Best Wireshark Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from network packet analyzer software ranked against Wireshark on the same published basis.
- 1Wireshark vs PacketSafari
- 2Wireshark vs Scapy
- 3Wireshark vs Arkime
- 4Wireshark vs Malcolm
- 5Wireshark vs CloudShark
- 6Wireshark vs BruteShark
- 7Wireshark vs Colasoft Capsa
- 8Wireshark vs NETCAP
- 9Wireshark vs NetworkMiner
- 10Wireshark vs PCAPdroid
- 11Wireshark vs Sniffnet
- 12Wireshark vs Xplico
- 13Wireshark vs tcpdump
- 14Wireshark vs TShark
- 16Wireshark vs Zui
- 17Wireshark vs WhatInStartup
- 18Wireshark vs VIAVI Observer Analyzer
- 19Wireshark vs SmartSniff
- 20Wireshark vs PAL (Pcap Analysis Library)
- 21Wireshark vs PcapAI
Wireshark alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PacketSafari | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 2 | Scapy | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 3 | Arkime | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 4 | Malcolm | 7.0 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 5 | CloudShark | 6.7 | No | — | API, self-hosted, Web |
| 6 | BruteShark | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Windows |
| 7 | Colasoft Capsa | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 8 | NETCAP | 5.9 | Free plan | $548/mo | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 9 | NetworkMiner | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 10 | PCAPdroid | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Android |
| 11 | Sniffnet | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 12 | Xplico | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 13 | tcpdump | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 14 | TShark | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 16 | Zui | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 17 | WhatInStartup | 5.4 | No | — | Windows |
| 18 | VIAVI Observer Analyzer | 5.3 | No | — | Windows |
| 19 | SmartSniff | 5.2 | No | — | Windows |
| 20 | PAL (Pcap Analysis Library) | 5.1 | No | — | — |
| 21 | PcapAI | 5.1 | No | — | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux |
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Questions about Wireshark alternatives
What is the best alternative to Wireshark?
PacketSafari, number 1 in network packet analyzer software with a score of 7.3 out of 10. The others here: Scapy, Arkime, Malcolm and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Wireshark?
PacketSafari is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 13 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.