Top Application Control Software and Tools
for IT Teams and MSPs

Application control is the practice of deciding, in advance, exactly which applications, scripts, and executables are permitted to run on an endpoint, then enforcing that decision automatically. Instead of reacting to a threat after it launches, application control stops unapproved code before it ever executes. That shift from detection to enforcement is why NIST, CIS, and most Zero Trust frameworks treat it as a foundational endpoint control.

For CISOs and IT security administrators, application control does three things at once: it closes the door on ransomware and zero-day payloads that rely on running an unrecognized executable, it gives IT teams a documented way to manage prohibited software and shadow IT across hybrid and remote fleets, and it gives MSPs a consistent, auditable policy they can apply across every client environment.

This guide breaks down how allowlisting and blocklisting work, how modern tools avoid disrupting productivity, and how seven leading application control platforms compare on enforcement model, licensing, and management overhead. It's part of our broader Application Control hub, where you'll find the full breakdown of Zecurit's allowlisting, blocklisting, and enforcement capabilities.

What is Application Control?

Application control (also called application whitelisting in older frameworks) is defined by NIST SP 800-167, Guide to Application Whitelisting, as the use of a list of applications and application components authorized for use in an organization, enforced by technology that only permits listed items to execute on a host. NIST frames this as a direct countermeasure against malware execution, unlicensed software, and other unauthorized code.

The CIS Critical Security Controls reinforce the same principle under Control 2 (Inventory and Control of Software Assets), which calls for allowlisting authorized software so only approved applications execute and everything else is blocked by default. In practice, application control sits at the intersection of endpoint security and IT asset management: you cannot enforce a reliable allowlist without an accurate, current software inventory behind it.

Allowlisting vs. Blocklisting: The Fundamental Difference

• Application Blocklisting (default allow): Every application runs except the ones explicitly named on a block list. Lower friction, but it can only stop threats you already know about.
• Application Allowlisting (default deny): Only explicitly approved applications run; everything else is blocked automatically. NIST SP 800-167 and CIS Control 2 both recommend this as the stronger posture, since it doesn't depend on recognizing a threat in advance. It requires more upfront policy work and ongoing maintenance as software updates roll out.

Most enterprise environments run a hybrid model: a default-deny allowlist for high-risk endpoints (finance, engineering, regulated data) paired with a targeted block list for specific prohibited applications across the broader fleet. Zecurit Endpoint Manager's Application Control is built around this hybrid approach: administrators create Application Groups and choose an Access Type of either Block List or Allow List per group, then assign a Risk Level so the highest-risk groups get the tightest enforcement.

How Modern Tools Avoid Disrupting Productivity

Leading platforms rely on granular rule types instead of a single blunt switch:

• Trusted publisher/vendor rules: Trust everything signed by a specific vendor, so routine updates don't break the policy.

• Product/software rules: Allow or block a named application by product and version.

• Executable rules: Target a specific binary by filename or process.

• File hash rules: Match a cryptographic hash of one file version, the most precise and most maintenance-heavy option.

• Folder path rules: Allow or block anything launched from a defined directory, useful for locking down user-writable folders like Downloads or Temp.

Zecurit's Application Control ships with all five rule types (Product/Software, Vendors, Executable, File Hash, Folder Path), and administrators can associate rules the fast way by importing a CSV or selecting from existing rules rather than typing entries one at a time. Grouping rules under a named Application Group makes it easier to apply the same policy consistently across a location, department, or device tier.

Application Control and Endpoint Privilege Management

Application control answers "can this run at all?" Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM) answers a related but different question: "what permission level does it run with?" Even a fully allowlisted application shouldn't automatically run with full administrative rights, since privilege escalation is one of the most common paths ransomware uses to move from a single infected endpoint to the rest of the network.

Pairing application control with least-privilege enforcement closes a gap that application control alone can't. See our guide on what Endpoint Privilege Management covers and our Zero Trust implementation guide for UEM for how the two fit together.

Enforcing Compliance Against Shadow IT and Prohibited Software

Shadow IT, software installed without IT's knowledge, is hardest to manage in hybrid and remote environments because it happens outside any managed procurement process. Application control addresses it two ways: prevention, where a default-deny allowlist stops unapproved software from launching regardless of how it got there, and enforcement action, where a block list flags known prohibited applications and takes a defined action the moment someone tries to run one.

Zecurit's Deployment Policy screen offers four enforcement actions:

• Block & Notify: Blocks execution and shows the user a message explaining why.

• Block Execution: Silently prevents the app from launching, no user interaction.

• Notify Only: Lets the app run but warns the user, useful during a testing phase.

• Audit Only: Logs the attempt silently with zero disruption, ideal for building a baseline before enforcement.

Every credible rollout, per NIST SP 800-167, starts with an audit phase so IT can see what would have been blocked before switching to active enforcement. Once a policy is live, a violations dashboard closes the loop. Zecurit's Application Control reporting shows violations over a defined period, unique devices affected, and which policies triggered, broken down by device, user, application, group, policy, and reported time, turning a policy into something you can actually audit and tune. See our related pages on prohibited software detection with ITAM and shadow IT.

Top 7 Application Control Software and Tools

1. Zecurit Endpoint Manager

Zecurit's Application Control module is built directly into its broader Unified Endpoint Management platform, so allowlist and block list policies share the same device and software inventory as the rest of IT operations.

• Best for: IT teams and MSPs who want application control, IT Asset Management, and device governance in one cloud platform.

• Strengths: Five rule types, four enforcement actions, Risk Level tagging per Application Group, bulk CSV import, a customizable user-facing block message for Block & Notify and Notify Only actions, and a violations dashboard tied to device, user, and policy.

• Consider if: You want application control unified with software inventory and software metering rather than as a standalone product. See the full Application Control page for a detailed walkthrough of every rule type and enforcement action.

2. Microsoft AppLocker / Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC)

Microsoft ships two native application control technologies with Windows. AppLocker enforces at the user and process level; WDAC enforces at the kernel level, before code loads into memory, making it harder to bypass. Microsoft now recommends WDAC for new deployments, since AppLocker will keep receiving security fixes but not new features.

• Best for: Windows-standardized organizations already using Intune or Group Policy.

• Pros: No added license cost on eligible editions; WDAC's kernel-level enforcement is difficult to bypass.

• Cons: XML-based policy authoring has a real learning curve; WDAC is widely reported as harder to maintain than AppLocker; Windows-only.

3. ThreatLocker

ThreatLocker is built around default-deny allowlisting from the start, paired with Ringfencing, which restricts how an already-approved application is allowed to behave, what files it can touch, what it can launch, and what it can reach on the network.

• Best for: MSPs and security-first organizations wanting the strictest default-deny posture.

• Pros: Ringfencing adds a meaningful second layer of containment; Learning Mode helps build the initial baseline; strong MSP-channel reputation.

• Cons: Real upfront investment in policy tuning before rollout; may be more platform than teams need if application control is the only requirement.

4. VMware Carbon Black App Control

One of the longest-running dedicated allowlisting products on the market, originally built by Bit9, with deep file reputation and change-control tracking.

• Best for: Large enterprises with mature change-management processes.

• Pros: Mature file reputation database; strong audit trail for compliance-heavy industries.

• Cons: Steeper deployment curve; often priced and packaged for large enterprise deals.

5. Ivanti Application Control

Typically deployed alongside Ivanti's broader endpoint and privilege management suite, positioning it as one layer of a wider Zero Trust endpoint strategy.

• Best for: Organizations already using Ivanti for endpoint or patch management.

• Pros: Pairs naturally with Ivanti's privilege management for combined allowlisting plus least privilege.

• Cons: Best value is realized as part of the broader Ivanti suite rather than standalone.

6. Airlock Digital

A dedicated, allowlisting-only platform built specifically around the NIST SP 800-167 model, with a strong focus on maintaining allowlist accuracy over time.

• Best for: Security teams wanting a specialist allowlisting tool, often in government or regulated environments.

• Pros: Purpose-built for allowlist accuracy and change tracking.

• Cons: Narrower scope than a full UEM platform, usually deployed alongside separate patch and inventory tools.

7. CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager (EPM)

CyberArk EPM leads with least-privilege enforcement and layers application control on top, using trusted-source policies (software distribution systems, trusted signatures, corporate shares) to automatically approve the large majority of routine software while flagging the long tail for review.

• Best for: Enterprises that want application control folded into a broader identity and privileged-access security program rather than run as a separate control.

• Pros: Combines default-deny application control with just-in-time privilege elevation and credential-theft protection in a single agent; trusted-source automation reduces manual rule-writing for known-good software.

• Cons: Positioned and priced as part of CyberArk's Identity Security platform, so it's a heavier lift for teams that only need standalone application control.

Summary Comparison Table

 Best Practices for Building an Enterprise Allowlist Baseline

1. Start in audit mode, always. Run any new policy in a log-only state (Audit Only, WDAC's audit mode, Learning Mode) for at least one to two business cycles before switching to active blocking. This is the single most repeated recommendation in NIST SP 800-167.

2. Favor publisher and product rules over raw file hashes. Hash rules are precise but break on every update. Trusted publisher rules survive routine patching far better.

3. Group policies by risk level, not department alone. A finance workstation and a shared kiosk carry different risk profiles even in the same department. Tagging Application Groups by Risk Level lets you apply stricter enforcement where it matters.

4. Build the baseline from real software inventory, not guesswork. Pulling the baseline from software inventory and usage data catches department-specific tools an assumed "standard image" list would miss.

5. Plan for certificate and publisher chain changes. Vendors periodically rotate signing certificates; a rule tied to an expired certificate will silently start blocking legitimate updates. Review trusted publisher rules on a recurring schedule.

Licensing and Management Overhead

• Native OS tools (AppLocker/WDAC): No separate license on eligible Windows editions, but the true cost shows up in administrative time, since XML policy authoring and certificate management require dedicated skill.

• Dedicated allowlisting specialists (ThreatLocker, Airlock Digital, Carbon Black App Control): Typically priced per endpoint and often bundle additional modules that raise per-seat cost but reduce the number of separate tools you run.

• UEM-integrated platforms (Zecurit, ManageEngine, Ivanti): Application control folds into a broader per-device or per-technician license, generally lowering total cost of ownership for teams that also need patch management and IT asset management, since there's no separate console to maintain.

For most IT teams and MSPs, the deciding factor isn't the sticker price of any single module, it's how many consoles your team logs into and how much duplicate inventory data has to be reconciled between them. A platform where application control, software inventory, and violation reporting share the same device record cuts a meaningful amount of ongoing overhead compared to running a standalone allowlisting product next to a separate UEM tool.

Key Takeaways

Application control remains one of the highest-leverage, lowest-noise defenses available to IT security teams, because it prevents unauthorized execution instead of chasing it after the fact. The right tool depends less on which vendor has the longest feature list and more on how well application control fits your existing device inventory, privilege management, and reporting workflow. A hybrid allow/block model, granular rule types, an audit-first rollout, and violation reporting tied to a specific device and policy are the non-negotiables, regardless of which platform you choose.

If you're currently managing application allowlists, prohibited software, and IT asset inventory in separate tools, it's worth seeing what that looks like unified in a single console. Visit the Zecurit Application Control hub for a full walkthrough of policy setup, or explore the broader Application Control feature set.