Advanced IP Scanner for Mac (2026): It Does Not Exist, So What Now
Short version. There is no macOS version of Advanced IP Scanner and there never has been. It is a Windows application. Do not run it under Wine or in a virtual machine for this: a VM's network adapter is usually behind its own NAT, so the scan will not even see your real network. Use a native Mac tool instead.
Why People Look for It
Advanced IP Scanner is popular on Windows for good reasons: it is free, it needs no installation, it scans a subnet in seconds and lists what it finds with names and MAC addresses. People switching to a Mac reasonably go looking for the same thing.
It is a Windows application. There is no Mac build, no beta, and no plan for one that its developer has published.
Do not solve this with a virtual machine. It is the obvious workaround and it usually produces wrong answers. A VM with a NAT network adapter sits on its own private subnet, so scanning "the network" scans the VM's network, not yours. Bridged mode can work, but at that point you have configured a whole VM to avoid installing a native app.
What Actually Does the Job on macOS
arp, already installed, zero effort
arp -aLists every device your Mac has recently communicated with on the local network, by IP and MAC address. Instant and free. The catch is that it only shows devices your Mac has already talked to, so it undercounts badly. Warm the table up first by pinging the broadcast address:
ping -c 3 255.255.255.255
arp -aMany devices deliberately ignore broadcast pings, so this is still not a complete list.
nmap, the closest match in raw capability
brew install nmap
nmap -sn 192.168.1.0/24-sn is a ping sweep with no port scanning, which is the equivalent of what Advanced IP Scanner does by default. It is more thorough than arp and slower.
Angry IP Scanner, the direct cross-platform equivalent
Unlike Advanced IP Scanner, Angry IP Scanner does have a Mac build, in separate Apple Silicon and Intel variants. It is free and open source under GPL v2, and the macOS bundles include a Java runtime, so no separate Java install is needed. Gatekeeper will object on first launch, which we covered in Angry IP Scanner for Mac.
The Thing All of These Miss
Every option above answers "what is on my network right now". That is the question Advanced IP Scanner answers too, and for a one-off audit it is the right question.
It is the wrong question for the reason most people scan their network in the first place, which is wanting to know when something new appears. A scan you have to remember to run cannot tell you that. Whatever joined at 2am and left by morning is invisible to every tool in this list.
PingKit Agent takes the other approach. It runs from the menu bar and rescans on a schedule you set in minutes, tracking devices over time rather than producing a fresh list each run. When something appears that was not there before, it raises a new device alert. It also notifies on devices going offline and coming back, which is how you notice a camera or a NAS has quietly dropped off.
| arp / nmap | Angry IP Scanner | PingKit Agent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on macOS | Yes, built in | Yes, Java bundled | Yes, native |
| One-off scan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Continuous monitoring | No | No | Yes |
| New device alerts | No | No | Yes |
| Port scanning | nmap yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price | Free | Free | Free, paid tiers for extras |
Honest Limits
- No tool sees every device. Anything that ignores probes and has not spoken recently stays invisible, to all of these equally.
- PingKit Agent is not a port scanner first. It has one, but nmap is the better tool if deep port work is the actual job.
- Scan only networks you own or administer.
- Monitoring pauses when the Mac sleeps.
- macOS 15 or later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an Advanced IP Scanner for Mac?
No. Advanced IP Scanner is a Windows application with no macOS build. Native alternatives include the built-in arp command, nmap via Homebrew, Angry IP Scanner, and PingKit Agent.
Can I run Advanced IP Scanner on a Mac in a virtual machine?
Technically yes, but it usually gives wrong results. A VM using a NAT network adapter has its own private subnet, so the scan sees the VM's network rather than yours. Bridged networking avoids that, but a native Mac tool is far less work.
What is the best free IP scanner for Mac?
For a quick look, arp -a is already installed and instant. For thoroughness, nmap -sn 192.168.1.0/24 after brew install nmap. Angry IP Scanner offers a graphical option, is free and open source, and its macOS bundles ship with their own Java runtime.
How do I scan my network from a Mac without installing anything?
Run ping -c 3 255.255.255.255 to prompt responses, then arp -a to list the devices your Mac now knows about. It is incomplete because many devices ignore broadcast pings, but it takes seconds.
How do I get alerted when a new device joins my network?
Scanning tools only report the moment you run them. You need something that rescans on a schedule and compares against what it saw before. PingKit Agent does this from the macOS menu bar and raises an alert when a previously unseen device appears.
Know when something new joins, not just what is there now
Scheduled rescans from the menu bar with new device, offline and back online alerts. macOS 15 or later.
Get PingKit Agent for Mac