Best Network Traffic Analysis Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Nagios XI is ranked #1 of 23 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Caligare Flow Inspector and ElastiFlow. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Caligare Flow Inspector. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Andrisoft Wansight at $28.75/mo.
When you need to understand how traffic moves through your network, compare these tools on application visibility, bandwidth monitoring and conversation analysis. Flow protocol support and deployment options help clarify what data each can work with and how it may fit your environment. Check monitored device limits alongside free-plan availability and paid-from pricing to weigh capacity and cost. Nagios XI, Caligare Flow Inspector and ElastiFlow are among the named options, as are ntopng and ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer. Use the criteria to focus on the traffic sources and level of insight that matter to your infrastructure.
23 network traffic analysis software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Network Traffic Analysis Software, ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going. 9 of the 23 on this page can be tried for free.
- 1 Nagios XIFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 2 Caligare Flow InspectorFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 3 ElastiFlowFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 4 ntopngFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 5 ManageEngine NetFlow AnalyzerPaid from $172/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 6 NetVizura NetFlow Analyzer
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 7 Noction Flow AnalyzerPaid from $165.83/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 8 Andrisoft WansightPaid from $28.75/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 9 Kentik Network Monitoring SystemPaid from $166.67/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 10 Riverbed Aternity
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 11 Akvorado
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 12 pmacct
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 13 Argus
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 14 SparrowIQ
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 15 Intermapper
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 16 NetGain Network Traffic Analytics
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 17 Plixer Scrutinizer
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 18 FlowViewer
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 19 nfdump
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 20 SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 21 BrByte Captor
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 22 Progress Flowmon
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 23 Omnipeek
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
Compare all 23 in a table
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Flow protocols | Application visibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nagios XI | 7.8 | Free plan | Free | No | — | NetFlow, sFlow, jFlow, IPFIX | Yes |
| 2 | Caligare Flow Inspector | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | NetFlow 1, 5, 6, 7, 9 | Yes |
| 3 | ElastiFlow | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow | Yes |
| 4 | ntopng | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 5 | ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer | 7.3 | Free plan | $172/mo | Yes | — | NetFlow, sFlow, IPFIX, J-Flow, NetStream, cflowd, AppFlow | Yes |
| 6 | NetVizura NetFlow Analyzer | 7.0 | No | — | No | — | NetFlow v5, NetFlow v9, IPFIX, NSEL, sFlow | Yes |
| 7 | Noction Flow Analyzer | 6.9 | No | $165.83/mo | No | — | NetFlow, J-Flow, sFlow, IPFIX, NetStream | Yes |
| 8 | Andrisoft Wansight | 6.8 | No | $28.75/mo | No | — | NetFlow v5/v7/v9, jFlow, cflowd, NetStream, sFlow v4/v5, IPFIX | Yes |
| 9 | Kentik Network Monitoring System | 6.8 | No | $166.67/mo | No | 2,000 /mo | sFlow, IPFIX, NetFlow v9, NetFlow v5, Juniper J-Flow | Yes |
| 10 | Riverbed Aternity | 6.8 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | Akvorado | 6.7 | No | — | Yes | — | NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow | — |
| 12 | pmacct | 6.3 | No | — | Yes | — | NetFlow v1, v5 and v9; IPFIX; sFlow v2, v4 and v5 | Yes |
| 13 | Argus | 6.0 | No | — | — | — | Argus, NetFlow, IPFIX, J-Flow, Q-Flow, K-Flow | Yes |
| 14 | SparrowIQ | 5.9 | No | — | No | — | — | Yes |
| 15 | Intermapper | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 16 | NetGain Network Traffic Analytics | 5.8 | No | — | — | — | — | Yes |
| 17 | Plixer Scrutinizer | 5.8 | No | — | No | — | NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow, Syslog, SNMP Traps | No |
| 18 | FlowViewer | 5.7 | No | — | Yes | — | NetFlow v5; NetFlow v9; IPFIX; sFlow | — |
| 19 | nfdump | 5.7 | No | — | — | — | NetFlow v1, NetFlow v5, NetFlow v7, NetFlow v9, IPFIX, sFlow v4, sFlow v6 | — |
| 20 | SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer | 5.7 | No | — | No | — | NetFlow v5 and v9, Huawei NetStream, Juniper J-Flow, sFlow, IPFIX | Yes |
| 21 | BrByte Captor | 5.6 | No | — | No | — | NetFlow v5, NetFlow v9, IPFIX | Yes |
| 22 | Progress Flowmon | 5.4 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 23 | Omnipeek | 5.3 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which network traffic analysis software is ranked first on The Geeks Club?
Nagios XI is ranked #1 of 23 with a score of 7.8. Caligare Flow Inspector is second and ElastiFlow third.
How many of these have a free plan?
5 of the 23 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Andrisoft Wansight has the lowest first paid tier we found: $28.75/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.