Comparison of Network Simulation Tools

Tool / Simulator License / Availability

Supported OS / Platforms
Approx Install / Disk Footprint
Strengths / Use Cases Limitations / Caveats
ns-2 Open source (research/academic)
Unix/Linux, Windows via CygwinFew hundred
Large
MBlegacy
to ~1 GB
protocol library, visualization (NAM),
Outdated,
widelypoor
usedsupport
in research
for modern protocols, scalabi

ns-3 Open source (GPL)

Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, Windows
Several
via GB
WSLwith modulesModern
(~5 GBmodular
typical) design, Python bindings,
Steeper
activelearning
community
curve, heavy builds for very large n

Academic
OMNeT++Public License (free for academic), commercial
Linux, macOS,
OMNESTWindows
~396 MB base, larger withModular,
frameworks
GUI visualization, strong for
Commercial
custom protocols
use requires license, module compatibili

OverSim (OMNeT++ ext.) Open source (GPL/APL) Cross-platform via OMNeT++

Small overhead relative to OMNeT++
Focused on overlay / P2P networks
Dependent on OMNeT++, limited to overlay dom

QualNet Commercial Windows, Linux, Solaris, macOS

~500 MB+ depending on scenario
High-fidelity models, GUI, parallel simulation
Expensive license, closed source, less extensib

NetSim (Tetcos) Commercial Windows (64-bit)

Requires ~4 GB RAM, licensing serverWireless/protocol
overhead modeling, GUI support
Closed source, Windows-only, license cost

GNS3 Open source (GPL) Linux, macOS, Windows

Core lightweight, VMs consume
Router/switch
storage emulation, widely used forPerformance
training depends on host, VM complexit

Mininet Open source (BSD-style)Linux (VMs for Windows/macOS)

~1 GB compressed, ~2 GB uncompressed
Lightweight,
VM image
modular, supports SDN/OpenFlow
Smaller community, Linux dependency

Komondor Open source Linux (research environments) Lightweight footprint Efficient WLAN simulation for dense networks Domain-specific (WLAN only)

SeQUeNCe Open source (Python-based)

Cross-platform (Linux/macOS/Windows)
Lightweight Python package
Quantum + classical hybrid network simulation
Highly domain specific, small user base