10 Free Networking Tools for Windows

Having the right networking tools at hand is essential for all kinds of network enthusiasts, IT experts, and engineers of all levels.
However, with hundreds of tools available, you may wonder if your networking toolbox includes the right tools – and if there are any free alternatives!

In this list, we'll introduce you to ten free networking tools for Windows, ranging from classics like Wireshark to hidden gems like Globalping. Whether you're just starting in networking or already have a steady foothold on the topic, we hope you'll find some tools here that can assist you with your daily networking tasks.

Wireshark – analyze network protocols

What is it?
Wireshark is one of the most popular network protocol analyzers and is the continuation of a project that already started in 1998. It enables you to observe what's happening on your network at a detailed level and offers many useful features, such as live packet data capture, rich VoIP analysis, the ability to import and export files to and from other capture programs, and different ways to browse the captured network data.

What can you do with it?
With Wireshark, you can troubleshoot network problems, analyze security problems, debug protocol implementations, and understand how data is transmitted within your network.

Globalping – test networks globally

What is it?
Globalping is an open-source network measurement platform that lets you monitor, debug, and benchmark your internet infrastructure from a globally distributed network of probes. You can use various tools like a CLI tool, Slack bot, or web interface to run commands like ping, dig, or traceroute from anywhere in the world.

Globalping is free to use with generous API limits that most users will find sufficient. Power users can earn credits and spend them to run additional measurements.

What can you do with it?
With Globalping, you can quickly and easily test and troubleshoot APIs, DNS resolution, and your servers from different locations. For example, if users in a specific country report issues with your web app, you can use Globalping to run troubleshooting commands from their location. This allows you to look at the problems from their perspective without actually having physical access.

In this example, we run ping from a probe in Athens and a probe in South America:

Angry IP Scanner – scan networks

What is it?
Angry IP Scanner (or ipscan) is a lightweight open-source tool that requires no installation. It scans IP addresses and ports within your network, resolves associated hostnames, retrieves the MAC addresses, and more.

What can you do with it?
The tool can help you discover all devices on a network and find the ones with connectivity issues or misconfigurations. You can also use it to check for open ports or find available IP addresses for new devices. Because of its simplicity and speed, Angry IP Scanner is a great pick for many quick network discovery tasks.

Here you can see the tool's basic UI in Windows:

iperf3 – measure network throughput

What is it?
iperf3 is a free and open-source tool designed to measure the maximum achievable bandwidth of a network. The tool can help you identify bottlenecks and optimize network performance by assessing throughput, latency, and packet loss.

What can you do with it?
Each iperf3 test delivers various network performance metrics, including throughput, jitter, and packet loss. For example, it's a great tool for determining whether your network can handle demanding tasks like video streaming or VoIP calls.

Packet Sender – test packets

What is it?
Packet Sender is an open-source tool that allows you to send and receive custom network packets. It supports various protocols like TCP, UDP, and SSL, making it suitable for a wide range of network testing and debugging tasks.

What can you do with it?
Using this tool, you can test network connectivity and firewall rules, simulate network traffic for stress testing, analyze malware, and much more. It's also useful for developing your own network tools and scripts.

WinMTR – visual traceroute

What is it?
WinMTR combines ping and traceroute to trace the route packets take from your computer to a specific destination. If you've ever used mtr on a Linux-based machine, you'll feel right at home.

What can you do with it?
Determine where packet loss or high latency happens along the route from your device to a target server. This is useful for troubleshooting network connectivity problems and monitoring network performance.

WiFi Analyzer – optimize Wi-Fi networks

What is it?
WiFi Analyzer is a Windows app that visualizes Wi-Fi signal strength, channel usage, and network interference. It is perfect for networking beginners and anyone looking to optimize their home Wi-Fi.

What can you do with it?
Find the best channel for your router, troubleshoot weak signal areas and connectivity issues, monitor network activity, and optimize your Wi-Fi for improved performance.

OpenNetMeter – monitor bandwidth

What is it?
OpenNetMeter is a user-friendly, open-source program designed to monitor your network and data usage, created with the average Windows user in mind.

What can you do with it?
Track your download and upload speeds, see which applications use the most bandwidth, and review past network usage trends. It's easy to use, lightweight, and perfect for everyday personal network monitoring.

A glimpse into the tool's UI:

DNSPyre – benchmark DNS servers

What is it?
DNSPyre is a free, open-source command line tool designed to stress test and measure the performance of DNS servers. For example, it can help you determine which DNS servers offer the fastest and most reliable response times for your network.

What can you do with it?
With DNSPyre, you can simulate heavy loads on DNS servers, measure their performance, and benchmark DNS servers using various query types over different protocols. Additionally, you can customize benchmark parameters and receive detailed reports with visualizations.

mRemoteNG – manage remote connections

What is it?
mRemoteNG is an open-source tool for efficiently managing multiple connections in a simple yet powerful interface. It supports various protocols, such as VNC, Telnet, SSH, Raw Socket Connections, and more.

What can you do with it?
The tool allows you to manage multiple remote connections and switch between them effortlessly. It also enables you to store your connection credentials securely, facilitates remote file transfers, and is expandable through plugins and extensions.

Conclusion

We hope you found one or two free Windows networking tools you want to try. Why not explore these tools further and see how they can enhance your networking experience?

We also invite you to check out Globalping, which allows you to run networking commands from anywhere in the world for free.