iftop vs ntop

Struggling to choose between iftop and ntop? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

iftop is a Network & Admin solution with tags like network, monitoring, bandwidth, tcpip, connections, realtime.

It boasts features such as Displays bandwidth usage on selected network interface, Shows both inbound and outbound traffic, Can filter by IP address or network port, Real-time monitoring and stats, Text-based interface for terminal/CLI use and pros including Free and open source, Lightweight and low resource usage, Easy to use with no configuration needed, Good for identifying bandwidth hogs and monitoring network usage, Works on Linux, Unix, and BSD systems.

On the other hand, ntop is a Network & Admin product tagged with traffic, monitoring, analysis, network, open-source.

Its standout features include Real-time network traffic monitoring, Flow analysis and accounting, Top talkers and application usage statistics, Network traffic visualization, Supports sFlow, NetFlow, and other flow technologies, Web-based interface for remote access, Customizable dashboards and reporting, Alerting and notifications, Integration with 3rd party software via REST API, and it shines with pros like Open source and free, Easy to install and configure, Web-based interface works across platforms, Scales to monitor large networks, Customizable dashboards and reporting, Integrates with other monitoring tools.

Feature	iftop	ntop
Overall Score	N/A	1
Primary Category	Network & Admin	Network & Admin

Product Overview

iftop

Description: iftop is an open source command-line tool used to monitor network usage and bandwidth in real-time. It displays a table of current TCP/IP connections using bandwidth over a specified interface.

ntop

Description: ntop is an open source network traffic monitoring and analysis tool. It provides real-time information on network usage and helps identify bandwidth hogs and troubleshoot network issues.

Key Features Comparison

iftop Features

• Displays bandwidth usage on selected network interface
• Shows both inbound and outbound traffic
• Can filter by IP address or network port
• Real-time monitoring and stats
• Text-based interface for terminal/CLI use

ntop Features

• Real-time network traffic monitoring
• Flow analysis and accounting
• Top talkers and application usage statistics
• Network traffic visualization
• Supports sFlow, NetFlow, and other flow technologies
• Web-based interface for remote access
• Customizable dashboards and reporting
• Alerting and notifications
• Integration with 3rd party software via REST API

Pros & Cons Analysis

iftop

Pros

• Free and open source
• Lightweight and low resource usage
• Easy to use with no configuration needed
• Good for identifying bandwidth hogs and monitoring network usage
• Works on Linux, Unix, and BSD systems

Cons

• Terminal-only, no GUI
• Can only monitor one interface at a time
• Not as feature-rich as commercial bandwidth monitors
• Requires some Linux/Unix command line knowledge to use
• Does not work on Windows

ntop

Pros

• Open source and free
• Easy to install and configure
• Web-based interface works across platforms
• Scales to monitor large networks
• Customizable dashboards and reporting
• Integrates with other monitoring tools

Cons

• Can be resource intensive for very large networks
• Limited support options
• Web interface can be slow on low powered systems
• Steep learning curve for some advanced features

Pricing Comparison

iftop

• Open Source

ntop

• Open Source