Side by side
PAL (Pcap Analysis Library) vs TShark
Both stand on network packet analyzer software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Linux
PAL offers a focused Rust toolkit for offline PCAP analysis, reconstruction, and extensible packet processing. Its command-line workflow and embedded-plugin model suit developers and analysts comfortable building from source.
Visit PAL (Pcap Analysis Library) Free plan LinuxMacWindows
TShark provides terminal-based capture and analysis with multiple output formats and Wireshark-compatible display filters. Note the filter restriction when saving captures with -w, as well as the stated file-size limit.
Visit TSharkThe facts
| PAL (Pcap Analysis Library) | TShark | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Not published | Free or on request |
| Plans published | None | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | github.com | wireshark.org |
| On network packet analyzer software | #23 of 32 | #19 of 32 |
PAL (Pcap Analysis Library): what it does well
- Free Apache 2.0 or MIT licensing
- Reconstructs fragmented and encapsulated traffic
- Includes analyzer, libraries, and rewrite tool
- Supports pcap and pcapng files
- Worker threads preserve connection order
What to know first
- Linux only
- Dynamic plugin libraries are unsupported
- Live capture is experimental
- Does not decrypt traffic
TShark: what it does well
- Captures live traffic or reads saved captures.
- Supports Wireshark display-filter syntax.
- Outputs fields, JSON, PDML, and text.
- Can pipe output to another program or script.
- Free under GNU GPL version 2.
What to know first
- Display filters are unavailable with capture saving via -w.
- Capture files have a 2 TB maximum.
- Manual notes possible issues above 2^32 packets.
Alternatives to PAL (Pcap Analysis Library) Alternatives to TShark The whole list