--- 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" --- # Wireshark Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on July 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 51 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://digitalmarkets.gartner.com/get-listed/claim-bx?url=https://www.wireshark.org/&name=Wireshark) ## 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. [4.6 (319)](https://www.capterra.com/p/251336/ManageEngine-OpManager/reviews/) Starting Price Contact vendor Starting Price $95 Flat Rate, Per Year Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 4.0 (51) Ease Of Use 4.6 (314) Value For Money 4.6 (35) Value For Money 4.6 (290) Customer Service 4.1 (35) Customer Service 4.6 (309) ## Wireshark alternatives [4.6 (255)](https://www.capterra.com/p/21581/PRTG-Network-Monitor/reviews/) Starting price $179.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 95% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars Highest Rated [4.7 (363)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168192/Site24x7/reviews/) Starting price $10.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 97% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.5 (95)](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 [4.4 (74)](https://www.capterra.com/p/212602/ManageEngine-OpManager-MSP/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 96% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/209737/Wireshark/alternatives/) ## FAQs about Wireshark Overview ### What problems does Wireshark solve? Wireshark solves blind spots in network traffic, packet loss, latency, protocol errors, and suspicious activity by capturing and filtering live or saved packets across interfaces. Network engineers, IT support teams, server administrators, cybersecurity analysts, and QA testers use it to trace root causes, inspect handshakes, validate device behavior, and investigate attacks. Answer based on 38 reviews Overview ### Which roles and teams benefit most from Wireshark? Wireshark is most used by network administrators, IT support teams, security analysts, and software engineers who need deep visibility into packet-level traffic. These roles rely on it to troubleshoot connectivity issues, investigate anomalies, validate configurations, analyze protocols, and support incident response, performance tuning, and network diagnostics across complex environments. Answer based on 51 reviews Overview ### What company size and industries is Wireshark built for? Wireshark is designed for commercial enterprises, government agencies, and non-profits, with strongest use among small businesses at 49% and Information Technology and Services at 29%. It also serves enterprises at 29% and midsize businesses at 22%, especially in Computer Software and Computer & Network Security, primarily for network monitoring. Answer based on 51 reviews Features and Usability ### What are the key features of Wireshark? Wireshark includes core network monitoring and troubleshooting features centered on real-time packet capture, network packet analysis, and packet filtering. Differentiating capabilities include deep protocol inspection, offline analysis of saved captures, and SSL/TLS traffic inspection. Reviewers also frequently mention its open-source model and support for filtering by IP, port, and protocol. Answer based on 38 reviews Integrations ### Which third-party tools and platforms does Wireshark integrate with? Wireshark integrates with PRTG Enterprise Monitor for network monitoring workflows. The available catalog and reviewer data here highlight this integration as the main third-party connection, supporting packet analysis alongside monitoring and alerting tools used to track network health and outages. Answer based on 1 reviews Getting Started and Support ### How easy is it to onboard and train a team on Wireshark? Wireshark is fairly quick to install and start using, with documentation as the main training option. Students, network engineers, and technical teams often onboard quickly for basic packet capture and troubleshooting, while inexperienced users need more time to learn protocols, filters, and setup. Teams without packet-analysis experience should expect a steeper learning curve. 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 several ways to look for help, but no reviewer feedback is available here to describe response speed, helpfulness, or common support frustrations. Security ### How does Wireshark handle data security and access control? Wireshark uses packet tracing, traffic capture, powerful filters, and broad security protocol support to monitor networks, inspect suspicious traffic, investigate phishing, and improve server visibility. Reviewers also note privacy value and reliable reporting, but mention limited support for encrypted traffic, potential security risks, and that wireless sniffing requires necessary privileges. Answer based on 11 reviews User interface ### Is Wireshark easy to use for beginners? Wireshark presents a capable but often challenging interface for beginners, especially when reading packets and building filters. Network administrators, students, and security professionals value the detailed layout and traffic views, but many new users find the design dated, the navigation confusing, and the learning curve steep at first. Answer based on 23 reviews ## Features AI summary Based on 1,647 Network Monitoring reviews Not all Network Monitoring tools cover every must-have feature. Here is what Capterra reviewers flag as essential when choosing a solution: - **Real-Time Monitoring** (**69%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **Alerts/Notifications** (**56%**) - **Real-Time Data** (**59%**) Wireshark supports **Real-Time Monitoring**, making it useful for tracking network activity as it happens. However, it does not include **Alerts/Notifications** or **Real-Time Data**. Instead, it offers other features that reviewers also consider important, including **Server Monitoring** (**57%**), **Remote Monitoring & Management** (**56%**), and **Network Analysis** (**46%**). These capabilities help teams watch system health, manage network environments from a distance, and examine traffic patterns more closely, helping businesses spot issues faster and maintain more reliable network performance. 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 51 reviews Filter by rating 5(32) 4(18) 3(1) 2(0) 1(0) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent CR Christopher R. Tier Two Information Technology and Services ### "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 15, 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. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. BM Badru M. IT support and security analyst Design ### "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 15, 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. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. NM Natale M. Senior Field Technician Information Technology and Services ### "Wireshark Review" 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 May 13, 2025 I've used Wireshark to troubleshoot all sorts of network problems through the years and it continues to be an excellent resource for specific situations. Pros The amount of data that it captures and how it is listed is extremely helpful. Cons None, the program does exactly what it says it will very well. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. MY marc Y. Network engineer Industrial Automation ### "Network engineer" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 7/10 May 8, 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 Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. JA Julian A. IT Specialist Medical Practice ### "Wireshark Tool Review" 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 9/10 April 15, 2025 Pros Wireshark is a good network tool that lets you see in real-time network traffic and things such as packet loss and transmission. It is helpful if you know what you are looking for. Cons If you do not know the capabilities of Wireshark and its configurations it could add an exploitable breach to your device, especially servers. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. WM Will M. Manager Computer Networking ### "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 10, 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 Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Badru R. cyber security analyst Information Technology and Services ### "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 March 19, 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 Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. PB Prashant B. Consultant Information Technology and Services ### "Great tool for Network Troubleshooting" 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 9/10 March 9, 2025 Pros It’s free, powerful, and helps me quickly find network issues with deep packet inspection. Cons for beginner the interface is quite confusing Switched from [Network Performance Monitor](https://www.capterra.com/p/146805/Network-Performance-Monitor/) Too expensive for basic troubleshooting. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. BM Bharath M. Technical Support Expert Information Technology and Services ### "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 5, 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. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Surbhi C. Threat Researcher Information Technology and Services ### "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. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. [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. Popular comparisons [ManageEngine OpManager vs Wireshark](https://www.capterra.com/compare/209737-251336/Wireshark-vs-ManageEngine-OpManager) [PRTG vs Wireshark](https://www.capterra.com/compare/21581-209737/PRTG-Network-Monitor-vs-Wireshark)