--- title: "Wireshark Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about Wireshark Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Network Monitoring products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/209737/Wireshark/" page_type: "product" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-10-21" --- # Wireshark Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on October 21, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) Wireshark ## What is Wireshark? Network protocol analyzer that helps businesses capture live data and track, manage and analyze network traffic at microscopic level. ## What is Wireshark used for? [Network Monitoring](https://www.capterra.com/network-monitoring-software/)[Server Monitoring](https://www.capterra.com/server-monitoring-software/) Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 50 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive 98% Neutral 2% Negative 0% Contact vendor for pricing Free trial not available Includes Free Version Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for Wireshark?[Manage this product listing](https://www.g2.com/products/wireshark/claim_requests/new?auto=true) ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### Wireshark 4.6 (51) VS. [4.7 (399)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168192/Site24x7/reviews/) Starting Price Contact vendor Starting Price $10 Flat Rate, Per Month Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 4.0 (51) Ease Of Use 4.6 (346) Value For Money 4.6 (35) Value For Money 4.5 (322) Customer Service 4.1 (35) Customer Service 4.5 (340) ## Wireshark alternatives [4.5 (96)](https://www.capterra.com/p/172324/NetFlow-Analyzer/reviews/) Starting price $245.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 99% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.2 (253)](https://www.capterra.com/p/13803/N-central/reviews/) Starting price $1.75 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 85% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.4 (130)](https://www.capterra.com/p/172325/ManageEngine-OpUtils/reviews/) Starting price $138.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 96% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [ManageEngine OpManager](https://www.capterra.com/p/251336/ManageEngine-OpManager/) [4.6 (351)](https://www.capterra.com/p/251336/ManageEngine-OpManager/reviews/) Starting price $95.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 98% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/251336/ManageEngine-OpManager/) [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/209737/Wireshark/alternatives/) ## FAQs about Wireshark Overview ### What problems does Wireshark solve? Wireshark solves delayed, opaque network troubleshooting by capturing live traffic and filtering packets by IP address, port, protocol, and timestamp. Network administrators, IT support teams, server engineers, QA testers, and security analysts use it to trace connectivity failures, diagnose latency and packet loss, inspect application flows, investigate suspicious traffic, and verify protocol behavior. Answer based on 38 reviews Overview ### Which roles and teams benefit most from Wireshark? Wireshark is most used by network administrators, system administrators, and technical support teams investigating connectivity issues, packet loss, and protocol errors. Software engineers, developers, and test engineers inspect application traffic during debugging and validation. Security and threat research teams analyze suspicious network activity, while IT leaders oversee incident troubleshooting and network performance investigations. Answer based on 51 reviews Overview ### What company size and industries is Wireshark built for? Wireshark is designed for small businesses, which account for 49% of reviewers, and Information Technology and Services organizations at 29%. It also serves commercial enterprises, government agencies, and nonprofits, with use across Computer Software (14%) and Computer & Network Security (12%) for network monitoring. Answer based on 51 reviews Features and Usability ### What are the key features of Wireshark? Wireshark includes network analysis and real-time monitoring for capturing and examining network traffic and packets across LAN, Wi‑Fi, USB, and Bluetooth interfaces. Its server monitoring helps inspect traffic to and from servers, while data visualization, troubleshooting, and SSL security support investigation of network activity. Answer based on 10 reviews Getting Started and Support ### How easy is it to onboard and train a team on Wireshark? Wireshark offers documentation to support team training, and its interface helps network engineers, students, and users learning basic packet capture get started quickly. Reviewers note that interpreting packet data, selecting filters, and troubleshooting complex traffic require networking and protocol expertise, so administrators and inexperienced users need more time and hands-on practice. Answer based on 19 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does Wireshark offer? Wireshark provides email/help desk, FAQ/forum, knowledge base, and phone support. These channels give users multiple ways to find answers or contact support directly. No reviewer feedback on support quality is available in the catalog data, so user experience details cannot be summarized here. Security ### How does Wireshark handle data security and access control? Wireshark uses packet capture, traffic monitoring, port capture, protocol analysis, and header-field filters to help users investigate suspicious traffic, phishing activity, and network attacks. Its promiscuous wireless capture mode requires necessary privileges. Reviewers note limited visibility into encrypted traffic, potential security risks, resource demands, and an overwhelming volume of information. Answer based on 11 reviews Features and Usability ### Is Wireshark's user interface easy to navigate? Wireshark provides detailed packet analysis, but its dated interface can feel confusing to newcomers. Network administrators and security professionals often adapt after learning the layout and filters, while students and occasional users may want clearer visual guidance. Light mode may also be easier to navigate than dark mode. Answer based on 23 reviews Features and Usability ### Is Wireshark easy for beginners to use? Wireshark supports effective network troubleshooting once users learn packet analysis and display filters, but it has a steep learning curve. Experienced network engineers value traffic capture and protocol inspection, while beginners may need documentation, practice, and system-specific setup knowledge before they can isolate useful results from noisy captures. Answer based on 20 reviews ## Features AI summary Based on 1,675 Network Monitoring reviews Capterra data shows that buyers of Network Monitoring software rank the following features as their top priorities: - **Real-Time Notifications** (**67%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **Real-Time Monitoring** (**70%**) - **Real-Time Data** (**60%**) Wireshark supports **Real-Time Monitoring**, which gives teams visibility into network activity as it happens. However, it does not include **Real-Time Notifications** or **Real-Time Data**. Instead, it offers other important capabilities that reviewers also value, including **Server Monitoring** (**57%**) and **Remote Monitoring & Management** (**56%**). These features help businesses watch infrastructure health across systems and manage distributed environments more effectively, allowing teams to spot issues sooner and keep network operations running reliably. Real-Time Monitoring 4.8 (19) 73.68% of 19 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Active monitoring of systems, applications, or networks Server Monitoring 4.9 (14) 78.57% of 14 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Continuously scan servers on a designated network to monitor health and search for any irregularities or failures Remote Monitoring & Management 3.5 (6) 83.33% of 6 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Remotely monitor and manage client networks, endpoints, systems, and devices via locally installed applications Network Analysis 4.9 (20) 95.00% of 20 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Run tests on a network to find the root cause of network issues IP Address Monitoring 4.8 (17) 82.35% of 17 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Monitor the IP addresses of the incoming traffic Dashboard 4.8 (12) 75.00% of 12 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Assembly of graphs and charts for visualizing and tracking statistics/metrics Wireshark 25 features ### All Features - Activity Dashboard: Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities - API: Application programming interface that allows for integration with other systems/databases - Bandwidth Monitoring: Measure the actual bandwidth available on a local network (LAN or WiFi) - Compliance Management: Track and manage adherence to policies for any service, product, process, or supplier - Configuration Management: Identify component attributes like servers, hardware, software, and manage relationships across all services - Dashboard: Assembly of graphs and charts for visualizing and tracking statistics/metrics - Data Visualization: Graphical representation of data - IP Address Monitoring: Monitor the IP addresses of the incoming traffic - Monitoring: Observe and track the demand, usage, progress or quality of a system, product, or user - Network Analysis: Run tests on a network to find the root cause of network issues - Network Monitoring: Tracks and makes accessible data on the health of servers and other network components. - Performance Metrics: A set of indicators that tracks the performance of networks, applications, systems, teams, etc. - Real-Time Monitoring: Active monitoring of systems, applications, or networks - Remote Monitoring & Management: Remotely monitor and manage client networks, endpoints, systems, and devices via locally installed applications - Reporting & Statistics: Collection, analysis, and representation of numerical data and generation of reports to understand various patterns - Reporting/Analytics: View and track pertinent metrics to find patterns and gain insights from data - Server Monitoring: Continuously scan servers on a designated network to monitor health and search for any irregularities or failures - Service Level Agreement (SLA) Management: Set and monitor service level agreements to ensure timely response and resolution - Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP): Internet standard protocol for collecting information about managed devices on a network - SSL Security: Security protocol that ensures secure, encrypted communication over the internet, safeguarding sensitive data from unauthorized access - Threshold Alerts: Alerts for when traffic utilization or network performance deviates from pre-defined threshold settings - Troubleshooting: Take actions to troubleshoot issues for networks, devices, etc. - Uptime Reporting: Track the availability time for a designated network or website over a given period of time - Virtualization: Create a virtual version of operating systems, storage devices, or computer network resources - Web Traffic Reporting: Collect and analyze traffic data about website visitors --- Features 4.6 (51) 4.6 Based on 51 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.6 (35) Value for money 4.6 (35) 4.6 Based on 35 reviews ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 4.1 (35) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 4.1 (35) 4.1 Based on 35 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.6 Based on 50 reviews Filter by rating Counts reflect reviews available in this feed. 5(31) 4(18) 3(1) 2(0) 1(0) Mentioned topic Recent reviews first, then most helpful Badru R. cyber security analyst Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "excellent review about wireshark" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 April 3, 2025 It's an excellent software and i love every aspect of it Pros It's ability to capture and analyze real-time network traffic Cons nothing to be precise, except the fact that it can be complex for a beginner SE Software Engineer Software Engineer Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "wireshark review" 5.0 January 11, 2023 Pros It helps you keep track of network traffic and packet analysis. You can filter results by protocol to find what you're looking for. It is available on Windows, Linux, and macOS. It supports multiple output formats such as XML and CSV. Cons might need a learning curve to find the best filter for your needs SE Software Engineer Software Engineer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Great tool for " 3.0 February 16, 2021 Pros I save a lot of time when I was debugging a request. I could easily see the payload between. Cons The UI is somewhat old fashioned I can be better than that. Christopher R. Tier Two Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Network Visibility Like No Other" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 May 16, 2025 Fantastic, use it nearly daily. The number of times it has saved me when someone put a wireless access point on an unknown IP or after it has been factory reset by helping me find the new IP and get remoted in makes it invaluable. Pros Easy to install, easy to use, lets you see absolutely any kind of network traffic you could ever want on your network! Cons It's hard to find any complaints about Wireshark. If I had to pick one, I would say it is difficult to narrow down to the exact results you want to see. You have to learn the shortcuts and filters to not just have thousands of lines of meaningless noise. BP bharath P. Technical Support Expert Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Debugging of packet" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 March 13, 2025 This is quite helpful in troubleshooting packet related issues whenever we face any latency or packet loss issues from the server. It gives the information in proper details to work and debug the cause. The best part is , it is an open source environment which makes it more helpful. Pros 1\. Wireshark mainly helps for packet tracing to see the connectivity of servers and endpoints. 2. Very efficient in protecting and monitoring the server from outside attacks. 3. Reliable and just perfect for network visibility and data visualization. Cons 1\. Sometimes it's extremely slow and bad performing while capturing the data. 2. Very outdated UI to debug the issues. MA Manager Manager Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Home Run Software for IT" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 April 14, 2025 Having a stable packet analyzer for my IT team is truly a must and Wire Shark hits home Pros I love this program. being able to check the current networking data is a must Cons the user interface is a bit dated. I have been doing this for some times but new comers might find it old Marc Yvan L. Network engineer Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Network engineer" 4.0 May 9, 2025 Pros Straight forward network tool. Wildly used in the industry Cons The software is amazing but it is a simple tool and the user needs to know what they’re looking for IS IT support and security analyst IT support and security analyst Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "My Experience with wireshark" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 May 16, 2025 It was a wonderful experience that effectively addressed all the aspects ! needed, providing a comprehensive solution that met my requirements. Pros It's ability to capture and analyze network traffic in real-time, enabling swift identification and resolution of network issues. Cons Capturing and analyzing real-time network traffic can be complex for beginners due to the technical expertise required to set up and interpret the data. Surbhi C. Threat Researcher Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Packet monitoring and Capturing" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 January 27, 2025 We use this to protect our server for phishing attacks. The platform is very reliable for traffic monitoring and to get reports for investigations. Pros 1\. This tool is such an ease for capturizing and analysing data traffic. 2. Very clear data visibility , port capturing and configurations. 3. Powerful tool for security analysis , troublehsooting. Provides extreme wide range od security protocol support. 4. It allows customization and being a open source platform it is amazing. Cons 1\. Very old UI design. 2. You require proper knowledge to understand each packet data and path to debug the issues. Huge learning curve. 3. Not very good in performance. Multiple encounter of UI crash. Sanchita J. Technical Support Engineer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Troubleshoot Packet drop" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 October 22, 2024 Overall experience was just great to analyse and understand the root cause of packet drops, checking of packet flow and for deep troubleshooting and analysis. Pros 1\. Perfect packet capturing tool to see the packet flow and analyse the data flow. 2. Very reliable and clear reports for data visibility. 3. Large number of filter options for deep root analysis for every timestamp. Cons 1\. Proper format of input IP data needs to get the results. 2. The UI and results are hard to understand. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/209737/Wireshark/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. 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