Riverbed SteelCentral WebAnalyzer [EOL] vs Wireshark comparison

Riverbed SteelCentral WebAn...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Riverbed SteelCentral WebAnalyzer [EOL] and Wireshark based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Wireshark, Auvik, Isovalent and others in Network Troubleshooting.

To learn more, read our detailed Network Troubleshooting Report (Updated: October 2026).

Network Troubleshooting

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Helped 920,769 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Riverbed SteelCentral WebAn...

Average Rating

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Wireshark

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Troubleshooting (1st)

Featured Reviews

it_user539928

Consultant at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees

I was able to monitor two key applications that were hosted externally.

WebAnalyzer includes support for Ajax transactions, while this is invaluable, it becomes difficult to provide a big picture analysis of pageviews AND ajax transactions. The APDEX score is calculated on pageview response times. Some applications use Ajax extensively to imitate desktop applications. This can be confusing if you only look at Pageview times.

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reviewer2837244

It System Engineer at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Packet analysis has improved real-time troubleshooting and simplifies mapping complex data flows

The best features that Wireshark offers are everything. Every time I look into Wireshark, I find something new. The ability to capture real-time packets and understand how the packet is working and moving through how many hops and to how many points it reaches makes it a wonderful tool. The specific feature I use most is capturing packets of real-time communication and seeing how the packet is working. I rely on all the filters it has to check the protocols and see the communication between one end and another end and what the hops in between are, and if there is a proxy, how it behaves. Everything helps us check out the issue and troubleshoot it. I do not have anything additional to add about the features; everything looks really fine. The graphics are also good, and you can change its graphical features, making it a pretty nice tool. You can also use it with the PCAP file, which is really nice. Wireshark has positively impacted my organization by giving us the ability to capture packets and see into the network how it is working and what we can clarify about the network, specifically how we can remove many hops in the communication channels. A specific example of a measurable outcome is that we have a few switches in our network that, when we use Wireshark analysis, we find should not be needed or can be replaced with automatic switches instead of manual switches, such as switches which do not have any active features and only passive switches. That has saved us a lot of time.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"In deploying WebAnalyzer, I was able to monitor two key applications that were hosted externally."

"Wireshark is incredibly powerful, user-friendly, and a free tool, which is capable of live capture and offline analysis of traffic on any size network."

"I use this free, open-source solution daily for packet analysis, and the packet details pane is particularly valuable."

"The ability to decrypt traffic and the abundance of filters available are both valuable features."

"For example, while debugging through food issues, we can draw the graph of the data captured in the solution and see how the throughput is moving."

"Wireshark is a great tool to help network engineers identify network problems like broadcasting, injection, poisoning, etc."

"I can save the traffic and analysis when I want to. Also, it's especially helpful to follow the stream (TCP, UDP, etc.)."

"It has good basic features."

"Packet-capture files can be hard to use due to their size. Wireshark has a tool called tshark that can parse the files with out opening them so that you can take large captures, say 2-10GB, and return only relevant information."

More Wireshark pros

Cons

"Clients are manually installed. This makes mass deployments impossible."

"It is difficult to scale this solution."

"Bigger memory footprint."

"It’s helpful only if you have the basic knowledge of networking."

"Can be difficult for non packet heads to understand"

"The volume of data on a typical TCP segment is so large that it can be challenging to capture and find the right data."

"Wireshark could be improved with a delay option when getting data automatically. It could also work faster."

"Wireshark's UI isn't easy to handle and doesn't have as nice a view as Omnipeek."

"Sometimes I need to use tcpdump when I need to check the packets on CLI."

More Wireshark cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"It is free to download and install. It runs on multiple platforms, so how can you go wrong?"

"Wireshark is free of charge, and there's no license involved."

"Wireshark is open source and gives great value and functionality to the network investigation."

"It is an open-source solution."

"We're using the free version of Wireshark."

"Wireshark is an open-source product, so it's free to use."

"Wireshark is free software, so you don't have to pay any licensing fee. Individual people can use it and then donate to Wireshark."

"I am using the free version of this solution."

More Wireshark pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

University

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Construction Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	31
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	29

Questions from the Community

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Wireshark?

Wireshark is priced at a medium range, not too high, not too low. The pricing could be more flexible, and they might make it more expensive. That said, compared to other products, it is competitive.

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What needs improvement with Wireshark?

Wireshark can be improved if it provides the accessibility of capturing packets from one device that is installed in the network without needing the port-mirrored facility. They could provide somet...

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What is your primary use case for Wireshark?

Wireshark's main use case is capturing packets and reviewing the data flow over the network. Regarding my main use case for Wireshark, it is a great tool and would be one of the best tools availabl...

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Product Reports

Network Troubleshooting

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Riverbed SteelCentral WebAnalyzer [EOL] report

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Also Known As

AppResponse BrowserMetrix

No data available

Overview

Riverbed SteelCentral Web Analyzer delivers end-user experience (EUE) monitoring for web applications, including cloud environments and mobile users. JavaScript instrumentation provides visibility into real user experience across the Internet. Dashboards present detailed insight into end-to-end performance, response time composition, browser and platform type, and user location. Web Analyzer is available as a monthly, pay-as-you-go SaaS subscription as well as an on-premise solution.

Riverbed

Wireshark offers robust packet analysis through comprehensive filtering and color-coding features, adaptable across platforms due to its open-source nature. It supports real-time and offline packet captures, multiple protocols, and easy installation, making it a favored tool for network experts.

Renowned for its traffic decryption capabilities and detailed traffic insights, Wireshark provides deep packet inspection and a simple GUI. Ideal for network troubleshooting, it allows users to view VoIP traffic and perform advanced customizations. While Wireshark's interface can be complex and challenging for newcomers, its powerful features make it invaluable in identifying network issues, inspecting protocols, and understanding data flow across wired and wireless environments. Users seek more intuitive filters, better Windows and non-laptop support, as well as features like real-time evolution and graphical analysis tools to enhance usability. Wireshark's wide application includes security research, protocol analysis, and application performance baselining, supporting both on-premises and cloud-based operations.

What are Wireshark's standout features?

Filtering and Color-Coding: Enables detailed packet analysis.
Real-Time and Offline Captures: Supports both capture modes for comprehensive network monitoring.
Traffic Decryption: Provides detailed insights into encrypted traffic.
Deep Packet Inspection: Delivers granular network data examination.
GUI Simplicity: Ensures ease of use despite complex capabilities.

What benefits and ROI should users evaluate?

Network Troubleshooting: Streamlines identification and resolution of network issues.
Protocol Inspection: Facilitates in-depth examination of network communication protocols.
Traffic Monitoring: Ensures effective monitoring of network traffic in real time.
Security Research: Assists in uncovering malicious traffic and vulnerabilities.
Application Performance: Aids in baselining and optimizing app performance.

Wireshark is implemented across industries to manage and troubleshoot networks, analyze traffic flow, and ensure secure, efficient communication. It supports research and security operations, providing insights into protocol usage and application performance across physical and virtual environments. Its deployment spans education, telecommunications, finance, and healthcare, underpinning connectivity and data integrity.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Comversion, ADP, Talbots

Network Troubleshooting