tcpdump Alternatives

tcpdump is described as 'common packet analyzer that runs under the command line. It allows the user to intercept and display TCP/IP and other packets being transmitted or received over a network to which the computer is attached' and is a popular network analyzer in the network & admin category. There are more than 10 alternatives to tcpdump for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, Android and BSD. The best alternative is Wireshark, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like tcpdump are NetworkMiner, Sysdig, SmartSniff and PCAPdroid.

tcpdump alternatives are mainly Network Analyzers but may also be Network Monitors or HTTP(S) Debuggers. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of tcpdump.

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tcpdump

Free • Open Source
Network Analyzer

Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD

tcpdump is a common packet analyzer that runs under the command line. It allows the user to intercept and display TCP/IP...

Learn more about tcpdump

Wireshark
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Free • Open Source
Network Analyzer
Network Monitor
Mac
Windows
Linux
Homebrew
Chocolatey
Flathub
Snapcraft
BSD
52 alternatives to Wireshark
Wireshark is the world's foremost network protocol analyzer. It lets you capture and interactively browse the traffic running on a computer network. It is the de facto (and often de jure) standard across many industries and educational institutions.
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Wireshark Features
Detailed packet analysis
Network Usage History
Support for Android Things
Work Item Tracking
Wireshark vs tcpdump opinions
Almost everyone thinks Wireshark is a great alternative to tcpdump.
NetworkMiner
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No
Free • Open Source
Network Analyzer
Network Monitor
Windows
34 alternatives to NetworkMiner
NetworkMiner is a Network Forensic Analysis Tool (NFAT) for Windows. NetworkMiner can parse PCAP files and regenerate/reassemble transmitted files and certificates from PCAP files with HTTP, FTP, SMB, SMB2, TFTP and several other protocols.
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NetworkMiner Features
1. PortableNetworkMiner can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Sysdig
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No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
12 alternatives to Sysdig
Sysdig is open source, system-level exploration: capture system state and activity from a running Linux instance, then save, filter and analyze. Think of it as strace + tcpdump + lsof + awesome sauce.
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Sysdig Features
Memory Monitoring
Container monitoring
Application Monitoring
CPU Monitoring
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SmartSniff
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No
Free • Proprietary
HTTP(S) Debugger
Windows
33 alternatives to SmartSniff
SmartSniff is a packet sniffer that capture TCP/IP packets and display them as sequence of conversations between clients and servers. You can view the TCP/IP conversations in Ascii mode (for text-based protocols, like HTTP, SMTP, POP3 and FTP) or as hex dump (for non-text base...
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SmartSniff Features
1. PortableSmartSniff can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Sockets
PCAPdroid
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Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Network Analyzer
Network Monitor
Android
F-Droid
41 alternatives to PCAPdroid
PCAPdroid is an android app to capture the phone traffic and analyze it remotely (e.g. via Wireshark). The traffic can be easily downloaded from a remote device thanks to the integrated HTTP server, or streamed to a remote UDP receiver.
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PCAPdroid Features
Traffic Monitoring
HTTP Monitoring
WebSiteSniffer
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No
Free • Proprietary
Windows
23 alternatives to WebSiteSniffer
WebSiteSniffer is a packet sniffer tool that captures all Web site files downloaded by your Web browser while browsing the Internet, and stores them on your hard drive under the folder that you choose.

WebSiteSniffer has no features, suggest some!
Driftnet
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No
Free • Open Source
Network Analyzer
Linux
8 alternatives to Driftnet
Driftnet is a program which listens to network traffic and picks out images from TCP streams it observes.
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Driftnet Features
HTTP Monitoring
Real-time monitoring
Traffic Monitoring
tcpflow
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No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
14 alternatives to tcpflow
tcpflow, a TCP Flow Recorder, is a program that captures data transmitted as part of TCP connections (flows), and stores the data in a way that is convenient for protocol analysis or debugging. A program like 'tcpdump' shows a summary of packets seen on the wire, but...

tcpflow has no features, suggest some!
Colasoft Capsa
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No
Paid • Proprietary
Network Analyzer
Windows
11 alternatives to Colasoft Capsa
Colasoft network packet sniffer or network analyzer software for Windows platform, sniff packets, monitor activities and analyze protocols, best tool for network monitoring and troubleshooting, Free trial available, download now.
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Colasoft Capsa Features
1. PortableColasoft Capsa can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
York
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No
Free • Proprietary
Network Analyzer
Windows
8 alternatives to York
Log all traffic on your network card. Analyze and parse network packets. Capture transmitted files and passwords.
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York Features
Traffic Monitoring
HTTP Monitoring