Sniffnet is my new go-to app for network monitoring — Free, open-source, and taking on GlassWire and Wireshark

I'm always on the lookout for novel Windows apps that can either improve my baseline experience or provide more insight than the regular tools that come with my favorite OS.

This week, I was introduced to Sniffnet, which has recently exploded in popularity to hit some 401,000+ overall downloads. It's available to download directly from the Sniffnet website or from GitHub, where it has amassed 33,800 stars.

Sniffnet, which works with Windows 11 in its standard and ARM64 flavors, is a free and open-source internet traffic monitoring tool.

As the developer, Giuliano Bellini (GyulyVGC on GitHub), points out, Sniffnet was created as "a more intuitive and simpler-to-use version of Wireshark, and can be considered a completely free alternative to GlassWire."

I've been toying around with Sniffnet, and I can testify that it's quite easy to navigate and operate. It's clearly been refined over its three years of development history (all by Bellini, notably), and because it's developed with Rust, it uses hardly any system resources.

The part I appreciate most? Sniffnet doesn't collect any user data. Everything remains on your device, so you don't have to worry about outside forces snooping on your traffic. It also works with VPNs, which is great news considering I usually have one enabled.

What can Sniffnet do for you?

I downloaded Sniffnet without issue and installed the required Npcap capture packet tool to begin (you'll be prompted to download at the end of the Sniffnet installation). Easy enough.

The app is instantly populated with traffic sources, and you can choose to begin monitoring any of the sources. Once you've gone deeper, a full list of network hosts, services, and programs shows up with detailed information about each connection.

Filter and notification settings are available for each entry, and you can add alerts for when data thresholds are met. There are 12 preset themes from which you can choose, and you can also mix and match colors. Within the app, you can also select one of 24 different languages.

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The full-size app is, of course, the best way to monitor your traffic, but a thumbnail overlay setup is also available if you want to keep an eye on movement from the corner of your screen.

Sniffnet is great for keeping tabs on your network's bandwidth usage and connections, but as mentioned, it's also great for sniffing out suspicious activity.

If you deal in IoT devices on your network, a tool like this is especially priceless for identifying unauthorized connections.

What features were just added with the Sniffnet 1.5 update?

Sniffnet version 1.5 just launched on April 14, 2026, adding tools that identify which apps and programs are using up your network's bandwidth.

Not only does this help rein in data usage, but it also helps users spot suspicious programs that they might not otherwise notice.

Drilling deeper, each application can be favorited and set up to notify you whenever it begins to generate traffic. Adding to the security aspect, the Sniffnet 1.5 update adds the ability to import IP blacklists and traffic rundowns for any network adapter connected to your PC.

Windows Central's take

I've been toying around with Sniffnet on my PC for a couple of days now, and it's not going anywhere.

It's fast, it hardly takes up any system resources, and it provides the level of detail I need. I can see why it's so popular.

Have you already tried Sniffnet? Do you use a different network monitoring tool? Let me know in the comments section below!

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