I was doing a project for my Network Security class last night and I thought I would share some of the results from my review of different web filter products. Many of us might be in the market for a web filter. The reasons might not just be for content filtering, they can also be used as a highly effective tool for blocking malware transmission and hoax/malicious websites. Each of the products I am about to share can perform theses tasks.

1. OpenDNS by Cisco
OpenDNS takes a DNS approach to web filtering and can be enabled on the client and/or the network router. The home use tier offer three options for products. The first is a set and forget “Family Shield”. The second is a “Home” version that allows some customized filtering and identity theft protection. The third “VIP” option costs $20 a year and has usage stats and other useful settings.

2. K9 Web Protection by Blue Coat
K9 takes a software based approach to web filtering. It’s available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. K9 uses Blue Coat’s unique caching technology, so your Internet experience is always as fast as possible. I have generally found software based solutions slow in the past but K9 seems to do better at this than most others.