January 2, 2021

The 3 Best SNMP Scanner Tools

When you want to collect information about managed devices on IP networks, the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is your friend. In this article, we introduce three SNMP scanner software tools that can help you keep your network running without a hitch, describing the pros and cons of each.
Editor’s choice 2019
Network Inventory Advisor
Automatically collect all relevant data on all network devices and get detailed OS and devices statistics.
Download for Windows Get a License
Network Inventory Advisor for Windows scans Windows, Mac OS X, Linux computers and SNMP devices, any of them will count as a node.

What Is SNMP?

SNMP, or Simple Network Management Protocol to use its full name, is an Internet Standard protocol that’s used for collecting and organizing information about managed devices on a network. The protocol has been around for a very long time, with the design of the first version of SNMP being finalized in the 1980s by a group of collaborators.

Today, there are three versions of SNMP in use simultaneously, with version 2 being the most prevalent. The bad news is that version 2 is incompatible with version 1 because of the differences in message formats and protocol operations. Version 3 is also fundamentally different from version 1 and 2, but all three versions can be translated by a proxy.

“The best SNMP network scanner tools collect information about managed devices on a network.”

In the real world, the incompatibility of the different versions of the SNMP is hardly ever an issue because the best SNMP network scanner tools can collect information about managed devices on a network using multiple different SNMP versions at the same time. Listed below are three such tools.

Top 3 Best SNMP Scanners

For network administrators, an SNMP scanner is an indispensable tool that helps them keep networks in a good working order, which is something that is easier said than done due to the growing complexity and size of most networks. There are many different SNMP scanners to choose from and choosing the right one matters a lot.

Paid SNMP scanners are usually favored by larger organizations that appreciate professional customer support and guaranteed product updates. Free SNMP scanners, on the other hand, can be the right choice for SMBs on a small budget, but it’s common for network administrators to quickly outgrow them.

Regardless of whether you choose a free or paid SNMP scanner, you should always choose one that supports the collection and organization of both managed devices on IP networks as well as their configuration. The more information an SNMP scanner is able to generate and present in an organized fashion, the better.

Recent Articles
choice #1
4.9
#1 • Editor choice
Network Inventory Advisor
Professional Network Inventory
Get for Free
Runs on Windows. Scans Windows, Mac OS X, Linux computers and SNMP devices.
Network Inventory Advisor features unique license aggregation, collection, and management for most major software products from more than 500 vendors.

With most organizations relying on a large number of software products, achieving compliance has never been more difficult. Because Network Inventory Advisor makes it easy to track installations, software versions, licenses, and services on all computers, it brings all organizations that choose to use it significantly closer to compliance.
Network Inventory Advisor
In addition to its impressive license aggregation, collection, and management capabilities, Network Inventory Advisor stands out with its ability to conduct automated network audits in a matter of minutes, scanning hundreds and even thousands of computers quickly, securely, and reliably. All relevant information can be captured with ease, including CPU, memory, and other hardware details. Network Inventory Advisor can collect information about Windows, macOS, and Linux computers as well as all SNMP devices.

Network Inventory Advisor can be evaluated for free for up to 15 days without any limitations, and the cost of a Network Inventory Advisor is determined by how many nodes an organization wants to manage, making Network Inventory Advisor cost-effective for organizations of all sizes — not just large enterprises. These and many other reasons make Network Inventory Advisor the best SNMP scanner on the market.
Editor’s choice 2019
Network Inventory Advisor
Automatically collect all relevant data on all network devices and get detailed OS and devices statistics.
Download for Windows
Network Inventory Advisor for Windows scans Windows, Mac OS X, Linux computers and SNMP devices, any of them will count as a node.
choice #2
4.5
#2 • Author rank
SolarWinds SNMP Scanner
SolarWinds SNMP Scanner is a popular SNMP scanner that fits in with the rest of IT monitoring and management tools from SolarWinds, an American company that develops software for businesses to help manage their networks, systems, and information technology infrastructure. SolarWinds SNMP Scanner boasts auto-discovery capabilities, network mapping, and visualization features, and network monitoring capabilities. Being part of IT monitoring and management tools from SolarWinds, SolarWinds SNMP Scanner is definitely geared toward large enterprises, but the good news is that anyone can give it a go for 30 days for free.
SolarWinds SNMP Scanner
The only problem is that prices start at more than $2,000, making SolarWinds SNMP Scanner extremely expensive compared to Network Inventory Advisor and many other SNMP network scanners.
choice #3
4.3
#3 • Author rank
SNMP Scanner
SNMP Scanner is a very simple but surprisingly capable free SNMP scanner that works on Windows and Linux. It’s great at quickly and effortlessly providing information about network devices, featuring fast multithreaded scan. The user interface of SNMP Scanner is fairly basic, but it does everything it needs to do without leaving too much to be desired.
SNMP Scanner
Because SNMP Scanner doesn’t offer nearly any advanced features, it’s suitable mostly for very small organizations and home users. Its biggest advantage is its attractive price tag of exactly $0. Some network administrators and organizations may also appreciate its open-source nature, which makes it possible to modify it to fit specific needs.

Conclusion

SNMP scanners help network administrators manage complex networks and remotely monitor network devices. There are many SNMP scanners to choose from, some suitable for home users while other geared mostly toward large enterprises. Out of all SNMP scanners available, Network Inventory Advisor stands out with its affordable price, impressive features, and support for both software and hardware assets. Because the price of a Network Inventory Advisor license is calculated based on the number of nodes an organization wants to manage, Network Inventory Advisor can be recommended to SMBs as well as large enterprises.

What Is SNMP Network Discovery? It’s extremely time-consuming to manage hundreds or thousands of network devices manually...
The Best SNMP Monitoring Tools This article provides a brief introduction to SNMP monitoring, its benefits, and the most popular SNMP monitoring tools...
SNMP Monitoring and Management SNMP monitoring ensures you can clearly see and analyze the performance, availability and faults of your network devices...
Editor’s choice 2019

Start your Professional
Network Inventory now

Automatically collect all relevant data on all network devices and get detailed OS and devices statistics. Add custom data. Track important changes in your network.

You are getting 15-day, fully featured trial version.

Download for Windows Get a License
Network Inventory Advisor for Windows scans Windows, Mac OS X, Linux computers and SNMP devices, any of them will count as a node.