GlassWire vs Skydive

GlassWire is a network monitoring and personal firewall application for Windows and Android that visualizes current and past network activity to help users spot malware, bandwidth hogs, and unfamiliar devices on their network. Its firewall includes an ask-to-connect mode that lets users approve or deny individual apps' network access, alongside a network time machine for reviewing historical connections. GlassWire also tracks data usage across devices and can alert users before they exceed set data limits, while its network scanner flags new or unknown devices joining a WiFi network. Over 53 million downloads have been recorded for the Windows and Android apps combined.

Skydive is a network topology and protocol analyzer that provides a real-time, global view of your entire network infrastructure. It actively probes devices and captures traffic to build a dynamic, interactive map of all your network elements, including hosts, switches, routers, and virtual machines. This makes it an invaluable tool for network engineers and DevOps teams who need to troubleshoot issues, monitor performance, and understand complex network dependencies. The platform excels at automating network discovery, eliminating the need for manual inventory tracking. It uses a combination of active probing and passive traffic capture to continuously update its topology map, ensuring that you always have an accurate picture of your network's current state. With Skydive, you can drill down into specific nodes to view real-time metrics, inspect flows, and even replay captured packets for deep analysis. Skydive is particularly well-suited for dynamic environments like Kubernetes clusters and cloud-based infrastructures, where network topologies change frequently. Whether you're a network administrator looking to pinpoint a connectivity problem, a security analyst investigating suspicious traffic, or a developer trying to understand how your microservices communicate, Skydive offers the visibility you need. It is an open-source project that can be self-hosted, providing flexibility and control over your network monitoring data.

• Combines network monitoring and firewall in one lightweight app
• Very affordable premium pricing at $2.99/month
• Visual, easy-to-understand traffic graphs
• Available on both Windows and Android

• Real-time network discovery and topology mapping
• Automated capture and analysis of network flows and traffic
• Supports a wide range of network technologies and protocols
• Open-source and self-hostable for data control

• Free tier limits network history to just 24 hours
• Windows and Android only, no Mac or Linux support
• Advanced threat detection features require Premium

• Requires technical expertise to set up and configure
• Can be resource-intensive when monitoring large networks
• The interface may be overwhelming for beginners