Best Wireshark Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from network packet analyzer software ranked against Wireshark on the same published basis.
- 1Wireshark vs NETCAP
- 2Wireshark vs PacketSafari
- 3Wireshark vs Scapy
- 4Wireshark vs NetworkMiner
- 5Wireshark vs Sniffnet
- 6Wireshark vs tcpdump
- 7Wireshark vs TShark
- 9Wireshark vs Xplico
- 10Wireshark vs Zui
- 11Wireshark vs Arkime
- 12Wireshark vs BruteShark
- 13Wireshark vs Colasoft Capsa
- 14Wireshark vs PCAPdroid
- 15Wireshark vs Malcolm
- 16Wireshark vs PcapAI
- 17Wireshark vs WhatInStartup
- 18Wireshark vs GL PacketScan
- 19Wireshark vs SmartSniff
- 20Wireshark vs CapAnalysis
- 21Wireshark vs PacketSnitch
Wireshark alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NETCAP | 6.6 | Free plan | $548/mo | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 2 | PacketSafari | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 3 | Scapy | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 4 | NetworkMiner | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 5 | Sniffnet | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | tcpdump | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | TShark | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 9 | Xplico | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 10 | Zui | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 11 | Arkime | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 12 | BruteShark | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Windows |
| 13 | Colasoft Capsa | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 14 | PCAPdroid | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Android |
| 15 | Malcolm | 5.7 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 16 | PcapAI | 5.4 | No | — | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 17 | WhatInStartup | 5.4 | No | — | Windows |
| 18 | GL PacketScan | 5.3 | No | — | Web, Windows, Linux |
| 19 | SmartSniff | 5.3 | No | — | Windows |
| 20 | CapAnalysis | 5.2 | No | — | Web, Linux |
| 21 | PacketSnitch | 5.2 | No | — | Windows, Linux, Mac |
Make your app an alternative to Wireshark
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled Sponsored.
Questions about Wireshark alternatives
What is the best alternative to Wireshark?
NETCAP, number 1 in network packet analyzer software with a score of 6.6 out of 10. The others here: PacketSafari, Scapy, NetworkMiner and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Wireshark?
NETCAP is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 13 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.