Side by side

EtherApe vs Ettercap

Both stand on network protocol analyzers. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

EtherApe

Free plan Linux

Choose EtherApe if you want a free Linux network monitor with visual traffic views, filters, and live or saved capture support. It is a poor fit when you need remote capture or broad visibility across a switched network without mirrored traffic or gateway placement.

Visit EtherApe

Ettercap

Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted

Ettercap provides a broad set of traffic inspection and analysis tools across several interfaces. Check system support and source-build requirements before choosing it.

Visit Ettercap

The facts

	EtherApe	Ettercap
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	Linux	Linux, Mac, Self-hosted
Lowest paid plan	Free or on request	Free or on request
Plans published	1	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	etherape.sourceforge.io	ettercap-project.org
On network protocol analyzers	#10 of 30	#6 of 30

EtherApe: what it does well

Shows traffic volume and protocol use visually.
Offers network, IP, and TCP port views.
Reads live traffic and saved tcpdump captures.
Filters traffic using pcap syntax.
Exports node statistics as XML or JSON.

What to know first

Binary distributions are available for Linux only.
On switched networks, visibility is generally local or broadcast traffic.
Remote capture is not supported.

Ettercap: what it does well

Offers command-line, graphical, and ncurses interfaces.
Passive LAN scanning reports host and gateway details.
Latest listed release publishes SHA256 checksums.
Project is open source and community run.

What to know first

Source compilation requires several libraries and build tools.
Windows versions listed are unsupported distributions.
Some listed systems include BSD variants beyond its Linux and macOS platforms.

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