NetGuard vs TrackerControl
Side-by-side comparison of two open source alternatives
NetGuard
NetGuard provides simple and advanced ways to block access to the internet - no root required.Applications and addresses can individually be allowed or denied access to your Wi-Fi and/or mobile connection.Blocking access to the internet can help:reduce your data usagesave your batteryincrease your privacyFeatures:Simple to useNo root required100% open sourceNo calling homeNo tracking or analyticsNo advertisementsActively developed and supportedAndroid 5.1 and later supportedIPv4/IPv6 TCP/UDP supportedTethering supportedOptionally allow when screen onOptionally block when roamingOptionally block system applicationsOptionally notify when an application accesses the internetOptionally record network usage per application per addressMaterial design theme with light and dark themePRO features:Log all outgoing traffic; search and filter access attempts; export PCAP files to analyze trafficAllow/block individual addresses per applicationNew application notifications; configure NetGuard directly from the notificationDisplay network speed graph in a status bar notificationSelect from five additional themes in both light and dark versionThere is no other no-root firewall offering all these features.If you have a question or problem, you can send an e-mail to marcel+netguard@faircode.euIf you like to help people less fluent in English, you can help translate NetGuard in your languageIf you like to test new features, you can participate in the test programAll required permissions are described here
TrackerControl
TrackerControl allows users to monitor and control the widespread, ongoing, hidden data collection in mobile apps about user behaviour ('tracking').To detect tracking, TrackerControl combines the power of the Disconnect blocklist, used by Firefox, and our in-house blocklist is used, created from analysing ~2 000 000 apps! Additionally, TrackerControl supports custom blocklists.This approachreveals the companies behind tracking,allows to block tracking selectively, andexposes the purposes of tracking, such as analytics or advertising.The app also aims to educate about your rights under Data Protection Law, such the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).Under the hood, TrackerControl uses Android's VPN functionality, to analyse apps' network communications locally on the Android device. This is accomplished through a local VPN server, to enable network traffic analysis by TrackerControl.No root is required, other VPNs or Private DNS are not supported. No external VPN server is used, to keep your data safe! TrackerControl even protects you against DNS cloaking, a popular technique to hide trackers in websites and apps.TrackerControl will always be free and open source, being a research project.
| Feature | NetGuard | TrackerControl |
|---|---|---|
| License | GPL-3.0-only | GPL-3.0-only |
| Install sources | F-DroidGitHubIzzyOnDroid | F-DroidGitHubIzzyOnDroid |
| Categories | Password ManagerVPNFirewallDev ToolsBrowser | Password ManagerFirewallDev ToolsBrowser |
| Features | Ad-FreeOpen SourceNo Tracking | Ad-FreeOpen SourceNo Tracking |
| Platforms | Android | Android |
| Website | ||
| Source code |