List of the Top 9 Free Packet Analyzers in 2025

Paessler PRTG offers a comprehensive monitoring solution characterized by its easy-to-navigate interface, which is driven by an advanced monitoring engine. By streamlining connections and managing workloads efficiently, it helps to lower operational expenses and avert potential outages. Additionally, it enhances time management and ensures compliance with service level agreements (SLAs). The platform is equipped with an array of specialized monitoring capabilities, including customizable alerting, cluster failover mechanisms, distributed monitoring, as well as detailed maps and dashboards, all complemented by extensive reporting functionalities. With its robust features, PRTG empowers organizations to maintain optimal performance and address issues proactively.

Leverage the capabilities of Telerik Fiddler HTTP(S) proxy to capture all web traffic flowing between your computer and external websites, which enables you to examine that traffic, establish breakpoints, and adjust both requests and responses as needed. Fiddler Everywhere acts as a flexible web debugging proxy that is compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux operating systems. It allows for the capturing, inspection, and monitoring of all HTTP(S) communications, making it easier to mock requests and address network issues. This tool can be utilized with any browser or application, providing the ability to debug traffic on macOS, Windows, Linux, and mobile devices running either iOS or Android. It ensures the proper exchange of essential cookies, headers, and caching settings between the client and server. Supporting a variety of frameworks including .NET, Java, and Ruby, Fiddler Everywhere equips you with the tools to efficiently mock or modify requests and responses on any website. This user-friendly approach enables testing of website functionality without necessitating any code changes. With Fiddler Everywhere, you can comprehensively log and analyze all HTTP/S traffic between your machine and the broader internet, thereby enhancing your debugging efficiency and allowing for more in-depth inspection of network interactions. Ultimately, this tool streamlines the process of identifying and resolving issues that might affect your web applications.

Tcpdump is a powerful command-line tool designed for the examination of network packets, allowing users to inspect the specifics of the packets that are sent or received by the computer's network connection. It is compatible with various Unix-like operating systems, including Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, and macOS, and it utilizes the libpcap library to efficiently capture network traffic. This utility can analyze packets directly from a network interface card or from pre-recorded packet files, offering the option to send output to standard output or a designated file. Additionally, users can implement BPF-based filters to control the amount of packet data they analyze, which is particularly beneficial in scenarios with high network traffic. Tcpdump is freely distributed under the BSD license, promoting widespread accessibility and use. Furthermore, it is frequently available as a native package or port across many operating systems, simplifying the process of updates and maintenance for users. The straightforward nature of Tcpdump enhances its appeal, making it a favored choice among network administrators and analysts for effective network troubleshooting. Its versatility and ease of access have solidified its status as an essential tool in network analysis.

NetworkMiner is a free tool utilized for network forensics that retrieves various artifacts such as files, images, emails, and passwords from network traffic saved in PCAP files. In addition, it possesses the capability to capture live network traffic by monitoring the network interface. The traffic that is analyzed provides comprehensive details about each IP address, aiding in the identification of passive assets and enhancing the understanding of interacting devices. Although primarily designed for Windows, it is also compatible with Linux systems. Since its introduction in 2007, it has gained popularity among incident response teams, law enforcement entities, and businesses globally, becoming a go-to resource for many professionals in the field. Its versatility and effectiveness continue to make it a valuable asset in various network analysis scenarios.

Sniffnet is a network monitoring tool designed to help users easily manage and track their Internet traffic. It goes beyond just collecting data by exploring detailed network activities, providing comprehensive monitoring features. The application is designed with user-friendliness in mind, making it more approachable compared to conventional network analysers. Offered as a free and open-source platform, Sniffnet is available under both MIT and Apache-2.0 licenses, with its complete source code accessible on GitHub. Built using the Rust programming language, it ensures high efficiency and reliability, focusing on both performance and security. Some of its notable features include the selection of a network adapter for in-depth analysis, the ability to apply filters to the monitored traffic, real-time statistics, and live charts reflecting Internet usage. Users can also export detailed capture reports in PCAP format and recognize over 6,000 upper-layer services, protocols, trojans, and worms. Furthermore, it enables users to discover domain names and ASNs of connected hosts and trace connections within their local network, making it a robust solution for effective network management. Ultimately, Sniffnet serves as an indispensable asset for anyone needing thorough oversight of their network activities.

EtherApe is a Unix-based network monitoring application that visually illustrates network traffic, drawing inspiration from Etherman, with the size of hosts and connections fluctuating according to traffic volume and employing color coding to differentiate between various protocols. It is compatible with an array of devices, including FDDI, ISDN, PPP, SLIP, and WLAN, while also supporting multiple encapsulation techniques. Users can filter the displayed traffic and capture data in real-time or retrieve it from a file, and they have the ability to export statistics for each node for more thorough analysis. The software includes different modes for link layer, IP, and TCP, allowing users to focus on specific layers of the protocol stack. Each node and link is presented with detailed information, including protocol breakdowns and traffic metrics. Available under the GNU General Public License, EtherApe is an open-source solution. A notable feature of its interface allows users to highlight a single node while arranging multiple selected nodes in a circular pattern, along with an alternative layout that organizes nodes into vertical columns. This flexibility not only enhances user experience but also establishes EtherApe as a formidable instrument for network analysis and visualization, making it an invaluable resource for network administrators and analysts alike.

WinDump is the Windows version of tcpdump, a robust command-line tool used for network analysis that was originally created for UNIX platforms. It is fully compatible with tcpdump, enabling users to inspect, resolve issues, and archive network traffic to storage based on complex rules. This utility operates on a range of Windows operating systems, including 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003, and Vista. By leveraging the WinPcap library and drivers, which are freely available on the WinPcap website, WinDump effectively captures network data. Moreover, it supports wireless capture and troubleshooting for 802.11b/g networks when used in conjunction with the Riverbed AirPcap adapter. Offered at no charge under a BSD-style license, WinDump can take advantage of the interfaces provided by WinPcap. It is also capable of functioning on any operating system that supports WinPcap, reinforcing its identity as a direct port of tcpdump. Users have the option to launch multiple sessions either on the same network interface or across different interfaces; although this may elevate CPU load, there are minimal drawbacks to concurrently running several instances. This adaptability and ease of use render WinDump an essential asset for network engineers and administrators. Ultimately, its combination of functionality and user-friendliness makes it a preferred choice for handling diverse networking tasks.

Wireshark is recognized as the premier and most extensively used network protocol analyzer globally. This powerful tool provides users with the ability to scrutinize the complex details of their network interactions and has established itself as the go-to reference for numerous sectors, such as businesses, non-profit organizations, governmental entities, and educational institutions. The ongoing evolution of Wireshark is supported by the contributions of networking experts from across the globe, stemming from a project launched by Gerald Combs back in 1998. As an interactive network protocol analyzer, Wireshark permits users to capture and investigate the data flowing through a computer network in real-time. Renowned for its comprehensive and robust features, it is the most preferred tool of its kind on an international scale. Additionally, it operates smoothly on various platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and UNIX. Widely utilized by network professionals, security analysts, software developers, and educators worldwide, it remains freely available as an open-source application, distributed under the GNU General Public License version 2. Its community-oriented development approach not only keeps it aligned with the latest advancements in networking technologies but also encourages collaborative improvements from users everywhere. As a result, Wireshark continues to evolve and meet the ever-changing demands of network analysis.

Arkime is a powerful open-source solution designed for extensive packet capturing, indexing, and managing databases, focused on improving existing security infrastructures by storing and indexing network traffic in the popular PCAP format. This innovative tool provides an in-depth view of network activities, facilitating the swift identification and resolution of both security and network issues. By granting access to essential network information, security teams are better equipped to respond to incidents and conduct thorough investigations, allowing them to reveal the complete impact of an attack. Arkime is optimized to function across multiple clustered environments, which allows for scalability to manage data transfer rates reaching hundreds of gigabits per second. This functionality ensures that security analysts have the necessary resources to address, reconstruct, examine, and verify details about threats in the network, leading to prompt and precise reactions. Furthermore, as an open-source platform, Arkime promotes transparency, cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and strong community support, contributing to a culture of ongoing enhancement and innovation. Its wide array of features makes Arkime an essential tool for organizations that prioritize robust network security and rapid incident response, ultimately bolstering their overall cybersecurity posture. Additionally, the collaborative nature of its development encourages users to share insights and improvements, further enriching the platform's capabilities.