Network dashboard vs privacy firewall
GlassWire is one of the most recognisable network monitors for Windows and has a Mac version too. On Mac it shows you real-time bandwidth, historical graphs, and alerts you when new apps access the internet. Free tier is visibility-only — to actually block connections you need a paid subscription. NetMute is built for blocking and privacy first: per-app firewall rules, automatic tracker blocking, privacy score per app, data limits, and network profiles. Both show traffic — only NetMute controls it at the per-app level by default.
Feature differences in detail
GlassWire for Mac focuses on network visualisation — it shows you traffic over time with elegant graphs, historical data, and alerts when a new app accesses the internet. Its strength is the visual, almost forensic view of your Mac's network history. Where it falls short: the actual blocking is tied to a subscription tier, tracker detection is minimal, and there is no privacy scoring. NetMute is built around controlling outgoing connections, blocking 624+ known trackers, and giving each app a privacy score. The visuals are simpler, but the control plane is deeper and comes with no subscription. GlassWire is a network dashboard. NetMute is a privacy firewall.
Price comparison
GlassWire for Mac follows a subscription model. The Basic plan runs roughly $49/year (prices vary by region), with higher tiers going up from there for more features and device coverage. NetMute is a one-time €9.99 purchase from the Mac App Store — no subscription, lifetime updates, family sharing for up to 5 members included. Over a 3-year period GlassWire costs ~$150 vs NetMute's single €9.99. For the core privacy-firewall use case, NetMute is an order of magnitude cheaper.
Which should you choose?
GlassWire's visualisations are beautiful and the alerting is well-executed. If your main goal is a visual history of network activity across Mac and Windows devices, GlassWire earns its subscription. If your main goal is protecting privacy — blocking trackers, controlling which apps can phone home, and seeing a clear privacy score per app — NetMute does that better and at a fraction of the cost. For most Mac users worried about data leaving their machine, NetMute's one-time €9.99 is the obvious pick.