The main limitation of GlassWire’s free plan is that it monitors connections rather than controlling them: blocking apps, using longer history, and most security alerts require a paid subscription. Its records are also limited to the last 24 hours or the current day, so it is not suited to keeping a long-term connection log without upgrading.
Within those limits, GlassWire provides a graphical view of current network activity, organized by application, host, and traffic type. This makes it possible to check which programs are sending or receiving data and to compare their activity with overall connection use. When an application connects to the internet for the first time, an alert can help draw attention to it.
For reviewing recent activity, the Network Time Machine lets you scroll through the available history and see what was connecting at a particular moment; GlassWire keeps this feature within the free plan’s 24-hour window. Network history, bandwidth usage, and alert logs all follow that same short retention period, so users should check activity promptly when investigating an unexpected connection.
Monitoring beyond network traffic
The free plan also includes CPU, memory, GPU, and disk monitors, allowing hardware activity to be viewed alongside network traffic. This can help provide context when checking whether a period of heavy data use coincides with other system activity, without turning the program into a general performance diagnostic tool.
A built-in network scanner lists devices connected to the local network. It offers a way to review which devices appear on that network, while the live graphs and application breakdown focus on traffic generated by the Windows computer. The free plan supports a connection to one remote GlassWire instance.
Controls and plan boundaries
Firewall capabilities are reserved for the Personal plan or higher. These paid features include click-to-block controls, Ask to Connect, Lockdown mode, and firewall profiles. Evil twin and ARP spoofing detection also require a paid plan, so the free version should be treated as a visibility tool rather than a way to prevent an application from going online.
GlassWire is freeware with a free plan and paid Personal and higher plans. Basic network monitoring has no time limit, but paid subscriptions are needed for the features and extended history that exceed the free plan. During installation, the program starts in the system tray and begins recording traffic; alerts that are too frequent can be turned off in Settings.
Windows support and practical use
The Windows version supports Windows 10 and Windows 11 on x64 and ARM64 systems. The installer is about 120 MB, which is worth accounting for when planning an installation or working with limited storage. A separate Android app is also available, but the Windows program’s monitoring and plan details described here apply to its Windows use.
GlassWire is most useful when the immediate question is which programs are using the connection and how much traffic they generate. Its graphs, first-connection alerts, hardware monitors, and local network scanner provide several views of current activity, while the short history and lack of free firewall blocking define what it can do without a subscription.
