Best Network Protocol Analyzers in 2026
Updated
In short: Wireshark is ranked #1 of 29 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of TShark and Scapy. The best-ranked option with a free plan is TShark. The lowest first paid tier on this page is VoIPmonitor at $21.58/mo.
Network protocol analyzers help you capture and examine traffic, but their capabilities can differ across environments and workflows. Compare capture sources, PCAP support, and remote capture with flow analysis, traffic decryption, and CLI tools. Deployment, free-plan availability, and “Paid from” add context for setup and access. Among the named options are termshark, NETCAP, and NetworkMiner, as well as Scapy and Arkime. Check the capture methods and analysis features against the networks you work with and the investigations you need to perform; the listed criteria provide practical points of comparison without assuming every tool supports the same approach.
29 network protocol analyzers ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Recognised 40% · Phone app 26% · Documented 20% · Free plan 14% of the score
- 1 Wireshark No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.2Free Deployment: desktopCapture sources: bothPCAP support: Yes
- 2 TShark No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.1Free Deployment: bothCapture sources: bothPCAP support: Yes
- 3 Scapy No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.1Free Deployment: bothCapture sources: bothPCAP support: Yes
- 4 Kismet No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.9Free Deployment: bothCapture sources: bothPCAP support: Yes
- 5 tcpdump No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.8Free Deployment: bothCapture sources: bothPCAP support: Yes
- 6 Arkime No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.8Free Deployment: serverCapture sources: bothPCAP support: Yes
- 7 Zui No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.7Free Deployment: bothCapture sources: localPCAP support: Yes
- 8 NETCAP No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.3$548/mo Deployment: bothCapture sources: bothPCAP support: Yes
- 9 termshark Android only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.3 Deployment: bothCapture sources: bothPCAP support: Yes
- 10 NetworkMiner No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.1Free Deployment: desktopCapture sources: bothPCAP support: Yes
- 11 Ettercap No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.9Free Deployment: desktopCapture sources: bothPCAP support: Yes
- 12 GL PacketScan No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.6 Deployment: bothCapture sources: bothPCAP support: Yes
- 13 VoIPmonitor No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.6$21.58/mo
- 14 Trisul Network Analytics No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.5 Deployment: serverCapture sources: bothPCAP support: Yes
- 15 My Network Consultant No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3 Deployment: serverCapture sources: localPCAP support: Yes
- 16 CloudShark No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2 Deployment: serverCapture sources: bothPCAP support: Yes
- 17 A-Packets No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.0 Deployment: serverPCAP support: Yes
- 18 PacketSense No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.8 Deployment: desktopCapture sources: localPCAP support: Yes
- 19 Colasoft Capsa No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.8 Deployment: desktopCapture sources: localPCAP support: Yes
- 20 OpenGrep No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.8Free
- 21 CommView No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.5 Deployment: bothCapture sources: bothPCAP support: Yes
- 22 Glean Packets No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.5 Deployment: serverCapture sources: bothPCAP support: Yes
- 23 HOMER No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.5 Deployment: serverCapture sources: bothPCAP support: Yes
- 24 Omnipeek No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Deployment: bothCapture sources: both
- 25 PacketSnitch No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Deployment: desktopCapture sources: localPCAP support: Yes
Is your app 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 protocol analyzer is ranked first on Samsung Mobile US Press?
Wireshark is ranked #1 of 29 with a score of 8.2. TShark is second and Scapy third.
How many of these have a free plan?
11 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, VoIPmonitor has the lowest first paid tier we found: $21.58/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.