Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

iperf VS NetStress

Compare iperf VS NetStress and see what are their differences

iperf logo iperf

A TCP, UDP, and SCTP network bandwidth measurement tool

NetStress logo NetStress

NetStress is a user-friendly benchmarking tool that is mostly used by networking professionals to measure the network performance of both wired and wireless connections.
  • iperf Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17
  • NetStress Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-04

iperf features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    iperf is compatible with a variety of operating systems including Windows, Linux, and macOS, making it a versatile tool for network performance testing across different environments.
  • Comprehensive Performance Metrics
    Provides detailed metrics such as bandwidth, jitter, and packet loss, which are essential for in-depth network analysis and troubleshooting.
  • Client-Server Model
    Utilizes a client-server model that allows for measuring the maximum TCP and UDP bandwidth between two endpoints, making it suitable for both local and remote testing.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, iperf allows users to review, modify, and contribute to the codebase, ensuring transparency and fostering community involvement.
  • Customizable Test Parameters
    Allows users to customize tests with various parameters such as port number, buffer size, and test duration, offering flexibility to perform targeted network evaluations.

Possible disadvantages of iperf

  • Complexity for Beginners
    The command-line interface and numerous parameters might be overwhelming for beginners who are not familiar with network testing tools.
  • Limited Graphical Interface
    While powerful in functionality, iperf lacks a native graphical user interface, which could be a disadvantage for users who prefer visual tools over command-line utilities.
  • Resource Consumption
    iperf can consume substantial network resources and CPU power during testing, potentially affecting other applications running on the same network or device.
  • Manual Deployment Required
    Users need to manually deploy iperf on both client and server machines, which may be cumbersome for those looking for out-of-the-box network testing solutions.
  • Security Considerations
    Running iperf in server mode might expose a system to network attacks if not secured properly, necessitating careful consideration of security measures.

NetStress features and specs

  • Easy to Use
    NetStress offers a user-friendly interface which makes it easy for both beginners and experienced users to perform network performance tests.
  • Comprehensive Testing
    NetStress provides a range of testing features, allowing users to assess various aspects of their network's performance, such as throughput and latency.
  • Real-time Graphs
    The software includes real-time graphical displays of network performance metrics, providing users with instant feedback during tests.
  • Local Network Testing
    NetStress is designed to test wireless and wired networks on a local scale, which can be particularly useful for home or small office environments.

Possible disadvantages of NetStress

  • Limited to Local Networks
    NetStress is intended for local network testing only, which may not be suitable for those looking to test larger or external networks.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    While it provides core network testing capabilities, users seeking more advanced or enterprise-level features might find NetStress lacking.
  • Windows-Only
    NetStress is limited to the Windows platform, which excludes Mac and Linux users from utilizing this tool.
  • Static Testing
    The tool is primarily focused on static testing scenarios and may not support dynamic assessment of networks under varying load conditions.

iperf videos

Using Iperf to measure network speed / bandwidth

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to use iperf to test local network LAN speed in Windows 10
  • Review - [HOWTO] Test My Network Speed?! [iPerf & JPerf]

NetStress videos

Netstress

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to iperf and NetStress)
Monitoring Tools
76 76%
24% 24
Log Management
75 75%
25% 25
Network & Admin
65 65%
35% 35
Security
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, iperf should be more popular than NetStress. It has been mentiond 4 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

iperf mentions (4)

  • Microsoft: Don't Use Iperf3 on Windows
    Just some clarification: IPerf 2 is different from the iperf3 found at https://github.com/esnet/iperf. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Yet Another Bench Script (YABS): evaluate Linux server performance with this simple Bash script and utility
    Network - network throughput (both incoming and outgoing) is tested using iperf3 on several geographically diverse public iperf servers. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Speed testing Visible with a modem
    File transfer using iperf3 over Tailscale. I noticed that the bandwidth to my home computer (on a 500/500 fiber connection) was higher than with speedtest.net. For the first few days I was getting downloads and uploads of 28Mbps (+/- std dev of 6Mbps) and 150ms latency (+/- 35ms). After somewhere around 100GB total transfer (maybe half of that over Tailscale), it is now downloading and uploading at 10Mbps (+/-... Source: about 3 years ago
  • FTP upload speed isn't great
    I can add to this. I have two mini self contained projects to create multiarch static bins of mtr and iperf3 for general usage. Source: almost 4 years ago

NetStress mentions (1)

  • How do you Load Test your Wireless router? I did a 1 Hour Continuous Network Speed Test.
    I have a few laptops I use for testing purposes, I connect them all to it and run netstress between them http://nutsaboutnets.com/archives/netstress/ To be fair I've not needed to load test my stuff in a long time but it worked last time I tried it. Source: about 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing iperf and NetStress, you can also consider the following products

JPerf - This project gives a better UI and new functionalities to the initial JPerf 1.

netperf - Netperf is a benchmark that can be used to measure the performance of many different types of networking. It provides tests for both unidirectional throughput, and end-to-end latency. - HewlettPack...

TamoSoft Throughput Test - TamoSoft Throughput Test is a utility for testing the performance of a wireless or wired network.

Wireshark - Wireshark is a network protocol analyzer for Unix and Windows. It lets you capture and interactively browse the traffic running on a computer network.

NetIO-GUI - NetIO-GUI is a Windows frontend for the multiplatform commandline utility 'netio'.

Flent - The FLExible Network Tester