Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

vnStat VS nload

Compare vnStat VS nload and see what are their differences

vnStat logo vnStat

vnStat is a console-based network traffic monitor for Linux and BSD that keeps a log of network...

nload logo nload

Monitor network traffic and bandwidth usage in real time
  • vnStat Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-16
  • nload Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-02-27

vnStat features and specs

  • Lightweight
    vnStat is a lightweight tool that doesn't consume much system resources, making it ideal for systems with limited performance capabilities.
  • Historical Data Collection
    It tracks network traffic and keeps a record of data transfers for long-term analysis without needing to be running continuously.
  • Simple Installation
    vnStat is easy to install and configure on most major Linux distributions, requiring minimal setup effort.
  • Console-Based
    The tool operates from the command line, which ensures low overhead and easy integration into scripts and automation tasks.
  • No Root Privileges Required
    vnStat can be used without requiring root permissions once installed, which can enhance security practices on shared systems.

Possible disadvantages of vnStat

  • Limited Real-Time Monitoring
    vnStat primarily focuses on historical data and provides limited real-time network monitoring capabilities compared to other tools.
  • Basic Data Visualization
    The tool offers text-based statistics, which may not be as visually appealing or detailed as graphical network monitoring solutions.
  • Linux-Centric
    vnStat is primarily designed for Linux systems, which limits its use on other operating systems like Windows and macOS.
  • Single Interface Monitoring
    By default, vnStat monitors a single network interface at a time, necessitating additional configuration to handle more interfaces.

nload features and specs

  • Real-time Monitoring
    Nload allows users to monitor incoming and outgoing network traffic in real-time, providing an instantaneous view of network load and performance.
  • Simple Interface
    The tool offers a straightforward, text-based interface that is easy to understand, making it accessible even to those who are not highly technical.
  • Lightweight
    Nload is a lightweight application that requires minimal resources, making it suitable for use on systems with limited processing power and memory.
  • No Configuration Required
    The tool runs with minimal configuration, enabling quick setup and deployment without the need for extensive settings adjustments.
  • Cross-Platform Availability
    Nload is available for multiple Unix-like systems, including Linux and BSD, offering flexibility across different environments.

Possible disadvantages of nload

  • Limited Features
    Nload provides basic monitoring capabilities and lacks advanced features or detailed analysis options found in more comprehensive network monitoring tools.
  • No Historical Data
    The tool is designed for real-time monitoring and does not store historical data, which means users cannot review past network performance.
  • Text-Based Display
    The reliance on a text-based display may not meet the needs of users who prefer graphical user interfaces or require detailed visualizations.
  • Single Interface Monitoring
    Nload monitors only one network interface at a time, which can be limiting for users who need to observe traffic across multiple interfaces simultaneously.
  • No Automated Alerts
    Without automated alert features, users must manually monitor the tool to detect unusual traffic patterns or potential issues, increasing the possibility of missing critical events.

vnStat videos

HowTo: Monitor and Log Network Traffic on Linux / Unix Using vnStat

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to Setup vnStat Network Traffic Monitor on Linux
  • Tutorial - How To Install And Use VNSTAT On A Raspberry Pi

nload videos

nload, network traffic and bandwidth monitor

More videos:

  • Review - Remote linux server admin tools: byobu, htop, nethogs, nload, iptraf
  • Review - Typhoon Defence Industries F12 **FULL REVIEW** by RACKNLOAD

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to vnStat and nload)
Monitoring Tools
49 49%
51% 51
Performance Monitoring
47 47%
53% 53
Log Management
47 47%
53% 53
DevOps Tools
55 55%
45% 45

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, vnStat seems to be more popular. 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.

vnStat mentions (4)

  • vnstatd refuses to start | SG-3100 w/23.01
    For more information about vnStat use "man vnstat" or visit: Http://humdi.net/vnstat/. Source: about 2 years ago
  • How to easily gather IPv6 VS IPv4 usage on a web server?
    Something similar to vnstat (which monitor the bandwidth usage): https://humdi.net/vnstat/. This tool doesn't necessarily take into account only the ports 80 and 443, it can be generalized to all the traffic flow, but that would be a great if it does. Source: about 2 years ago
  • How to show/record total traffic consumption per interface/vlan?
    Take a look at https://humdi.net/vnstat/ - it should work on *BSD and I think there's a package for pfSense (and by extension should be there for OPNSense as well). Otherwise it's not too hard to setup to run at start up as well. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Bandwidth monitoring?
    If you don't want to run a stack can try something simple and lightweight like vnstat (https://humdi.net/vnstat/). Source: about 4 years ago

nload mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of nload yet. Tracking of nload recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing vnStat and nload, you can also consider the following products

ntop - ntopng High-Speed Web-based Traffic Analysis and Flow Collection ntopng is the next generation version of the original ntop, a network traffic probe that monitors network usage. ntopng is based on …

iftop - iftop does for network usage what top(1) does for CPU usage.

darkstat - darkstat is a packet sniffer which runs as a background process, captures network traffic...

BandwidthD - BandwidthD tracks usage of TCP/IP network subnets and builds html files with graphs to display...

Nethogs - NetHogs is a small 'net top' tool.

Zabbix - Track, record, alert and visualize performance and availability of IT resources