Best Network Protocol Analyzers in 2026
Updated
In short: Scapy is ranked #1 of 30 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of NETCAP and NetworkMiner. The best-ranked option with a free plan is NETCAP. The lowest first paid tier on this page is VoIPmonitor at $21.58/mo.
Network protocol analyzers help you capture and examine traffic to investigate network behavior. Compared on capture sources, PCAP support, and remote capture, they also vary in flow analysis, traffic decryption, and CLI tools. Deployment details, free-plan availability, and paid-from pricing add context when weighing access and setup. Scapy, NETCAP, and NetworkMiner are among the entries to compare. Think about where you need to collect traffic and which ways of inspecting it matter to your work, then use the listed capabilities to assess how each analyzer could fit your environment.
30 network protocol analyzers ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
12 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ScapyWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 2 | NETCAPWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $548/mo | 6.6 | |
| 3 | NetworkMinerWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 4 | ArkimeWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 5 | EttercapMac · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 6 | KismetWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 7 | OpenGrepWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 8 | tcpdumpWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 9 | TSharkWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 10 | WiresharkWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 11 | ZuiWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 12 | Colasoft CapsaWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 13 | GL PacketScanWeb · Windows · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 14 | HOMERWeb · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 15 | PacketSnitchWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 16 | termsharkWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 17 | p0fWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 18 | EtherApeLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 19 | Glean PacketsWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 20 | My Network ConsultantWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 21 | netsniff-ngLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 22 | A-PacketsWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 23 | VoIPmonitorWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | $21.58/mo | 5.1 |
| 24 | PacketSenseWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 25 | OmnipeekWeb · Windows | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 4.9 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Deployment | Capture sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scapy | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | both | both |
| 2 | NETCAP | 6.6 | Free plan | $548/mo | Yes | — | both | both |
| 3 | NetworkMiner | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | desktop | both |
| 4 | Arkime | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | server | both |
| 5 | Ettercap | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | desktop | both |
| 6 | Kismet | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | both | both |
| 7 | OpenGrep | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 8 | tcpdump | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | both | both |
| 9 | TShark | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | both | both |
| 10 | Wireshark | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | desktop | both |
| 11 | Zui | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | both | local |
| 12 | Colasoft Capsa | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | desktop | local |
| 13 | GL PacketScan | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | both | both |
| 14 | HOMER | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | server | both |
| 15 | PacketSnitch | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | desktop | local |
| 16 | termshark | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | both | both |
| 17 | p0f | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | server | local |
| 18 | EtherApe | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | desktop | both |
| 19 | Glean Packets | 5.2 | No | — | — | — | server | both |
| 20 | My Network Consultant | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | server | local |
| 21 | netsniff-ng | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | — | local |
| 22 | A-Packets | 5.1 | No | — | Yes | — | server | — |
| 23 | VoIPmonitor | 5.1 | No | $21.58/mo | No | 22 /mo | — | — |
| 24 | PacketSense | 5.0 | No | — | No | — | desktop | local |
| 25 | Omnipeek | 4.9 | No | — | No | — | both | both |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which network protocol analyzer is ranked first on Freedom251?
Scapy is ranked #1 of 30 with a score of 6.7. NETCAP is second and NetworkMiner third.
How many of these have a free plan?
12 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, VoIPmonitor has the lowest first paid tier we found: $21.58/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.