Compare software

Cocoa Packet Analyzer vs tcpdump: catalog facts
Cocoa Packet Analyzertcpdump
Free

Downloadable directly from the developer site with no price shown.

Free

Free and open source under the BSD licence.

macOS Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
  • Native macOS interface with menu bar capture
  • QUIC, HTTP/3 and TLS 1.3 decryption
  • Available on practically every Unix system, including embedded ones
  • Writes standard pcap files that every other tool can read
  • Current version requires macOS 26 or later
  • macOS only
  • Needs elevated privileges to capture
  • Output is dense and takes practice to read
Downloadable app Downloadable app
Closed source Open source
License not stated License: BSD-3-Clause
Not stated if an account is needed Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline Not stated if it works offline

Checked October 2, 2026

Checked September 22, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.