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SmartSniff vs ngrep: catalog facts
SmartSniff	ngrep
Free Freeware from NirSoft; free to redistribute as long as nothing is charged.	Free Free open-source software.
Windows	Windows, Linux, Command line
Shows traffic as readable client-server conversations Can capture without installing a driver via Raw Sockets	Grep-style matching on packet payloads Accepts tcpdump-style BPF filters
Official system requirements list Windows versions up to Windows 8 Raw Sockets mode misses outgoing UDP and ICMP packets and is unreliable on some systems	Text output only, with no protocol decoding like Wireshark Capturing traffic usually needs root or administrator rights
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Closed source	Open source
License: Freeware	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 8, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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