Two requests land in the same week. The network lead wants a list of every live address on the new camera VLAN with MACs and open ports. The compliance person wants to know which file shares an ordinary user can write to. Both sound like “scan the LAN”, and both tools here scan the LAN — but they answer different questions. Angry IP Scanner is built around hosts and ports; LizardSystems Network Scanner is built around shared resources and access rights. Picking the right one first saves an afternoon of forcing the wrong tool to do the other job.
As always with scanners: point them only at networks you own or are authorized to assess.
At a glance
| Angry IP Scanner | LizardSystems Network Scanner | |
|---|---|---|
| Core question it answers | What’s alive, what’s it called, what’s listening? | What’s shared, and who can read or write it? |
| Licence | GPLv2, open source | Personal: free, non-commercial. Business: per machine, perpetual |
| Cost for company use | None | US$79.95 per machine at the time of writing |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows only (vendor lists 7 through 10 / Server 2016) |
| Current version | 3.10.0 (Aug 2026) | 21.07 (Jul 2021) |
| Runtime | Java; bundled in Windows and macOS builds since 3.10.0 | Native Windows program, 32-bit |
| Host discovery | ICMP, UDP, TCP probes, configurable | Ping, plus connect to ports you specify |
| TCP port scanning | Yes, any port list | No general port scanner — ports only for up/down status |
| MAC address / vendor | Yes (same L2 segment) | Not claimed by the vendor |
| NetBIOS names | Yes | Yes, plus domain name |
| SMB shares incl. hidden | No (not its purpose) | Yes, incl. system and hidden shares; FTP and web resources too |
| Read/write access check | No | Yes, for current user or a specified user |
| Map share as drive / open in Explorer | No | Yes |
| Export | CSV, TXT, XML, IP:Port list | HTML, TXT, XML |
| Command line | Yes (feeder + exporter switches) | Not documented |
| Extensibility | Plugins/fetchers, open source | Configurable external tools menu |
Where the real differences are
What each tool “sees”
Angry IP Scanner treats every address as a row and every fetcher as a column: ping time, hostname, MAC, vendor, NetBIOS info, a port list. That shape is perfect for inventory and for “is anything answering on 3389 that shouldn’t be?”. It says nothing about what’s inside a Windows host once you connect to 445.
Network Scanner goes one layer deeper on exactly that port. It enumerates the shares on each machine — including C$, ADMIN$ and anything hidden with a trailing dollar sign — and tests whether the current account, or a user you name, can read or write each one. Its results are a tree: computer → resources → rights. For a permissions audit that’s the whole point; see our SMB share audit guide for the full workflow.
Maintenance and platform
This is the uncomfortable part for Network Scanner. The latest release is 21.07 from July 2021, and the vendor’s supported-OS list doesn’t include Windows 11 or Server 2019 and later. It may well run on current Windows, but you’d be relying on your own testing, not on a vendor statement. There’s also no sign of IPv6 scanning or a command line.
Angry IP Scanner had a release in August 2026, runs on all three desktop OSes, and the Windows build now bundles its own Java — the old “install a JRE first” hurdle is gone. Its source is on GitHub if you need to check how something works.
Cost of putting it on every admin laptop
Angry IP Scanner costs nothing on any number of machines. Network Scanner is free only for personal, non-commercial use; at work it’s a Business licence per machine, which at the time of writing is US$79.95, perpetual, with a year of updates. For a three-person IT team that’s a real but modest line item — and a moot one if only the person doing audits needs it. Check the vendor’s pricing page before budgeting.
Automation
Angry IP Scanner’s command line is simple and scriptable: -f:range <start> <end> -o result.csv -q runs a sweep and writes a file, ready for Task Scheduler and a PowerShell diff (walkthrough: sweep a VLAN to CSV). Network Scanner is a GUI tool; you save and reload scan lists, and export HTML/TXT/XML by hand. There’s no CSV export either, so trackers that want CSV need a conversion step.
Acting on results
Network Scanner is more “clicky” in a useful way: map a found share as a drive, open it in Explorer or a browser, or launch configured tools such as remote shutdown or send-message against a machine. Angry IP Scanner offers “open with” commands (browser, SSH, ping, traceroute) that you can customise, but it stops at the host.
Verdict
Pick Angry IP Scanner if…
- you need a fast host/port inventory of a VLAN, with MACs and hostnames;
- you work across Windows, macOS and Linux, or want it on every laptop at zero cost;
- you want scheduled, unattended sweeps with CSV output;
- you prefer actively maintained, open-source tooling.
Pick LizardSystems Network Scanner if…
- the question is “which shares exist and who can write to them?”;
- you need hidden and admin shares listed alongside read/write rights for a specific test account;
- you’re comfortable with a Windows-only tool whose last release was in 2021, and you budget a Business licence for the audit machine.
Plenty of teams end up keeping both: Angry IP Scanner as the everyday sweep, Network Scanner on the one workstation that does the quarterly share review.