WinHosts

WinHosts is a very easy-to-use program that allows you to edit the Windows Hosts file, the one that contains all data related to your IP configuration.

It contains just a couple of options that can be handled by anyone, even users less experienced with networking utilities.

The setup operation doesn't take a long time to finish. However, since WinHosts is ad-supported, it offers to download and install a third-party component that it doesn't actually need to work properly. You can deselect the item to make a clean setup, though.

It's also possible to skip the installer and run the app directly from a pen drive by resorting to its portable counterpart with identical features, Portable WinHosts. This way, you avoid the risk of accidentally installing the third-party module.

The GUI consists of a very small window, where you can add as many new entries as you want to the Hosts files, by entering the IP address and host name.

It's possible to edit the IP address of a selected entry by pressing the F2 key on the keyboard, remove any entry from the list, as well as restore all settings to their factory configuration. There are no other notable options available here.

Unsurprisingly, the application had a low impact on the overall performance of the machine, using low CPU and RAM. No error dialogs popped up and it didn't hang or crash.

On the other hand, the interface has a rudimentary appearance which makes WinHosts seem like an unfinished project. Plus, it doesn't let you edit existing Hosts entries, but only the ones you have already added.

We must also take into account the fact that the tool hasn't been updated for a long time. Nevertheless, you can test it for yourself.