Ethereal vs Cocoa Packet Analyzer

Struggling to choose between Ethereal and Cocoa Packet Analyzer? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Ethereal is a Network & Admin solution with tags like packet, network, analyzer, sniffer, protocol.

It boasts features such as Packet capture and real-time network traffic analysis, Powerful display filters for analyzing captured data, Protocol dissection of hundreds of protocols, TCP reassembly and stream following, VoIP analysis and RTP streams playback, Supports common capture file formats like pcap and pcapng, Extensible via plugins and dissectors and pros including Free and open source, Available for multiple platforms like Windows, Linux, macOS, Rich feature set for deep inspection and analysis, Support for wide range of network protocols, Active community support and development.

On the other hand, Cocoa Packet Analyzer is a Network & Admin product tagged with networking, troubleshooting, analysis, inspection, macos.

Its standout features include Real-time packet capture, Filtering and searching packets, Protocol decoding, Packet statistics and reports, Exporting packet captures (PCAP), and it shines with pros like Native macOS application, Clean and intuitive UI, Powerful filtering capabilities, Support for common protocols, Free and open source.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Ethereal

Ethereal

Ethereal is a free and open-source packet analyzer and network protocol analyzer software for Unix-like operating systems. It allows users to examine data from a live network or from a capture file on disk. Ethereal has powerful features to inspect hundreds of protocols, and provides the ability to reconstruct TCP sessions and browse data as it presents itself on the wire.

Categories:
packet network analyzer sniffer protocol

Ethereal Features

  1. Packet capture and real-time network traffic analysis
  2. Powerful display filters for analyzing captured data
  3. Protocol dissection of hundreds of protocols
  4. TCP reassembly and stream following
  5. VoIP analysis and RTP streams playback
  6. Supports common capture file formats like pcap and pcapng
  7. Extensible via plugins and dissectors

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Available for multiple platforms like Windows, Linux, macOS

Rich feature set for deep inspection and analysis

Support for wide range of network protocols

Active community support and development

Cons

Steep learning curve

Capturing and analysis limited by available bandwidth

Lacks some features found in commercial analyzers

User interface not very intuitive


Cocoa Packet Analyzer

Cocoa Packet Analyzer

Cocoa Packet Analyzer is a native macOS packet capture, inspection and analysis tool. It allows capturing packets, inspection protocols, analysis and processing. Useful for network troubleshooting, analysis, software and communications protocol development.

Categories:
networking troubleshooting analysis inspection macos

Cocoa Packet Analyzer Features

  1. Real-time packet capture
  2. Filtering and searching packets
  3. Protocol decoding
  4. Packet statistics and reports
  5. Exporting packet captures (PCAP)

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Native macOS application

Clean and intuitive UI

Powerful filtering capabilities

Support for common protocols

Free and open source

Cons

Limited to macOS platform

Less advanced compared to Wireshark

Lacks some advanced features like packet injection