GNS3 vs Tessabyte

GNS3 is free, open-source software for emulating, configuring, testing, and troubleshooting virtual and real networks. Its graphical client works with a virtual machine, and servers can run locally or remotely. Users can combine emulated devices running actual images with simulated devices, including a built-in layer 2 switch. It supports appliances from vendors such as Cisco, Brocade, Cumulus Linux, and HPE, as well as Docker, QEMU-based appliances, VMware, VirtualBox, Hyper-V, and connections to real networks. The GNS3 Marketplace offers preconfigured appliance templates with recommended settings. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux; documentation recommends the GNS3 VM for most Windows and macOS setups and complex topologies. Users must supply their own Cisco IOS images. There are no monthly or yearly license fees, and device capacity depends in practice on the host computer’s CPU and memory. GNS3 is used for networking education, certification practice, proofs of concept, demonstrations, and interoperability testing. A server has no authentication enabled by default and should be restricted at the network level.

Tessabyte measures performance on wired and wireless networks, including speed, packet loss, and jitter. Listed uses include Wi-Fi speed tests, network capacity tests, link quality analysis, stress tests, QoS assessment, and SLA verification. It tests across LAN and Wi-Fi using IPv4, IPv6, TCP, and UDP. Results can chart uplink and downlink speeds, packet loss, and jitter; users can customize payloads and generate reports. The software has client and server components, and multiple clients can connect to one server. The server component is free and can be installed on unlimited Windows, macOS, or Linux machines. Its evaluation version is fully functional for 30 days from first execution. Client licenses are one-time purchases: the 1-user license is $39 as a one-time purchase, and licenses are also listed for three, five, ten, and 25 users. Each Windows or macOS client user license allows installation on up to three personal machines, and one license is required per user. Purchases include technical support and software updates for one year; the license remains usable afterward, with upgrades available separately. Tessabyte is self-hosted, and its maker describes it as intended for professionals who have outgrown iPerf.