8 Best Free Packet Sniffers & Network Analyzers for Traffic and Data Analysis

1. Solarwinds Bandwidth Analyzer 2-Pack 

This particular software is a two-piece deal with similar, but distinct, functionality that goes hand in hand.The Network Performance Monitor, as the name implies, monitors network performance and is going to be one of the Best Network Data Sniffers on the market if you want an overall view of what's going on in your network.

2. Wireshark

WireShark is relatively new tool in the broad scheme of network diagnostics, and it does a great job finding a middle ground between raw data and visual representations of that data. It's simple, it's compatible, it's portable. It does what needs doing and it does it succinctly.It's got a clean UI, plenty of options for filtering and sorting, and, best of all for some of the multi-platform folks, it jives happily on any of the big three in terms of OS. Add to that the fact that it's open-source and a Free Sniffer and you've got a compelling tool to reach for when you need some quick diagnostics. Available for *NIX, Windows, and OSX environments.

3. tcpdump

Tcpdump is something of an older tool and, to be frank, it looks like it. But there's a certain power in tools that are so cut and dry – it does what it needs to do, does it with as little a footprint as possible, and does it cleanly. It may be harder for some professionals to weed through the stark tables of data, but in some environments, or on a machine barely running, minimal is best.

4. Kismet

Kismet is more than just a packet sniffer and, in fact, delves into wide range of functionality. Kismet even has the ability to sniff and analyze traffic of hidden networks or un-broadcasted SSIDs!

5. EtherApe

EtherApe has a lot of the same sort of functionality that WireShark does and, to boot, it also boasts being both Open-Source and free of any cost! What makes it different, though, is that it's far more graphically driven.Whereas WireShark has you peering at lists of numbers and comparing network throughput in a more numerical sense, EtherApe takes the focus more to the visual and graphical realm.

6. Cain and Abel

This particular software has a bit of a curious name, and it belies the remarkable breadth of tasks the program can perform. If your needs extend well beyond simple sniffing, then this may be the tool for you.It can even perform limited password recovery, do dictionary attacks to retrieve lost credentials, peruse VOIP data on the network, analyze routing, and so much more. This is a powerful tool that can really shine in those rare instances when you need to do a little search and recovery on a network. Available for Windows environments only.

7. NetworkMiner

Network miner is another tool that does more than sniff and, arguably, would be better suited to ferreting out problematic users or systems on a network than overall diagnosis or monitoring as a whole.

8. KisMAC

This software's name says it all – it's a lot like Kismet, but for the Mac environment. KisMAC! Simple as that. These days Kismet has a Mac environment port, so it may seem redundant, but it's worth emphasizing that KisMAC actually has its own codebase and was not directly derivative from Kismet's.

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Fuente: pcwdld.com