Colasoft Capsa vs PacketWatch
Colasoft Capsa
colasoft.comPacketWatch
packetwatch.comSide by side
| Figure | Colasoft Capsa | PacketWatch |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 3 |
| Spec score · Network Packet Capture Software | 8.9 (#2) | 7.0 (#19) |
| Integrations | The pages opened describe protocol and application analysis, but do not identify named third-party integrations. | PacketWatch describes CrowdStrike Falcon integration for endpoint telemetry and threat containment, and Validin integration for threat intelligence and DNS context. |
| Intended users | Colasoft describes Capsa Enterprise as designed for small business and enterprise users, including network administrators and engineers. | The company describes the platform as built by threat hunters for threat hunters and says it can complement or replace traditional SOC, SIEM, MSSP, and MDR solutions. |
| Packet capture | Enterprise captures and saves packets from wired and 802.11a/b/g/n wireless networks in real time. | Passive collectors capture full network packets, while the cloud platform analyzes packet metadata and the page says high-fidelity data is stored locally. |
Plans
Colasoft Capsa
- Capsa FreeFree
- Capsa FreeFree
- Capsa Standard$295, paid once
- Capsa Professional$695, paid once
- Capsa Enterprise$995, paid once
- Capsa Enterprise$1,295, paid once
PacketWatch
- Co-ManagedPriced on request
- Fully ManagedPriced on request
- Self-ManagedPriced on request
In their own words
Colasoft Capsa
Colasoft Capsa is a Windows network analyzer for monitoring, analyzing and troubleshooting wired and wireless networks. The Enterprise edition captures packets in real time from local networks and can save transmitted data. It analyzes more than 1,800 protocols and sub-protocols, including VoIP, and displays packet details in Hex, ASCII and EBCDIC. Capsa can diagnose network problems and suggest solutions, monitor conversations, reconstruct packet streams and generate reports for selected items, the whole network or a particular network group. Its security analysis detects DoS and DDoS attacks, worm activity, ARP attacks, TCP port scans and suspicious conversations in real time. Users can set email or sound alerts and schedule capture once, daily or weekly. Capsa Free monitors up to 10 IP addresses, ends sessions after four hours and lacks WiFi connection monitoring. Professional is listed at $695, paid once for a single-seat perpetual license, one machine and one year of maintenance. Enterprise is $1,295, paid once and has a 30-day trial.
PacketWatch
PacketWatch is network threat-hunting software built around deep packet analysis. Passive collectors capture complete network packets while the cloud platform analyzes packet metadata; the service says high-fidelity data remains stored locally. Machine-learning and artificial-intelligence analytics identify anomalies and create hunt leads, including Command and Control detections. Investigators can filter and replay traffic retrospectively, create nested rules and export PCAP captures as forensic evidence. Virtual collectors capture cloud traffic, with AWS and Azure named as hunting environments. The product addresses persistent threats, insider threats, data exfiltration, Command and Control activity, and IoT, OT and legacy-device activity. Integrations include CrowdStrike Falcon for endpoint telemetry and containment, and Validin for threat intelligence and DNS context. Fully Managed, Co-Managed and Self-Managed SaaS packages are available, with pricing supplied by quote.