TShark vs NetworkMiner

TShark9.2Visit NetworkMiner8.4Visit

Higher score TShark #2 in Network Protocol Analyzers 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Wireshark

vs

NetworkMiner #8 in Network Protocol Analyzers 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit NetworkMiner

• TShark fits best

  Scriptable packet analysis

• NetworkMiner fits best

  PCAP artifact extraction on Windows

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Side by side

Feature	TShark 9.2/10 Visit ↗	NetworkMiner 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.4
Ranking	#2 in Network Protocol Analyzers	#8 in Network Protocol Analyzers
Best for	Scriptable packet analysis	PCAP artifact extraction on Windows
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free plan	$1,300/user one-time
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted, Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Email
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features TShark 5/5 · NetworkMiner 4/5
PCAP support	✓	✓
Traffic decryption	✓ (best)	—
CLI tools	✓	✓
Remote capture	✓	✓
Flow analysis	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment	Both	Desktop
Capture sources	Both	Both
Our review
Pros	Live and offline analysis with PCAP and PCAPNG support Structured JSON, PDML, and fields output for automation Remote capture, filtering, flow analysis, and TLS decryption support	Extracts files, images, emails, credentials and certificates from captures Supports PCAP parsing, live sniffing and PCAP-over-IP reception Builds host inventories with passive asset and protocol discovery
Cons	Command-line interface lacks Wireshark's graphical workflow TLS decryption requires appropriate configured secrets or keys No AI features for assisted analysis	Does not decrypt TLS traffic itself Professional pricing starts at $1,300 per license Desktop platform coverage is limited to Windows and Linux
Our verdict	TShark is the command-line network protocol analyzer included in the Wireshark distribution. It captures traffic from live network interfaces, reads saved PCAP and PCAPNG files, decodes protocols, applies capture and display filters, and… Read the review →	NetworkMiner is an open-source network forensics and packet-analysis tool for incident responders, SOC analysts, investigators and law-enforcement teams. It analyzes PCAP and other capture data, extracts artifacts such as files, images,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• TShark — where it wins

  • Live and offline analysis with PCAP and PCAPNG support
  • Structured JSON, PDML, and fields output for automation
  • Remote capture, filtering, flow analysis, and TLS decryption support

  Where it doesn't

  • Command-line interface lacks Wireshark's graphical workflow
  • TLS decryption requires appropriate configured secrets or keys
  • No AI features for assisted analysis

• NetworkMiner — where it wins

  • Extracts files, images, emails, credentials and certificates from captures
  • Supports PCAP parsing, live sniffing and PCAP-over-IP reception
  • Builds host inventories with passive asset and protocol discovery

  Where it doesn't

  • Does not decrypt TLS traffic itself
  • Professional pricing starts at $1,300 per license
  • Desktop platform coverage is limited to Windows and Linux

• TShark9.2/10 · Free plan

  A free, scriptable Wireshark-based analyzer for live captures, PCAP files, and protocol workflows.

  Visit WiresharkFull verdict →
• NetworkMiner8.4/10 · Free plan

  A focused Windows-first choice for extracting evidence from PCAP and live captures.

  Visit NetworkMinerFull verdict →