--- title: ns-3 Reviews meta_title: 'ns-3 Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta_description: Filter reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how ns-3 works for a business like yours. aggregate_rating: rating_value: 4.6 review_count: 5 scale: '5' date_modified: '2026-01-20' parent_category: name: CAD & PLM url: https://www.g2.com/categories/cad-plm --- # ns-3 Reviews **Vendor:** ns-3 Project **Category:** [Simulation & CAE Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/simulation-cae) **Average Rating:** 4.6/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 5 ## About ns-3 ns-3 is an open-source network simulator. ## ns-3 Reviews ### 1. One of most used network simulator **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer & Network Security | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 24, 2018 **What do you like best about ns-3?** It has support for almost every protocol for communications. It has a big and helpful community. They always improve it and try to support any protocol that currently becomes available, such as 802.11h. **What do you dislike about ns-3?** It is a bit hard to write your first code, but after you learn it gets simpler. You need to put your files to specific folder which makes it not professional. **What problems is ns-3 solving and how is that benefiting you?** I simulate my LTE and Wifi network environments using ns-3. I integrated it with Mininet through virtual tap devices. ### 2. Reviewing ns-3 **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** tom m. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 18, 2023 **What do you like best about ns-3?** Ease of Implementation Support given through out the differnt tools **What do you dislike about ns-3?** Frequency of Use with the open-source software randmness that happens with every companiy that utlize it that way **What problems is ns-3 solving and how is that benefiting you?** research and educational use ### 3. One of the underrated software people not using **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Dipak S. | Freelancer, Automotive, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 09, 2023 **What do you like best about ns-3?** The way it simplifies the simulation and does the job **What do you dislike about ns-3?** As much as I know it does the job perfectly so as of now no dislikes **What problems is ns-3 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Like redesigning or reinventing the protocols and it's Simplified way of simulation ### 4. Great playground and research platform for computer network learner **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Zhuli L. | Research Assistant, Computer Networking, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 25, 2019 **What do you like best about ns-3?** For start-up learner, it can be a little playground where your can set up your own network scenario and topology, like how many nodes you want to put there as well as the distances between them, what layers they are working on and customize parameters like their transfer rate and delay etc to schedule events...by digging into the logs after experiment, you can have an overall sight on what is going on in that network layout. Great way to get in touch with those popular devices and protocols in a simulated environment. For experienced engineer or developers, ns-3 is a comprehensive and powerful platform to choose when you want to implement or realize your theory and design. For example, if you want to implement a new protocol and see how it work in practical use, you can either edict existing protocols or rewrite a new protocol suite, then make it compatible with others and embed them into devices which refers to object "node" in ns-3...great platform for computer network research! **What do you dislike about ns-3?** The most annoying part of this software use may be the installation. As a rookie, when I built the ns-3 in my Ubuntu Linux environment, I went through all the steps on the tutorial and it turned out that almost every version of this software have more or less incompatibility with my operating system or components of it, some doesn't matter but some are vital, so I did spent a bunch of time configuring it. I hope the developer team would make those guide more specific and focus more on troubleshooting. **Recommendations to others considering ns-3:** Great playground and research platform for computer network learner, learn some Unix operation before using this software **What problems is ns-3 solving and how is that benefiting you?** I built a cognitive wireless module in ns-3, with new spectrum sensing strategy and frequency hand-off decision making. The greatest benefit is ns-3 enable users to learn, edit and design all those protocols deep insides and from high view make events animation. ### 5. Network simulator to track the packets **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Higher Education | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 21, 2017 **What do you like best about ns-3?** The software provides you network bandwidth simulation **What do you dislike about ns-3?** User interface is okay and the output which we receive from this simulation is not that good. **What problems is ns-3 solving and how is that benefiting you?** I have developed a network simulation for network bus in my hardware - [View ns-3 pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/ns-3/reviews?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-07-17+16%3A27%3A09+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=7b699610-78ec-4d94-bb20-c1aade02b8a3&secure%5Btoken%5D=4d837039a81702d3e15442d89cfe68158861fea4db8d1bdd334e6039b9df0aad&format=llm_user) ## ns-3 Features **Design** - 3D/solid modeling Tools - Drawing Tools - Editing Tools - Rendering tools **Tools** - Fluid analysis - Finite element analysis - Multibody dynamics **Work** - Discrete event modeling - Continuous event modeling - Mechanical event simulation - Manufacturing process simulation - Integrate **Environment** - Hardware support - Task - Manage Multiple Profiles - Command Clarity ## Top ns-3 Alternatives - [MATLAB](https://www.g2.com/products/matlab/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (750 reviews) - [SOLIDWORKS](https://www.g2.com/products/solidworks/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (629 reviews) - [Onshape](https://www.g2.com/products/onshape/reviews) - 4.7/5.0 (704 reviews)