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Government · head to head

NEXGEN Asset Management vs Wireshark

NEXGEN Asset Management logo

NEXGEN Asset Management

Government

Combined EAM and CMMS for utilities and municipalities with Esri GIS at the centre of the asset register

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Wireshark logo

Wireshark

Cybersecurity

The world's foremost network protocol analyzer

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Wireshark has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: NEXGEN Asset Management pricing keys off asset count, so a routine GIS resegmentation that splits mains into more records can raise your subscription without adding a single user or work order.; Wireshark free and open source under the GNU GPL; downloadable without paying any license fee, no commercial tier
  • They diverge on capability: NEXGEN Asset Management covers Esri GIS integration, Wireshark covers Deep packet inspection.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NEXGEN Asset Management and Wireshark actually diverge.

Attributes where NEXGEN Asset Management and Wireshark differ
AttributeNEXGEN Asset ManagementWireshark
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidDesktop, Cli
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity
FoundedUnknown1998

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in NEXGEN Asset Management

  • Esri GIS integration
  • Risk and criticality
  • Condition assessment
  • Capital planning
  • Work orders
  • Mobile field app
  • Service requests
  • Inventory and purchasing

Only in Wireshark

  • Deep packet inspection
  • Live capture
  • Offline analysis
  • 3000+ protocol support
  • Rich display filters
  • VoIP analysis
  • Decryption support
  • Scripting with Lua

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

NEXGEN Asset Management

  • A water utility that must show a board why a specific main is being replaced this year rather than nextnot Wireshark
  • A city public works department consolidating a GIS asset inventory and a paper work order process into one systemnot Wireshark
  • An airport authority tracking condition assessments across airside and landside assets with capital forecastingnot Wireshark
  • A district that needs citizen service requests to become tracked work orders with an auditable historynot Wireshark

Wireshark

  • Network Securitynot NEXGEN Asset Management
  • Packet Analysisnot NEXGEN Asset Management
  • Open Sourcenot NEXGEN Asset Management

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

NEXGEN Asset Management

  • Pricing keys off asset count, so a routine GIS resegmentation that splits mains into more records can raise your subscription without adding a single user or work order.
  • Nothing is published and the vendor is small, so the reference set you can call is limited and mostly Californian and North American public agencies.
  • The interface is dated compared with modern CMMS products, which hurts adoption among field crews who compare it to consumer apps on their own phones.
  • GIS integration is the product strength and also its dependency; agencies without a maintained ArcGIS asset layer face a data preparation project before NEXGEN is useful.
  • As a small vendor it carries acquisition risk, and in this segment acquisitions have repeatedly meant a product frozen while it is folded into a larger portfolio.

Wireshark

  • Free and open source under the GNU GPL; downloadable without paying any license fee, no commercial tier

Pricing, plan by plan

NEXGEN Asset Management

On request
  • NEXGEN Asset Management$undefined/year
    • Tiered pricing based on the number of assets under management
    • Implementation, GIS integration and data migration quoted separately
    • Mobile module licensed alongside the core platform

Wireshark

Free
  • Free & Open SourceFree
    • Full functionality
    • Deep inspection
    • Live capture

Which should you pick?

Choose NEXGEN Asset Management if

  • You need esri gis integration.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want risk and criticality.
NEXGEN Asset Management review

Choose Wireshark if

  • You need deep packet inspection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Desktop, Cli.
  • You also want live capture.
Wireshark review

Questions people ask

Is NEXGEN Asset Management or Wireshark better?
Neither clearly leads. NEXGEN Asset Management starts at On request and Wireshark at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, NEXGEN Asset Management or Wireshark?
Wireshark has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for NEXGEN Asset Management and Free for Wireshark.
Does NEXGEN Asset Management or Wireshark run on more platforms?
NEXGEN Asset Management runs on Web, iOS, Android. Wireshark runs on Desktop, Cli.
Can I use Wireshark for free?
Yes. Wireshark has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. NEXGEN Asset Management starts at On request.
What is NEXGEN Asset Management best used for?
NEXGEN Asset Management is most often used for a water utility that must show a board why a specific main is being replaced this year rather than next, a city public works department consolidating a gis asset inventory and a paper work order process into one system, an airport authority tracking condition assessments across airside and landside assets with capital forecasting, a district that needs citizen service requests to become tracked work orders with an auditable history. Of those, a water utility that must show a board why a specific main is being replaced this year rather than next and a city public works department consolidating a gis asset inventory and a paper work order process into one system are not what Wireshark is typically brought in for.
What can NEXGEN Asset Management do that Wireshark cannot?
NEXGEN Asset Management covers Esri GIS integration, Risk and criticality, Condition assessment, Capital planning. Wireshark covers Deep packet inspection, Live capture, Offline analysis, 3000+ protocol support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

NEXGEN Asset Management: How is NEXGEN priced?

On a tiered model based on the number of assets under management, quoted per agency. Nothing is published.

Wireshark: Is there a cost to download and use Wireshark?

No, Wireshark is completely free. It's distributed under the GNU General Public License version 2, making it "free software" with no demo limitations. The full version is available at no cost.

Source
NEXGEN Asset Management: Do we need Esri ArcGIS?

Not strictly, but the product is designed around it and most of the value assumes a maintained GIS asset layer.

Wireshark: What support options are available for Wireshark users?

Wireshark offers multiple support channels including mailing lists, an active Discord community, the Ask Wireshark Q&A platform, comprehensive documentation, a user guide, and developer resources for those needing technical assistance.

Source
NEXGEN Asset Management: Does it handle capital planning?

Yes. Risk, criticality and condition scores feed multi-year renewal forecasts intended for board and council submissions.

Wireshark: Are there different pricing tiers or subscription levels?

Wireshark does not offer pricing tiers or subscriptions. There is one free version available to all users regardless of use case, personal, professional, or organizational.

Source
NEXGEN Asset Management: Is there a mobile app?

Yes, a map-based field application with offline capability, licensed alongside the core platform.

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