Sheet A · IP Scanners
IP scanners for mapping a network you own
An IP scanner answers the first question anyone looking after a small network eventually asks: what is actually plugged into this thing? It walks through a range of addresses — usually the /24 your router hands out, something like 192.168.1.0 to 192.168.1.255 — and records which ones answer, along with whatever each host is willing to say about itself: a hostname, a MAC address, the manufacturer behind that MAC, sometimes a shared folder or a web page.
We judge these tools on one practical yardstick: how quickly an office manager or a junior technician who has never used the product could go from the vendor’s own site to a device list they would be comfortable pasting into an inventory sheet. We build that picture from each vendor’s documentation and any public demo or trial, weighed against what real administrators report in forums and support threads once they have lived with the tool. Speed of the sweep matters much less than you would think; what separates the good ones is how clearly they label what they found, how they handle devices that ignore ping, and whether the results can leave the app as a clean CSV. The table below is ordered by that yardstick, and our full approach is on the methodology page.
7 IP scanners side by side
Ordered by how quickly a newcomer reaches a trustworthy list on a typical office /24 — not by any commercial arrangement. LizardSystems sits last because it answers a narrower question (which shares are open, and to whom) and has had no release since 2021. Each row links to our full review; the vendor link opens the maker’s own site.
| Tool | Licence | Platforms | Key feature | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced IP ScannerFamatech | Freeware | Windows | One-click sweep with MAC vendor, shared folders and RDP/Radmin shortcuts | Windows offices that want a readable device list in minutes |
| Angry IP ScannerAnton Keks | GPLv2 | Windows, macOS, Linux | Pluggable "fetchers" for ping, hostname, MAC and ports; CSV/XML export | Mixed-OS teams that want the same scanner on every laptop |
| SoftPerfect Network ScannerSoftPerfect | Commercial | Windows, macOS | Per-host queries over WMI, SNMP and the registry, plus IPv6 support | Technicians who need more than "it responds to ping" |
| FingFing | Free + paid tiers | iOS, Android, Windows, macOS | Device recognition that names phones, TVs and IoT gear by model | Home offices and small shops identifying unfamiliar devices |
| NmapNmap Project | NPSL | Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD | Service and OS fingerprinting, scriptable checks, Zenmap GUI | Admins who want precise, repeatable, scriptable audits |
| LansweeperLansweeper | Commercial · trial | Web console; scanning server on Windows or Linux | Agentless, credentialed inventory of hardware and software, kept up to date | Organisations that need a maintained asset register, not a one-off list |
| LizardSystems Network ScannerLizardSystems | Commercial | Windows | Lists NetBIOS/SMB, FTP and web shares with read/write access per user | Auditing which shared folders on a small Windows network are open, and to whom |
Independent comparison — Scanlanmax is not any of these vendors, and none of them paid for placement. Licences and platforms checked against each vendor’s site at the date above.
How to choose
- Match the scanner to the machines you already have
Two of the friendliest options run on Windows only. If the person doing the survey carries a MacBook or a Linux laptop, start from the cross-platform tools rather than borrowing a PC for the afternoon.
- Check how it finds hosts that ignore ping
Printers, phones and many IoT devices drop ICMP echo requests. A scanner that also reads the ARP table or tries a couple of common TCP ports will find devices that a ping-only sweep reports as empty addresses.
- Look at the labels, not just the count
A list of forty IP addresses is not an inventory. Prefer tools that show the MAC vendor and hostname next to each address, so "192.168.1.57" becomes "Brother printer, reception".
- Make sure results can leave the app
You will want to compare this week’s survey with next month’s. CSV or XML export, ideally with the columns you chose, turns a one-off scan into a record you can diff and keep.
- Stay inside the range you are responsible for
Set the address range by hand and keep it to subnets you own or have written permission to survey. Good tools make the range obvious before you press start; avoid anything that encourages scanning "everything it can reach".
A note on "free" in this category
Several scanners here cost nothing to use, and we say so plainly where it is true: Advanced IP Scanner and Angry IP Scanner are no-cost, Nmap is source-available under its own licence. SoftPerfect and Lansweeper are commercial products with trials, and Fing’s app is free with paid tiers on top. LizardSystems Network Scanner is free for personal, non-commercial use only; business use needs a paid licence per machine, and it has not been updated since 2021. Whatever the price, get each tool from the vendor’s own site — our where-to-get page lists every official address and shows how to check a file before you run it.
Vendor pages: Download for Windows · Download for Windows · Download for Windows · Download for Windows · Download for Windows · Download for Windows · Download for Windows
Questions we get about IP scanners
Is it legal to scan my own network?
Scanning a network you own or administer is routine maintenance, and it is how most small offices discover forgotten devices. The line is ownership and permission: only survey ranges you are responsible for, and get written approval before scanning a network that belongs to a client, a landlord or an employer’s other sites.
Why does the scanner show fewer devices than my router lists?
Many devices sleep, use randomised MAC addresses, or silently drop ping. Run the sweep twice a few minutes apart, enable ARP or port-based detection if the tool offers it, and compare with the DHCP lease table on the router. The union of those sources is usually the real picture.
Do I need administrator rights to run an IP scanner?
For a basic sweep, usually not on macOS and Linux GUIs, though some raw-socket features in Nmap need elevated rights. On Windows, the tools here run as a normal user for discovery; querying shares or WMI on other machines needs credentials for those machines.
Which is the simplest option for a non-technical office manager?
On Windows, Advanced IP Scanner gets most people to a labelled list fastest. On a phone, Fing is the gentlest start because it names devices by make and model. Both are covered in full in our reviews.
How often should I rescan?
Monthly is a sensible rhythm for a small office, plus any time something odd happens — a new device appears on the Wi-Fi, a printer stops answering, or two machines complain about the same address. Keep each export so you can compare.
Keep going
Disclosure: the vendor links on this page go straight to each vendor’s official site and earn us no commission. See our affiliate disclosure.