Array ASI SSL Intercept vs wireshark: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
Array ASI SSL Intercept is a commercial intrusion detection and prevention systems tool by Array Networks. wireshark is a free intrusion detection and prevention systems tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best intrusion detection and prevention systems fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of NIST CSF 2.0 coverage, core features, integrations, company size fit, here is our conclusion:
Enterprise and mid-market security teams with hybrid cloud deployments need Array ASI SSL Intercept to inspect encrypted traffic without becoming a bottleneck; its hardware-accelerated processing hits 120 Gbps while supporting physical, virtual, and cloud appliances in the same policy framework. The tool handles both inbound and outbound decryption with Layer-2 and Layer-3 flexibility, letting you avoid the "decrypt everywhere or nowhere" trap that locks teams into single-vendor stacks. Skip this if you're looking for integrated threat response; ASI decrypts and classifies traffic for downstream tools, so you still need your own IDS, firewall, and analytics layer to actually stop threats.
Network engineers and threat hunters who need to inspect live traffic or troubleshoot connectivity issues should reach for Wireshark; it's the only tool that gives you packet-level visibility into exactly what's crossing your wire, without licensing costs or vendor lock-in. Deployed across virtually every enterprise network since 1998, Wireshark captures and decodes 900+ protocols natively, making it invaluable for NIST Detect work when you need to see what IDS alerts actually mean. Skip this if your team expects guided investigation or automated threat correlation; Wireshark requires expertise to read its output and won't tell you what to do with the packets you find.
