HiPerConTracer vs WhatRoute
HiPerConTracer
nntb.noWhatRoute
whatroute.netSide by side
| Figure | HiPerConTracer | WhatRoute |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Spec score · Network Diagnostic Software | 8.5 (#7) | 7.8 (#19) |
| Purpose | HiPerConTracer is a Ping/Traceroute measurement framework for running regular measurements among sites. | WhatRoute is a macOS network testing and monitoring utility with traceroute, ping, flow monitoring and bandwidth monitoring. |
| Security | The documentation recommends separate database users with limited roles and strongly recommends configuring TLS for database access. | The download page says WhatRoute 2.8.1 verifies helper client connections using code-signing requirements, and an older release note says WhatRoute was notarized by Apple. |
| Support | The project directs users to its GitHub issue tracker for bug reports, issues, and questions. | The maker publishes [email protected] as its contact address. |
Plans
In their own words
HiPerConTracer
HiPerConTracer is a free, GPL-licensed framework for Ping and Traceroute measurements on Linux and self-hosted systems. It supports ICMP and UDP, multi-homing, parallel measurements, network load balancing, and nanosecond-precision timing through Linux software and hardware timestamping. A shared and static libhipercontracer library lets other software integrate its measurement functions. Framework tools can view, merge, convert, sync, collect, import, query, and manage results; conversion includes CSV output. The Importer supports MariaDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB. The Sync Tool transfers result files to a remote Collector using Rsync and SSH, while a Reverse Tunnel Tool maintains an SSH reverse tunnel for nodes without publicly reachable addresses. Documentation recommends TLS for database connections and separate database users. The current stable release is version 2.2.12, announced October 6, 2026. Ready-made packages are listed for Linux and FreeBSD; other named systems require source builds.