Angry IP Scanner for Mac (2026): It Works, But Read This First
Short version. Unlike on iPhone, Angry IP Scanner does have a macOS build and it works. It needs Java, and Gatekeeper will complain the first time. It is a good scanner: you press go, it lists what is there, it stops. If what you actually want is to be told when something changes while you are not looking, that is a different tool, and a monitor rather than a scanner.
Angry IP Scanner is free, open source, fast, and genuinely fine on a Mac. This page is not an argument against it. It is about the distinction between scanning and monitoring, which is the thing people usually discover a month later.
Full disclosure: I build PingKit Agent, so weigh the recommendation accordingly. The limits section is not padding, and there is a whole category of Mac network tool below that PingKit deliberately is not.
Getting It Running on macOS
- It needs a Java runtime. The macOS build bundles one in recent versions, but if it refuses to launch, installing a JDK is the usual fix.
- Gatekeeper will block it on first launch. Right-click the app and choose Open rather than double-clicking, then confirm. If macOS still refuses, allow it under System Settings, Privacy and Security.
- Grant Local Network permission when prompted, or it will find nothing and give no useful reason why.
That last point catches people on modern macOS. An app denied local network access reports an empty network rather than an error.
Scanning and Monitoring Are Different Jobs
| Scanner | Monitor | |
|---|---|---|
| When it runs | When you press go | Continuously |
| Answers | What is here now? | What changed while I was away? |
| New device appears at 3am | You will never know | Alert |
| Internet drops for 20 minutes | Invisible | Logged, with a timestamp |
| Setup | None | Install and leave running |
Most people searching for a network scanner want the left column, and about a third of them actually want the right one and have not framed it that way yet. If you have ever thought "I wonder if anything is on my WiFi that should not be", a scan only answers that for the second you ran it.
Where Each One Wins
Angry IP Scanner: free, scriptable via its command line interface, exports to CSV and XML, and scans arbitrary ranges as wide as you like. If you are auditing a subnet at a client site, it is the right tool.
PingKit Agent: lives in the menu bar and keeps sweeping on an interval you set. It raises nine kinds of alert, including a new device joining, a device going offline, the internet dropping and coming back, a latency spike, and a device changing the services it advertises. It also runs speed tests on a schedule and watches TLS certificate expiry.
What PingKit Agent is not. It does not measure bandwidth, throughput per app, or which process is using your connection. If that is what you came for, iStat Menus is the standard answer for your own Mac's usage and Little Snitch is the answer for controlling what your Mac connects to. PingKit Agent watches the network and the devices on it, which is a different job.
Honest Limits
- PingKit Agent scans your local segment, not arbitrary wide ranges. Angry IP Scanner is better for that.
- No command line interface and no scripting.
- Monitoring pauses when your Mac sleeps.
- Device naming is good, not infallible. Vendor and protocol signatures do the work, with a Guardian-only AI fallback when signature matching is genuinely uncertain.
- macOS 15 or later, where Angry IP Scanner supports much older versions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Angry IP Scanner work on macOS?
Yes. There is a macOS build and it works. It requires a Java runtime, and Gatekeeper will block the first launch, so right-click and choose Open rather than double-clicking. Grant Local Network permission when prompted or it will find nothing.
Why does Angry IP Scanner find no devices on my Mac?
Almost always the Local Network permission. macOS requires apps to be granted local network access, and a denied app reports an empty network rather than an error. Check System Settings, Privacy and Security, Local Network.
What is the difference between a network scanner and a network monitor?
A scanner answers what is present at the moment you run it. A monitor runs continuously and tells you when something changes, such as a new device joining or the internet dropping while you were asleep. They solve different problems.
Is there a free network scanner for Mac?
Angry IP Scanner is free and open source. PingKit Agent has a free tier with device discovery, and its continuous alerting and scheduled testing are part of the Guardian subscription, which is $2.99 per month or $24.99 per year on the Mac.
Can Angry IP Scanner run scheduled scans?
Not on its own. It has a command line interface that can be driven by cron or launchd, which is the usual way people automate it. There is no built-in scheduler or alerting.
When a scan is not enough
Continuous sweeps at an interval you set, with alerts for new devices, dropouts and latency spikes. macOS 15 or later.
Get PingKit Agent for Mac