Freedom251 › IT & Infrastructure
Free and open first
Best Network Packet Capture Software in 2026
When you need to collect and examine network traffic, packet capture software can work with live traffic or saved traces. Compared on capture file formats, live capture, offline trace analysis, display filters, and protocol decryption, these entries show different ways to inspect packets. Command-line capture and supported platforms can help you assess fit with your setup; check free-plan availability and paid-from pricing too. Termshark, Malcolm, and NetworkMiner are among the options, alongside tcpdump and Wireshark. Use the listed capabilities to weigh whether your work centers on capturing traffic, examining existing files, or both.
- 22 apps
- Research read 23 Sept 2026
- How the order is worked out
- 1
Arkime
Free plan Open source APILinuxSelf-hosted+1Arkime offers session search, packet inspection, and flexible packet retention without license fees.
- 2
Avidemux
Free plan Open source LinuxMacWeb+1 - 3
Sniffnet
Free plan Open source LinuxMacWindowsSniffnet combines live traffic views, host details, capture-file support, and program monitoring at no cost. Note that it does not decrypt traffic, and reverse DNS lookups are used for hostnames.
- 4
Wireshark
Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+2Wireshark provides broad protocol inspection and analysis tools at no license fee, with both graphical and terminal interfaces.
- 5
Malcolm
Free plan APILinuxMac+3Malcolm combines trace and live-traffic analysis with session search, visualizations, and enrichment.
- 6
Colasoft Capsa
Free plan WindowsCapsa combines packet inspection, network diagnosis, security analysis, and reporting in a Windows desktop tool.
- 7
NetworkMiner
Free plan LinuxMacWindowsNetworkMiner offers a free starting point for traffic analysis, with Professional adding more inputs, exports and analysis features.
- 8
Termshark
Free plan AndroidLinuxMac+1Termshark offers terminal-based capture inspection, filtering, and flow analysis, including for remote-machine workflows. It depends on tshark and exposes less functionality than tshark itself.
- 9
netsniff-ng
Free plan Linuxnetsniff-ng brings capture, filtering, protocol analysis, and trace replay into a Linux toolkit. Note that two utilities are marked experimental and the project does not guarantee bug-free tools.
- 10
tcpdump
Free plan LinuxMacWindowstcpdump offers free packet capture across a broad set of listed systems, with source builds available.
- 11
TShark
Free plan LinuxMacWindowsTShark provides terminal-based capture and analysis with multiple output formats and Wireshark-compatible display filters.
- 12
PCAPdroid
Free plan AndroidChoose PCAPdroid to inspect and export network traffic from an Android device, with local processing and core capture available on the free plan.
- 13
EndaceProbe
Paid APILinuxSelf-hosted+1Choose EndaceProbe if you need continuous packet capture with historical search and analysis across appliance, cloud, or virtual deployments.
- 14
Airtool Pi
Paid iPhoneMacChoose Airtool Pi if you need remote Wi-Fi packet capture controlled from an iPhone or iPad, with configurable settings and PcapNG files for analyzer tools.
- 15
nChronos
Paid LinuxSelf-hostedWeb+1Choose nChronos if your organization needs continuous packet capture, historical traffic investigation, and application analysis in a server-and-console deployment.
- 16
Omnipeek
Free trial WebWindowsConsider Omnipeek if you need detailed packet analysis on Windows, including real-time alerts and tools for voice, video, and remote network troubleshooting.
- 17
GL PacketScan
Paid LinuxWebWindowsChoose GL PacketScan for detailed telecom and VoIP packet, call, and voice-quality analysis across live or recorded traffic.
- 18
EndaceVision
Paid WebChoose EndaceVision if your team needs to investigate historical packet traffic, inspect application behavior, or analyze brief network events on Endace platforms.
- 19
PacketWatch
Paid APISelf-hostedWebPacketWatch combines packet capture, retrospective investigation, and threat-hunting analytics in a SaaS offering.
- 20
SentryWire
Paid Self-hostedWebChoose SentryWire when packet retention, search, replay, and network threat analysis are central requirements across enterprise, federal, or ICS/OT networks.
- 21
Airtool 2
Paid Mac - 22
Observer GigaStor
Paid Windows
#1Places #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 on this list can be bought by the makers of the software on it. See the price
More in IT & Infrastructure
- Network Performance Monitoring Software26
- Network Provisioning Software24
- Network Testing Software33
- Network Traffic Analysis Software26
- Network Vulnerability Scanners23
- OS Deployment Software29
- OT and ICS Security Monitoring Software21
- Patch Management Software49
- Phishing Simulation Software31
- Print Management Software37
- Public Key Infrastructure Software26
- Residential Proxy Services74