socat Alternatives

socat is described as 'SOcket CAT, is a relay for bidirectional data transfer between two independent data channels. Each of these data channels may be a file, pipe, device (serial line etc. or a pseudo terminal), a socket (UNIX, IP4, IP6 - raw, UDP, TCP), an SSL socket, proxy CONNECT' and is an app in the file sharing category. There are five alternatives to socat for Linux, Mac, Windows, Chrome OS and BSD. The best socat alternative is netcat, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like socat are pwncat, Plink, Port Map and NetCrypt.

socat

Free • Open Source

socat, SOcket CAT, is a relay for bidirectional data transfer between two independent data channels. Each of these data...

More about socat

socat alternatives page was last updated Oct 7, 2023

netcat
Netcat is a featured networking utility which reads and writes data across network connections, using the TCP/IP protocol. It is designed to be a reliable "back-end" tool that can be used directly or easily driven by other programs and scripts.
20 netcat alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Network Monitor
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
netcat Features
Connect
Tunnel
Peer-To-Peer
Network Tools
Show all NaN netcat features ▾
Discontinued
The last version (0.7.1) was released in January 2004.
netcat VS socat
Is netcat a good alternative to socat?
- netcat is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to socat.
- netcat is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to socat.
- netcat is Free and Open Sourcesocat is also Free and Open Source

pwncat
pwncat - netcat on steroids with Firewall, IDS/IPS evasion, bind and reverse shell, self-injecting shell and port forwarding magic - and its fully scriptable with Python (PSE).
3 pwncat alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Chrome OS
- BSD
pwncat Features
Port Forwarding
Show all NaN pwncat features ▾
pwncat VS socat
Is pwncat a good alternative to socat?

Plink
part of the Putty suite, plink is a command-line tool similar to ssh, mainly used for automating processes. It supports ssh, telnet, rlogin, raw, and serial connections. My limited tests indicate it runs better on Windows than on Linux. YMMV.
1 Plink alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Platforms
- Windows
- Linux
Plink VS socat
Is Plink a good alternative to socat?
Comments about Plink as an Alternative to socat

valorisa
SoCat exists for Windows : 1.7.4.4.
Positive comment •Oct 7, 2023
0
- Plink is Free and Open Sourcesocat is also Free and Open Source

Port Map
Did you ever feel the urge to map your networking ports using your Airport Basestation or a UPNP router? Did you ever want your application to be reachable from the internet, even in a home networking setup? Don't despair anymore. Port Map and TCMPortMapper are here!
8 Port Map alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Platforms
- Mac
Port Map Features
Real time collaboration
Coding
Port Forwarding
Show all NaN Port Map features ▾
Port Map VS socat
Is Port Map a good alternative to socat?

NetCrypt
NetCrypt is a small Open Source command line file-transfer utility providing authentication, confidentiality and integrity validation while still maintaining top-notch performance and transfer speed between machines.
4 NetCrypt alternatives
License model
- Free • Proprietary
Platforms
- Linux
NetCrypt Features
Peer-To-Peer
Show all NaN NetCrypt features ▾
NetCrypt VS socat
Is NetCrypt a good alternative to socat?