GlassWire shows which applications on your PC are talking to the internet, where they connect, how much they transfer, and alerts you the first time a new program goes online. It turns network activity into something you can actually look at, rather than a list of ports.
A note on the name: GlassWire Lite was a separate lightweight build released in 2020 that used less memory and wrote far less to disk. The last Lite build came out in September 2022, and there is no Lite version for the current 3.x line — today the vendor offers a single installer with a free tier and a paid Premium tier. The current version is 3.10.1138 (September 2026).
GlassWire at a glance
| Latest version | 3.10.1138, released 2 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Licence | Free tier with limits; Premium adds the rest |
| Windows | 10 and newer, 64-bit and ARM64 only — Windows 7 and 32-bit support was dropped in 2026 |
| Android | A separate GlassWire app exists |
| Not available for | macOS and Linux |
What the free tier gives you
- Live network graph with a breakdown by application, host and traffic type.
- Alerts when a new application connects for the first time — the quickest way to notice something unexpected after an installation.
- Network scanner that lists devices on your network and warns when an unknown one appears.
- Evil Twin and ARP spoofing detection — useful on public or shared networks.
- System file and proxy settings monitoring.
- Per-application resource monitors for processor, memory, disk and graphics.
- VirusTotal lookups for suspicious applications.
What the free tier does not include
These are the limits that decide whether the free version is enough:
- History is 24 hours. Bandwidth usage keeps one day, alert logs keep the current day. You cannot look back at last week.
- No firewall features at all. Click-to-block, Ask-to-Connect, lockdown mode, profiles and bidirectional control are all Premium. This surprises people, because the product is described as a firewall.
- No data export, no internet access monitor, no application information monitor.
- No remote desktop connection detection, no DNS settings monitor, no world map, no extra themes.
- Community support only.
So in practice: the free version is a very good network monitor. If you need to block an application, that is the paid tier — or use a free tool built for blocking, such as SimpleWall.
Download and install
- Click the Download button at the top of this page and unpack the archive.
- Install with administrator rights — GlassWire installs a network driver and a service, which is how it sees traffic.
- Leave it running for a day before drawing conclusions. The first hours are full of alerts simply because every application is new to it.
- Check the “first connection” alerts: an unfamiliar name reaching an unfamiliar host is exactly what this tool is for.
Recent changes
- 3.10.1138 — automatic cleanup of uninstalled applications, filtering of the firewall list, fixes for a network driver memory leak and VPN compatibility.
- 3.9.1102 — moved to 64-bit only, dropped Windows 7 and 32-bit, rebuilt the interface.
- 3.8.1061 — independent firewall profiles and wider VirusTotal scanning.
- 3.8.1030 — per-application monitoring of hardware resources.
Common problems and fixes
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| VPN stops working after installing | Fixed in 3.10.1138 along with a network driver memory leak — update. |
| Memory usage grows over time | Same fix; older 3.x builds leaked in the driver. |
| “Unable to connect” at startup on Windows 10 | Fixed in 3.8.1033. |
| Cannot block an application | Blocking is a Premium feature, not a bug. |
| Will not install on Windows 7 or a 32-bit system | Support was dropped in 2026; the last compatible builds are from the earlier 3.8 line. |
GlassWire vs. alternatives
| Tool | How it compares |
|---|---|
| SimpleWall | Free and open source, blocks outbound traffic by default; no graphs or history |
| NetLimiter | Shareware; its strength is speed limits and quotas rather than visualisation |
| Comodo Firewall | Free with full blocking and sandboxing; heavier and no longer frequently updated |
| Portmaster | Open source, free, combines monitoring, blocking and DNS filtering |
FAQ
Is there still a GlassWire Lite version?
No. Lite was a separate lightweight build; the last one was released in September 2022 and there is no Lite build for the current 3.x line.
Can I block applications with the free version?
No. All firewall functions, including click-to-block and Ask-to-Connect, require Premium.
How far back does the free version remember?
24 hours of network history, and alert logs for the current day only.
Does it work on Windows 7?
Not any more — support for Windows 7 and 32-bit systems was dropped in 2026.
Is GlassWire an antivirus?
No. It monitors network activity and can look applications up on VirusTotal, but it does not scan or remove malware.
Is there a version for macOS or Linux?
No, only Windows and Android.
