Best Wireshark Alternatives
The top-ranked Wireshark alternative is tcpdump (Open Source). The best free option is tshark (open source).
Wireshark is the leading open-source network protocol analyzer for capturing and inspecting packets. Users seek alternatives for lighter interfaces, cloud-based analysis, automated security detection, or command-line workflows.
1tcpdump
Open SourcePowerful command-line packet analyzer for capturing network traffic.
2tshark
Open SourceThe command-line version of Wireshark for terminal-based capture.
3Network scanner for discovery, security auditing, and port scanning.
Fiddler
FreemiumWeb debugging proxy for capturing and inspecting HTTP/HTTPS traffic.
Charles Proxy
PaidHTTP proxy and monitor for viewing web and SSL traffic.
Zeek
Open SourceOpen-source network security monitoring and analysis framework.
ntopng
FreemiumHigh-speed web-based traffic analysis and flow collection tool.
Colasoft Capsa
FreemiumPortable network analyzer for monitoring and diagnostics on Windows.
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
PaidEnterprise network monitoring and performance analysis suite.
Microsoft Network Monitor
FreeMicrosoft's protocol analyzer for capturing network traffic (legacy).
Kismet
Open SourceWireless network detector, sniffer, and intrusion detection system.
NetworkMiner
FreemiumNetwork forensic analysis tool for extracting artifacts from traffic.
Wireshark alternatives: FAQ
What is the best alternative to Wireshark?
tcpdump is ranked first on this list (Open Source). The ranking combines our base score with readers' votes, so it can change.
What is the best free alternative to Wireshark?
The highest-ranked free or open-source options here are tcpdump, tshark and Nmap.
Which Wireshark alternatives work on Mac?
tcpdump, tshark, Nmap and Fiddler run on macOS.
Which Wireshark alternatives work on Linux?
tcpdump, tshark, Nmap and Fiddler run on Linux.
Know a Wireshark alternative we missed? Suggest it — we review submissions before they go live.