Side by side
Fing Security vs Wireshark
Both stand on network troubleshooting software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+5
Fing combines device identification with router checks and camera scanning. The free tier is limited, and scheduled scans and continuous threat detection require a subscription.
Visit Fing Security Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+2
Wireshark provides broad protocol inspection and analysis tools at no license fee, with both graphical and terminal interfaces. Capture visibility depends on the system and network setup, so it may not show every packet on a switched network.
Visit WiresharkThe facts
| Fing Security | Wireshark | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Runs on | Android, API, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Premium: $79.99 a year | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 5 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | fing.com | wireshark.org |
| On network troubleshooting software | #2 of 18 | #1 of 18 |
Fing Security: what it does well
- Alerts identify unknown devices by brand, model, and type
- Checks router firmware and DNS hijacking risks
- Camera scanning uses a database of over 12 million models
- Fing Agent supports Raspberry Pi, Docker, or NAS
- Integrations include Home Assistant and IFTTT
What to know first
- Free plan allows up to three scans per day
- Scheduled vulnerability scans require a subscription
- Continuous threat detection requires a subscription
- Fing Desktop is not currently available for Linux
Wireshark: what it does well
- Free full version under GNU General Public License version 2.
- Supports live capture and offline analysis.
- Inspects hundreds of protocols.
- Reads and writes pcap and pcapng formats.
- Includes both graphical and terminal tools.
What to know first
- Windows live capture requires Npcap.
- Visible traffic depends on network and capture configuration.
- Switched networks may hide unicast traffic between other ports.
- Display-filter syntax differs from capture-filter syntax.
Alternatives to Fing Security Alternatives to Wireshark The whole list