Coming from Karma Firewall
NetCage can’t be installed today. It has no store listing and no public download, so this page ends without an install step. It covers how the two apps differ and which pages here to read first.
How does Karma Firewall differ from NetCage?
Both are about picking apps, with no IP or port rules to learn. Karma Firewall stops there. NetCage adds Wi-Fi and mobile rules, schedules, profiles and Cage Packs, and it has optional online features for accounts, backup and support, so it’s a bigger app with more to look at.
Android allows one VPN at a time. If Karma Firewall holds that slot on your phone, NetCage can’t hold it as well.
Choose Karma Firewall if you want a tiny open-source app from F-Droid that holds no internet permission of its own.
Choose NetCage if you want Wi-Fi and mobile rules, schedules, shareable Cage Packs and a foreground service that keeps the cage up after a reboot.
What should I read first?
NetCage imports nothing from Karma Firewall, so there’s no settings file to bring across. You’d choose your apps again.
- Caging apps: the same idea you already know.
- Profiles: grouping apps under one name.
- Account and sync: what NetCage itself can connect for.
What does each one state?
Checked 7 November 2026. The Karma Firewall column comes from the linked pages, and NetCage’s from its code.
| Feature | Karma Firewall | NetCage |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks one chosen app’s internet | Yes (f-droid.org (opens in a new tab)) | Yes |
| Keeps blocking while the app is in the background | Not stated on the pages we checked | Yes |
| Needs no root | Not stated on the pages we checked | Yes |
| Open source | Yes (f-droid.org (opens in a new tab)) | No |
| Shows ads | Not stated on the pages we checked | Partly. Promotions for the developer’s own apps only, no ad network |
| In-app purchases | Not stated on the pages we checked | No |
What does Karma Firewall cost?
| Plan | Price | As stated | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Free | Free download from F-Droid, GitHub releases or the developer’s site; the developer accepts a voluntary coffee donation | f-droid.org (opens in a new tab) | 7 November 2026 |
NetCage publishes no price.