Microsoft Message Analyzer vs Wireshark

Struggling to choose between Microsoft Message Analyzer and Wireshark? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Microsoft Message Analyzer is a Network & Admin solution with tags like network, traffic, analysis, monitoring, messaging, protocol.

It boasts features such as Network trace capturing and analysis, Message deep inspection for network protocols, Real-time analysis and troubleshooting, Built-in parsers for common protocols, Custom parsing and filtering, Correlation of messages, Session reconstruction, Charts and graphs for traffic analysis, Save and load session files and pros including Powerful built-in analysis capabilities, Good protocol support out of the box, Intuitive and customizable UI, Free and easy to get started, Integrates well with other Microsoft tools.

On the other hand, Wireshark is a Network & Admin product tagged with network, troubleshooting, analysis, packet-capture, protocol-analyzer.

Its standout features include Network protocol analyzer, Real-time capturing and offline analysis, Rich VoIP analysis, Read/write many different capture file formats, Live data can be read from Ethernet, IEEE 802.11, PPP/HDLC, ATM, Bluetooth, USB, Token Ring, Frame Relay, FDDI, and others, Decryption support for many protocols, and it shines with pros like Powerful feature set, Cross-platform, Open source, Large user community support.

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.

Microsoft Message Analyzer

Microsoft Message Analyzer

Microsoft Message Analyzer is a network traffic analysis tool that captures, displays, and analyzes protocol messaging traffic, security events, and other system messages.

Categories:
network traffic analysis monitoring messaging protocol

Microsoft Message Analyzer Features

  1. Network trace capturing and analysis
  2. Message deep inspection for network protocols
  3. Real-time analysis and troubleshooting
  4. Built-in parsers for common protocols
  5. Custom parsing and filtering
  6. Correlation of messages
  7. Session reconstruction
  8. Charts and graphs for traffic analysis
  9. Save and load session files

Pricing

  • Free
  • One-time Purchase

Pros

Powerful built-in analysis capabilities

Good protocol support out of the box

Intuitive and customizable UI

Free and easy to get started

Integrates well with other Microsoft tools

Cons

Steep learning curve

Can be resource intensive for large captures

Limited to Windows platform

Development discontinued in 2017

Lacks some features of commercial tools


Wireshark

Wireshark

Wireshark is an open-source packet analyzer software used for network troubleshooting, analysis, and communications protocol development. It allows users to see what's happening on their network at a microscopic level.

Categories:
network troubleshooting analysis packet-capture protocol-analyzer

Wireshark Features

  1. Network protocol analyzer
  2. Real-time capturing and offline analysis
  3. Rich VoIP analysis
  4. Read/write many different capture file formats
  5. Live data can be read from Ethernet, IEEE 802.11, PPP/HDLC, ATM, Bluetooth, USB, Token Ring, Frame Relay, FDDI, and others
  6. Decryption support for many protocols

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Powerful feature set

Cross-platform

Open source

Large user community support

Cons

Steep learning curve

Can be resource intensive

Capturing raw packets requires admin privileges