Best Network Protocol Analyzers in 2026
Updated
In short: Scapy is ranked #1 of 30 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of NETCAP and NetworkMiner. The best-ranked option with a free plan is NETCAP. The lowest first paid tier on this page is VoIPmonitor at $21.58/mo.
When you need to examine network traffic, analyzers can differ in what they capture and how they support investigation. Wireshark heads the ranking, followed by Scapy and TShark, with Kismet and Arkime also among the first entries. Compare capture sources, PCAP support, and remote capture to understand what data each can work with. Flow analysis, traffic decryption, and CLI tools offer further points of comparison, while deployment, free-plan availability, and paid-from pricing provide setup and cost context. Weigh these capabilities against your environment and the kind of protocol analysis you need to carry out.
30 network protocol analyzers ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
#1 Scapy Top pick · 7.4 Free plan · Free
#2 NETCAP Runner-up · 7.3 Free plan · $548/mo
#3 NetworkMiner Also great · 7.2 Free plan · Free
- Free plan apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
- Capture sources
- both
- PCAP support
- Yes
- Traffic decryption
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free planFree trial LinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
- Capture sources
- both
- PCAP support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$548/mofirst paid tier About NETCAPVisit site - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- desktop
- Capture sources
- both
- PCAP support
- Yes
- Traffic decryption
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
- Capture sources
- both
- PCAP support
- Yes
- Traffic decryption
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
- Capture sources
- both
- PCAP support
- Yes
- Traffic decryption
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
- Capture sources
- both
- PCAP support
- Yes
- Traffic decryption
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- desktop
- Capture sources
- both
- PCAP support
- Yes
- Traffic decryption
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan apiLinuxself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- server
- Capture sources
- both
- PCAP support
- Yes
- Traffic decryption
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free trial apiLinuxself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- No
- Paid from
- 22 /mo
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$21.58/mofirst paid tier About VoIPmonitorVisit site - WebWindowsLinux
- Deployment
- both
- Capture sources
- both
- PCAP support
- Yes
- Traffic decryption
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebmacOSLinux
- Deployment
- server
- Capture sources
- both
- PCAP support
- Yes
- Traffic decryption
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsLinuxmacOS
- Deployment
- desktop
- Capture sources
- local
- PCAP support
- Yes
- Traffic decryption
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinuxAndroid
- Deployment
- both
- Capture sources
- both
- PCAP support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
- Capture sources
- local
- PCAP support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - LinuxmacOS
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- desktop
- Capture sources
- both
- PCAP support
- Yes
- Traffic decryption
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- server
- Capture sources
- local
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Windows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- desktop
- Capture sources
- local
- PCAP support
- Yes
- Traffic decryption
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Linux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- desktop
- Capture sources
- both
- PCAP support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment
- desktop
- Capture sources
- local
- PCAP support
- Yes
- Traffic decryption
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebLinux
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment
- server
- Capture sources
- both
- PCAP support
- Yes
- Traffic decryption
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Deployment
- server
- Capture sources
- both
- PCAP support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- server
- Capture sources
- local
- PCAP support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Linux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Capture sources
- local
- PCAP support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebWindows
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment
- both
- Capture sources
- both
- Traffic decryption
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which network protocol analyzer is ranked first on Everything Xiaomi?
Scapy is ranked #1 of 30 with a score of 7.4. NETCAP is second and NetworkMiner third.
How many of these have a free plan?
9 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, VoIPmonitor has the lowest first paid tier we found: $21.58/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.