Wireshark is the most popular, free, and open-source packet analyzer. It can see all the network communication going in and out of all the computers in the network. It means someone who uses Wireshark can see anything on your network that’s not encrypted. But unfortunately, it is not available for Android. That doesn’t mean you cannot track, monitor or capture network packets on your Android smartphones. Here are some of the best Wireshark alternatives for Android to monitor traffic and capture packets.
Also Read: 8 Best WiFi Manager for Android
Why Most Network Sniffer App on Android Require Root Access?
Before you jump to the Wireshark alternatives for Android list, you should know that most of them requires root access to capture packets. The reason being the promiscuous mode or monitor mode. You will see every packet being transmitted over the network when running a packet sniffer tool in promiscuous mode. If it is not separately encrypted, all traffic can be read and analyzed.
In general, most Windows computers require a separate WiFi adapter to enable promiscuous mode, while some macOS devices can use the built-in WiFi card in promiscuous mode. Android, on the other hand, can also use the built-in WiFi adapter for promiscuous mode. But to prevent its misuse, most manufacturers turn off this feature. And the only way to bypass this is with root access. In short, without root, you can only monitor traffic from your device. Also for obvious reasons, most of the following apps are not available on Google Play Store.
Also Read: 6 Best Wireshark Alternatives for Windows and macOS
Wireshark Alternatives for Android
1. zAnti (Root)
zAnti is not just a simple network sniffer, it is a complete penetration testing tool for your Android device. You can do complete network testing and a whole lot of other tests with a simple tap of a button. Some of the things you can do with zAnti include, but is not limited to, modifying HTTP requests and responses, exploiting routers, hijacking HTTP sessions, changing MAC address, and checking target device for vulnerabilities. Apart from that, zAnti can also find security gaps within your existing network and gives you detailed reports on how to fortify the defenses to protect your network from possible attacks.
Being a complete penetration testing tool that was specifically designed for professionals and businesses in mind, zAnti needs root access to work. Moreover, for most advanced features to work, it will change a few SELinux configuration settings and put your device into permissive mode. So, if you chose to go with zAnti, I would recommend that you use a dedicated device that is separate from your work or personal device.
Pricing: Free but requires an email ID before you can download it.
2. cSploit (Root)
cSploit is very similar to zAnti in that it is a complete and professional penetration testing tool for advanced users. In fact, cSploit is a fork of dSploit which was bought by and merged into zAnti. You can think of cSploit as Metasploit for Android. Some of the features of cSploit include the ability to collect and see host systems fingerprints, map local network, perform MITM (man in the middle) attacks, built-in traceroute functionality, ability to add your own hosts, create or forge TCP and/or UDP packets, and more. When it comes to network-specific tools, cSploit allows real-time traffic manipulation, DNS spoofing, breaking connections, traffic redirection, capture pcap network traffic files, and session hijacking
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Most of all, cSploit has a built-in Metasploit framework RPCd which allows you to scan for known vulnerabilities and create shell consoles on target systems. What’s more, the developer is actively working on the application and there are plans to add features like install backdoors on a vulnerable system, decrypt WiFi passwords, and more in the future. A worthy Wireshark alternative for Android.
Pricing: Free and open-source.
3. Packet Capture
zAnti and cSploit are full-fledged penetration testing tools with all the bell and whistles for Android but not everyone needs them. Packet Capture is a dedicated app to capture and record network packets. Using this app, you can not only capture and record packets but also decrypt SSL communication using MITM (man in the middle) attack. Since Packet Capture uses a local VPN to capture and record all your traffic, it can run without root permissions. If you are looking for a simple and straightforward packet capture app then try Packet Capture.
Also Read: How to Share Android’s VPN connection over WiFi Hotspot (Root)
Upon launch, you will be prompted to install an SSL certificate which is necessary to record and capture HTTPS traffic. Depending on your requirements, either tap on Install or Skip to continue. Do mind that if you don’t install an SSL certificate, some apps might not be able to connect to the internet when you are using Packet Capture’s local VPN. That being said, you can always install the SSL certificate from the settings panel later.
On the home screen, tap on the Play icon appearing in the upper right corner. This action will start the local VPN and all your traffic will be automatically monitored and recorded. If you didn’t install an SSL certificate when prompted, you can do so by navigating to Settings and then selecting Status under the Certificate section.
Pricing: The app is completely free but ad-supported.
4. Debug Proxy
Debug Proxy is another Wireshark alternative for Android that’s a dedicated traffic sniffer. Just like Packet Capture, it can capture traffic, monitor all your HTTP and HTTPS traffic, decrypt SSL traffic using MITM technique and view live traffic. What’s good about Debug Proxy is that its user interface is very intuitive and captures all packets in native code which makes it pretty fast and responsive. Other than that, Debug Proxy also gives access to other tools that let you do throttle bandwidth, HTTP response and test latency as well as a network security for MITM attack vulnerabilities, web debugging, SSL monitoring, and more.
Just like before, you will be prompted to install an SSL certificate. Install if you want to decrypt SSL traffic. On the main screen, tap on the ‘Play’ button appearing in the center-right corner of the screen to start capturing traffic. By default, Debug Proxy will capture traffic from all apps. If you want to capture the traffic of a specific app, then tap on the ‘Android’ icon in the upper navigation bar and select the app you want to log or monitor.
Pricing: The base app is free and there are no ads to deal with. For advanced features like the ability to filter system-wide capture and to display request body and response data, you need to upgrade to the premium version for $3.
5. WiFinspect (Root)
WiFinspect is yet another free and powerful packet capture and a network sniffer. Features of WiFinspect include but are not limited to Pcap analyzer, network sniffer, host discovery, port scanner, internal and external network vulnerability scanner, traceroute, ping, etc. Unlike Packet Capture or Debug Proxy Wireshark alternative apps for Android, you need root permissions to work with most features in WiFinspect.
If you are looking for an app that does much more than capturing packets and not a full-fledged penetration testing tool like cSploit or zAnti then WiFinspect is for you.
Pricing: Free
6. tPacketCapture
tPacketCaputre does one thing and that is capturing your network traffic, just like Packet Capture or Debug Proxy Wireshark alternative for Android app. However, unlike both these apps, tPacketCapture will save the captured data in pcap file format. To read that captured data, you need to transfer the pcap file to your computer and use packet capturing applications like Wireshark. Other than that limitation, tPacketCapture is pretty good at what it does. So, if you don’t mind the limitation then give the app a try.
Pricing: The base app is free and there are no ads. However, if you want to capture app-specific traffic then you need to buy the pro version for around $8.5 (which is asking a lot).
7. Nmap
Nmap is a popular open-source network scanning app for Android and desktop. While it works on both rooted and non-rooted Android, you obviously get more functionality in a rooted Android smartphone.
The only caveat here is, Nmap is not directly available on Google Play store or even on its official websites like most other apps on the list. Rather, you will have to compile it by running a few commands either using ADB or a third-party terminal emulator like Su/Root Command. If you get permission denied error during the installation, make sure you have given the entire Nmap directory permission.
8. Android tcpdump (Root)
Android tcpdump is a command-line tool for Android phones which means it is not exactly user-friendly but sitll cool. Users of the Linux operating system will feel right at home as they have experience with command-line tools and tcpdump already.
The phone needs to be rooted and you will also need terminal access. For that, you will need terminal emulators and there are many available in the Play Store.
9. NetMonster
NetMonster will help you with illegal signals that you have been receiving by analyzing nearby networks and cell towers. It will collect CI, eNB, CID, TAC, PCI, RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ, SNR, CQI, TA, EARFCN, Band+ information and deliver it to your phone screen. You can use all this info in network testing and penetration attacks.
NetMonster will collect all data from the nearby network and they won’t even know about it. NetMonster is completely free and there are no ads either. Just use it and collect and analyze all that data.
Wrapping Up: Wireshark Alternatives for Android
These were some of the best Wireshark alternatives for Android phones. zAnti and cSploit are closest when it comes to packet capturing and man in the middle attack. However, if all you want is to boot people off your WiFi network, consider using Netcut app. It also requires root access though.
Also Read: Top 10 Network Monitoring Apps for Android
