LuLu

Name: LuLu
Author: Objective-See（Patrick Wardle）

v4.5.6·Security & Privacy

About LuLu

LuLu is a free, open-source firewall for macOS from Objective-See, published under the GPL-3.0 license. Almost every app talks to the network, and so does malware. LuLu watches outgoing connections and, when an unknown program tries to connect, shows an alert with the process, its destination, code-signing details and process ancestry, plus a VirusTotal lookup, so you can allow or block it.

Decisions become rules that can apply to the whole program or a single endpoint, permanently, for the process lifetime or until a set time. Rules can be edited, imported and exported, and modes such as Passive, Block and No Icon, along with allow and block lists, tune its behaviour. It is built on Apple's Network Extension framework and supports macOS 10.15 and later.

Key features

Alerts on new outgoing connections with allow or block choices
Process, destination, code-signing and ancestry details
One-click VirusTotal lookup
Per-process or per-endpoint rules with expiry options
Rules window with import and export
Passive, Block and No Icon modes
Allow lists and block lists

Download via Quark Drive

Quark Drive link coming soon

We’re still preparing the Quark Drive share for this app. It will appear here once it’s ready. Tap “Request” to bump it up.

How to install

“App is damaged and can’t be opened”

Move the app into Applications, open Terminal, run this line, then open the app again:

xattr -cr "/Applications/LuLu.app"

“Developer cannot be verified”

In Finder → Applications, Control-click the app, choose Open, then Open again. On macOS 15 or later: System Settings → Privacy & Security, then “Open Anyway” at the bottom.

Apple silicon or Intel?

Apple menu → About This Mac. If the chip says Apple M, pick the Apple silicon build; Universal works on both.

Check the file

Run this in Terminal and compare the result with the SHA256 listed for the cloud file:

shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/file-name

Alternatives

Changelog

v4.5.6Current2026-10-30

Release notes

🆕 You can now sponsor **LuLu**/**Objective-See Foundation**: [](https://github.com/sponsors/objective-see) ## LuLu v4.5.6 ☑️ More robust upgrades (#926, #912, #939) Each version of LuLu's extension now registers its own (versioned) XPC service, so a new extension can never collide with a lingering old one (Apple feedback FB17032197). Upgrading from any older version, even one whose extension is stuck, now connects on the first try with no re-approval. ☑️ Fixed LuLu silently losing contact with its extension (#945) If the extension was restarted or replaced while LuLu was running, LuLu never reconnected, so alerts were no longer shown (and such connections were allowed). LuLu now reconnects automatically. ☑️ Fixed command-line install/upgrade hanging (#915) `LuLu.app/Contents/MacOS/LuLu -install` / `-upgrade` always timed out, as the command-line path never ran the system callbacks it was waiting for. Affects scripted installs (e.g. nix); the Homebrew cask was not affected. ☑️ Fixed edits to the Allow List not being saved (#946, thanks @Litigator5022) ☑️ Fixed the About window's layout on macOS 26 (Liquid Glass) ☑️ Manual update checks now show the available version, and the extension's "filter started" log line no longer reports a (null) error. 🔐 Disk Image Hash (SHA256): LuLu_4.5.6.dmg: `805519C0E6132E3F9449E939A8D33C564536F7E3D0A185A1F78E17A805E8DE8A`

Official changelog

FAQ

How do I download LuLu?

The Quark Drive share for LuLu is being prepared and will appear in the download section of this page.

Is LuLu free?

LuLu license: GPL-3.0. appwl only lists official builds and charges nothing for downloads.

Which systems does LuLu support?

This page offers LuLu for macOS, version 4.5.6.

Is LuLu from appwl safe?

appwl only lists official releases with their version and date. You can verify the SHA256 using the install tips on this page.