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FOFA alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rankAll internet exposure search engines

Top picks

  • Shodan logo

    Best overall

    Shodan

    Starting price: $49 one-time (Membership)

  • Censys logo

    Best free option

    Censys

    Free plan + paid

Common reasons people leave FOFA: free tier is for non-commercial use only, and some pages, including company information, are only in Chinese. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces FOFA, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Shodan currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Shodan logoShodanFree plan + paid$49 one-time (Membership)NoWeb8 of 868.8
2Censys logoCensysFree plan + paid—NoWeb3 of 364.8
3ZoomEye logoZoomEyeFree plan + paid—NoWeb4 of 461.8
4Criminal IP logoCriminal IPFree plan + paid—NoWeb5 of 559.4
5LeakIX logoLeakIXFree plan + paid€25/month (Bounty Hunter)NoWeb5 of 557.5
  1. Shodan logo

    1. ShodanTop pick

    Best for: Security researchers and IT teams checking what devices and services are exposed on the Internet

    Free plan + paidWeb

    68.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from FOFA

    Better-known Western equivalent with broad integrations and a cheap lifetime membership.

    Pros

    • Long-established index of device banners across the Internet
    • Official CLI and Python library for scripting searches
    • Network monitoring alerts for your own IP ranges

    Cons

    • Requires learning its filter syntax to get useful results
    • Filters, bulk downloads and scans consume paid credits
    • Website blocks many automated requests, making some info hard to reach
    Visit Shodan Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Shodan a good FOFA alternative?

    Verified facts

    8 of 8 verified
    What it indexes
    Internet-connected devices
    Checked Nov 8, 2026help.shodan.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Command-line tool
    Yes, installed with pip
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cli.shodan.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Query credits
    1 credit = 100 results
    Checked Nov 8, 2026help.shodan.io(opens source in a new tab)
    On-demand scanning
    1 scan credit per IP
    Checked Nov 8, 2026help.shodan.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $49 one-time (Membership)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026account.shodan.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Freelancer plan
    $69 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026account.shodan.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Small Business plan
    $359 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026account.shodan.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Corporate plan
    $1,099 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026account.shodan.io(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Censys logo

    2. Censys

    Best for: Security teams that need Internet-wide host and certificate data plus attack surface management

    Free plan + paidWeb

    64.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from FOFA

    Strong certificate data and enterprise attack-surface management from a US company.

    Pros

    • Broad data covering hosts, ports, certificates, websites and DNS
    • Attack surface management and threat hunting built on the same data
    • API access included on all plans

    Cons

    • Free account covers only basic visibility into standard ports
    • Credit-based billing makes costs harder to predict
    • Larger plans go through sales demos
    Visit Censys Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Censys a good FOFA alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Free plan
    Yes (basic visibility)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026censys.com(opens source in a new tab)
    API
    Included on all plans
    Checked Nov 8, 2026censys.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Data covered
    IPs, ports, certificates, websites, DNS
    Checked Nov 8, 2026censys.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. ZoomEye logo

    3. ZoomEye

    Best for: Security researchers and red teams who want a Shodan-style index with strong coverage of Asian networks.

    Free plan + paidWeb

    61.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from FOFA

    Similar China-based scanner from Knownsec with an official CLI and MCP server.

    Pros

    • Covers devices, services and web components across IPv4, IPv6 and domains
    • Official Python library and CLI for scripted searches
    • MCP server lets AI assistants query the index directly
    • Free registered tier for occasional searches

    Cons

    • Free allowance is small; bulk queries and exports need paid credits
    • Some documentation and support content is Chinese-first
    • Main site renders with JavaScript, so it's awkward without a modern browser
    Visit ZoomEye Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is ZoomEye a good FOFA alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Owner
    Knownsec
    Checked Nov 6, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    CLI
    Official Python library and CLI
    Checked Nov 6, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    CLI license
    GPL-2.0
    Checked Nov 6, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    MCP server
    Yes
    Checked Nov 6, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Criminal IP logo

    4. Criminal IP

    Best for: Threat hunters and SOC teams who want internet scan data with IP and domain risk scores

    Free plan + paidWeb

    59.4

    score / 100

    Why switch from FOFA

    Adds IP and domain risk scores, VPN and Tor detection, and STIX or MISP threat feeds to scan data.

    Pros

    • Risk scores for IPs and domains alongside raw scan results
    • Detects VPN, proxy and Tor usage
    • Threat feeds in JSON, TXT, STIX 2.1 and MISP formats
    • Free account available for basic lookups

    Cons

    • No public pricing on the main website
    • Search engine lives on a separate site from the product pages
    • Enterprise purchases and training go through sales contracts
    Visit Criminal IP Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Criminal IP a good FOFA alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Owner
    AI Spera Inc. (Seoul)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026criminalip.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Scan cycle
    About 3 days for all public IPv4
    Checked Nov 8, 2026criminalip.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Feed formats
    JSON, TXT, STIX 2.1, MISP
    Checked Nov 8, 2026criminalip.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Free plan
    Yes (free membership)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026criminalip.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Refund window
    14 days
    Checked Nov 8, 2026criminalip.io(opens source in a new tab)
  5. LeakIX logo

    5. LeakIX

    Best for: Bug bounty hunters and small security teams hunting exposed services and data leaks

    Free plan + paidWeb

    57.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from FOFA

    Focuses on leaks and misconfigurations like open databases, with cheap euro plans and alerts on your own assets.

    Pros

    • Focus on real leaks and misconfigurations, not just open ports
    • Low-cost paid plans with alerting on your own assets
    • Built-in responsible disclosure workflow with a grace period
    • Free account includes API access

    Cons

    • Free results are delayed by 15 days
    • API limited to 1 request per second on all plans
    • Commercial use requires the Enterprise plan
    Visit LeakIX Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is LeakIX a good FOFA alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Free plan
    €0/month, 3,000 API requests
    Checked Nov 8, 2026leakix.net(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    €25/month (Bounty Hunter)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026leakix.net(opens source in a new tab)
    Free results delay
    15 days
    Checked Nov 8, 2026leakix.net(opens source in a new tab)
    API rate limit
    1 request per second
    Checked Nov 8, 2026leakix.net(opens source in a new tab)
    Disclosure grace period
    30 days
    Checked Nov 8, 2026leakix.net(opens source in a new tab)

The best FOFA alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Shodan logo

Best FOFA alternative for most people

Shodan

Better-known Western equivalent with broad integrations and a cheap lifetime membership.

Censys logo

Best FOFA alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Censys

Strong certificate data and enterprise attack-surface management from a US company.

ZoomEye logo

Best FOFA alternative for working in the browser

ZoomEye

Similar China-based scanner from Knownsec with an official CLI and MCP server.

FOFA alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to FOFA?

Shodan ranks first right now. Better-known Western equivalent with broad integrations and a cheap lifetime membership. Censys and ZoomEye follow it in our ranking.

FOFA vs Shodan: what's the difference?

Both FOFA and Shodan are free with paid plans. Verified prices: FOFA $25 a month, Personal plan (discounted from $49), Shodan $49 one-time (Membership). Both run on Web.

Is FOFA free?

FOFA is free with paid plans. Free plan: Yes, 300 query credits/month, non-commercial; Free plan use: Non-commercial only; Starting price: $25 a month, Personal plan (discounted from $49); Professional plan: $119 a month (discounted from $149). Checked on FOFA's own site, November 2026.

How much do FOFA alternatives cost?

Verified prices for the top-ranked FOFA alternatives: Shodan, $49 one-time (Membership); LeakIX, €25/month (Bounty Hunter). Each price was checked on the app's own site; see each card below for the date and source.

Is there a free alternative to FOFA?

Yes. Shodan (free plan + paid), Censys (free plan + paid), ZoomEye (free plan + paid) and Criminal IP (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to FOFA?

None of the 5 alternatives in this list is open source.

Why do people switch from FOFA?

The complaints we hear most: free tier is for non-commercial use only; some pages, including company information, are only in Chinese; most API fields and syntaxes are locked behind higher plans.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces FOFA, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.