Angry IP Scanner vs NetsCLI
Angry IP Scanner
angryip.orgNetsCLI
netscli.comSide by side
| Figure | Angry IP Scanner | NetsCLI |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Port Scanner Software | 8.1 (#7) | 8.3 (#5) |
| Platforms | The maker lists Windows, Mac, and Linux downloads; current Mac bundles include ARM and Intel versions. | The CLI and terminal UI are published for Windows, macOS, and Linux; the desktop app is available for those systems as well. |
| Purpose | Angry IP Scanner scans IP addresses and ports and is designed to be fast and simple to use. | NetsCLI is an open-source Rust network scanner for discovering LAN hosts, scanning TCP and UDP ports, querying DNS, and inspecting hosts. |
Plans
In their own words
Angry IP Scanner
Angry IP Scanner is a free, open-source desktop tool for scanning IP addresses and ports. It accepts address ranges, random addresses, or files in any format as scan input. The scanner checks whether hosts respond to pings and can optionally resolve hostnames, identify MAC addresses, and scan ports. It also supports NetBIOS information, favorite IP ranges, web server detection, and customizable openers. Java plugins can extend scanning and data gathering with fetchers, pingers, exporters, and feeders. Results can be saved as CSV, TXT, XML, or IP-Port list files, and a command-line interface is available. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows under GPLv2. The maker says installation is unnecessary and that the software can be copied and used anywhere. It is described as particularly useful to network administrators monitoring and managing networks. The FAQ notes that some antivirus vendors have flagged the older ipscan.exe, while saying version 3.x is not detected.
NetsCLI
NetsCLI is an open-source network scanner for discovering LAN devices, scanning TCP and UDP ports, querying DNS, and inspecting hosts. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, with a desktop app, terminal UI, command-line interface, and MCP server built on one Rust core. The desktop app supports multiple investigation tabs, sortable and filterable results, exports, and scan history. Discovery can add reverse DNS, ARP cache details, MAC addresses, and device makers when the operating system has that information. Network operations in the CLI support JSON and YAML output; list commands also support CSV and Markdown. The MCP server runs over stdio and exposes structured network tools to compatible AI clients, including Claude Code and Cursor. NetsCLI is MIT-licensed and free for personal, open-source, and commercial use. Its binaries and installers are said to be checksummed and signed with Sigstore cosign. Packet capture requires separate downloads and libpcap on Linux or macOS, or Npcap on Windows. It does not provide remote administration and lacks advanced service detection, NSE scripts, and OS fingerprinting.