PCAPdroid vs Sniffnet

PCAPdroid is an open-source Android network capture and monitoring tool that works without root privileges. It uses Android VpnService to receive app traffic, then processes it locally without creating an external VPN. Its connection view shows protocol, ports, addresses, status and traffic volume. Captures can be saved as PCAP files or sent remotely for analysis, and the app supports offline trace analysis, display filters and command-line capture. It can decrypt HTTPS/TLS traffic for a specific app, subject to Android certificate trust limitations. The free plan covers core monitoring and capture; paid features add a firewall for blocking apps, domains and IP addresses with configurable rules and allowlists, as well as malware detection using third-party blacklists and PCAPng format. PCAPdroid supports real-time PCAP-over-IP analysis with tools such as Wireshark, ntopng and tcpdump. In non-root mode it captures only outgoing connections started by the device running it, not traffic from other devices on the network. The project says it collects no information and processes traffic locally.

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.