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LinkSprinter vs Wireshark comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 11, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

LinkSprinter
Ranking in Network Troubleshooting
10th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
Network Diagnostics (4th)
Wireshark
Ranking in Network Troubleshooting
2nd
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
64
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Network Troubleshooting category, the mindshare of LinkSprinter is 4.3%, down from 6.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Wireshark is 19.1%, up from 12.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Troubleshooting Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Wireshark19.1%
LinkSprinter4.3%
Other76.6%
Network Troubleshooting
 

Featured Reviews

JamesStout - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Director at JVS Consulting
A small, convenient tool that is very stable, but needs to have a longer battery life
They could make it easier to set up originally, because the initial setup can be quite hit and miss. It is also quite battery intensive, so it might last a bit longer if it had a lithium battery. You're always having to replace the batteries, so it would be good if it could be USB-charged or something like that.
reviewer2837244 - PeerSpot reviewer
It System Engineer at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Packet analysis has improved real-time troubleshooting and simplifies mapping complex data flows
The best features that Wireshark offers are everything. Every time I look into Wireshark, I find something new. The ability to capture real-time packets and understand how the packet is working and moving through how many hops and to how many points it reaches makes it a wonderful tool. The specific feature I use most is capturing packets of real-time communication and seeing how the packet is working. I rely on all the filters it has to check the protocols and see the communication between one end and another end and what the hops in between are, and if there is a proxy, how it behaves. Everything helps us check out the issue and troubleshoot it. I do not have anything additional to add about the features; everything looks really fine. The graphics are also good, and you can change its graphical features, making it a pretty nice tool. You can also use it with the PCAP file, which is really nice. Wireshark has positively impacted my organization by giving us the ability to capture packets and see into the network how it is working and what we can clarify about the network, specifically how we can remove many hops in the communication channels. A specific example of a measurable outcome is that we have a few switches in our network that, when we use Wireshark analysis, we find should not be needed or can be replaced with automatic switches instead of manual switches, such as switches which do not have any active features and only passive switches. That has saved us a lot of time.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The solution provides switch port and VLAN information."
"The tool fits in your pocket, so it's easy to carry and you don't have to have a big bag of tools."
"Less downtime, quick results and fast repairs saves money and keeps our users happy - This tool helps us do that and more!"
"Packet-capture files can be hard to use due to their size. Wireshark has a tool called tshark that can parse the files with out opening them so that you can take large captures, say 2-10GB, and return only relevant information."
"Wireshark is a dynamic software that has developed and adapted to the latest technology advancements and network challenges."
"It helps in analyzing if something looks suspicious, such as a brute force attack or scanning from somewhere."
"The initial setup is simple."
"The transmission and reception issues are valuable."
"The solution is open-source and free to use, and there is a paid tier with more features if a company needs a bit more."
"I can save the traffic and analysis when I want to. Also, it's especially helpful to follow the stream (TCP, UDP, etc.)."
"If you're dealing with troubleshooting network, voice issues, or network operations, having a tool like Wireshark to dive into packet details is important. The initial setup is straightforward. Anyone starting out or looking to deploy it on your personal PC or machine can do it easily."
 

Cons

"The solution should improve cable testing."
"They could make it easier to set up originally, because the initial setup can be quite hit and miss."
"We'd like to be able to extract the output into an Excel table."
"It would be better if they offered a hybrid version like My Cloud Control."
"Cannot be used to diagnose any kind of network intrusions and hacking exploits."
"Wireshark is restricted when any sort of encryption is involved, such as XSL encryption or DLX."
"In the future, it would be nice to see color coding. It is just black and white."
"The Wireshark search function shows green for a correct search and red for an incorrect search."
"Wireshark is similar to an OS defense tool, meaning that it runs on an OS such as Ubuntu and Fedora, but I'm unsure if it's compatible with Windows or if it's a straightforward process to run it on Windows. Right now, my team needs to run Wireshark from a dongle to use it, so it's an OS-dependable tool, and that's an area for improvement. I was unable to use Wireshark on Windows, and I couldn't capture it, as I'm unsure how to configure the wireless card into monitoring mode on Windows. The process was straightforward on Linux, but it wasn't the case on Windows OS. It seems Wireshark isn't compatible with all OS. For example, you can analyze the log, and you can analyze it on the Windows server, but you can't do a capture in Windows. Configuring Wireshark for Windows isn't as easy as configuring it for Linux."
"With Wireshark, you cannot download and utilize the packet in automation."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is a little bit overpriced."
"You pay for the device, but you don't have to pay for the app."
"It's a stand-alone tool. If there is a commercial license for it I am unaware of it."
"The solution is open source so is free."
"It is free."
"We are using a freeware version of this solution, so there are no licence costs involved."
"It is free to download and install. It runs on multiple platforms, so how can you go wrong?"
"Wireshark is free of charge, and there's no license involved."
"I am using the free version of this solution."
"Wireshark is open source and gives great value and functionality to the network investigation."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
14%
University
9%
Legal Firm
8%
Hospitality Company
8%
University
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Construction Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business31
Midsize Enterprise11
Large Enterprise29
 

Questions from the Community

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Earn 20 points
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Wireshark?
Wireshark is priced at a medium range, not too high, not too low. The pricing could be more flexible, and they might make it more expensive. That said, compared to other products, it is competitive.
What needs improvement with Wireshark?
Wireshark can be improved if it provides the accessibility of capturing packets from one device that is installed in the network without needing the port-mirrored facility. They could provide somet...
What is your primary use case for Wireshark?
Wireshark's main use case is capturing packets and reviewing the data flow over the network. Regarding my main use case for Wireshark, it is a great tool and would be one of the best tools availabl...
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Cisco, Marriott, Sands Expo, Valparaiso University, Memorial Hermann Health Care System, Mount Sinai, Cox Enterprises, George Washington University, University of Iowa.
Comversion, ADP, Talbots
Find out what your peers are saying about LinkSprinter vs. Wireshark and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.