NetGuard
NetGuard / Fing alternative
Comparison
Looking for a Fing Alternative on iPhone? What NetGuard Does Differently
Fing is the best known network scanner, and for many people it is enough. This page is for the ones who came looking for something else, and it is honest about where the two apps are the same.
Ground rules
What this page will and will not tell you
Competitor apps change their features and their prices, and a comparison table written today goes stale quietly. So this page states what NetGuard is, precisely, and gives you the questions to ask of any alternative you are weighing up, including Fing. For anyone else's current terms, read their own App Store listing.
One thing is true of both apps, and of every other iPhone scanner. iOS does not expose MAC addresses to apps. No app on the App Store can build device identity from hardware IDs or look up a manufacturer from one. If a scanner shows you a vendor for every device on your network from an iPhone, be curious about where that came from. NetGuard identifies devices by reverse DNS name, advertised Bonjour services and network position, and says so.
The offer
What NetGuard is, stated plainly
| Question | NetGuard |
|---|---|
| What does it cost to scan? | Nothing. Free and ad supported. |
| How is the paid tier billed? | A one-time purchase. No subscription, ever. |
| Does the paid tier remove ads? | Yes, permanently. |
| Is an account required? | No account, no sign up. |
| Is data collected? | No. NetGuard does not collect your data. |
| Where does the scan run? | On your iPhone, against your own local network. |
| What does the free tier include? | Scan, device details, current network and public IP, speed test, ping and DNS lookup. |
| What does the paid tier add? | Security score, new device alert log, background intruder alerts, device naming, port scanner, traceroute, Wake on LAN, router check, CSV and PDF export. |
| What does it require? | iPhone, iOS 17.0 or later. |
The three reasons people switch
Why somebody searches for an alternative at all
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They do not want a recurring charge for a home tool
A network scanner gets opened a few times a year, usually when something is wrong. Paying monthly for that shape of use annoys people. NetGuard Pro is bought once and kept. If NetGuard ever introduces a subscription, anyone who already bought Pro keeps it.
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They do not want an account for a local tool
Scanning your own living room is not an activity that needs a login. NetGuard has no account at all, and does not collect your data.
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They want to know how the verdict was reached
A security grade with no explanation is hard to act on. NetGuard's score is eight open port rules plus one rule about unidentified devices, every penalty is published, and each finding names the change to make. The complete rule set is here.
Fair warning
When NetGuard is the wrong choice
Three cases where you should pick something else, and a fourth where you should manage your expectations.
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You want a cloud dashboard across several sites
NetGuard scans the network your phone is joined to. There is no server side dashboard, no multi site view and no remote monitoring of a network you are not currently on.
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You want continuous monitoring rather than checks
Pro can run background scans and raise alerts on your iPhone. That is not the same as an always on agent, and iOS decides when background work is allowed to run.
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You are on Android or want a desktop app
NetGuard is an iPhone app and requires iOS 17.0 or later. There is no Android or desktop version.
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You expect a manufacturer name for every device
No iPhone app can deliver that, for the platform reason above. What you can do is name each device once, after which it stays recognizable on every later scan. The identification method is here.
Download
Free to scan. Judge it on your own network.
The scan, the device list, the speed test and the ping and DNS tools cost nothing, so you can compare the result against whatever you use today before deciding anything.
FAQ
Questions people ask next
Is NetGuard a free alternative to Fing?
NetGuard is free to download and ad supported. The WiFi scan, the device list with names, types, IP addresses and services, the speed test and the ping and DNS lookup tools are all in the free version. The advanced tools are unlocked by a one-time NetGuard Pro purchase rather than a subscription, and that purchase also removes the ads.
Does NetGuard require an account?
No. There is no sign up and no account. Scans run on your iPhone against your own local network, and NetGuard does not collect your data. Nothing about your network is uploaded.
Can any iPhone app show MAC addresses and device manufacturers?
No. iOS does not expose MAC addresses to apps, so no iPhone scanner can build device identity from hardware IDs or look up a manufacturer from one. This applies equally to every network scanner on the App Store. Identification on iPhone comes from reverse DNS names, the Bonjour services a device advertises and its position on the network.
What does NetGuard not do?
NetGuard is a scanner and a set of network tools for one network at a time. It has no cloud dashboard, no multi site management, no continuous server side monitoring and no internet outage reporting. If you need those, a larger platform product is the better fit.
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