The question usually arrives as an email from the office manager: “The free scanner shows me the devices, but can it tell me which PCs are still on Windows 10 and who’s logged into them?” That is the point where Advanced IP Scanner stops and SoftPerfect Network Scanner starts earning its license fee.
Both are Windows-first IP scanners that turn a subnet into a readable list. One is freeware from Famatech; the other is a commercial product from SoftPerfect with a limited trial. Both are built for a 40-device-or-so office LAN with a mix of domain-joined Windows PCs, printers, a NAS, managed switches and the usual phones and smart TVs, and this comparison looks at what each tells you without leaving the desk.
Before you scan: Scan and query only networks and machines you own or administer. Several SoftPerfect features log into remote systems, so use accounts you’re entitled to use.
At a glance
| SoftPerfect Network Scanner | Advanced IP Scanner | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Commercial; limited trial | Freeware |
| Platforms | Windows and macOS (check vendor page for current list) | Windows only |
| Portable use | Yes | Option to run without installing |
| Discovery | ICMP, ARP, TCP; IPv4 and IPv6 | Ping/ARP-based, IPv4 |
| MAC and vendor | Yes | Yes |
| Shared folders | Yes, including hidden and writable-share checks | Yes |
| Windows details | WMI queries (OS, serials, services, logged-on user and more) | Hostname, shares |
| SNMP | Yes, including custom OIDs | No |
| Remote registry / SSH queries | Yes | No |
| Custom port checks | Any list | Short preset list |
| Remote actions | Wake-on-LAN, shutdown, run commands, open tools | RDP, Radmin, Wake-on-LAN, shutdown |
| Export | Several formats including CSV, HTML, XML | CSV, HTML, XML |
| Price | Per-license, see vendor pricing page | No charge |
Discovery: the same starting point
For the basic job, listing every live address with its MAC, vendor and hostname, the two tools are close. Advanced IP Scanner is quicker to understand: type the range, press Scan, done. SoftPerfect’s window has more toolbar buttons and options, but the defaults are sensible and a /24 completes in seconds either way.
SoftPerfect adds IPv6 discovery and more precise control over how hosts are detected (ping, ARP, TCP probes to chosen ports), which helps on networks where some devices ignore ICMP. On networks full of sleepy IoT gear, those extra probe options can surface devices that a plain ping-and-ARP pass only catches once someone wakes them up.
Where the paid tool pulls ahead
The difference is what happens after discovery. SoftPerfect can query each host for more:
- WMI on Windows machines, with admin credentials, returns OS version and build, serial number, installed memory, running services, current user and many other fields you choose as columns.
- SNMP on switches, printers, UPSs and NAS boxes returns model, uptime, location strings or any OID you specify.
- Remote registry and SSH queries let you pull a specific value from Windows or run a command on Linux devices.
- Share auditing shows not only shares but which are writable, useful when checking that nobody left an “Everyone: Full Control” folder on a desktop.
For the office manager’s Windows 10 question, SoftPerfect answers it in one scan with an “OS” column. Advanced IP Scanner can only list the PCs, leaving you to walk round or log into each one.
That makes SoftPerfect a lightweight inventory tool as well as a scanner. If you’re building the sheet from our device inventory spreadsheet guide, those extra columns fill in much of the manual work.
Where the free tool is simply nicer
Advanced IP Scanner’s interface is calmer, and its right-click menu covers what most people want next: open shared folders, start RDP, send Wake-on-LAN, shut down a PC, or connect with Radmin. There’s no licensing to track and nothing to renew. For a home network or a small office whose only question is “what’s on here and is the printer awake?”, SoftPerfect’s extra depth goes unused.
It’s also easier to recommend to non-specialists. SoftPerfect’s option dialogs assume you know what WMI, SNMP communities and OIDs are.
Cost and licensing
Advanced IP Scanner costs nothing, including for business use.
SoftPerfect Network Scanner is paid. The trial is functional but limits how many devices appear in the results, so it’s fine for evaluation on a small segment and not for real work. Licensing is sold per user or per machine in tiers; rather than quote figures that may change, we suggest checking SoftPerfect’s current pricing page. By the standards of network tools it is modestly priced at the time of writing; confirm the current terms, including how long updates are covered, on the vendor site before you buy.
Where each falls short
- SoftPerfect Network Scanner: costs money, the trial’s device cap makes proper evaluation on a full network awkward, the interface is dense, and WMI/SNMP features need correct credentials and firewall rules before they return anything.
- Advanced IP Scanner: Windows only, no WMI or SNMP detail, no IPv6, no scripting, only a short fixed list of ports, and nothing that helps answer “what’s inside each PC”.
Verdict
Pick SoftPerfect Network Scanner if you manage a Windows office or a small MSP client base and want OS versions, logged-on users, serials, SNMP data and share permissions in one scan. It’s the cheapest way we know to get inventory-style detail without deploying agents or a server.
Pick Advanced IP Scanner if you mainly need a clear device list with vendors, plus quick RDP, shares and Wake-on-LAN, and you don’t want to pay or learn WMI. For homes and small offices it’s usually all you need.
If you’re outgrowing both, Lansweeper and the rest of the Discovery & Inventory tools collect this data continuously. For the free-tool matchup, read Advanced IP Scanner vs Angry IP Scanner, and for the whole field, the IP scanners category.