DeviceShelf vs Fing, LanScan Pro, Advanced IP Scanner & Angry IP Scanner
Compare DeviceShelf with Fing, LanScan, Advanced IP Scanner and Angry IP Scanner — and choose the network scanner that fits your workflow.
DeviceShelf is built for people who want Fing-like visibility without an account, telemetry or subscription.
Scan your LAN locally, identify devices, find risky services and monitor presence — while your network data stays on your machine unless you explicitly enable an optional online lookup.
All four are good tools and each fills a different niche — where another one is the better fit, we say so:
- Choose Fing if you want a polished, mobile-first cloud ecosystem.
- Choose Angry IP Scanner if you want a fast, free, open-source scanner.
- Choose LanScan Pro if you want a simple macOS-only scanner.
- Choose Advanced IP Scanner if you work mainly on Windows and need RDP / shared-folder access.
- Choose DeviceShelf if you want one private app for desktop, mobile and server monitoring — with security reports, live monitoring, no account and no telemetry.
Feature comparison
| Feature | DeviceShelf | Fing | LanScan Pro | Advanced IP Scanner | Angry IP Scanner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop: macOS / Windows / Linux | All three | mac/Win (Linux: agent on Pi) | macOS only | Windows only | All three |
| Mobile apps (iOS / Android) | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Open source | — | — | — | — | ✓ (GPL) |
| Pricing | One-time €39/€59 | Free + Premium sub | Free + Pro IAP ($5.99/$14.99) | Free | Free |
| Local-first, no account needed | ✓ | Account-based | ✓ (opt. iCloud sync) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Device identification (vendor / type) | ✓ | ✓ (cloud DB) | ~ basic | ~ basic | ~ basic |
| AI device ID & chat (your own key) | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
| Passive DHCP fingerprinting (Fingerbank) 1 | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
| Open ports & services | ✓ | ~ basic | ✓ (TCP, custom) | ~ common | ✓ configurable |
| Security report / deep probes (TLS, SSH, SMB, HTTP) | ✓ | ~ security checks | — | — | — |
| Presence monitoring & alerts | ✓ | ✓ (Premium) | — | — | — |
| Per-device bandwidth 2 | ✓ | ~ (Fingbox hardware) | — | — | — |
| Physical topology map (LLDP / CDP) 2 | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
| Built-in syslog server | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
| Diagnostics (ping / traceroute / DNS / speed test) | ✓ | ~ speed test | ~ basic | ~ ping | ~ ping |
| Wake-on-LAN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ plugin |
| Quick-connect (SSH / RDP / VNC / SMB) | ✓ | — | — | ✓ (RDP/Radmin/shares) | ✓ (openers) |
| Export / reports | ✓ | ~ Premium | ✓ CSV | ✓ CSV | ✓ |
| 24/7 headless server edition | ✓ (beta) | — | — | — | ~ CLI |
| REST API / webhooks | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
| MCP server (local AI assistant access) | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
✓ = yes · — = no · ~ = limited or add-on required. Comparison as of June 2026, best-effort from each product's public pages; features may differ by plan and platform.
1 Basic DHCP fingerprinting runs locally; the Fingerbank online lookup is opt-in and off by default.
2 Platform- and permission-dependent: live bandwidth uses packet capture (e.g. Npcap on Windows); the topology map needs LLDP/CDP-capable switches.
When each tool is the better pick
Fing — the best fit if you live on your phone: a polished mobile app, a large crowd-sourced device database and a connected ecosystem (with an account and, for some features, the Fingbox hardware).
LanScan Pro — a clean, inexpensive macOS-only app for a quick scan with port checks and CSV export. Great if you only ever use a Mac and want something minimal.
Advanced IP Scanner — a free Windows tool with handy remote actions (RDP, Radmin, shared folders, shutdown). Windows-only, no security report.
Angry IP Scanner — the cross-platform, open-source classic. Fast, scriptable, free, with custom "openers". Best if open source and a tiny footprint matter most.
DeviceShelf — choose it when you want one private, cross-platform app that goes deeper: AI-assisted and Fingerbank device identification, a real security report (open ports plus TLS/SSH/SMB/HTTP probes), a physical topology map, presence monitoring with alerts, per-device bandwidth, and an optional 24/7 headless server edition — with your data staying on your device.
Detailed comparisons
- DeviceShelf vs Fing — the private Fing alternative
- DeviceShelf vs LanScan Pro — a cross-platform LanScan alternative
- DeviceShelf vs Advanced IP Scanner — for Mac & Linux
- DeviceShelf vs Angry IP Scanner — with device intelligence
- The best network scanners for Mac — what actually runs on macOS
Not sure yet? Try it on your own network
DeviceShelf has a 7-day trial, no credit card required. The fairest test: run your current scanner and DeviceShelf side by side on your own LAN and compare what each one finds and shows you.
Download & start the free trial See pricing
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