Nmap vs Unicornscan

Nmap is a free, open-source utility for discovering networks and auditing security. It uses raw IP packets to identify available hosts, services and versions, operating systems, and packet filters or firewalls. Scanning options include TCP and UDP ports, OS and version detection, and ping sweeps. Network administrators can use it to inventory systems, plan service upgrades, and monitor host or service uptime. The Nmap Scripting Engine runs bundled or user-written scripts in parallel for networking tasks such as discovery and vulnerability checks. The suite also includes Zenmap, a graphical interface and results viewer; Ncat for data transfer and debugging; Ndiff for comparing scan results; and Nping for packet generation and response analysis. Most port-scan types require privileged access to send and receive raw packets, although unprivileged users can run connect and FTP bounce scans. Nmap is not a comprehensive vulnerability scanner. End-user use is free, but redistribution in commercial products requires an OEM license. Quarterly OEM licenses start at $9,980.00 per 3 months for eligible small or startup companies.

Unicornscan is a free network reconnaissance tool that sends asynchronous, stateless probes and records responses. Its documented scan modes include TCP SYN scans, UDP probes with protocol-specific payloads, local-network ARP discovery, and stateless TCP traceroute. Alicorn provides a web interface for reviewing results, with scan history, host and port statistics, OS fingerprinting, and network topology visualization. The pgsqldb module can export results to PostgreSQL, which Alicorn uses for storage; Alicorn also starts a PostgREST API with its web server. Optional free DB-IP Lite databases add country, city, and ASN lookups to scan output and the interface. Packages are listed for Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, RHEL-compatible distributions, and macOS through Homebrew or DMG. Linux capabilities are set automatically so scans can run without root privileges. The Alicorn interface requires Docker and PostgreSQL. Compound scan modes that begin with ARP are limited to targets on the local broadcast domain because ARP requests cannot cross routers. The install guide directs users to the project website and GitHub Issues for support.