nChronos vs Sniffnet
nChronos
colasoft.comSniffnet
sniffnet.appSide by side
| Figure | nChronos | Sniffnet |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Network Packet Capture Software | 7.4 (#12) | 8.2 (#5) |
| Integrations | nChronos can replay packet files in formats including libpcap used by Wireshark, Ethereal and Tcpdump, plus several vendor packet formats. | The webhook documentation gives SIGNL4, IFTTT, Svix and Webhook.site as compatible notification receivers. |
| Intended users | The maker says nChronos is designed to monitor network traffic in medium and large corporates. | The maker says Sniffnet is designed to be usable with ease by everyone, including people who find other network analyzers difficult to understand. |
| Purpose | nChronos is an application-centric network performance analysis system combining a server and console for continuous packet capture, storage, data mining and traffic analysis. | Sniffnet is a network monitoring app for keeping track of Internet traffic, checking bandwidth usage, and inspecting network activity. |
| Security | The maker says connections between nChronos Server and Console are encrypted using a private encryption algorithm. | A 2025 security audit covered static analysis, dependency checking, code analysis and fuzzing, dynamic analysis on most supported platforms, and interactive testing; its only relevant finding was low severity and had been fixed. |
| Support | The maker provides an online support form and says a Colasoft representative responds to quote requests within one business day. | The download page directs users with persistent installation problems or doubts to open an issue. |
Plans
In their own words
nChronos
nChronos is Colasoft’s application-focused network performance analysis system for medium and large corporate networks. Its client/server design places continuous packet capture, analysis, storage and data mining on a server, while a console displays and analyzes the collected data. The server can receive traffic through a network mirror port or link tap and retain packets for later investigation of network or application problems. Real-time statistics and user-defined alerts show network events as they occur. System or custom reports can be scheduled for hourly, daily, weekly or monthly email delivery. Users can define application and transaction monitoring, with profiles for HTTP, FTP, email and DNS. Packet files can be replayed from Colasoft, libpcap and several vendor formats, including files associated with Wireshark, Ethereal and Tcpdump. Linux server systems and Windows consoles are listed, with browser-based server configuration. Standard specifications allow four logical links, eight capture interfaces and two concurrent server connections.
Sniffnet
Sniffnet is a free network monitoring app for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It displays overall internet traffic statistics and real-time charts, and can show which programs use bandwidth. Users can choose a network adapter, filter observed traffic, and import or export PCAP capture reports. Sniffnet identifies local network connections, shows remote hosts’ geographical locations, and finds host domain names and ASNs. It recognizes more than 6,000 upper-layer services, protocols, trojans, and worms. Users can configure notifications for network events and import custom IP blacklists to highlight potentially dangerous connections. The app supports live capture, display filters, protocol dissectors, and offline trace analysis; it reads PCAPNG and CAP files as well as PCAP. Custom themes and 26 languages are available. The listed Sniffnet plan is free and the software is open-source under MIT or Apache-2.0. A 2025 security audit reported one low-severity finding, which had been fixed. Most functionality uses offline databases, while reverse DNS lookups provide hostnames for IP addresses.