How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Cloudflare Zero Trust is the best starting point for cloud-first small businesses, free up to 50 users with paid plans from $7 per user per month in guides.
- Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security suits 1 to 100 devices with no dedicated security staff, from $227.49 per year for 10 devices in guides.
- Small business network security is built for fast deployment, low maintenance, and no dedicated security staff, unlike enterprise suites.
- A firewall alone is not enough: combine it with endpoint protection, patching, and DNS filtering for real coverage.
- Prices here come from 2026 guides and vendor pages, and they vary by device count, plan, and promo period, so confirm the checkout price before buying.
Quick comparison
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The best network security software for small business
#1Cloudflare Zero Trust
Best for: Cloud-first small business4.6/5 on
G2 (104 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit cloudflare.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Cloudflare Zero Trust suits cloud-first businesses wanting Zero Trust access without hardware, with ZTNA, a secure web gateway, and DNS filtering across a 300-plus city edge network. Its free tier covers up to 50 users in guides, which lets a small business protect remote access and web traffic before spending anything.
Paid plans start at $7 per user per month beyond 50 users in guides, and advanced policies need paid tiers. For cloud-first small businesses that want Zero Trust without buying hardware, Cloudflare Zero Trust is the best starting point.
What we like- Free up to 50 users in guides
- Zero Trust access without hardware
- ZTNA, secure web gateway, and DNS filtering across a 300-plus city edge network
Watch out for- Paid plans from $7 per user per month beyond 50 users in guides
- Cloud-first design suits online teams more than legacy on-premise networks
- Advanced policies need paid tiers
Starting price$227.49 per year
Free planTrial
Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security is the endpoint protection product designed specifically for organizations with 1 to 100 devices and no dedicated cybersecurity staff, combining anti-malware, ransomware mitigation with tamper-proof file rollback, anti-phishing, fileless attack defense, advanced anti-exploit, web threat protection, and a built-in firewall into a single lightweight agent managed through one cloud console.
Its prevention engine achieved 100 percent detection of attack steps in MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK Evaluations three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023 in guides, and it received the AV-TEST 2024 Award for Best Protection in the business users category. Pricing starts at $227.49 per year for 10 devices on a 1-year subscription in guides, with two optional add-ons at $41.99 each for 10 devices per year. For set-and-forget endpoint protection, Bitdefender is the best pick.
What we like- Built for 1 to 100 devices with no dedicated security staff
- Anti-malware, ransomware mitigation with tamper-proof file rollback, anti-phishing, and a built-in firewall in one agent
- Independently validated protection in MITRE and AV-TEST evaluations in guides
Watch out for- $227.49 per year for 10 devices on a 1-year subscription, currently 30 percent off a $324.99 list price in guides
- Optional add-ons $41.99 each for 10 devices per year
- Cloud console only
Starting price$25 per month
Free planTrial
Untangle NG Firewall suits small businesses wanting budget-friendly software-based firewall protection, with web filtering, application control, VPN through OpenVPN, intrusion prevention, and centralized management in one software package. It avoids the hardware purchase that next-gen firewall appliances require, which keeps entry costs low.
Pricing starts from $25 per month in guides, and the software needs a server or appliance to run on. For budget firewall protection without hardware, Untangle NG Firewall is the best pick.
What we like- Budget-friendly software-based firewall protection
- Web filtering, application control, VPN with OpenVPN, intrusion prevention, and centralized management
- No hardware purchase required
Watch out for- From $25 per month in guides
- Software firewall needs a server or appliance to run on
- Smaller brand than Sophos or Cisco
Starting price$1,037 hardware
Free planNo
Sophos Firewall XGS suits businesses wanting enterprise-grade next-gen firewall hardware, with Xstream deep packet inspection, TLS inspection, sandboxing, and centralized cloud management. Its hardware approach suits offices with on-premise networks, branch offices, and compliance needs that demand inspection at the network edge.
Hardware starts from $1,037 for the XGS 108 plus a custom subscription in guides, so total cost exceeds software-only budgets. For offices that need inspected traffic at the edge, Sophos Firewall XGS is the best pick.
What we like- Enterprise-grade next-gen firewall hardware
- Xstream deep packet inspection, TLS inspection, sandboxing, and centralized cloud management
- Strong for offices with on-premise networks
Watch out for- Hardware from $1,037 for the XGS 108 plus a custom subscription in guides
- Subscription costs vary and must be quoted
- Hardware plus subscription exceeds software-only budgets
#5McAfee Total Protection
Best for: Simple all-in-one suite4.3/5 on
Capterra (78 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit mcafee.com
Starting price$39.99 per year
Free planTrial
McAfee Total Protection suits small businesses wanting a simple all-in-one device security suite, combining antivirus, a built-in VPN, a password manager, identity theft protection, and a firewall in one package. Its familiar consumer design suits owners who want one suite per device without learning enterprise tools.
Pricing starts from $39.99 per year for 1 device as an intro price in guides, and it rises on renewal, so confirm the renewal figure. It is a device suite, not a business network firewall, so pair it with a firewall or Cloudflare Zero Trust for network coverage. For simple all-in-one device security, McAfee is the best pick.
What we like- Simple all-in-one device security suite
- Antivirus, built-in VPN, password manager, identity theft protection, and firewall in one package
- From $39.99 per year for 1 device as an intro price in guides
Watch out for- Intro price rises on renewal in guides
- Consumer-grade suite, not a business network firewall
- Per-device pricing grows with device counts
#6NinjaOne
Best for: Per-device management4.7/5 on
G2 (5,037 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit ninjaone.com
Starting price$1.50 per endpoint per month
Free planTrial
NinjaOne suits businesses wanting per-device pricing that scales with growth, offering remote monitoring, automated patch management, endpoint security integration, and mobile device management in one platform. Its per-device model suits small IT teams and managed service providers managing client devices remotely.
Pricing runs $1.50 to $3.75 per endpoint per month in guides, so costs grow with device counts, and it is a management platform rather than a firewall itself, so it needs endpoint security integration for full protection. For per-device management with patching, NinjaOne is the best pick.
What we like- Per-device pricing that scales with growth
- Remote monitoring, automated patch management, endpoint security integration, and mobile device management
- Suits small IT teams managing many devices
Watch out for- $1.50 to $3.75 per endpoint per month in guides, so costs grow with device counts
- Management platform, not a firewall itself
- Needs endpoint security integration for full protection
#7Site24x7
Best for: Network monitoring4.6/5 on
G2 (477 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit site24x7.com
Starting price$9 per month
Free planTrial
Site24x7 suits small teams needing all-in-one uptime and infrastructure visibility, with website, server, and network monitoring, cloud and app performance tracking, and instant downtime alerts. Its monitoring catches outages and slowdowns before customers complain, which matters for small businesses with no dedicated network team.
Pricing starts from $9 per month in guides, and it is a monitoring tool, not a firewall or endpoint suite, so alerts need someone to act on them. For network monitoring and uptime visibility, Site24x7 is the best pick.
What we like- All-in-one uptime and infrastructure visibility
- Website, server, and network monitoring with cloud and app performance tracking
- Instant downtime alerts
- From $9 per month in guides
Watch out for- Monitoring tool, not a firewall or endpoint suite
- Alerts need someone to act on them
- Pricing varies by monitors and features
#8ManageEngine Endpoint Central
Best for: Endpoint lifecycle4.5/5 on
G2 (1,149 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit manageengine.com
Starting price$795 one-time
Free planTrial
ManageEngine Endpoint Central suits IT teams that want complete control over enterprise endpoints from a single console, combining advanced endpoint protection with comprehensive management across the entire endpoint lifecycle. Its automated patching across Windows, Mac, Linux, and 1,000-plus third-party applications ensures vulnerabilities are mitigated before attackers can exploit them.
Its next-gen antivirus feature, powered by AI-driven behavioral detection, provides round-the-clock protection against ransomware, malware, and zero-day threats, beside vulnerability assessment, device control, data loss prevention, application control, endpoint privilege management, and encryption with FileVault and BitLocker. Pricing starts at $795 one-time in guides. For endpoint lifecycle management with deep security controls, Endpoint Central is the best pick.
What we like- Security-first endpoint lifecycle management from a single console
- Automated patching across Windows, Mac, Linux, and 1,000-plus third-party applications
- Next-gen antivirus with AI-driven behavioral detection, vulnerability assessment, device control, and data loss prevention
Watch out for- $795 one-time starting price in guides
- Enterprise depth needs more skill than consumer suites
- One-time price varies by edition and device count
How we chose
We started from what small business network security must do well: deploy fast, maintain with little effort, and protect without a dedicated security staff. We compared vendor pages and current 2026 guides, and we favored tools with clear pricing, small-business editions, and honest limits. We left out enterprise-only suites with no small-business pricing, tools with no verifiable small-business edition, and monitoring-only tools that claim firewall protection. Prices here come from 2026 guides and vendor pages, and they vary by device count, plan, and promo period, so confirm the checkout price before buying. A firewall alone is not enough: combine it with endpoint protection, patching, and DNS filtering for real coverage.
How to pick network security software for small business
Start with your network shape, not the vendor brand. A cloud-first remote team, a single office, and a multi-site business each need a different combination, and the wrong shape wastes money on hardware or leaves gaps.
Cover the three layers
Combine a firewall or Zero Trust gateway for network traffic, endpoint protection for devices, and patching plus monitoring for upkeep. Cloudflare Zero Trust covers remote access and web traffic, Bitdefender or McAfee covers devices, and NinjaOne or Endpoint Central covers patching, while Site24x7 watches uptime.
Match the price model to your growth
Per-device pricing from NinjaOne scales with headcount, per-year suites from Bitdefender and McAfee suit fixed device counts, and free-to-50-users Cloudflare suits startups that may grow. Watch renewal jumps: intro prices such as McAfee $39.99 per year rise on renewal, while Bitdefender multi-year subscriptions reduce per-device cost.
Test deployment before you commit
Use free trials to test deployment on your actual devices and network, since a tool that deploys cleanly on one laptop may struggle on legacy systems. Check that agents run quietly, updates do not break work, and alerts reach someone who acts on them, since unmonitored alerts protect nobody.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best network security software for small business?
Cloudflare Zero Trust for cloud-first teams free up to 50 users, Bitdefender GravityZone for endpoint protection without security staff, Sophos Firewall XGS for office hardware firewalls, and NinjaOne for per-device patching and management.
Do small businesses need a firewall?
Yes. A firewall or Zero Trust gateway controls what enters and leaves your network, blocks malicious traffic, and filters web access, and it pairs with endpoint protection on devices for real coverage.
How much does small business network security cost?
Cloudflare Zero Trust is free up to 50 users, Site24x7 starts near $9 per month, Untangle near $25 per month, McAfee near $39.99 per year intro, Bitdefender near $227.49 per year for 10 devices, and Sophos hardware from $1,037 plus subscription, all in guides.
Is endpoint protection enough without a firewall?
No. Endpoint protection defends individual devices, while a firewall or Zero Trust gateway defends the network itself, filters traffic, and controls remote access. Combine both layers, plus patching and monitoring, for real coverage.
What is Zero Trust access?
Zero Trust access verifies every user and device before granting access to an application, rather than trusting anyone inside the network perimeter. Cloudflare Zero Trust delivers it without hardware, which suits cloud-first and remote small businesses.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.cloudflare.com
- https://www.bitdefender.com
- https://www.untangle.com
- https://www.sophos.com
- https://www.mcafee.com
- https://www.ninjaone.com
- https://www.site24x7.com
- https://www.manageengine.com
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.
Bitdefender GravityZone Small Business Security
Untangle NG Firewall
Sophos Firewall XGS