Best Network Testing Software in 2026
Updated
In short: IP Fabric is ranked #1 of 30 as of 2 October 2026, ahead of Netpicker and Ostinato. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Netpicker. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Ostinato at $12/mo.
Network testing software gives you ways to examine connectivity, protocols and other aspects of network behavior. IP Fabric, Netpicker and Ostinato open the ranking, followed by iperf3 and Cisco pyATS. Compared on test methods and protocol support, the entries can be considered against the checks you need to run. Deployment choices, scheduled tests, distributed agents and API access add practical dimensions for teams planning how testing will fit their environment. Check the listed free-plan availability and paid-from pricing as well, then weigh those details against the testing workflow and level of automation you require.
30 network testing software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
| # | Platform | Score | Why | From | Free plan | Paid from | Deployment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IP Fabric | 8.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | — | View |
| 2 | Netpicker | 8.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $625/mo | Yes | — | — | View |
| 3 |  Ostinato | 7.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $12/mo | No | 12 /mo | hybrid | View |
| 4 |  iperf3 | 7.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | desktop | View |
| 5 |  Cisco pyATS | 7.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | self_hosted | View |
| 6 | PingPlotter | 7.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $29/mo | Yes | 6.99 /mo | hybrid | View |
| 7 | Invariant | 7.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | hybrid | View |
| 8 | EVE-NG | 6.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 9 |  TRex | 6.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | self_hosted | View |
| 10 |  GNS3 | 6.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 11 | Forward Enterprise | 6.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | hybrid | View |
| 12 |  Batfish | 6.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | self_hosted | View |
| 13 |  PacketForge | 6.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | desktop | View |
| 14 |  PacketCheck | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | desktop | View |
| 15 |  SmokePing | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | self_hosted | View |
| 16 |  LibreSpeed | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | self_hosted | View |
| 17 |  Avidemux | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 18 | perfSONAR | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | No | — | — | View |
| 19 |  iPerf2 | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | self_hosted | View |
| 20 |  Mininet | 5.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 21 |  Testground | 5.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | hybrid | View |
| 22 | GitHub CodeQL | 5.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $30/mo | Yes | 30 /mo | — | View |
| 23 |  OpenSpeedTest | 5.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | self_hosted | View |
| 24 |  Pktgen-DPDK | 5.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | self_hosted | View |
| 25 |  Tessabyte | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | self_hosted | View |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which network testing software is ranked first on Inferse?
IP Fabric is ranked #1 of 30 with a score of 8.3. Netpicker is second and Ostinato third.
How many of these have a free plan?
10 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Ostinato has the lowest first paid tier we found: $12/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it. Paid placements never change a rank.