Best Cisco Packet Tracer Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 tools from network simulation software ranked against Cisco Packet Tracer on the same published basis.
- 1Cisco Packet Tracer vs OMNeT++
- 2Cisco Packet Tracer vs EVE-NG
- 3Cisco Packet Tracer vs IMUNES
- 4Cisco Packet Tracer vs Cisco Modeling Labs
- 5Cisco Packet Tracer vs GNS3
- 6Cisco Packet Tracer vs Kathará
- 7Cisco Packet Tracer vs Mininet
- 8Cisco Packet Tracer vs ns-3
- 9Cisco Packet Tracer vs OMNEST
- 10Cisco Packet Tracer vs Containerlab
- 11Cisco Packet Tracer vs PNETLab
- 13Cisco Packet Tracer vs Marionnet
- 14Cisco Packet Tracer vs NetSim by Tetcos
- 15Cisco Packet Tracer vs QuNetSim
- 16Cisco Packet Tracer vs Cloonix
- 17Cisco Packet Tracer vs EMANE
- 18Cisco Packet Tracer vs Netropy Network Emulator
- 19Cisco Packet Tracer vs MIMIC Simulator
- 20Cisco Packet Tracer vs Telephone
- 21Cisco Packet Tracer vs Mahimahi
Cisco Packet Tracer alternatives compared
| # | Tool | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OMNeT++ | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 2 | EVE-NG | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 3 | IMUNES | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 4 | Cisco Modeling Labs | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 5 | GNS3 | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 6 | Kathará | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 7 | Mininet | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 8 | ns-3 | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 9 | OMNEST | 7.3 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 10 | Containerlab | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 11 | PNETLab | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 13 | Marionnet | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 14 | NetSim by Tetcos | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 15 | QuNetSim | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 16 | Cloonix | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Web |
| 17 | EMANE | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 18 | Netropy Network Emulator | 7.0 | No | — | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 19 | MIMIC Simulator | 6.9 | No | — | Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 20 | Telephone | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 21 | Mahimahi | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
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Questions about Cisco Packet Tracer alternatives
What is the best alternative to Cisco Packet Tracer?
OMNeT++, number 1 in network simulation software with a score of 7.7 out of 10. The others here: EVE-NG, IMUNES, Cisco Modeling Labs and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Cisco Packet Tracer?
OMNeT++ is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 17 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing.