Cybersecurity · alternatives
Alternatives to Wireshark
24 cybersecurity tools sit alongside Wireshark in this directory. Below is what separates each from Wireshark on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 24
- With a free tier
- 2
- Cheaper to start
- 0
- Wireshark starts at
- Free
Why people look past Wireshark
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Wireshark entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is only one tier
Wireshark publishes a single plan, Free & Open Source at Free. There is no smaller tier to drop to if the fit is wrong or the budget moves.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
The world's most-loved password manager
- No free tier, where Wireshark has one.
- Starts $2.99 a month dearer, at $2.99/month.
The world's #1 rated antivirus
- No free tier, where Wireshark has one.
- Starts $19.99 a year dearer, at $19.99/year.
Simplify online life with LastPass password manager
- Sold on a freemium model rather than free.
- 3 tiers to Wireshark's 1.
Powerful protection against evolving threats
- No free tier, where Wireshark has one.
- Starts $36 a year dearer, at $36/year.
- 3 tiers to Wireshark's 1.
Free TOTP two-factor authentication app that gained optional cloud sync in 2023
- Sold on a Free, no in-app purchases model rather than free.
Real-time transaction fraud and financial crime detection for banks and payment processors
- No free tier, where Wireshark has one.
- Sold on a quote model rather than free.
Every Wireshark alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wireshark (this page) | Free | Free | 1 | |
| 1PasswordThe world's most-loved password manager | $2.99/month | - | - | vs Wireshark |
| Bitdefender Total SecurityThe world's #1 rated antivirus | $19.99/year | - | - | vs Wireshark |
| LastPassSimplify online life with LastPass password manager | Free | Freemium | 3 | vs Wireshark |
| Norton 360Powerful protection against evolving threats | $36/year | - | 3 | vs Wireshark |
| Google Authenticator | Free | Free, no in-app purchases | 1 | vs Wireshark |
| Feedzai | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Wireshark |
| Entrust Identity as a Service | $2/month | Per user per month | 2 | vs Wireshark |
| Featurespace ARIC Risk Hub | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Wireshark |
| Dahua Technology | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Wireshark |
| Genetec Security Center | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Wireshark |
| Envysion | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Wireshark |
| IDnow | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Wireshark |
| Delinea | On request | Quote | 3 | vs Wireshark |
| DTiQ | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Wireshark |
| Hanwha Vision | On request | One-time purchase | 1 | vs Wireshark |
| BeyondTrust | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Wireshark |
| HID Global | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Wireshark |
| Fenergo | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Wireshark |
| iDenfy | On request | Per verification | 1 | vs Wireshark |
| March Networks | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Wireshark |
| Jumio | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Wireshark |
| Eagle Eye Networks | On request | Per camera per month | 1 | vs Wireshark |
| Camio | $4.99/month | Per camera per month | 2 | vs Wireshark |
| Beyond Identity | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Wireshark |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Wireshark badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (2)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- LastPass , Free
- Google Authenticator , Free
What you would be giving up
Wireshark is most often brought in for network security, packet analysis, open source. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Wireshark is broadly right and the question is cost, the Wireshark pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Cybersecurity category lists everything the directory holds, and best cybersecurity tools ranks them.
Wireshark runs on desktop, cli. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Wireshark alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Wireshark?
- 24 other cybersecurity tools are listed in this directory, led by 1Password, Bitdefender Total Security, LastPass, Norton 360. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Wireshark?
- 2 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: LastPass, Google Authenticator.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Wireshark?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: there is only one tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Wireshark?
- Wireshark is most often brought in for network security, packet analysis, open source. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Wireshark?
- None of the cybersecurity tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Wireshark alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Cybersecurity, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Wireshark against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Wireshark covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every cybersecurity tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Cybersecurity category, 24 tools beside Wireshark. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.