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Unicornscan

Unicornscan is a free network reconnaissance tool that sends asynchronous, stateless probes and records responses.

Place
#12 of 26
Score
6.2
Unicornscan's website

What Unicornscan is

Unicornscan is a free network reconnaissance tool that sends asynchronous, stateless probes and records responses. Documented scan modes include TCP SYN scans, UDP probes with protocol-specific payloads, local-network ARP discovery, and stateless TCP traceroute. Alicorn offers a web interface for reviewing scan history, host and port statistics, OS fingerprinting, and network topology. Results can be exported to PostgreSQL through the pgsqldb module; Alicorn uses PostgreSQL for storage and starts a PostgREST API alongside its web server. Optional free DB-IP Lite databases add country, city, and ASN lookups to scan output and the interface. Packages are listed for Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, RHEL-compatible distributions, and macOS through Homebrew or DMG. Linux capabilities are set automatically so scans can run without root privileges. The Alicorn interface requires Docker and PostgreSQL. Compound scan modes beginning with ARP only work against targets on the local broadcast domain, since ARP requests cannot cross routers. The project points users to its website and GitHub Issues for support.

Good

  • Documents TCP SYN and UDP scanning
  • Alicorn displays scan history and topology
  • Results can be exported to PostgreSQL
  • Packages listed for Linux distributions and macOS

Watch out

  • Alicorn requires Docker and PostgreSQL
  • ARP-based compound modes are limited to local broadcast targets

Who it suits

Unicornscan suits users conducting network reconnaissance who need TCP, UDP, ARP, or traceroute scan modes and results analysis. Users wanting Alicorn should be prepared to use Docker and PostgreSQL.

Verdict

Unicornscan pairs several reconnaissance scan modes with Alicorn’s web-based results analysis. Its ARP scope limitation and the web interface’s Docker and PostgreSQL requirements are important to account for.

Plans and prices

From Unicornscan's own pricing page, checked 2 Oct 2026.

All about pricing
PlanPriceWhat it gives you
UnicornscanFreeGPL software · downloadable packages and source

The facts

Each one read from Unicornscan's own pages, with the date it was checked.

What it does

API
The Alicorn startup process launches a PostgREST API alongside the web server.checked 2 Oct 2026
Creator
The project README says Unicornscan was created by Jack C. Louis.checked 2 Oct 2026
Database integration
The pgsqldb module can export scan results to PostgreSQL, which Alicorn uses for data storage.checked 2 Oct 2026
Discovery and tracing
Documented scan modes include local-network ARP discovery and stateless TCP traceroute.checked 2 Oct 2026
GeoIP
Optional free DB-IP Lite databases enable country, city, and ASN lookups in scan output and the web interface.checked 2 Oct 2026
Network scope limit
Compound modes beginning with ARP require targets on the local broadcast domain because ARP requests cannot cross routers.checked 2 Oct 2026
Permissions
The package guide says Linux capabilities are set automatically so scans can run without root privileges.checked 2 Oct 2026
Purpose
Unicornscan is an asynchronous stateless network stimulus delivery and response recording tool for scalable, high-speed network reconnaissance.checked 2 Oct 2026
Requirements
The Alicorn web interface requires Docker and PostgreSQL for data storage.checked 2 Oct 2026
Support
The install guide points users to the project website and GitHub Issues for support and bug reports.checked 2 Oct 2026
Supported systems
Prebuilt packages are listed for Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, RHEL-compatible distributions, and macOS via Homebrew or DMG.checked 2 Oct 2026
TCP and UDP scanning
The getting-started guide documents TCP SYN scans and UDP probes with protocol-specific payloads.checked 2 Oct 2026
Web interface
Alicorn is a web interface for viewing and analyzing scan results, including scan history, host and port statistics, OS fingerprinting, and network topology visualization.checked 2 Oct 2026

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