nChronos
nChronos: A continuous packet-capture system for investigating historical network and application behavior. Ranked #11 of 22 in Network Packet Capture Software by our editors (8.0/10); pricing: Pricing on request; best for historical traffic troubleshooting.
At a glance
- Editor score8.0 / 10
- PricingPricing on request
- Best forHistorical traffic troubleshooting
- Display filtersYes
- Founded2001
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- 24x7 capture with historical retrieval, playback, and drill-down analysis
- Application analysis, traffic statistics, reports, alerts, and packet decoding
- Supports Linux servers, Windows consoles, and browser-based server configuration
Where it doesn't
- Pricing requires a quote from Colasoft
- The console interface is Windows-based
- Designed for medium and large corporate network environments
Our verdict on nChronos
nChronos is an enterprise network performance analysis system from Colasoft for network and security teams investigating performance problems, application behavior, and suspicious activity. It combines a packet-capture server with a Windows console, while server configuration is available through a web browser. The system is positioned for medium and large corporate networks, including environments monitoring mirrored switch or tap traffic across multiple links.
Its main strength is retrospective investigation. nChronos continuously captures and stores traffic, then supports historical retrieval, playback, and drill-down analysis. Capture and display filters help narrow selected traffic, while real-time statistics and top-talker views provide a current view of network activity. Application performance and transaction analysis extend the product beyond basic packet storage, and the built-in Expert Analyzer provides packet decoding. The platform also supports offline analysis and a broad range of capture file formats, including libpcap, Wireshark, Ethereal, Tcpdump, Microsoft Network Monitor, and several vendor-specific formats.
Operational monitoring is another important part of the product. Critical-link monitoring and alerting can draw attention to important network conditions, while scheduled statistical reports can be sent by email. This combination suits teams that need both ongoing visibility and the ability to revisit earlier traffic rather than relying only on live capture. According to Colasoft’s published product information, the current official download page lists nChronos 6.4 as a demo-request product, and pricing is handled through a quote request. Organizations seeking continuous capture, historical playback, application analysis, and reporting should consider nChronos; teams wanting a lightweight, immediately priced packet-analysis utility may prefer a simpler alternative.
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nChronos pricing
nChronos fact sheet
| Free plan | Not verified |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Live capture | Yes |
| Offline trace analysis | Yes |
| Display filters | Yes |
| Protocol decryption | Not verified |
| Capture file formats | Colasoft Packet File (.cscpkt, .rawpkt, .cscproj); Accellent 5Views (.5vw); EtherPeek V9 (.pkt); HP Unix Nettl (.TRC0, .TRC1); libpcap/Wireshark/Ethereal/Tcpdump (.cap, .pcap); Microsoft Network Monitor 1.x/2.x (.cap); Novell LANalyzer (.tr1); NetXRay 2.0; Windows Sniffer (.cap); Sun_Snoop (.Snoop); Visual Network Traffic Capture (.cap) |
| Command-line capture | Not verified |
| Supported platforms | Linux server; Windows console; web browser for server configuration |
| Deployment | Self-hosted, Desktop, Browser extension |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux, Web |
| Support | Email, Docs |
| Built for | Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Pricing | Pricing on request (source) |
| Website | colasoft.com |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
Alternatives to nChronos
- WiresharkA broad packet analysis toolkit with live capture, deep inspection, filtering, and TShark.9.4
- TSharkA free, open-source CLI analyzer for scripted capture, filtering, and protocol inspection.9.1
- MalcolmA broad, free toolkit for live capture, PCAP analysis, and security-focused traffic investigation.9.0
See all nChronos alternatives →
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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