layers, not one. A firewall or Zero Trust gateway controls traffic, endpoint protection guards devices, and patching closes vulnerabilities. One layer alone leaves gaps.
- Match the price model to your size. Per-user pricing suits remote teams, per-device pricing suits offices with many machines, and per-year pricing suits fixed device counts. The model decides the bill more than the headline price.
- Check the free tier's ceiling. Cloudflare stops at 50 users, Endpoint Central at 25 endpoints and Site24x7 at 5 monitors — know what happens when you cross the line.
- Budget on the renewal price, not the intro price. McAfee Basic triples at renewal and Bitdefender jumps 43%, so the first-year price is not the real price.
Network security is one system in your stack, not the whole stack. If the business also needs to be found online, our guide to antivirus software covers the device side in more depth, and our monthly SEO service handles the visibility side. And before you publish new pages for the services you sell, run your titles through the free SERP snippet preview tool — it shows exactly how the title and description will look in Google.
Whatever you shortlist, try it with real devices before you pay. The free plans and trials in this list are long enough to protect one genuine week — your laptops, your office network, your remote staff — and that week tells you more than any review can. Check two things in the trial: that the console shows every device you own, and that the alerts reach you before a problem does. Every tool here except the two quote-only ones shows its price before you buy, so there is no reason to commit before you have tested it.
Network security software for small business pricing: what you will actually pay
Take a 10-person remote team with 10 laptops. The cheapest real stack is Cloudflare Zero Trust free at $0 plus Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security at $227.49 a year for 10 devices — $227.49 in year one, then $324.99 a year at renewal. Swap Cloudflare for NordLayer Lite and the same team pays $8 per user per month, or $80 a month, which is $960 a year, plus the same $227.49 for Bitdefender — $1,187.49 in year one. The remote-access choice alone moves the bill by $960 a year.
Take a single office with 10 devices instead. Untangle NG Firewall Complete costs $25 a month, or $300 a year, for 12 devices; Bitdefender adds $227.49 a year; Site24x7 adds $9 a month, or $108 a year, for uptime monitoring. That stack is $635.49 a year, and every number in it is a published price. Two of those numbers need adjusting before they are real: Bitdefender renews at $324.99, which lifts the stack to $732.49 in year two, and Untangle's $25 tier stops at 12 devices, so a 13th device means the $50-a-month tier.
The quote-only tools change the shape of the bill. NinjaOne publishes a range of $1.50 to $3.75 per device per month by volume, and at 50 or fewer endpoints you pay the top of the range — 10 devices at $3.75 is $37.50 a month, or $450 a year, before modules such as backup. ManageEngine Endpoint Central Professional is $795 a year for 50 endpoints, so a 10-device office pays the full 50-endpoint price, which works out to $79.50 per device a year. Sophos Firewall XGS has no published price at all: hardware plus the Xstream Protection subscription are priced by a partner quote, so get the quote before you budget anything else.
Know the difference: a firewall, Zero Trust and endpoint protection
The confusion in this category is between three tools that sound alike but guard different things. A firewall sits at the edge of an office network and inspects the traffic coming in and out — Sophos Firewall XGS and Untangle NG Firewall are firewalls. Zero Trust access checks every user and device before it reaches an app, wherever they are — Cloudflare Zero Trust and NordLayer are Zero Trust and VPN tools. Endpoint protection guards each device itself against malware and ransomware — Bitdefender and McAfee are endpoint tools. A business with an office needs the first; a business with remote staff needs the second; every business needs the third.
There is a second, quieter confusion: monitoring is not protection. Site24x7 watches your website, servers and network and tells you the moment something goes down, but it cannot block an attack or patch a device. NinjaOne and ManageEngine Endpoint Central sit in the same gap from the other side: they manage and patch devices, but they are not firewalls either. The honest stack is one tool from each layer — access, endpoint, patching — plus monitoring to watch it all.
A third distinction worth knowing is a suite versus a platform. McAfee Total Protection is a suite: one install, one price, one device covered. NinjaOne and Endpoint Central are platforms: one console, per-device pricing, and modules you add as you grow. Suites suit owners who want to install and forget; platforms suit teams that will manage devices every week. If nobody on your team will open a console weekly, buy the suite, not the platform.
Quick comparison: tool type by need
| Buyer | Best pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Remote team under 50 people | Cloudflare Zero Trust | Free up to 50 users, Zero Trust access with no hardware to buy |
| Small business that wants devices protected | Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security | Set-and-forget endpoint protection, $227.49 a year for 10 devices |
| Remote team that needs a business VPN | NordLayer | Simple VPN access with threat blocking, $8 per user per month |
| Single office on a tight budget | Untangle NG Firewall | Full software firewall on your own hardware, $25 a month |
| Office that needs inspected traffic at the edge | Sophos Firewall XGS | Enterprise-grade hardware firewall, priced by quote |
| Team that wants patching handled | NinjaOne | Automated patching and remote access, $1.50–$3.75 per device a month |
Mistakes to avoid
- Buying one layer and calling it done. A firewall does not patch devices, endpoint protection does not control remote access, and monitoring does not block anything. Budget for at least two layers, or the gap you leave is the one attackers use.
- Budgeting on the intro price. McAfee Basic renews at $89.99 after a $29.99 first year, and Bitdefender renews at $324.99 after $227.49. The renewal price is the real price, so compare tools on that number.
- Ignoring the ceiling on the free plan. Cloudflare stops at 50 users, Endpoint Central at 25 endpoints, Untangle Complete at 12 devices and Site24x7 at 5 monitors. Crossing the line can triple the bill overnight, so price the next tier before you commit to the free one.
- Paying per device when you have few devices. Endpoint Central charges $795 a year for 50 endpoints whether you use 10 or 50. A 10-device office pays $79.50 per device; at that size, per-device billing from NinjaOne is cheaper.
- Forgetting the hardware. Untangle needs a server or box to run on, and Sophos needs an appliance plus a support subscription. A software price with no hardware budget is not a complete budget.
How we chose
We checked each vendor's own pricing page on November 7, 2026 and recorded the starting price exactly as shown, including the annual-billing figure where the page lists one, and we ranked the tools by fit for the most common buyer — a small business with no dedicated security staff — not by brand size. Two prices in this list are not on the vendor's own page: Untangle's $25 a month comes from TrustRadius and PeerSpot user reports, because Arista's Untangle site no longer lists a price, and the $1,037 hardware figure quoted in some guides for Sophos is not used here because Sophos sells only through partner quotes. Bitdefender's $227.49 first-year price is the figure on its own deals page, which renders prices with JavaScript, confirmed by several independent reads of that page. NinjaOne's $1.50–$3.75 range is published on its own pricing page. This list carries no rating for Bitdefender or Untangle because no fresh G2 or Capterra page for them could be verified on November 7, 2026, and we would rather show no rating than a stale one. Cloudflare's 4.6/5 rating comes from its Cloudflare One (SASE) listing on G2, which covers Zero Trust. No vendor paid for a place in this list, and none of the links here are affiliate links.
What to do next
Start with the free tier of your top pick and protect one real week of work through it. Check that the console shows every device you own, that remote staff can reach what they need, and that alerts reach you before a problem does. If the books are sorted but new customers are not finding you, our monthly SEO service handles the visibility side — or compare device protection in our guide to antivirus software. Once your tools are in place, find out what's holding your rankings back.
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Get a free audit→Sources we checked (16)
- Cloudflare Zero Trust pricing — cloudflare.com/plans/zero-trust-services (checked November 7, 2026)
- Bitdefender GravityZone deals — bitdefender.com/en-us/business/deals (checked November 7, 2026)
- NordLayer pricing — nordlayer.com/pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Untangle NG Firewall — untangle.com (checked November 7, 2026)
- Sophos Firewall how to buy — sophos.com/en-gb/products/next-gen-firewall/how-to-buy (checked November 7, 2026)
- McAfee Total Protection — mcafee.com/en-us/antivirus.html (checked November 7, 2026)
- NinjaOne pricing — ninjaone.com/pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Site24x7 pricing — site24x7.com/site24x7-pricing.html (checked November 7, 2026)
- ManageEngine Endpoint Central pricing — manageengine.com/products/desktop-central/pricing.html (checked November 7, 2026)
- Cloudflare One (SASE) on G2 — g2.com/products/cloudflare-one-sase/reviews (checked November 7, 2026)
- NordLayer on G2 — g2.com/products/nordlayer/reviews (checked November 7, 2026)
- Sophos Firewall on G2 — g2.com/products/sophos-firewall/reviews (checked November 7, 2026)
- McAfee Total Protection on Capterra — capterra.com/p/219069/McAfee-Total-Protection/reviews (checked November 7, 2026)
- NinjaOne on G2 — g2.com/products/ninjaone/reviews (checked November 7, 2026)
- Site24x7 on G2 — g2.com/products/site24x7/reviews (checked November 7, 2026)
- ManageEngine Endpoint Central on G2 — g2.com/products/manageengine-endpoint-central/reviews (checked November 7, 2026)
Shamim
Founder of SerpAstra
A full-stack SEO and digital marketer who spends most days on Local SEO for dental practices, AI search visibility and lead generation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best network security software for small business?
Cloudflare Zero Trust is the best fit for most small businesses: free for up to 50 users, with Zero Trust access, a secure web gateway and DNS filtering, and no hardware to buy. Add Bitdefender GravityZone at $227.49 a year for 10 devices for endpoint protection, and you have a complete stack for $227.49 a year.
How much does network security software for a small business cost?
Entry prices run from $0 to $795 a year, plus two quote-only tools. A 10-person remote team can protect itself for $227.49 a year with Cloudflare free plus Bitdefender, or $1,187.49 a year swapping in NordLayer. A 10-device office with Untangle, Bitdefender and Site24x7 pays $635.49 a year.
Is there free network security software for small business?
Yes, with limits. Cloudflare Zero Trust is free for up to 50 users, Untangle has a free open-source firewall edition, ManageEngine Endpoint Central is free up to 25 endpoints, and Site24x7 is free for 5 monitors. Free tiers cover the basics; paid plans add logging, support and advanced controls.
Do I still need a firewall if I use Cloudflare Zero Trust?
For a remote or cloud-first team, usually not — Cloudflare Zero Trust filters traffic and controls access without a box on site. For a single office with local servers, printers and shared drives, a firewall such as Untangle or Sophos still guards the local network, and the two tools cover different ground.
What is the difference between network security software and antivirus?
Antivirus protects one device from malware; network security software protects the traffic and the connections between devices. A firewall or Zero Trust gateway controls who reaches what, endpoint protection guards each device, and patching closes the holes attackers use. A small business needs at least two of the three.
Can a small business manage network security without an IT person?
Yes, if you pick tools built for it. Cloudflare, Bitdefender and McAfee are designed for owners with no security staff, with cloud consoles and defaults that work out of the box. Untangle, Sophos and Endpoint Central need more hands-on skill, so budget for a local IT provider if you choose them.
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