TCP Viewer as a mitmproxy alternative for Mac
TCP Viewer is a packet capture and analysis app. mitmproxy is an intercepting proxy for inspecting and changing application-layer traffic. Choose TCP Viewer for packet-level visibility or mitmproxy for editable HTTP and HTTPS flows.
TCP Viewer vs mitmproxy
| TCP Viewer | mitmproxy |
|---|---|
| Primary model Captures packets and decodes network protocols. | Primary model Routes traffic through a proxy and presents application flows. |
| Interface Provides a native macOS app with application, domain, packet, and byte-level views. | Interface Provides terminal, command-line, and web interfaces. |
| HTTPS Can capture encrypted packets without installing a trusted interception certificate. Decryption requires matching TLS session secrets. | HTTPS Can show readable HTTPS requests and responses after its certificate authority is trusted by the client. |
| Traffic changes Focuses on observing and analyzing captured traffic. | Traffic changes Can intercept, modify, replay, and script application traffic. |
| Capture output Opens and exports standard PCAP and PCAPNG files. | Capture output Stores proxy flows for later inspection and replay. |
| Best fit Packet loss, TCP or UDP behavior, protocol details, and app-specific traffic on a Mac. | Best fit HTTP or HTTPS debugging, request editing, replay, and Python-based proxy automation. |
Choose TCP Viewer when
- You need to inspect packets, protocol fields, or raw bytes.
- You are debugging TCP or UDP behavior beyond HTTP request and response content.
- You do not want to install a trusted interception certificate just to capture encrypted traffic.
- You need a PCAP or PCAPNG file that works with other packet tools.
Choose mitmproxy when
- You need readable HTTP or HTTPS bodies and headers.
- You want to change, replay, or script requests and responses.
- Your workflow is built around a terminal, browser interface, or Python automation.
The tools can also work together. Use mitmproxy to manipulate application traffic and TCP Viewer to inspect the packets and connections produced by that session.
Official sources
See the other TCP Viewer alternatives.