# ZoneAlarm review (2026): is it worth it? > Firewall, antivirus and anti-ransomware for home PCs and phones Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. ZoneAlarm is a home security line from Check Point Software Technologies. It includes free firewall and antivirus downloads, paid Pro Antivirus + Firewall and Extreme Security NextGen suites, a separate Anti-Ransomware product and a mobile security app. Prices could not be read from the site during this check. - **Category:** Antivirus & Malware Protection - **Made by:** Check Point Software Technologies - **Website:** https://www.zonealarm.com - **Runs on:** Windows, macOS, Android, iOS - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want to compare prices first, as none could be read. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing ZoneAlarm's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site. ## Key features - **Two-way firewall:** Blocks inbound attacks and outbound connections from a PC; a free firewall edition is offered. - **Real-time antivirus:** Scans against a cloud database of signatures for viruses, spyware, Trojans and worms. - **Anti-phishing:** Checks fields that ask for personal details before they are filled in. - **Anti-ransomware:** Uses Check Point technology to detect ransomware and restore files; also sold as a separate product. - **Threat emulation:** Inspects documents and email attachments in a cloud sandbox. Listed for Extreme Security. ## Good for - People who want a free PC firewall or antivirus to start with - Households that want one suite across Windows, macOS, Android and iOS ## Worth knowing - Plan prices are not recorded: the product and pricing pages answered with a bot check, so nothing could be read. - The home page lists Extreme Security NextGen for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS; the other products list fewer platforms. - Threat emulation and the mobile protections are listed only for Extreme Security. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. ZoneAlarm offers a free antivirus and a free firewall for PCs, with paid suites above them. No plan price could be read, and the threat emulation and mobile protection are only on the top suite. - **Value for money: C.** No plan prices are recorded, so it sits in the middle of antivirus where no price is published. - **Free plan and trial: B.** Free Antivirus and Free Firewall downloads are offered for PCs, with no time limit. One person could live on them. - **Features: C.** Two-way firewall, antivirus, anti-phishing and anti-ransomware, but threat emulation and the mobile protections are listed only for Extreme Security NextGen. - **Ease of use: B.** No store rating on record. It is installed software with nothing to configure to start. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Extreme Security NextGen lists Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. The other products list fewer platforms. No integrations listed. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from ZoneAlarm's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among antivirus apps - ZoneAlarm's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 13 of the 25 other antivirus apps we grade, and level with 5. - It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 18 of 25) and worst on features (C, above 1). The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/antivirus ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace ZoneAlarm you would be making an engine that recognises new malware as it appears. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. - You could not: An engine that recognises new malware as it appears. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other. - You could not: AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Malware protection, AI features ## Alternatives - [Avast](https://toolgpa.com/tools/avast): Free antivirus for PC, Mac and phones, with paid Premium and Ultimate. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/avast-vs-zonealarm) - [AVG](https://toolgpa.com/tools/avg): Free antivirus for Windows, with paid Internet Security and Ultimate. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/avg-vs-zonealarm) - [Avira](https://toolgpa.com/tools/avira): Free antivirus suite with a VPN, PC cleaner and password manager. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/avira-vs-zonealarm) - [Bitdefender](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bitdefender): Antivirus suites for computers and phones, with a free Windows tier. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bitdefender-vs-zonealarm) - [Malwarebytes](https://toolgpa.com/tools/malwarebytes): Malware scanner and real-time protection, with VPN and ID plans. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/malwarebytes-vs-zonealarm) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://www.zonealarm.com Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/zonealarm Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).