Packet Sender
A utility for sending and receiving TCP, UDP, SSL and DTLS packets to test network services.
These buttons open the developer's own site, repository or store listing in a new tab. wares.gg does not host downloads.
2 more ways to get Packet Sender
Other download sites
Run by third parties, not by Dan Nagle. Prefer the official page above when it works.
Package managers
- Homebrew
brew install --cask packetsender
About Packet Sender
Packet Sender sends and receives UDP, TCP, SSL and DTLS traffic on ports you choose, with data entered as ASCII or hex and saved as reusable packets or macros. It includes built-in servers for receiving traffic, an HTTP client for GET and POST requests, traffic generation for stress testing, and a panel generator for building button-driven control systems.
A command-line tool supports automation and scripting. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and an optional Packet Sender Cloud service saves and shares packet sets.
Strengths
- Sends and receives TCP, UDP, SSL and DTLS
- Command-line tool for scripted tests
- Built-in HTTP client and traffic generator
- Available on Windows, macOS and Linux
Limitations
- Low-level tool that assumes some networking knowledge
- Panel generator is aimed at control systems, a niche use
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree and open source, with no ads or bundled software.
- License
- Open source, license not stated
- Developer
- Dan Nagle
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Developers and technicians testing network services and devices by hand
- Categories
- Network tools, API clients
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.
Alternatives to Packet Sender
Compare allSoftware that can replace Packet Sender for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
netcat
The original TCP and UDP swiss army knife.
netcat is a tiny command-line TCP and UDP tool available on almost every Unix system, but without a GUI or encryption, and distributions ship incompatible rewrites.
socat
Multipurpose relay that connects almost any two data channels.
socat is a GPL command-line relay that connects almost any two channels including TLS and serial devices, with dense address syntax and no graphical interface.
hping3
Packet crafting tool for TCP/IP testing and probing.
hping3 crafts arbitrary TCP/IP packets from the command line for firewall testing, but it needs root, lacks a GUI and its development stopped years ago.
websocat
A command-line WebSocket client and server, like netcat or curl for ws:// with socat-style features.
websocat covers WebSocket connections specifically from the command line, working in pipes and scripts, rather than plain TCP, UDP, SSL and DTLS packets.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
MQTTX
A desktop, web and command-line MQTT client for testing brokers, topics and messages.
Wireshark
The network protocol analyser: capture traffic and read it packet by packet, with dissectors for hundreds of protocols.
Tcpreplay
A suite of command-line tools for editing captured network traffic and replaying it onto a network.
iPerf3
Measures how fast a network link really is between two machines you control, which a speed test cannot.
tcpdump
The classic command-line packet capture and analysis tool.
ngrep
A command-line packet capture tool that matches network payloads against regular or hexadecimal expressions.
