Advanced IP Scanner is one of the best known Windows network scanners. Its own site says it is trusted by 70 million users, needs no installation, and offers remote control over RDP and Radmin, access to network shares, and remote shutdown.
If what you need is to find a machine and then get onto it, that is a very strong offer and ScanWRX does not compete with it. ScanWRX has no remote desktop, no Radmin integration and no remote shutdown, and it is not going to gain them.
Where ScanWRX is different
ScanWRX is built around the visit after this one. It keeps a record of a customer, a site and a network, and compares each scan against the last so you can answer “what changed since I was here?” without remembering. It tracks a device by its MAC address, so a machine that picked up a new IP is one change, not a removal and an addition. It produces a PDF you can hand to a client with your own details on it. And it maps devices to switch ports over SNMP, using a credential you enter yourself.
It also says what each device is and shows the evidence for that answer, with a confidence figure. A model number only ever appears when the device reported one itself.
The security posture is the real difference
ScanWRX never needs administrator rights, uses no packet capture driver, and opens no inbound port at any point — measured across three full scans and published with the method so you can repeat it. On a client site, or on a machine locked down by somebody else’s policy, that is often the deciding factor rather than a nice-to-have.
Side by side
| ScanWRX | Advanced IP Scanner | |
|---|---|---|
| Finds devices on a LAN | Yes | Yes |
| Remote desktop / Radmin | No | Yes |
| Remote shutdown, network shares | No | Yes |
| Saved customers, sites and networks | Yes | No |
| Compares a visit against the last | Yes | No |
| PDF report for a client | Yes | CSV export |
| Switch port mapping over SNMP | Yes | No |
| Runs without administrator | Yes | Portable, no install |
| Price | Free; Pro from $9.99/mo | Free |
Advanced IP Scanner’s column reflects the features listed on its own website. If something there is out of date, tell us and it will be corrected — a comparison that drifts out of date is worse than none.
Using both
Plenty of technicians will. They answer different questions, they do not conflict, and ScanWRX Free costs nothing and needs no account, so trying it alongside what you already use costs you a download.