Cybersecurity · head to head
Resolver vs Wireshark
Resolver
Cybersecurity
Risk, incident and investigations platform for corporate security and operational risk teams, owned by Kroll
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Wireshark
Cybersecurity
The world's foremost network protocol analyzer
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Wireshark has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Resolver kroll ownership since 2022 means the product is sold alongside risk consulting services, so buyers who want software with no services attach should expect that conversation and should price the licence separately in negotiation.; Wireshark free and open source under the GNU GPL; downloadable without paying any license fee, no commercial tier
- They diverge on capability: Resolver covers Incident management, Wireshark covers Deep packet inspection.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Resolver and Wireshark actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).
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 Resolver
- Incident management
- Investigations
- Enterprise risk management
- Internal audit
- Compliance and obligations
- Business continuity
- Risk Event Management
- Configurable dashboards
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.
Resolver
- A national retailer consolidating store incident reporting, loss prevention cases and investigations into one system with defensible evidence handlingnot Wireshark
- A bank that needs operational risk events captured against a risk and control register rather than in spreadsheets and emailnot Wireshark
- A university security operations centre running dispatch, case management and clery-style reporting from a single recordnot Wireshark
- An organisation that already retains Kroll for investigations and wants case intake and vendor handoff in the same platformnot Wireshark
Wireshark
- Network Securitynot Resolver
- Packet Analysisnot Resolver
- Open Sourcenot Resolver
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Resolver
- Kroll ownership since 2022 means the product is sold alongside risk consulting services, so buyers who want software with no services attach should expect that conversation and should price the licence separately in negotiation.
- Configuration flexibility comes at the cost of implementation time, with deployments commonly running several months and typically requiring vendor or partner services, so the first-year cost is well above the annual licence.
- Module-based pricing means the platform gets expensive quickly once you add audit, compliance and continuity to a security-led purchase, and modules bought later rarely carry the discount of the original deal.
- The IT and cyber compliance side is thinner than dedicated tools, so organisations chasing SOC 2 or ISO 27001 evidence automation will find it does not replace a Drata or Vanta.
- Reporting is capable but the drag and drop builder has a real learning curve, and organisations that do not train an internal administrator end up raising support tickets for changes that should be self-service.
Wireshark
- Free and open source under the GNU GPL; downloadable without paying any license fee, no commercial tier
Pricing, plan by plan
Resolver
On request- Resolver Core$undefined/year
- Priced by modules selected and number of users
- Annual or multi-year enterprise agreement
- Implementation and configuration quoted separately
Wireshark
Free- Free & Open SourceFree
- Full functionality
- Deep inspection
- Live capture
Which should you pick?
Choose Resolver if
- You need incident management.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want investigations.
Choose Wireshark if
- You need deep packet inspection.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Desktop, Cli.
- You also want live capture.
Questions people ask
- Is Resolver or Wireshark better?
- Neither clearly leads. Resolver 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, Resolver or Wireshark?
- Wireshark has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Resolver and Free for Wireshark.
- Does Resolver or Wireshark run on more platforms?
- Resolver 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. Resolver starts at On request.
- What is Resolver best used for?
- Resolver is most often used for a national retailer consolidating store incident reporting, loss prevention cases and investigations into one system with defensible evidence handling, a bank that needs operational risk events captured against a risk and control register rather than in spreadsheets and email, a university security operations centre running dispatch, case management and clery-style reporting from a single record, an organisation that already retains kroll for investigations and wants case intake and vendor handoff in the same platform. Of those, a national retailer consolidating store incident reporting, loss prevention cases and investigations into one system with defensible evidence handling and a bank that needs operational risk events captured against a risk and control register rather than in spreadsheets and email are not what Wireshark is typically brought in for.
- What can Resolver do that Wireshark cannot?
- Resolver covers Incident management, Investigations, Enterprise risk management, Internal audit. Wireshark covers Deep packet inspection, Live capture, Offline analysis, 3000+ protocol support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Resolver: Who owns Resolver?
Kroll, which acquired it in 2022. It is marketed as a Kroll business and sold alongside Kroll risk and investigations services.
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.
SourceResolver: What does Resolver cost?
Pricing is not published. It is quoted by module and user count on an annual or multi-year enterprise agreement, with implementation charged separately.
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.
SourceResolver: Is Resolver a SOC 2 compliance tool?
No. It is a risk, incident and investigations platform. Automated evidence collection for security certifications is not its strength.
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.
SourceResolver: How long does implementation take?
Months rather than weeks for a multi-module deployment, and most customers use vendor or partner services to configure it.
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- Wireshark vs Cosign
- Wireshark vs HashiCorp Vault
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- Wireshark vs Semgrep
- Wireshark vs Hanwha Vision
- Wireshark vs Idira
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