Masscan vs PortScannerLabs

Masscan is a free command-line TCP port scanner for scanning many machines across wide address ranges. The project says one machine can transmit 10 million packets per second. It supports asynchronous transmission, arbitrary port and address ranges, and scanning IPv4 and IPv6 together without a separate IPv6 mode. Banner checks cover protocols and services including FTP, HTTP, IMAP4, memcached, POP3, SMTP, SSH, SSL, SMBv1, SMBv2, Telnet, RDP and VNC. Results can be saved as XML, binary, grepable, JSON or list output. Its usage and output are intended to be familiar to Nmap users, with some Nmap-compatible options. Masscan runs on Linux, macOS and Windows and is available for self-hosting. The project describes PF_RING DNA support for high-speed transmission and says it can use PF_RING ZC when the adapter name indicates it. It is free software under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3, whose notice states there is no warranty. Users must specify ports and target IP addresses or simple ranges; DNS names are not accepted. The README warns that its custom TCP/IP stack can conflict with the local stack and describes using a separate source IP or firewalling its source port.

PortScannerLabs is a free cloud web tool for checking an IP address or domain for common open, closed, or filtered network ports. It flags risky exposures and separates port state from risk level, with links to guidance about the service and ways to close it. The scanner uses nmap with service and version detection for open ports. A default scan checks 12 common TCP ports, including SSH, Telnet, MySQL, RDP, HTTP, and HTTPS. Leaving the target blank scans the user’s public IP as seen from outside the network. Scans with version detection can take up to 15 seconds. No account, signup, or installation is required. The site describes the tool for home and small-business users, IT administrators, developers, gamers, and self-hosters. Users must confirm authorization before scanning another target. PortScannerLabs rate-limits scans and restricts full-range scanning of arbitrary targets for anonymous users. It says it retains only minimal technical logs needed to operate the service and prevent abuse, and does not sell personal data. The Free port scanner costs nothing.