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Best ns-3 Alternatives in 2026

Updated

20 tools from network simulation software ranked against ns-3 on the same published basis.

  1. 1
    OMNeT++ Free plan LinuxMacself-hostedWin Free7.7
    ns-3 vs OMNeT++
  2. 2
    EVE-NG Free plan LinuxMacself-hostedWebWin Free7.6
    ns-3 vs EVE-NG
  3. 3
    IMUNES Free plan LinuxMacself-hostedWebWin Free7.6
    ns-3 vs IMUNES
  4. 4
    GNS3 Free plan LinuxMacself-hostedWebWin Free7.3
    ns-3 vs GNS3
  5. 5
    Kathará Free plan apiLinuxMacself-hostedWin Free7.3
    ns-3 vs Kathará
  6. 6
    Mininet Free plan apiLinuxMacself-hostedWin Free7.3
    ns-3 vs Mininet
  7. 8
    OMNEST Free trial apiLinuxMacself-hostedWin 7.3
    ns-3 vs OMNEST
  8. 9
    Containerlab Free plan apiLinuxMacself-hostedWeb Free7.2
    ns-3 vs Containerlab
  9. 10
    NetSim by Tetcos Free plan Win Free7.1
    ns-3 vs NetSim by Tetcos
  10. 11
    QuNetSim Free plan LinuxMacself-hostedWin Free7.1
    ns-3 vs QuNetSim
  11. 12
    Cloonix Free plan LinuxWeb Free7.0
    ns-3 vs Cloonix
  12. 13
    EMANE Free plan Linuxself-hosted Free7.0
    ns-3 vs EMANE
  13. 14
    Days Linux 6.3
    ns-3 vs Days
  14. 15
    PacketStorm Network Emulators WebWinMacLinux 6.3
    ns-3 vs PacketStorm Network Emulators
  15. 16
    Marionnet LinuxWinMac 6.2
    ns-3 vs Marionnet
  16. 17
    Cisco Packet Tracer WinMacLinux 6.1
    ns-3 vs Cisco Packet Tracer
  17. 18
    NetSim WebWinMacLinux 6.1
    ns-3 vs NetSim
  18. 19
    PNETLab WebWinMacLinux 6.1
    ns-3 vs PNETLab
  19. 20
    EXata Network Modeling WinLinux 6.0
    ns-3 vs EXata Network Modeling
  20. 21
    MIMIC Simulator WinLinux 5.9
    ns-3 vs MIMIC Simulator

ns-3 alternatives compared

#ToolScoreFree planFromRuns on
1OMNeT++7.7Free planFreeLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
2EVE-NG7.6Free planFreeLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows
3IMUNES7.6Free planFreeLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows
4GNS37.3Free planFreeLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows
5Kathará7.3Free planFreeAPI, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
6Mininet7.3Free planFreeAPI, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
8OMNEST7.3No—API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
9Containerlab7.2Free planFreeAPI, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows
10NetSim by Tetcos7.1Free planFreeWindows
11QuNetSim7.1Free planFreeLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
12Cloonix7.0Free planFreeLinux, Web
13EMANE7.0Free planFreeLinux, self-hosted
14Days6.3No—Linux
15PacketStorm Network Emulators6.3No—Web, Windows, Mac, Linux
16Marionnet6.2No—Linux, Windows, Mac
17Cisco Packet Tracer6.1No—Windows, Mac, Linux
18NetSim6.1No—Web, Windows, Mac, Linux
19PNETLab6.1No—Web, Windows, Mac, Linux
20EXata Network Modeling6.0No—Windows, Linux
21MIMIC Simulator5.9No—Windows, Linux
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Questions about ns-3 alternatives

What is the best alternative to ns-3?

OMNeT++, number 1 in network simulation software with a score of 7.7 out of 10. The others here: EVE-NG, IMUNES, GNS3 and 16 more.

What is the best free alternative to ns-3?

OMNeT++ is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 11 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.