# Nmap Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Nmap the right Network Mapping solution for you? Explore 54 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/163417/Nmap/reviews --- Nmap 4.8 (54) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/163417/Nmap/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Nmap Ease of use 4.1 Customer Service 3.6 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews GT Giuseppe T Cybersecurity ConsultantComputer & Network Security, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It’s also completely free and open-source, which makes it accessible for anyone, whether you're running a small home network or managing a massive enterprise environment.“ October 17, 2024 GT Giuseppe T Cybersecurity ConsultantComputer & Network Security, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Nmap has a steep learning curve can be a bit of challenging for newcomers, especially if you’re not already familiar with networking concepts.“ October 17, 2024 JE Jason E Cyber Security AnalystComputer & Network Security, Self-employedUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “Developed over 20 years ago, Nmap is still one of top tools In Kali Linux, as well as top weapon to combat cyber terrorism worldwide.“ November 29, 2023 VA Vishvam A Information SecurityComputer & Network Security, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “The Nmap generally give the false positives if we increase the no of threads to check the bigger network and we have to re verify the same by scanning smaller parts of the same network for proper results.“ February 12, 2023 Tushar G Lead security EngineerInformation Technology and Services, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Nmap has excellent discovery tools and nmap script engine makes nmap the best tool not only for network discovery but also for asset management, for network perimeter security by checking different ports and protocols exposed and for reconnaissance.“ January 13, 2023 KA Kamgueng A CEOComputer Networking, Self-employedUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “Nmap is unable to determine whether a port is closed or filtered and this is its major flaw.“ November 30, 2022 MS Maha S Assistant ProfessorComputer Software, 501 - 1,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “A necessary tool to use in any network security discipline.“ September 12, 2023 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 54 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Tushar G. Lead security Engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best network discovery tool " January 13, 2023 5.0 Pros Nmap has excellent discovery tools and nmap script engine makes nmap the best tool not only for network discovery but also for asset management, for network perimeter security by checking different ports and protocols exposed and for reconnaissance. Cons Reporting for nmap can be a lot better as right now it only supports generating XML files. Reporting features must include variety of different formats like printing out a whole network map etc. Alternatives considered [Wireshark](https://www.capterra.com/p/209737/Wireshark/) Review Source TK Thusitha K. Information Security Analyst Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The Best Network Scanner Ever" September 23, 2019 5.0 This is the best tool I ever had to do network scanning. It was very easy to understand and detect vulnerable ports, hosts and IP addresses of our customers. Pros We can do lots of scans using this simple tool. There are different types of scans available (ex: - Ports scan, Host discovery etc.). Cons It is suitable for beginners as well as professionals. But, it will take time to understand what are the functionalities of Nmap Alternatives considered [Network Performance Monitor](https://www.capterra.com/p/146805/Network-Performance-Monitor/) Reason for choosing Nmap Because, The Nmap is simple and performance is great. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer IT cloud manager Computer Software Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "basic tool that gives you the basics" March 21, 2019 3.0 basic tool ,that gives you the basics , Nothing more and nothing less, The fact that it is for free can contribute to the fact im using it but there are better tools that are free and far better. Pros free ,quick and gives you the basic network features. Cons gui is far from being defined as "readable" Review Source Sarath S. Android Developer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The Best Network Scanner I Ever Used." April 8, 2019 5.0 Nmap is the first tool i use to scan any network , because i am really used to it and i really like how it works. We use Nmap to scan and find out the computers are connected to our network and find open ports and its been really easy becuase of nmap. Pros With a simple scan of our network using Nmap will return all the computers and devices that are in the network. We get all the IP Address of the Computers By Scanning the network. And i really like that we can find open ports in our networks using. There are lots of different types of scan that we can do on our network using Namap, And there is a feature that i like which is we can find out which operating system are they using from their IP Address. Cons Nmap is really great. But there is learning curve, It takes time to understand how it works , like we need some time to get used to its commands in order to get the real use out of nmap. Sometimes It takes longer than we expected to finish the scan, but we can alter the commands and change it to some specific type of scanning to make the scan more fast. Review Source Mohit V. Cyber Security Researcher Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Nmap network mapper Almost a perfect flexible scanning tool " April 3, 2019 5.0 Cool tool. Quick ease and you can modify as per requirements. Pros \- Easy Manipulation of options - Shows all ports with their present states - Does common directory traversals - Quick and trusted - Adding scripts is the best part and has scripts for almost every type of scanning Cons \- Looking for more trusted results in case of web applications - More options to monitor firewalls and support for some more scripts like metasploit database Review Source Abinadi R. Technical Project Manager Senior Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A critical tool for any security professional " September 18, 2020 5.0 Amazing scanning tool to looks for ports and identify vulnerabilities. you can use it run an internal security assessment to help you understand your security posture Pros A super simple efficient tool for any security professional. If you are red/blue team using Nmap will be a tool that needs to be part of your arsenal Cons The automation with other security tools could be better so we can create more sofisticated scripts but in general is amazing tool Review Source wangolo J. System administrators Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Nmap the good and the bad" February 13, 2020 4.0 Pros Nmap is very easy to use, just issuing nmap scanme performs scans with default scannning. Also Nmap has an interesting feature that is off outpug xml with option -XO this makes it very easy to parse the result in other languages like python. Cons Some commands in Nmap require root access, for example performing some OS Detection and performing UDP port scanning. Review Source Tejas G. Associate Security Consultant Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "The best network enumeration tool available." October 2, 2018 5.0 Very decent and powerful tool network scanning. Pros Nmap network scanner can supports scanning for individual IP's and whole subnet. Nmap has multiple scan profiles such as ping scan, no ping scan, it also supports scan based on UDP and TCP ports and traceroute scan. Nmap can enumerate all the information about the target IP such as Operating system, version detection, device type, network distance and it also gives graphic network topology diagram after the scan is complete! This tool can be used using command line and also has graphical GUI and supports operating systems like windows, Linux. It has many NSE scripts comes with application package like ssl-cert, http-enum for SSL certificate enumerations, http related enumerations and many more Cons This can be hard to use using command line if the user does not know the necessary commands and scripts Review Source Chris L. IT Support Engineer Machinery Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great tool for network or system admin" November 19, 2019 5.0 I have used nmap in the past if i found a unknown device on my network i will use Nmap on the corporate lan and scan the machine to get OS info, mac and general information on it. With the MAC i can then go to the switch and track down where it is located in the building. Pros The software has so many features and can do so many different things. You can scan for specific Packet types in TCP or UDP you can scan entire ranges or machines for open ports exposing security flaws. Cons This program is a BEAST. I took several different classes on using this program as it is extremely powerful and can cause issues if used incorrectly in a production environment and could also be prosecuted legally if the owner of said network chooses too. Review Source Michael H. Co-Founder | Creative Director Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Amazing tool for enumerating apps/networks" May 11, 2020 5.0 We use Nmap for every pen test, or network enumeration scan to get an assessment on the network we're working on. Pros Nmap just works, it's become the standard for enumerating any box/server/wep app. It works well, and in most cases, returns results fairly quickly (Also depending on your settings). Cons There's a tiny learning curve if you're not familiar with the command line (since there's no GUI for Nmap) - So you'll definitely have to take some time learning the commands/options. Review Source HH Houcem H. Information Security Manager Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The best port scanner ou there" January 21, 2021 5.0 An excellent free and open source port scanner, with extended functionnality thanks to its NSE engine Pros Free and open source NSE engine is very powerful Does a lot more than just scanning Updates are frequent Cons The user interface (Zenmap) can be improved The number of NSE scripts is limited Generated reports are basic Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Network Administrator Telecommunications Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Network scanner" December 30, 2019 4.0 This tools has been used by the company to assist on vulnerability remediation, proving to be really useful Pros It lets you find open breaches in your network perimeters Cons Result screen should be exportable for evidence reports Review Source VR Verified Reviewer IP Planning Engineer Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "User Review" May 16, 2019 5.0 Pros The best network scanner there is. I have used this tool on both Linux and Windows platforms and it works well, very fast and effective. Nmap Offers a wide range of network scan options which are great for network engineers and system administrators. Cons Selecting different scan parameters can be difficult. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Analista júnior de sistemas Internet Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The Best" September 12, 2018 5.0 Pros I've never look for others network scans, just cause this respond us in any request. Cons As it is for intermediate-advanced users, I can't see any con on the software. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer helpdesk Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "nmap" April 29, 2019 5.0 Pros it helps me to scan and discover hosts and other services on computer Cons it is very useful so nothing to be least like with this kind of software Review Source KA Kamgueng A. CEO Computer Networking Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "evaluation of Nmap" November 30, 2022 5.0 Overall, it is a very good application for testing the security of one's network and very suitable for training in computer security. Pros Nmap provides more information about the targets such as DNS names (reverse DNS), guessing the operating systems used, getting the type of hardware or MAC addresses. Cons Nmap is unable to determine whether a port is closed or filtered and this is its major flaw. Review Source MH Mike H. Lead Backend Engineer Computer Software Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "NMAP is great for scanning network and debugging port issues" July 17, 2018 4.0 Pros I've had great experiences using nmap to scan ports while installing software on servers. It intuitively allowed me to figure out what was open and saved me a lot of time. The community and resources around nmap are great. Cons I haven't ran across any issues although I haven't used nmap to it's fullest abilities. I'm sure most issues can be resolved by reading documentation or reaching out to the community Review Source JB Josh B. Administrator Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great utility" June 15, 2017 5.0 Pros Works great, is open source so no the usual open source stuff- community supported etc. It provides network mapping for your enterprise Cons learning curve is steep. Community support is good, but is not always fast when you are in a time crunch. Review Source MP Mike P. Network Adminisrator Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Nmap is on my toolbelt" December 4, 2024 5.0 This has been a handy tool I've been using for 10+ years. Pros It is simple, free, and you are able to use GUI (Zenmap) and CMD to run your scans. Lots of cheat sheets out there for all beginners. Cons It does take some learning on how to use the software. But like i said in the pros there are a lot of cheat sheets out there. Review Source GT Giuseppe T. Cybersecurity Consultant Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Essential Security Tool" October 17, 2024 5.0 Pros Nmap is one of those tools that every network administrator and security professional should have in their toolkit. It’s incredibly versatile, offering everything from basic port scanning to advanced network exploration and security auditing. It’s also completely free and open-source, which makes it accessible for anyone, whether you're running a small home network or managing a massive enterprise environment. It's also highly customizable with scripts, which adds even more power and flexibility to what it can do. Cons Nmap has a steep learning curve can be a bit of challenging for newcomers, especially if you’re not already familiar with networking concepts. Review Source VA Vishvam A. Information Security Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Nmap Security Scanner for all" February 12, 2023 5.0 Nmap is the best available Security scanner which scans for the open ports and gives us the banner and version information of the devices , Nmap is available in CLI (Command line Interface) and GUI (Graphical user interface) versions for technical and non technical users on various platforms. Pros Nmap can be easily customized as per the requirements of the users , we can define the IP ranges and the port numbers to be checked and also store them in the local filesystem storage for the further reference. Cons The Nmap generally give the false positives if we increase the no of threads to check the bigger network and we have to re verify the same by scanning smaller parts of the same network for proper results. Review Source WI Wassim I. Associate Professor Computer Networking Used the software for: 2+ years ### "NMap: Still the Best Penetration Testing Tool for Network Security" July 28, 2023 5.0 Great penetration testing tool. A must know-how for any network security professional. Pros Nmap is the penetration testing tool of choice for Network Security Professionals. I used nmap for carrying various ethical hacking attacks on virtualized network systems to support teaching network security and cryptography university courses. nmap is so popular for carrying out DoS flooding attacks using TCP (Syn and Fin Flood attacks) and for port scanning and OS fingerprinting. The stealth scanning mode in nmap is so popular as well and it is very well implemented. Nmap is open source and many customization can be applied to make it more effective and personalized. Cons Nmap supports a command line interface with no GUI. This makes it a bit intimidating for beginners and undergraduate students. Although this is not a weakness, I believe that developing a standard GUI interface for nmap would be supporting a better reach to a larger customer base. Review Source MS Maha S. Assistant Professor Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Nmap: Time-tested penetration testing tool for network security" September 12, 2023 4.0 Great penetration testing tool. A necessary tool to use in any network security discipline. Pros I used Nmap to simulate many network attacks on servers and operating systems as part of my cryptography and network security courses. We usually test DoS flooding, fingerprinting, and port scanning attacks to stand on the hardness of a victim server and the vulnerabilities in its operating system and networking stack. Syn flooding attacks using TCP and UDP flooding attacks can be easily tested using basic command in nmap, even constructing customized TCP/IP packet structures can be a very basic task using nmap. I like that nmap is almost present by default in main Linux distributions. It is open-source and can be used after being acquainted with the command structure. Cons Would be very glad to see a GUI version for nmap to make using it a bit more facilitated for non-technical people. However, simple references on the different commands in nmap can be found almost everywhere over the internet. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Manager Information Systems Security Financial Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best ever network scanning tool" December 25, 2020 5.0 Pros The tool is very lightweight and simple to install. It is very accurate in detections and provides vulnerability information in a very clear manner that is easy to understand. Can detect open ports of applications and the status of firewall filtering applied for the ports. There are a lot of scripts available to conduct various types of detections. Scans can be conducted quickly. It supports both Windows and Linux platforms. In Linux, it is built into the operating system which is very helpful. This is the ultimate tool for map the network status. Cons Nmap GUI needs improvements. Updates are coming quite slowly. Technical knowledge is required to conduct advanced scans. Since this is an open-source tool there is a lack of support. You need to know the commands and required switches in order to conduct a scan. So for the users have a learning curve. Currently, the command line and Zenmap GUI are available. It s better if they can come up with a web-based interface with multi-user architecture. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer IT Management and Cibersecurity Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 2+ years ### "open source tool that work fine" April 3, 2020 5.0 There are multiple benefits that we obtain by implementing this software, especially as a network administrator, since we can quickly perform scans and store them for study; you can design different subnets and easily know which teams are recognized. I feel safe to use the software because it is kept up to date and its scripts work according to the use of new technologies. Pros The main advantage offered by this software is its ability to adapt to any operating system; especially in the area of network security since in the same infrastructure it will recognize open ports and many other functions without limits. Cons What I don't really like is that the software contains such powerful tools to carry out, for example, a port vulnerability scan, and then we can detect that unknown computers are using privileges and these results can be used to hack a network; so I don't know to what extent it is legal Reason for choosing Nmap It seems to me that Nmap has characteristics of use at a more professional level for application in security network areas, it is easy to use; I think it is well structured at the level of graphical presentation to the user (GUI) and the internal level of programming its scripts are well related without slowing down an operating system. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Related categories [Network Mapping](https://www.capterra.com/network-mapping-software/)