Little Snitch 5 Released for macOS Big Sur With New Design, Improved Network Traffic Monitoring, and More

Austrian developer Objective Development today announced the release of Little Snitch 5, a major new version of its popular network monitoring utility on the Mac. Whenever an app attempts to connect to a server on the internet, Little Snitch shows a connection alert, allowing you to decide whether to allow or deny the connection.

little snitch 5
The headline new feature of Little Snitch 5 is integration of new network filter technologies introduced in macOS Big Sur. Objective Development says the app's underlying engine was rebuilt to replace the previous kernel extension-based approach, which is no longer supported by macOS. The app has also been redesigned for macOS Big Sur.

Little Snitch 5 now captures connection information in the background. The app no longer requires the Network Monitor application to be running in order to collect this information, resulting in reduced memory and CPU consumption. The new monitoring system is now capable of holding traffic information from up to one year ago, versus one hour previously.

System administrators now have the ability to configure settings via a command line interface, making Little Snitch scriptable for the first time. This interface provides both historical and real-time log data of all network connections.

The app has also moved to drag-and-drop installation, meaning that restarting is no longer necessary for installation or updates.

Little Snitch 5 is available now on Objective Development's website for $45 per individual license. Existing customers who purchased Little Snitch 4 after November 1, 2019 can upgrade to Little Snitch 5 for free. Customers who purchased Little Snitch 4 prior to November 1, 2019 are able to purchase Little Snitch 5 for a reduced price of $25.

Little Snitch 5 requires macOS Big Sur. Users still running macOS Catalina or older can still purchase and run Little Snitch 4, which includes a free update to Little Snitch 5, giving users the freedom to choose when to upgrade.

Related Forum: macOS Big Sur

Popular Stories

m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple to Hide Selfie Camera Under Display of 20th Anniversary iPhone

Monday November 10, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple will conceal the front-facing camera under the screen of its 2027 iPhone, a Chinese leaker said today, corroborating reports that Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone will have no visible cutouts in the display. Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station said Apple's development of under-screen camera technology was progressing as planned for adoption in 2027, one year after it will...
iphone air thinness

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information. Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen. Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
Early Black Friday Deals 1

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, and More

Saturday November 8, 2025 6:16 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
Apple fitness plus feature

Future of Apple Fitness+ 'Under Review'

Sunday November 9, 2025 5:30 am PST by
The future of Apple Fitness+ is "under review" amid a reorganization of the service, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple Fitness+ remains one of the company's "weakest digital offerings." The service apparently suffers from high churn and little revenue. Nevertheless, Fitness+ has a small, loyal fanbase that...
homepod mini colors

New HomePod Mini Coming Soon With These Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting. The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Early Black Friday iPhone Deals

Monday November 10, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...

Top Rated Comments

sashavegas Avatar
66 months ago
Little Snitch can't control Apple's apps - so much for the privacy mantra.
https://tidbits.com/2020/10/22/apple-hides-traffic-of-some-its-own-apps-in-big-sur/
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2020/10/22/apple-apps-exempt-from-network-filters-and-vpns/

[MEDIA=twitter]1318465421796782082[/MEDIA]
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Serban55 Avatar
66 months ago
Its nice to see that dev already releasing final ver for the upcoming Big Sur...thats why arm apps will be on the horizon soon
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
madmin Avatar
66 months ago
I ❤️ LittleSnitch

By releasing this early they have you covered the moment you upgrade to Big Sur.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spindel Avatar
66 months ago

Try this exercise: Install Little Snitch. After you have finished allowing or disallowing all of the connections it will find install, or try to install, Spotify. You will be shocked and amazed at all of the connections your computer is making behind your back. I never joined Spotify thanks to Little Snitch. I think it was up to a dozen or more connections that just the installer, or first run of the app, wanted to make before I said enough is enough. It was nuts...just to play music?
Thats because spotify use a torrent like protocol so when you connect to spotify you become a node that helps the network.

Worrying about spotifys connections is a non issue.

*disclaimer* I do not use spotify (or any other music streaming service), but it’s not because of all of its connections but for other reasons.


on topic:
I don’t see the point of this software, but I run diversion on my router and have my own VPN server set up through my home network so I get the blocking and tracking of connections from all my devices.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Charles50 Avatar
66 months ago
Yay, I got the $25 upgrade price, since I only bought it a few months ago.

NOTE: Watch for discounts offered through the developer's twitter account. Occasionally they run offers of 50% off.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shawzborne Avatar
66 months ago

Little Snitch can't control Apple's apps - so much for the privacy mantra.
https://tidbits.com/2020/10/22/apple-hides-traffic-of-some-its-own-apps-in-big-sur/
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2020/10/22/apple-apps-exempt-from-network-filters-and-vpns/

[MEDIA=twitter]1318465421796782082[/MEDIA]
I use radio silence, he has an upcoming version 4 for Big Sur which is in beta.

(Stable) https://radiosilenceapp.com/

(Beta) (Big Sur) https://radiosilenceapp.com/downloads/Radio_Silence_3.0_beta_1.pkg
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)