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Should I use Obdev (Objective Development / Little Snitch)?

Little Snitch — macOS network monitor and application firewall - obdev.at

Depends. Buy Little Snitch if you're a privacy-serious Mac power user who wants per-app network control; it's the category benchmark. Skip it if you want free simplicity or centralized fleet management you won't find here.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 14 public sources; current license price not disclosed in reviewed sources.

Ratings

  • Value for moneyNo current pricing shown in sources
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Little Snitch 6 (full)

Paid per-Mac license; current price not shown in sources

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Little Snitch MiniFree on Mac App Store

Best for

  • Privacy-obsessed Mac users
  • Developers auditing app traffic
  • Security researchers
  • Set-and-forget family license buyers

Not for

  • Casual users — per-connection prompts become noise fast
  • Enterprises needing central management or reporting consoles
  • Windows-only shops — no Windows product at all
  • Linux teams wanting mature tooling — the port is brand-new

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Kernel-level network filter is hard to fully uninstall; expect leftover extensions

medium

Major-version upgrades are paid — order page pushes reduced-price upgrades

medium

Runaway memory reports exist (65GB case); watch Activity Monitor after install

medium

Trustpilot 3.0 suggests mixed customer-service experiences

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Deep per-app macOS firewall: DNS encryption, blocklists, live traffic charts
  • Runs internal security audits and publishes its own CVEs openly
  • Free Little Snitch Mini tier for basic monitoring
  • Family licenses available; long track record selling Mac software since early 2000s
  • Community favorite and comparison benchmark against open-source rivals

Cons

  • Trustpilot averages only 3.0/5
  • User reports of extreme memory use — 65GB RAM on M1 Max
  • Removing its network extensions is painful per user threads
  • Only 3 G2 reviews — little independent enterprise-grade validation
  • macOS-first; Linux version new and unproven

Sources & method

Analyzed 10/02/2026 - 10 sources - Vendor is a CVE Numbering Authority with a security page; historical local flaws disclosed and patched.

official x2review x4security x2news x2
  • CVE-2019-13013, Local vulnerability in Little Snitch, found via vendor's internal audit (2019).
  • Little Snitch 4.3.0–4.3.2 local vulnerability, GHSA advisory covering versions 4.3.0 to 4.3.2, published 2022.
  • CVE-2017-2675, Historic Little Snitch vulnerability affecting older versions; fixed.

Key stats

  • Ease of use: 3/5

    Rating

  • Paid per-Mac license; current price not shown in sources

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money. No current pricing shown in sources
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Uninstall and RAM complaints on Reddit
  • Feature depth: 5/5. DNS encryption, blocklists, traffic charts per v6 notes
  • Support quality: 3/5. Trustpilot averages just 3.0/5
  • Security posture: 4/5. CVE Numbering Authority; publishes own audit findings
  • 3.0/5 Trustpilot rating Average, obdev.at
  • 3 G2 reviews Thin independent validation
  • Yes Free tier Little Snitch Mini, Mac App Store
  • macOS + Linux Platforms Linux version appeared 2026

Pricing

Little Snitch 6 (full)

Paid per-Mac license; current price not shown in sources

  • Per-app firewall and monitor
  • DNS encryption, blocklists, traffic chart
  • Family license option

Little Snitch Mini

Free on Mac App Store

  • Basic traffic monitoring
  • Upgrade path to full app

Security

Vendor is a CVE Numbering Authority with a security page; historical local flaws disclosed and patched.

  • CVE-2019-13013Local vulnerability in Little Snitch, found via vendor's internal audit (2019).⁵
  • Little Snitch 4.3.0–4.3.2 local vulnerabilityGHSA advisory covering versions 4.3.0 to 4.3.2, published 2022.⁶
  • CVE-2017-2675Historic Little Snitch vulnerability affecting older versions; fixed.

What users say

Power users treat it as the Mac firewall benchmark but complain about resource use, uninstall friction, and patchy support.

“Little Snitch using ~65GB RAM on M1 Max — normal?”
Reddit, r/LittleSnitch
“Need help in removing Little Snitch Network Extensions”
Reddit, r/LittleSnitch
“OpenSnitch vs Little Snitch; Any insights?”
Reddit, r/debian
Full analysis

Based on 14 public sources; current license price not disclosed in reviewed sources.

Gold-standard macOS app firewall for privacy nerds; overkill and over-priced for casual users.

Methodology

Based on 14 public sources; current license price not disclosed in reviewed sources.

Sources

  1. Trustpilot reviews of obdev.attrustpilot.com
    review
  2. Little Snitch seller reviews on G2g2.com
    review
  3. Little Snitch 6 release thread (DNS encryption, blocklists)forums.macrumors.com
    news
  4. Little Snitch 65GB RAM reportreddit.com
    review
  5. CVE-2019-13013 — NVDnvd.nist.gov
    security
  6. GHSA-rwrf-wv59-rjfv — Little Snitch 4.3.x advisorygithub.com
    security
  7. Little Snitch order pageobdev.at
    official
  8. Little Snitch Mini — Mac App Storeapps.apple.com
    official
  9. Little Snitch for Linuxlobste.rs
    news
  10. Little Snitch removal help threadreddit.com
    review

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