Best Network Traffic Analysis Software in 2026
Updated
In short: ElastiFlow is ranked #1 of 23 as of 3 October 2026, ahead of Nagios XI and ntopng. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Nagios XI. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Kentik Network Monitoring System at $166.67/mo.
Understanding network activity means looking at both what is visible and how traffic can be examined. Compare application visibility and bandwidth monitoring with conversation analysis, then check flow protocols and deployment against your environment. Monitored device limits can help you assess scope, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add access and cost considerations. ElastiFlow and Nagios XI open the ranking, with ntopng and Riverbed Aternity among the next entries. Kentik Network Monitoring System, Caligare Flow Inspector, Akvorado, and pmacct also appear near the top. Use the listed criteria to focus on the traffic data and analysis capabilities relevant to your network.
23 network traffic analysis 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 | Flow protocols | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ElastiFlow | 7.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow | View |
| 2 | Nagios XI | 7.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | No | — | NetFlow, sFlow, jFlow, IPFIX | View |
| 3 | ntopng | 7.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 4 |  Riverbed Aternity | 6.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | — | View |
| 5 | Kentik Network Monitoring System | 6.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $166.67/mo | No | 2,000 /mo | sFlow, IPFIX, NetFlow v9, NetFlow v5, Juniper J-Flow | View |
| 6 |  Caligare Flow Inspector | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | NetFlow 1, 5, 6, 7, 9 | View |
| 7 | Akvorado | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow | View |
| 8 | pmacct | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | NetFlow v1, v5 and v9; IPFIX; sFlow v2, v4 and v5 | View |
| 9 | ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer | 5.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $172/mo | Yes | — | NetFlow, sFlow, IPFIX, J-Flow, NetStream, cflowd, AppFlow | View |
| 10 | FlowViewer | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | NetFlow v5; NetFlow v9; IPFIX; sFlow | View |
| 11 |  NetVizura NetFlow Analyzer | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | NetFlow v5, NetFlow v9, IPFIX, NSEL, sFlow | View |
| 12 |  Intermapper | 5.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 13 | Argus | 5.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | Argus, NetFlow, IPFIX, J-Flow, Q-Flow, K-Flow | View |
| 14 |  NetGain Network Traffic Analytics | 5.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | — | View |
| 15 |  Andrisoft Wansight | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | NetFlow v5/v7/v9, jFlow, cflowd, NetStream, sFlow v4/v5, IPFIX | View |
| 16 |  nfdump | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | NetFlow v1, NetFlow v5, NetFlow v7, NetFlow v9, IPFIX, sFlow v4, sFlow v6 | View |
| 17 | Noction Flow Analyzer | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | NetFlow, J-Flow, sFlow, IPFIX, NetStream | View |
| 18 |  Plixer Scrutinizer | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow, Syslog, SNMP Traps | View |
| 19 |  SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | NetFlow v5 and v9, Huawei NetStream, Juniper J-Flow, sFlow, IPFIX | View |
| 20 |  BrByte Captor | 5.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | NetFlow v5, NetFlow v9, IPFIX | View |
| 21 |  SparrowIQ | 5.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | — | View |
| 22 | Progress Flowmon | 4.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | — | View |
| 23 |  Omnipeek | 4.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | — | 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 traffic analysis software is ranked first on Inferse?
ElastiFlow is ranked #1 of 23 with a score of 7.4. Nagios XI is second and ntopng third.
How many of these have a free plan?
5 of the 23 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Kentik Network Monitoring System has the lowest first paid tier we found: $166.67/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.