tcpdump vs Arkime

tcpdump8.8Visit Arkime8.7Visit

Higher score tcpdump #5 in Network Protocol Analyzers 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit tcpdump

vs

Arkime #6 in Network Protocol Analyzers 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit Arkime

• tcpdump fits best

  Lightweight command-line capture

• Arkime fits best

  Searchable, server-based packet investigations

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Side by side

Feature	tcpdump 8.8/10 Visit ↗	Arkime 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	8.7
Ranking	#5 in Network Protocol Analyzers	#6 in Network Protocol Analyzers
Best for	Lightweight command-line capture	Searchable, server-based packet investigations
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Web, Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features tcpdump 4/5 · Arkime 4/5
PCAP support	✓	✓
Traffic decryption	✓ (best)	—
CLI tools	✓	✓
Remote capture	✓	✓
Flow analysis	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
Deployment	Both	Server
Capture sources	Both	Both
Our review
Pros	Free and open source across Windows, macOS, and Linux BPF filtering, protocol decoding, and timestamped output PCAP/pcapng handling, rotation, decryption, and remote capture	Combines live capture with offline PCAP import and processing Searches session metadata and protocol fields through a web interface Supports PCAP retention, export, flow views, and remote capture
Cons	Command-line workflow may require technical network knowledge No AI-assisted features Limited confirmed flow analysis and deep inspection	Requires server deployment and self-hosted operation Encrypted TLS traffic is indexed as ciphertext without decryption support OpenSearch or Elasticsearch is required for indexed session data
Our verdict	tcpdump is a free, open-source command-line network protocol analyzer for capturing and inspecting traffic. It is suited to network troubleshooting, monitoring, traffic analysis, and security diagnostics across Windows, macOS, and Linux.… Read the review →	Arkime is a self-hosted, open-source network analysis and session search system for security teams and network operators. It runs on Linux with web, API, and server deployment options. The system can capture traffic from live network… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• tcpdump — where it wins

  • Free and open source across Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • BPF filtering, protocol decoding, and timestamped output
  • PCAP/pcapng handling, rotation, decryption, and remote capture

  Where it doesn't

  • Command-line workflow may require technical network knowledge
  • No AI-assisted features
  • Limited confirmed flow analysis and deep inspection

• Arkime — where it wins

  • Combines live capture with offline PCAP import and processing
  • Searches session metadata and protocol fields through a web interface
  • Supports PCAP retention, export, flow views, and remote capture

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires server deployment and self-hosted operation
  • Encrypted TLS traffic is indexed as ciphertext without decryption support
  • OpenSearch or Elasticsearch is required for indexed session data

• tcpdump8.8/10 · Free plan

  Free, open-source capture with strong filtering and PCAP support, but limited analysis depth.

  Visit tcpdumpFull verdict →
• Arkime8.7/10 · Free plan

  A server-based Arkime system for searchable packet investigations and session analysis.

  Visit ArkimeFull verdict →