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ZoomEye alternatives: 3 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 ZoomEye: free allowance is small; bulk queries and exports need paid credits, and some documentation and support content is Chinese-first. We ranked 3 alternatives by how directly each one replaces ZoomEye, 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
3FoFOFAFree plan + paid$25 a month, Personal plan (discounted from $49)NoWeb9 of 961.8
  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 ZoomEye

    The best-known device search engine, with a one-time membership option and wide tooling support.

    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 ZoomEye 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 ZoomEye

    Strong certificate and host data with an enterprise attack-surface management product.

    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 ZoomEye 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. Fo

    3. FOFA

    Best for: Pentesters and bug bounty hunters who need fingerprint-based asset discovery with an affordable API.

    Free plan + paidWeb

    61.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from ZoomEye

    Another China-based asset search engine with a deep fingerprint rule library and free tier.

    Pros

    • Large fingerprint rule library identifies specific products and versions
    • Free registered tier with monthly query credits
    • Query API with host and statistics aggregation on paid plans
    • Pay-as-you-go F Points for occasional bulk downloads

    Cons

    • 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
    Visit FOFA 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 FOFA a good ZoomEye alternative?

    Verified facts

    9 of 9 verified
    Free plan
    Yes, 300 query credits/month, non-commercial
    Checked Nov 8, 2026en.fofa.info(opens source in a new tab)
    Free plan use
    Non-commercial only
    Checked Nov 8, 2026en.fofa.info(opens source in a new tab)
    API
    Query API on paid plans
    Checked Nov 8, 2026en.fofa.info(opens source in a new tab)
    Pay-as-you-go
    F Points credits
    Checked Nov 8, 2026en.fofa.info(opens source in a new tab)
    Owner
    Hunan Huashun Xin'an Technology
    Checked Nov 8, 2026en.fofa.info(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $25 a month, Personal plan (discounted from $49)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026en.fofa.info(opens source in a new tab)
    Professional plan
    $119 a month (discounted from $149)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026en.fofa.info(opens source in a new tab)
    Business plan
    $1,199 a month (discounted from $1,499)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026en.fofa.info(opens source in a new tab)
    F Points
    10,000 F Points for $6
    Checked Nov 8, 2026en.fofa.info(opens source in a new tab)

The best ZoomEye alternative for…

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

Shodan logo

Best ZoomEye alternative for most people

Shodan

The best-known device search engine, with a one-time membership option and wide tooling support.

Censys logo

Best ZoomEye alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Censys

Strong certificate and host data with an enterprise attack-surface management product.

Fo

Best ZoomEye alternative for working in the browser

FOFA

Another China-based asset search engine with a deep fingerprint rule library and free tier.

ZoomEye alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to ZoomEye?

Shodan ranks first right now. The best-known device search engine, with a one-time membership option and wide tooling support. Censys and FOFA follow it in our ranking.

ZoomEye vs Shodan: what's the difference?

Both ZoomEye and Shodan are free with paid plans. Both run on Web.

Is ZoomEye free?

ZoomEye is free with paid plans.

How much do ZoomEye alternatives cost?

Verified prices for the top-ranked ZoomEye alternatives: Shodan, $49 one-time (Membership); FOFA, $25 a month, Personal plan (discounted from $49). 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 ZoomEye?

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

Is there an open-source alternative to ZoomEye?

None of the 3 alternatives in this list is open source.

Why do people switch from ZoomEye?

The complaints we hear most: 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.

How is this list ranked?

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