Port Scanner is an app that is used to find out which ports on a network are open. Scanning the available ports reveals which ones are actively accepting data.
Programmers, system and network administrators, developers, and regular users use port scanners. It is used to scan one’s network to find holes in security before hackers do.
List Of The Best Online Port Scanners
Check out this compilation of the most popular port scanners from across the world.
#1) SolarWinds Port Scanner
Price: SolarWinds’ Port Scanner is free to use. The price of Network Manager starts at $2995. For 30 days, you can try it out for free.
SolarWinds Port Scanner is a tool that doesn’t cost anything. It finds network weaknesses by scanning the available IP addresses and the TCP and UDP ports that go with them. There is also a Network Configuration manager from SolarWinds. It is a business tool.
Features:
- With the help of multi-threading, it has cut down on time it takes to scan.
- It will let you use the command line to run a scan.
- You can set up a DNS server that you choose.
- It can track what users and endpoint devices are doing when they connect.
- It lets you look at and change IANA port name definitions.
Verdict: A free resource that can identify security holes in a network is SolarWinds Port Scanner. For each IP address it scans, Post Scanner may detail which ports are open, closed, or filtered.
#2) ManageEngine OpUtils
Best for: Network and security administrators of small, large, private, or government IT networks.
ManageEngine, The OpUtils port scanner, helps keep the network safe by looking for and blocking ports that are used by unauthorized services. It is a web-based tool that works on both Windows and Linux computers. OpUtils also lets you manage your IP addresses and map switch ports.
Features:
- It looks for services running on both TCP and UDP ports in real-time.
- It tells the status of each port and can connect switches to ports.
- It shows information about the port, like who uses it and how the switch connects to it, with a feature called “Port View.”
- It lets you set alerts based on thresholds and sends out alarms immediately if there are network problems.
- It automatically keeps track of past port operations and makes detailed reports on how much a switch port is used.
Verdict: The OpUtils port scanner tool can help network admins scan and figure out what’s wrong with their network daily. It has a built-in IP address manager that helps match the network IPs to the switch ports. It has more than 30 other network tools to help you figure out what’s wrong with your network.
#3) NMap
System administrators, network engineers, and developers will get the most out of it.
Price: Free Port Scanner
Network Mapper is what NMap stands for. It’s a great tool for discovering networks and scanning open ports. This free, open-source tool is helpful for system administrators, DevOps, and network engineers. They can use the tool to check the security of both local and remote networks. It works on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.
Features:
- It can scan networks and find open ports on those networks.
- It looks for possible hosts.
- With the network information, it finds out the name and version of the OS.
- It can tell what apps are running and what version they are on.
Verdict: NMap is a tool used to check a network’s security and ensure it is safe. It can also be used to take an inventory of a network, manage service upgrade schedules, and check the uptime of a host or service.
#4) Advanced Port Scanner
Price: Free
For no cost, you may scan any network equipment with Advanced Port Scanner. Windows is a supported operating system.
Features:
- It can find running programs for ports that have been found.
- It lets you access a computer far away and run commands on that computer.
- It does fast port scanning with multiple threads.
- It can do Wake-On-LAN and shut down a PC from afar.
Verdict: With Advanced Port Scanner, you can quickly and easily scan all of your network’s devices without spending a cent. It has the ability to issue commands to a remote computer, etc.
#5) Angry IP Scanner
Best for network administrators, banks, government agencies, and small and large businesses.
Price: Free and Open source.
An angry IP Scanner is a network scanner that can scan both the local and Internet networks. It works on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It is a free platform with open-source code that doesn’t need to be installed.
Features:
- It lets you save results in any format you want.
- With the help of different data fetchers, the tool can do more.
- It comes with a command line.
- It works quickly and is easy to use.
Verdict: You may scan networks with Angry IP Scanner for free on Windows, Mac, or Linux. The plugin allows for compatibility with Java. In addition, it can detect NetBIOS networks and web servers.
#6) NetCat
Price: Free
Behind the scenes, we employ a program called NetCat. It employs TCP/IP connections to read and write data across networks. It can connect to anything, so you can use it to investigate and understand your network.
Features:
- Outgoing and incoming connections can be made from and to any port.
- Any port can connect to TCP or UDP.
- It has a mode for tunneling.
- It comes with a randomizer and the ability to scan ports.
- It has options for more advanced use, such as buffered send mode and hexdump.
Verdict: NetCat is a valuable tool that can be used directly or by other programs or scripts. It comes with a lot more built-in features. It works with Mac OS, Solaris, FreeBSD, and NetBSD.
#7) Unicornscan
Best for people who do security research and testing.
Price: Free.
Unicornscan can scan both TCP and UDP. It can find unusual network discovery patterns that will help get more information about remote OS and services.
Features:
- It can do stateless, asynchronous TCP scanning.
- It does UDP scanning asynchronously.
- It has a port scanner for IP ports and can find services.
- It can find out the OS of systems that are far away.
- It will let you use the command line to turn on more than one module.
Verdict: Unicornscan is a free tool with many features, such as scanning asynchronously over TCP and UDP.
Conclusion
As we’ve seen, most port scanners are open-source and free. Besides the ones above, there are also a lot of online port scanners that you can use. System administrators, network engineers, and developers use NMap more than any other port scanner.
Another popular tool for scanning the local network and the Internet is an Angry IP Scanner. Small and large businesses, banks, governments, and network administrators can all use it.