The two tools that function most similarly to traceroute are MTR (My Traceroute) and Pathping. Both map the network path between your computer and a destination, just like traceroute does, but they go further by continuously testing each hop to measure packet loss and latency over time. If you’re studying for a networking exam or troubleshooting a connection issue, these are the two you need to know.
MTR (My Traceroute)
MTR combines traceroute and ping into a single tool. It discovers the network path the same way traceroute does, by sending packets with incrementally increasing time-to-live (TTL) values, but then it keeps going. Instead of showing you a one-time snapshot, MTR regularly sends new packets to every hop along the route and updates the display in real time. You get a live, continuously refreshing view of latency and packet loss at each router between you and the destination.
By default, MTR sends ICMP Echo packets (the same type used by the ping command). Because it collects data over many rounds of probes rather than just one, it’s far better at spotting intermittent problems. A single traceroute might show one slow hop that was just a momentary blip. MTR, running for 30 seconds or a minute, shows you whether that slowness is consistent or a one-off. It also reports jitter, which is the variation in response time from one probe to the next.
MTR runs natively on Linux and macOS. On Windows, you can install it through third-party packages like WinMTR. It’s the go-to tool for most network engineers when a basic traceroute isn’t giving enough detail.
Pathping (Windows Built-In)
Pathping is a Windows command that ships with every version of the operating system. Like MTR, it merges traceroute functionality with repeated ping testing, but it works in two distinct phases rather than updating continuously.
In the first phase, Pathping traces the route to the destination and lists every hop, just like traceroute. Then it displays a “computing statistics” message and enters a second phase where it sends multiple echo request packets to every router along the path over a period of roughly 90 seconds (the exact time depends on the number of hops). Once that testing window closes, Pathping calculates and displays the percentage of packet loss at each hop and at the links between hops.
That two-phase approach means you wait longer for results compared to MTR’s real-time updates, but the final output gives you a clean summary of where packets are being dropped. This makes Pathping especially useful for identifying a specific router or link that’s causing trouble on a path with many hops.
How They Compare to Traceroute
Standard traceroute sends three probe packets to each hop and records the round-trip time for each one. That gives you a single-moment view of the path. If a router happened to be busy during those three probes, traceroute reports high latency there even if the router is normally fine. Traceroute also can’t tell you about packet loss in any meaningful way since it only tests each hop a handful of times.
MTR and Pathping solve this by testing each hop many times over a longer window. The tradeoff is time: traceroute finishes in seconds, while Pathping needs about 90 seconds and MTR runs until you stop it. But the data quality is significantly better. Both tools show you not just the path but the health of each point along it.
One other difference worth noting: traceroute supports multiple protocols. It can send TCP, UDP, or ICMP packets and can be configured to manipulate packet headers in ways that require root (administrator) privileges. MTR and Pathping are simpler to run but have fewer options for customizing how probes are constructed.
Other Traceroute Variants Worth Knowing
While MTR and Pathping are the classic pair that comes up in networking courses and certification exams, a few other tools operate on the same principle:
- Tracepath: A Linux tool that works like a simplified traceroute. It uses only UDP packets through the standard sockets interface, which means it doesn’t need root privileges. It also reports the maximum packet size (MTU) supported at each hop. The tradeoff is fewer features and only one round-trip time measurement per hop instead of three.
- Paris Traceroute: A variant designed to handle load-balanced networks. Standard traceroute can show false paths when routers distribute traffic across multiple links, because each probe packet may take a different route. Paris Traceroute controls packet header contents so that all probes follow the same path, giving a more accurate picture of the actual route.
- TCP Traceroute: Uses TCP connection packets instead of ICMP or UDP. This matters when firewalls block ICMP traffic but allow normal web connections through. Since TCP probes look like regular application traffic, they’re more likely to pass through firewalls and reach the destination.
When to Use Which Tool
If you need a quick check of the path between two points, standard traceroute is fine. If you suspect intermittent packet loss or variable latency and want to watch the path in real time, MTR is the better choice. On a Windows machine where you can’t install additional software, Pathping gives you similar diagnostic power with no setup required.
For exam purposes, the answer is straightforward: MTR and Pathping are the two tools that function like traceroute. Both trace the route and measure performance at each hop, combining the functionality of traceroute and ping into a single command.