Best Wireshark Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from network packet analyzer software ranked against Wireshark on the same published basis.
- 1Wireshark vs PCAPdroid
- 2Wireshark vs PacketSafari
- 3Wireshark vs Scapy
- 4Wireshark vs BruteShark
- 5Wireshark vs Colasoft Capsa
- 6Wireshark vs NETCAP
- 7Wireshark vs NetworkMiner
- 8Wireshark vs Sniffnet
- 9Wireshark vs Xplico
- 10Wireshark vs Arkime
- 11Wireshark vs tcpdump
- 12Wireshark vs termshark
- 13Wireshark vs TShark
- 15Wireshark vs Zui
- 16Wireshark vs Malcolm
- 17Wireshark vs WhatInStartup
- 18Wireshark vs VIAVI Observer Analyzer
- 19Wireshark vs SmartSniff
- 20Wireshark vs PAL (Pcap Analysis Library)
- 21Wireshark vs PcapAI
Wireshark alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PCAPdroid | 7.8 | Free plan | Free | Android |
| 2 | PacketSafari | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 3 | Scapy | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 4 | BruteShark | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Windows |
| 5 | Colasoft Capsa | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 6 | NETCAP | 6.3 | Free plan | $548/mo | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 7 | NetworkMiner | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 8 | Sniffnet | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 9 | Xplico | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 10 | Arkime | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 11 | tcpdump | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 12 | termshark | 6.2 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android |
| 13 | TShark | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 15 | Zui | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 16 | Malcolm | 5.9 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 17 | WhatInStartup | 5.7 | No | — | Windows |
| 18 | VIAVI Observer Analyzer | 5.5 | No | — | Windows |
| 19 | SmartSniff | 5.4 | No | — | Windows |
| 20 | PAL (Pcap Analysis Library) | 5.3 | No | — | — |
| 21 | PcapAI | 5.3 | No | — | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux |
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Questions about Wireshark alternatives
What is the best alternative to Wireshark?
PCAPdroid, number 1 in network packet analyzer software with a score of 7.8 out of 10. The others here: PacketSafari, Scapy, BruteShark and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Wireshark?
PCAPdroid 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 mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation.