No. 8 of 33 ·Network Packet Analyzer Software

Wireshark

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

Wireshark is ranked #8 of 33 in network packet analyzer software on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows. There is a free plan.

Wireshark plans and pricing

All plans

Wireshark Free Full version · no license fee wireshark.org · 29 Sept 2026

Compared on network packet analyzer software

Free plan: Yes
Traffic decryption: Yes

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The record

Purpose: Wireshark captures and interactively browses network traffic as a network protocol analyzer.
Users: Network professionals, security experts, developers, and educators use Wireshark.
Protocol inspection: It supports deep inspection of hundreds of protocols.
Capture and analysis: It supports live capture and offline analysis, with a graphical interface and the TShark terminal utility.
Filtering: Wireshark provides display filters, whose syntax differs from capture filters.
File formats: It reads and writes many capture formats, including pcap and pcapng, and can decompress gzip-compressed capture files on the fly.
Analysis features: Features include VoIP analysis, packet coloring rules, and export to XML, PostScript, CSV, or plain text.
Decryption: It supports decryption for protocols including IPsec, Kerberos, SSL/TLS, WEP, and WPA/WPA2.
License: Wireshark is open-source software released under the GNU General Public License version 2, and the downloaded version is the full version without a license fee.
Capture dependency: The Windows packages include Npcap, which is required for live packet capture.
Capture limitation: The traffic visible to Wireshark depends on the operating system, capture library, network interface, and network configuration; switched networks may not expose unicast traffic between other ports.
Support: Community support is available through the Q&A site and Wireshark users mailing list.
Security updates: The download page links release security advisories, including notices for dissector crashes and other vulnerabilities.
Project history: The project began in 1998 and is developed with contributions from networking experts around the world.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Network Packet Analyzer Software in 2026#8 of 33
Best Network Protocol Analyzers in 2026#9 of 30
Best Network Packet Capture Software in 2026#7 of 20

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Sources

wireshark.org/faq.html· checked 29 Sept 2026
wireshark.org/about· checked 29 Sept 2026
wireshark.org/download.html· checked 29 Sept 2026
wireshark.org· checked 23 Sept 2026