Is Zonealarm Pro really the best firewall out there?

[ch91woo]

I've been searching for a good firewall lately, regardless of their prices. I've looked through Zonealarm Pro, comodo firewall, outpost, etc. But I still couldn't decide yet. I've tried zonealarm and comodo, but I can't tell which one is better. Plus, both firewalls sometimes take up 50% CPU... what the heck?? Can you tell me which one is the best?

[LadyGrey]

Hi ch,
I"ve used ZA and I've noticed that it does take alot of CPU power, but I've not noticed Comodo doing it? Only time I ever noticed a slow down was with ZA. I have a older system so maybe Comodo gets along better with it. Seems to do just as good a job if not better than ZA.
LG;)

[Budfred]

I use Kerio and prefer it... However, I would use almost any other than ZoneAlarm... If you do not have one installed already, you are at risk... Even if you remove it later, install one to protect you until you decide...

[PrntRhd]

I agree with Budfred on this one.

I personally never need more than monitoring the connection with the Kerio/Sygate/ZoneAlarm free versions since the hardware firewall in my router is doing the heavy lifting. The personal firewall does help security when I travel with the laptop.
I switched from ZA free to Kerio 2.1.5 and I found the Kerio allowed 10% increase in my download speeds.
:)