The best replacement for netcat is telnet.

The best alternatives to netcat are rated as following:
★★★★★  telnet
★★★★  socat
★★★  ncat
★★  tcpdump
★★  netstat
★  iperf
★  nmap
★  bitrix

Your alternative for netcat is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about netcat, one probably shouldn't forget about dd.

Other search terms related to netcat and their ratings are:
★★★★★ dd
★★★★ stunnel
★★★ netcat
You have in mind a companion for netcat and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of netcat in all years. Click on graph for more.
netcat
telnet
socat