Best Free Network Scanners 2026: 6 Options Compared
Best free Network Scanners compared: Nmap, Angry IP Scanner, Advanced IP Scanner, Greenbone (OpenVAS) and 2 more, with free-plan limits, platforms and prices from official pages checked October 24, 2026.
•3 min read•Security Software & Testing
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nmap | Free (Free to download and use; embedding in proprietary products needs a separate OEM license) | macOS, Windows, Linux | The standard for ports and services | Docs only |
| Angry IP Scanner | Free (Free and open source; no installation required) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Quick device discovery on any OS | Docs only |
| Advanced IP Scanner | Free (Free; portable edition needs no installation) | Windows 7-11 | Windows admins on a home or small office LAN | Docs only |
| Greenbone (OpenVAS) | Free (OPENVAS FREE is free of charge; it lacks enterprise-grade software coverage, automatic scan initialization, alerts, API access and support) | Linux, Docker | Vulnerability scanning with no license fee | Docs only |
| RustScan | Free (Free and open source) | Linux, macOS, Docker | Fast port discovery | Docs only |
| Fing Desktop | Free (Free to download for personal use: network discovery and troubleshooting tools; 24/7 monitoring and enhanced security checks need a subscription) | Windows, macOS | Seeing and naming home devices | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You want to learn what is exposed on a host (Nmap is the pick)
- You want a simple device list on Mac or Linux (Angry IP Scanner is the pick)
- You are on Windows and want remote-control shortcuts (Advanced IP Scanner is the pick)
- You need a vulnerability report without buying a license (Greenbone (OpenVAS) is the pick)
- You want device names and troubleshooting on a home network (Fing Desktop is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You need paid-tier features, uptime guarantees or support that these free plans leave out
A network scanner answers two different questions, and the free options split on which one they answer. The first is what is on my network: which devices are connected, with what addresses and names. Angry IP Scanner, Advanced IP Scanner and Fing Desktop are the friendly answers; Angry IP is free and open source for Windows, Mac and Linux, Advanced IP Scanner is Windows freeware with remote-control shortcuts, and Fing Desktop is free for personal use on Windows and macOS with monitoring locked behind a subscription. The second question is what is exposed on those devices: open ports, services and known vulnerabilities. Nmap is the standard port and service scanner with scripting, RustScan is a fast front end for port discovery, and Greenbone's OpenVAS Free edition scans for vulnerabilities but leaves out enterprise features such as alerts and API access. The trade-off is power against effort. Nmap and Greenbone give deep results and take time to learn, while the discovery tools take a minute. Scan only networks you own or have permission to test, because port scanning other people's systems can breach their policy or the law, and some corporate networks flag scans as an attack.
Nmap
Free to download and use, with an NPSL license that needs a separate OEM license to embed in proprietary products. Port and service discovery with NSE scripts for macOS, Windows and Linux.
Price: Free (Free to download and use; embedding in proprietary products needs a separate OEM license) (Nmap pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: macOS, Windows, Linux. Nmap Public Source License (NPSL).
Best for: The standard for ports and services.
Worth knowing: Port and service discovery with NSE scripts; not a full vulnerability management product.
Angry IP Scanner
Free and open source for Windows, Mac and Linux, no installation needed. Scans IP ranges and ports, exports results and has a command-line interface.
Price: Free (Free and open source; no installation required) (Angry IP Scanner pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. Free and open source (license not named on the home page) (open source).
Best for: Quick device discovery on any OS.
Advanced IP Scanner
Free Windows scanner with a portable edition. Lists LAN devices, shared folders and MAC addresses, with RDP and Radmin remote shortcuts and remote shutdown.
Price: Free (Free; portable edition needs no installation) (Advanced IP Scanner pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Windows 7-11. Proprietary freeware.
Best for: Windows admins on a home or small office LAN.
Greenbone (OpenVAS)
OPENVAS FREE is free of charge but lacks enterprise-grade software coverage, automatic scan initialization, alerts, API access and support. GPL-2.0 scanner and AGPL-3.0 components, Linux or Docker.
Price: Free (OPENVAS FREE is free of charge; it lacks enterprise-grade software coverage, automatic scan initialization, alerts, API access and support) (Greenbone (OpenVAS) pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Linux, Docker. GPL-2.0 (openvas-scanner); AGPL-3.0 (gvmd, GSA) (open source).
Project activity: 4.9k GitHub stars · latest release v23.52.6 (Oct 27, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Vulnerability scanning with no license fee.
RustScan
GPL-3.0 port scanner installed with Homebrew, pacman, Cargo or Docker. Quick to find open ports; the page does not describe how it hands off to follow-up scans.
Price: Free (Free and open source) (RustScan pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Linux, macOS, Docker. GPL-3.0 (open source).
Project activity: 20.6k GitHub stars · latest release 2.4.1 (Feb 23, 2025) · last commit Oct 20, 2026
Best for: Fast port discovery.
Fing Desktop
Free to download for personal use on Windows and macOS, with network discovery and troubleshooting tools. 24/7 monitoring and enhanced security checks need a Fing subscription; no Linux version.
Price: Free (Free to download for personal use: network discovery and troubleshooting tools; 24/7 monitoring and enhanced security checks need a subscription) (Fing Desktop pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS. Proprietary.
Best for: Seeing and naming home devices.
Which one to pick
- You want to learn what is exposed on a host: Nmap
- You want a simple device list on Mac or Linux: Angry IP Scanner
- You are on Windows and want remote-control shortcuts: Advanced IP Scanner
- You need a vulnerability report without buying a license: Greenbone (OpenVAS)
- You want device names and troubleshooting on a home network: Fing Desktop
Limits of this review
Docs-only for Nmap, Angry IP Scanner, Advanced IP Scanner, Greenbone (OpenVAS), RustScan, Fing Desktop: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you commit.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing, license and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-24: Nmap, Angry IP Scanner, Advanced IP Scanner, Greenbone (OpenVAS), RustScan, Fing Desktop. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.