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.

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.

iftop

iftop

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.

Categories:
network monitoring bandwidth tcpip connections realtime

Iftop Features

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

Pricing

  • Open Source

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

ntop

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.

Categories:
traffic monitoring analysis network open-source

Ntop Features

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

Pricing

  • Open Source

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