Use with authorization only. Scan networks and hosts you own or have explicit written permission to assess. Unauthorized scanning can violate acceptable-use policies and, in some jurisdictions, the law.

Angry IP Scanner is the tool a lot of admins keep in their back pocket for one simple job: point it at a range of addresses and get a clean table of what is alive and what ports are open, fast. It is open-source, made by Anton Keks, and written in Java, which is the reason for its standout feature — it runs the same way on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Honest positioning: it is the obvious pick when you are not on Windows, or when you want something quick and graphical without the depth (and the learning curve) of a tool like Nmap.

What Angry IP Scanner actually does

You give it a range of IP addresses — a subnet, a custom span, or a list — and it pings each one to see which hosts respond. For the live hosts it can resolve hostnames, grab MAC addresses, and scan a set of ports you choose. The results land in a sortable, filterable table, so within seconds you can see what is on the segment and which of those machines have interesting ports open.

It is deliberately light. There is no database, no agent to install on other machines, no background service. You run it, you get answers, you close it. Results export to CSV, TXT, XML, and similar formats so you can drop a snapshot into a spreadsheet or a ticket. It is also extensible through fetchers and plugins, which add extra columns or checks if the defaults aren’t enough, and it can run as a portable app in some setups without a formal install.

Where it shines

Speed and simplicity. It starts instantly and returns a scan of a typical office subnet quickly, with almost nothing to configure. For “what’s on this network right now,” it is about as low-friction as scanning gets.

Genuine cross-platform support. This is the real reason to choose it. Because it is Java-based, the same familiar tool works on your Linux workstation, a colleague’s Mac, and a Windows box. If your team is mixed, you learn one tool instead of three.

Open and unobtrusive. The source code is public, and there is no telemetry-heavy installer. The export options make it easy to turn a quick scan into documentation.

Where it falls short

It is shallow by design. You get live hosts, hostnames, MACs, and open ports — not the service and version fingerprinting, OS detection, or scripting that a deeper scanner offers. When you need to know what is running behind a port and how old it is, this tool won’t tell you.

No monitoring, history, or alerting. It is a point-in-time snapshot. It does not track your network over time, notice when something changes, or notify you of anything. That is a different category of product.

Java is a dependency. On most platforms a runtime is bundled, but in some environments you still deal with a Java runtime, and the interface, while functional, feels plain next to polished Windows-native tools.

Who it’s for

This is a great everyday tool for the generalist who looks after a mixed-OS network and wants fast answers without ceremony — the developer nearest the network cupboard, the one-person IT department, the consultant who walks into a new site and needs a quick lay of the land. If you are Windows-only and want shared-folder listings and remote actions baked in, a Windows-native tool may suit you better. If you need deep security auditing, you will outgrow this and move to Nmap.

Licensing

Angry IP Scanner is open-source software released under the GNU General Public License, version 2 (GPLv2). The source code is public, so you can inspect it, build it yourself, or adapt it within the terms of that license. Check the current license terms on the official site before rolling it out across an organization.

How it compares

Advanced IP Scanner is the natural Windows-only counterpart: similar speed and friendliness, but it adds shared-folder discovery, Wake-on-LAN, and one-click remote access via RDP and Radmin. If your whole shop is Windows and helpdesk convenience matters, it may be the better fit — but it won’t run on your Mac or Linux boxes, which is exactly where Angry IP Scanner wins.

Nmap is the step up in power: service and version detection, OS fingerprinting, and a full scripting engine. It answers much harder questions, at the cost of a command line and a steeper learning curve. Many people use Angry IP Scanner for the quick daily sweep and keep Nmap for the deep dives.

Wireshark is not an alternative but a companion — when a discovery scan flags a host that is behaving oddly, Wireshark lets you inspect the actual packets to see why.

Getting it safely

Get Angry IP Scanner from the project’s official site (angryip.org). We are an independent review portal — we host nothing and provide no installers ourselves. Scanning tools are a favorite disguise for tampered downloads, so make sure your copy is genuine: see our short guide on how to verify a download. And scan only networks you own or have written permission to assess — our authorization checklist covers how to get that straight before you begin.

FAQ

Does it really run on Mac and Linux, not just Windows? Yes — that is its main selling point. Because it is written in Java, the same application runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, so a mixed team can standardize on one tool.

Can it tell me what software a device is running? Only at a basic level. It reports open ports, hostnames, and MAC addresses, but not detailed service versions or the operating system. For that depth you would move to Nmap.

Is it good for keeping an ongoing inventory of my network? Not on its own. It produces a snapshot you can export, but it does not track changes over time or alert you. Pair it with a dedicated monitoring tool if you need continuous visibility.

Guides

How to read a network scan: what the results actually mean

About the project

Angry IP Scanner is developed and maintained by Anton Keks. This is an independent catalog — we don't host or distribute the software. For source code, documentation and official releases, see the project's own site.