What's the best app to find every device on my network?

November 5, 2026 · Trystero Montevideo · 10base-t interactive

That little spike of suspicion when a strange name shows up in your Wi-Fi client list is one almost anyone who runs a network has felt, usually followed by the same question: what is that, and should I be worried? Your computer can list raw addresses on its own, but turning an address into a name, a manufacturer, and a reason to care takes a dedicated app. Half a dozen of them promise to do that, from a free open source utility to a one-time-purchase security suite, and they land on very different answers. We only make Mac and iPhone apps, so we have no horse in the Windows race. The Windows and Android picks below are here because they're good, and we'll say up front what each one runs on so nobody falls for something they can't install.

What should a network scanner actually do?

A network scanner's whole job is turning a list of IP addresses into a list of things. All of the apps here do that. Where they differ is in the five things below, and those differences are what decide which one you'll still be opening in a month.

Device identification. Does it just list an IP address, or does it resolve a hostname, read Bonjour or NetBIOS service names, and match the MAC address against a vendor database so an unfamiliar device shows up labeled by manufacturer instead of as a string of numbers?

New devices, not just current ones. A one-time scan tells you what's connected right now. Some apps keep a running record and can flag a device the moment it joins; others start from nothing every time you open them.

A Mac-native interface, or a port from somewhere else. Some of these tools were built for macOS specifically. Others are cross-platform utilities, or an iPhone app that also happens to run on a Mac with an Apple M1 chip, rather than a Mac app in its own right.

An iPhone companion. Checking the network from a phone, without opening a laptop, is either built in or it isn't.

Price. Free, a one-time purchase, or a subscription, and whether the free tier is actually usable or just a demo.

The options

IP Scanner is our own app, free on Mac and iPhone. It discovers and identifies every device on your Wi-Fi or LAN in seconds, and it keeps scanning fully local and private, with no account required. You can give each device your own name and icon, save those device lists or sync them through iCloud, and it posts a system notification when a new device is discovered or a device changes state. Ping, Wake on LAN, and port scanning are built in. The free app identifies up to 15 devices per scan, and it reads MAC addresses natively on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, including macOS 27 and iOS 27. Remote scans via iCloud, which let an iPhone or Apple Watch see what a Mac at home is finding, are free in every edition. An in-app Pro upgrade lifts the device limit on its platform and adds a Network DVR of past network activity. IP Scanner Ultra, an in-app upgrade or a separate universal app, covers Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro in one purchase, with unlimited devices, the Network DVR, and Home Radar's real-time push notifications.

Fing is a free iPhone and iPad app that gets device recognition of IP address, MAC address, device name, model, vendor, and manufacturer, with advanced analysis of NetBIOS, UPnP, SNMP, and Bonjour names, and it can send a security and device alert to your phone or email. Its App Store listing is marked "Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS," though it also lists macOS 12.3 or later and a Mac with an Apple M1 chip or later as a requirement, meaning any Mac compatibility comes from running the iPhone app rather than a dedicated Mac interface. A separate download, Fing Desktop, is free to download for personal use on Windows and macOS; 24/7 monitoring and enhanced security checks need a paid Fing Subscription.

LanScan is a free App Store app for Mac, requiring macOS 12.0 or later, that scans a subnet over ARP, Ping, SMB, and mDNS and lists the IP address, MAC address, hostname, and vendor for every device it finds, with no cap on how many. There's no iPhone version, and the free trial obfuscates some results until you buy the Pro in-app upgrade.

iNet Network Scanner is a well-rounded paid app. It shows IP and MAC addresses, lets you assign custom names and icons, monitors Bonjour services in real time, and can wake Macs, PCs, and other devices over the network, and put a Mac to sleep, shut it down, or restart it remotely. It's also available for iPhone and iPad. The catch is the price: $24.99 once, with no subscriptions, but also nothing to try for free first.

Angry IP Scanner is free, open source, and cross-platform, with no installation required. It pings each address in a range, then optionally resolves the hostname and determines the MAC address, with plugins extending what else it gathers for anyone willing to write Java. It's the same app on every platform, which is the point of it, and it's distributed directly from angryip.org rather than through the App Store.

Nmap is a free, open source scanner built for network discovery and security auditing. It uses raw IP packets to determine what hosts are on a network, what services they're running, and what operating systems they use, with official binaries for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X. Zenmap is Nmap's official graphical interface, built to make Nmap approachable for beginners while keeping saved scan profiles and a searchable results database available for people who need them. It's the deepest tool in this field, built for people who already know what a port scan is for.

Advanced IP Scanner is a free Windows utility, compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7, and there is no Mac version. It shows all network devices, detects MAC addresses, gives you access to shared folders, can switch computers off remotely, exports results to CSV, and runs as a portable edition with no installation required. On Windows it's our first pick, and the fact that it's made by the Radmin remote-desktop people shows in its remote-control hooks.

SoftPerfect Network Scanner runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux and is aimed at administrators. It detects hardware MAC addresses even across routers, scans listening TCP ports and SNMP services, supports Wake-on-LAN and remote shutdown, integrates with Nmap, and can run from a USB flash drive without installation. It is paid software with a free unlimited-duration trial that displays a maximum of 10 devices, so you can try it properly before buying a licence for a full network.

On a phone that isn't an iPhone, Fing Mobile is the answer: the app is free to download for personal use on both iOS and Android, with advanced features behind a Fing Subscription, and it's the same device-recognition engine as the iPhone version described above.

And macOS itself can list addresses with no app at all, through Terminal's arp and ping commands, though turning an address into a name still takes extra steps.

Which one should you install?

For a home or small-office network, IP Scanner is the one to install first. It's free, it's a native Mac and iPhone app rather than a port from somewhere else, it tells you when something new joins the network, and nothing you scan leaves your machine. 10base-t makes it, which is the plain reason it's the app we'd point a reader to first. Our advice on the two editions: start with the free app, and if you find yourself opening it every day, IP Scanner Ultra is the one to buy.

That's not a win in every case. For a scripted port audit across a range of hosts, Nmap is built for exactly that job and IP Scanner isn't trying to compete with it. iNet Network Scanner is a well-made app at its one-time $24.99, and if you already own it there's no reason to switch; if you're choosing today, Ultra covers the same ground and adds the Watch, TV, and Vision Pro apps.

Not on a Mac? Then IP Scanner isn't for you, and we'd rather point you somewhere good than leave you hunting. On Windows, grab Advanced IP Scanner: free, no install, done in seconds. On Linux, Angry IP Scanner or Nmap, both free and open source, or SoftPerfect if you want an admin-grade tool and don't mind paying for it. On Android, Fing Mobile.

Whichever one matches your setup, the payoff is the same: that name you didn't recognize turns into one you do. Go ahead and point it at your Wi-Fi tonight.

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