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tcpdump vs Termshark: catalog facts
tcpdump	Termshark
Free Free and open source under the BSD licence.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	macOS, Linux, Command line
Available on practically every Unix system, including embedded ones Writes standard pcap files that every other tool can read	Wireshark-style analysis over an SSH session with no X forwarding Uses tshark, so dissection matches Wireshark exactly
Needs elevated privileges to capture Output is dense and takes practice to read	Requires tshark installed Fewer features than the Wireshark graphical application
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: BSD-3-Clause	License: MIT
Not stated if an account is 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 September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

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