LinkSprinter vs Wireshark comparison

Read 63 Wireshark reviews

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433 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

LinkSprinter

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 11, 2024

Wireshark and LinkSprinter are used for network analysis and diagnostics. Wireshark is favored for its pricing and support, while LinkSprinter is preferred for its superior features, justifying the cost.

Features: Wireshark provides comprehensive protocol analysis, a wide range of filters, and detailed analysis capabilities. LinkSprinter offers portability, ease of use, and quick diagnostic capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Wireshark needs a more intuitive layout, better performance with high data volumes, and easier setup. LinkSprinter requires expanded testing capabilities, more detailed reports, and improved customer support.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Wireshark requires installation and setup but benefits from extensive online resources and community support. LinkSprinter offers instant deployment and straightforward operation but has mixed feedback on manufacturer support.

Pricing and ROI: Wireshark is open-source and free, providing excellent ROI. LinkSprinter requires an initial investment but offers a quick ROI for its convenience and speed in diagnostics.

To learn more, read our detailed LinkSprinter vs. Wireshark Report (Updated: April 2025).

LinkSprinter vs. Wireshark

April 2025

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Helped 849,190 peers since 2012

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

5th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Diagnostics (4th)

Wireshark

Ranking in Network Troubleshooting

3rd

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Network Troubleshooting category, the mindshare of LinkSprinter is 8.5%, down from 9.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Wireshark is 13.2%, up from 12.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Troubleshooting

Featured Reviews

JamesStout

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.

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Vijay Duggal

Network Specialist at Squarepoint Capital

Provides detailed traffic analysis and helps troubleshoot issues

There is a disadvantage when it comes to sampling intervals. While the solution supports sampling as fine as one millisecond, it requires a copy at that interval. My Python script allows me to achieve a granularity of up to ten microseconds, but I can't go beyond that. When dealing with provisioning on both issues, it would be beneficial if I could go down to the microsecond level, if not the nanosecond. Additionally, I've heard from a colleague that Wireshark might be less effective in the voice domain.

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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."

"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."

"Being able to dissect email data and figure out what is inside email messages was the most valuable feature. Such a feature is pretty helpful for an ongoing forensic investigation or when there is a potential insider threat that you are trying to investigate. It allows you to see the network activity of the users you are investigating. It also gives you more visibility into your network. It was very easy to set up. There is a lot of information out there on Google and YouTube about how to use it. There is also community support. If you have any trouble, it is pretty easy to find an answer online. You will have to do some digging only if you have a very specific use case."

"The GUI is easy to use."

"Setup is very easy. It's also possible to change source code and compile if you want to change something in the code, because it's free."

"The product is simple to implement."

"Wireshark has a lot of features. It's a powerful tool if you're familiar with it. You can see everything on the network with it."

"I find Wireshark a very useful tool. Its best feature is that it allows me to deeply understand what's going on at the packet level, as well as any adverse signatures that I can analyze. When I need to create an IPS rule, I need to check the traffic deeply to get more insights about the actual traffic, what's the name of certain flags, etc., and I'm able to do all that through Wireshark. The tool is also user-friendly."

"You can use Wireshark to see the traffic packet format, the IP layers, the fields, and the enabled flags."

More Wireshark pros

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."

"The solution has a steep learning curve. There are so many filters and features that are frequently being updated, it takes research, experience and familiarity to be able to use them. It could be a lot more user-friendly."

"You need some basic knowledge to work with Wireshark. Maybe it could be more user-friendly just for new users. Just for the new generation."

"In the future, it would be nice to see color coding. It is just black and white."

"With Wireshark, you cannot download and utilize the packet in automation."

"The decryption of encrypted packets could be better."

"We would like the product to be developed so that it doesn't rely on internet access for installation. We would like to see all of the components required to be integrated into the installer."

"You need good network connectivity to download during the setup, otherwise, it might take a while."

"It is difficult to scale this solution."

More Wireshark cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"You pay for the device, but you don't have to pay for the app."

"The product is a little bit overpriced."

"The tool is free."

"Wireshark is open source and gives great value and functionality to the network investigation."

"We are using a freeware version of this solution, so there are no licence costs involved."

"It's a stand-alone tool. If there is a commercial license for it I am unaware of it."

"Wireshark is free of charge, and there's no license involved."

"It is free to download and install. It runs on multiple platforms, so how can you go wrong?"

"We're using the free version of Wireshark."

"Wireshark is free software, so you can download it and use it for free with no licensing fees."

More Wireshark pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Healthcare Company

18%

Computer Software Company

University

Government

University

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

Government

10%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about LinkSprinter?

The solution provides switch port and VLAN information.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for LinkSprinter?

The product is a little bit overpriced. It probably needs to be 10 to 20 percent cheaper.

What needs improvement with LinkSprinter?

The solution should improve cable testing.

What do you like most about Wireshark?

The GUI is easy to use.

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?

The speed of the Internet could be improved, especially its performance. Performance can sometimes be a challenge due to numerous factors.

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Network Diagnostics

March 2025

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Overview

The LinkSprinter Pocket Network Tester verifies the functionality of copper Ethernet links and identifies errors in less than 10 seconds. The tester reveals network connectivity status and port information while ensuring documentation for every link. The comprehensive AutoTester measures PoE voltage, performs a switch test, and confirms the DHCP server is running and responsive. The tester also verifies gateway/router, internal IP service, and cloud reachability. When paired with the secure Link-Live Cloud Service, the Network Tester automatically uploads results and allows annotation of results enabling job supervisors to easily manage the progress of deployment and troubleshooting tasks assigned to their team.

NetAlly

Wireshark is the world's foremost network protocol analyzer.

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