GlassWire vs OrbStack

Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.

Heads up: GlassWire and OrbStack are in different categories and aren't listed as alternatives — this comparison may not be meaningful.

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GlassWireNetwork monitor with a built-in firewall, bandwidth alerts, and threat detection.

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OrbStackA fast, lightweight Docker and Linux VM app for Mac that replaces Docker Desktop.

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Overview

Description

GlassWire is a network monitoring and personal firewall application for Windows and Android that visualizes current and past network activity to help users spot malware, bandwidth hogs, and unfamiliar devices on their network. Its firewall includes an ask-to-connect mode that lets users approve or deny individual apps' network access, alongside a network time machine for reviewing historical connections. GlassWire also tracks data usage across devices and can alert users before they exceed set data limits, while its network scanner flags new or unknown devices joining a WiFi network. Over 53 million downloads have been recorded for the Windows and Android apps combined.

OrbStack is a macOS app for running Docker containers and Linux virtual machines, positioned as a faster, lighter alternative to Docker Desktop. It is built as a native Swift application with menu bar integration, and the vendor reports significantly faster startup and lower idle resource usage (under 0.1% CPU and under 10MB disk) compared to Docker Desktop. The app supports 16 Linux distributions, Kubernetes, Rosetta x86 emulation on Apple Silicon, local domain names for containers, SSH agent forwarding, remote VS Code editing, USB passthrough, and isolated sandboxes. OrbStack is free for personal, non-commercial use, with a paid Pro tier required for business use and a custom Enterprise tier for larger organizations.

Pricing

Freemium