Angry IP Scanner vs Advanced IP Scanner: Which Network Scanner to Use

Angry IP Scanner and Advanced IP Scanner are the two free network scanners most admins reach for when they need to know what is on a subnet. They look similar in a screenshot, but they solve different problems. The short answer: pick Advanced IP Scanner if you work on Windows and want to act on what you find (RDP, shared folders, Wake-on-LAN, remote shutdown) with one right-click. Pick Angry IP Scanner if you need macOS or Linux, custom port checks or a command line you can schedule. Many help desks keep both.

Side-by-side comparison

Where Angry IP Scanner wins

Cross-platform and open source

Angry IP Scanner is the only one of the two that runs outside Windows. Version 3.10.0 ships native bundles for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs with Java included, plus DEB and RPM packages and a JAR for Linux. The source is on GitHub under GPL-2.0, which matters when your security team asks what a scanner actually does on the wire. The Windows installer bundles its own Java runtime; the stand-alone EXE and the JAR need Java 21 or newer. There is no 32-bit Windows build.

Any port, any list of hosts

Angry IP Scanner collects data through modules it calls fetchers: ping, hostname, TTL, MAC address and vendor, NetBIOS information and TCP ports. To audit which hosts expose remote access, open Tools > Preferences > Ports and enter a list such as 22,80,443,3389,5900, check that the Ports fetcher is on under Tools > Fetchers, and rescan. Sort by the Ports column and you have a quick list of machines that should not answer on 3389. Besides ranges, it can scan random addresses or a list loaded from a text file, which is handy for checking a server inventory exported from your CMDB.

Scheduled scans from the command line

The CLI takes one feeder, one exporter and optional flags: -s starts the scan at once, -q quits after exporting and -a appends to the output file. The file extension selects the export format.

ipscan -f:range 10.0.20.1 10.0.20.254 -o C:scansvlan20.csv -s -q
ipscan -f:file servers.txt -o servers-result.xml -s -q

Put the first line in Windows Task Scheduler or a cron job and keep the CSV files. Comparing yesterday’s file with today’s shows which addresses appeared or vanished, a cheap way to notice an unknown device on a VLAN. For ongoing checks with alerts, move up to a real monitor; see our server monitoring and log management guide.

Where Advanced IP Scanner wins

Act on what you found

Advanced IP Scanner’s strength is the right-click menu. After a scan you can open RDP or Radmin to a host, browse its shared folders in Explorer, or open its HTTP, HTTPS or FTP service. Telnet and SSH work through a client you set under Settings > Options > Misc; the same page lets you point to a portable Radmin Viewer. Ping and tracert are under the Tools entry of the context menu. For a help-desk technician who scans, finds the PC and connects to it, this saves several steps.

Wake-on-LAN and remote shutdown

The program sends Wake-on-LAN packets and performs remote shutdown or restart (Actions > Wake-on-LAN, Actions > Shut down), including a forced option and Actions > Abort shut down to cancel a pending one. A typical patch-night routine:

1. Scan the office subnet while the PCs are on, so their MAC addresses are recorded.
2. Select the machines and choose Add to Favorites from the context menu.
3. Save the list with File > Save as. Only XML files can be loaded back, so save that format.
4. On patch night, use File > Load Favorites, select the machines and send Wake-On-LAN.
5. Rescan after a few minutes to confirm they are up.

Wake-on-LAN must be enabled in each PC’s firmware and network adapter. Magic packets are broadcasts and normally do not cross routers. Remote shutdown needs an account with administrative rights on the target.

No Java, no setup

It is a native Windows program. The setup file offers Install or Run; Run starts it without installing anything, which suits a USB toolkit or a locked-down jump box.

Scan accuracy: why results differ

Run both tools on the same subnet and the host counts may not match. The reasons are mostly about how each one detects a live host:

• Angry IP Scanner pings with ICMP when it has administrator or root rights. Without them it falls back to UDP probes, and some devices then show as dead. Hosts that drop pings can look dead even with open ports; change how dead hosts are handled in Preferences so their ports are still scanned. Since 3.10.0 the result list shows alive hosts only by default.
• Advanced IP Scanner has a “High-accuracy scanning (lower speed)” option under Settings > Options > Performance. Turn it on when devices that block ICMP go missing. The Resources tab lets you switch off service checks you do not need to speed up large scans.
• Both read MAC addresses and vendors only for hosts in your own layer-2 segment. Across a router you see the router, not the host.
• Windows Defender Firewall on the targets hides NetBIOS names and shares from both tools.

Which one to use

1. Not on Windows? Angry IP Scanner. Advanced IP Scanner has no macOS, Linux, Android or iPhone version.
2. Need to schedule scans or check specific ports? Angry IP Scanner.
3. Windows help desk that connects to PCs, opens shares and wakes machines? Advanced IP Scanner.
4. Security review needs auditable code? Angry IP Scanner is open source.
5. Need more than a point-in-time scan? Neither. NetCrunch Tools (free, Windows 10/11 x64) adds ping, port, service and SNMP scanners, DNS audit and a subnet calculator in one package. LANState (shareware, conditionally free: free mode for up to 25 devices) draws a network map and runs ongoing ping, TCP, HTTP, SNMP and WMI checks with alerts.

Limitations of both

• Neither is a monitor: there is no history, alerting or topology map.
• Neither replaces nmap for service version detection, OS fingerprinting or scripted scan techniques.
• Advanced IP Scanner cannot scan arbitrary ports; Famatech ships that as a separate tool, Advanced Port Scanner. It also publishes no dated changelog.
• Angry IP Scanner 3.10.0 needs Java 21 or newer when you do not use the bundled runtime.
• Some antivirus and EDR products flag network scanners as “hacktool” or potentially unwanted. Attackers use legitimate scanners too, so get approval before running either on a network.
• Scanning networks you do not administer can break policy or law.

FAQ

Angry IP Scanner vs Advanced IP Scanner: which is better?

For a Windows help desk that wants one-click RDP, shares and Wake-on-LAN, Advanced IP Scanner. For cross-platform use, custom port checks and scheduled CLI scans, Angry IP Scanner.

Is Angry IP Scanner safe?

Its full source is public on GitHub and builds come from the project. Some antivirus vendors flag it as a potentially unwanted program or “hacktool” because it is a network scanner; the project states the program contains no trojans or viruses and invites you to review the code. Download it only from the official site or GitHub releases.

Is Advanced IP Scanner free?

Yes. Famatech offers it free of charge, including on work networks, and does not sell a paid edition of this tool.

Is Advanced IP Scanner open source?

No. It is proprietary freeware. Angry IP Scanner is the open-source option (GPL-2.0).

Is there Advanced IP Scanner for Mac or Linux?

No, it is Windows only. On macOS or Linux, Angry IP Scanner is the closest free alternative with a GUI.

Angry IP Scanner vs nmap?

Use Angry IP Scanner for a quick visual sweep and an exportable table. Use nmap when you need service versions, OS detection or scripting.

Last updated: 5 October 2026 · ITForgePro editorial team. Licence, version and platform details are checked against each developer's official documentation.