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Packetbeat vs Security Onion: catalog facts
Packetbeat	Security Onion
Free Free to download; paid Elastic offerings exist for the wider stack.	Freemium The platform is free, while Onion AI features are offered through sales representatives.
Command line	Linux, Self-hosted
Decodes many application protocols Passive capture with no latency added	Complete monitoring platform installed from a single ISO Includes packet capture, detection rules and threat hunting
Needs Elasticsearch or Logstash to be useful Agent with no interface of its own	Needs dedicated hardware or virtual machines and setup time Onion AI details are only available through sales
Downloadable app	Self-hosted, Operating system
Closed source	Closed source
License not stated	License not stated
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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