Best Cisco Packet Tracer Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from network simulation software ranked against Cisco Packet Tracer on the same published basis.
- 1Cisco Packet Tracer vs Mininet
- 2Cisco Packet Tracer vs Kathará
- 3Cisco Packet Tracer vs Containerlab
- 4Cisco Packet Tracer vs OMNEST
- 5Cisco Packet Tracer vs EVE-NG
- 6Cisco Packet Tracer vs IMUNES
- 7Cisco Packet Tracer vs NetSim by Tetcos
- 8Cisco Packet Tracer vs OMNeT++
- 10Cisco Packet Tracer vs Cloonix
- 11Cisco Packet Tracer vs EMANE
- 12Cisco Packet Tracer vs GNS3
- 13Cisco Packet Tracer vs Marionnet
- 14Cisco Packet Tracer vs Mininet-WiFi
- 15Cisco Packet Tracer vs ns-3
- 16Cisco Packet Tracer vs PNETLab
- 17Cisco Packet Tracer vs QuNetSim
- 18Cisco Packet Tracer vs Cisco Modeling Labs
- 19Cisco Packet Tracer vs Days
- 20Cisco Packet Tracer vs EXata Network Modeling
- 21Cisco Packet Tracer vs Common Open Research Emulator (CORE)
Cisco Packet Tracer alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mininet | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 2 | Kathará | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 3 | Containerlab | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 4 | OMNEST | 6.9 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 5 | EVE-NG | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 6 | IMUNES | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 7 | NetSim by Tetcos | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 8 | OMNeT++ | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 10 | Cloonix | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Web |
| 11 | EMANE | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 12 | GNS3 | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 13 | Marionnet | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 14 | Mininet-WiFi | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 15 | ns-3 | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 16 | PNETLab | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 17 | QuNetSim | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 18 | Cisco Modeling Labs | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 19 | Days | 5.4 | No | — | Linux |
| 20 | EXata Network Modeling | 5.3 | No | — | Linux, Windows |
| 21 | Common Open Research Emulator (CORE) | 5.1 | No | — | Linux |
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Questions about Cisco Packet Tracer alternatives
What is the best alternative to Cisco Packet Tracer?
Mininet, number 1 in network simulation software with a score of 7.4 out of 10. The others here: Kathará, Containerlab, OMNEST and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Cisco Packet Tracer?
Mininet is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 16 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives 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.