No. 7 of 33 ·Network Packet Analyzer Software

TShark

Windows · Mac · Linux

Freedom report

Three barsScore 6.5

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely3 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

TShark is ranked #7 of 33 in network packet analyzer software on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows. There is a free plan.

TShark plans and pricing

All plans

Free Free GNU GPL v2 · network protocol analyzer wireshark.org · 30 Sept 2026

Compared on network packet analyzer software

Free plan: Yes
Traffic decryption: Yes

Best TShark alternatives

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Two bars NETCAP Free tier No. 1$548/mo6.6 Two bars PacketSafari Free tier No. 2Free6.6 Two bars Scapy Free tier No. 3Free6.6 Two bars NetworkMiner Free tier No. 4Free6.5 Two bars Sniffnet Free tier No. 5Free6.5 Two bars tcpdump Free tier No. 6Free6.5

The record

Purpose: TShark captures live network traffic or reads saved captures, then decodes packets for output or writes them to a file.
Packet formats: TShark uses pcapng as its native capture format and can read and write capture files supported by Wireshark.
Protocol analysis: TShark provides display filters for selecting packets and protocol fields, using the same syntax as Wireshark.
Output: TShark can output packet data in formats including fields, JSON, PDML, and text.
Capture controls: Capture options include interface selection, capture filters, packet limits, and ring-buffer files.
Analysis limit: Display filters are not supported when TShark captures and saves packets with the -w option.
File size limit: The manual states that capture file size is limited to a maximum of 2 TB, and notes potential issues above 2^32 packets.
Integration: TShark can write ElasticSearch mapping data and supports piping packet output to another program or script.
Project features: The Wireshark project describes TShark as its terminal-mode utility and lists live capture, offline analysis, protocol inspection, and display filters among its features.
Supported systems: The project lists Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, NetBSD, and other platforms as supported by Wireshark.
License: Wireshark is freely available under the GNU General Public License version 2, with no license fee for downloading.
Security information: The documentation page links to security advisories covering past vulnerabilities and how to report a vulnerability.
Support and learning: The project offers documentation, mailing lists, community forums, and educational resources including SharkFest.
Maker: The Wireshark project is maintained by the Wireshark Foundation, described as a nonprofit supported by donations.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Network Packet Analyzer Software in 2026#7 of 33
Best Network Protocol Analyzers in 2026#8 of 30
Best Network Packet Capture Software in 2026#6 of 20

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Sources

wireshark.org/docs/man-pages/tshark.html· checked 30 Sept 2026
wireshark.org/about· checked 30 Sept 2026
wireshark.org· checked 30 Sept 2026
wireshark.org/docs/· checked 30 Sept 2026