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LAN Orangutan vs LAN Sheriff
Short answer: Pick LAN Orangutan if you want lightweight network discovery with UI and CLI; pick LAN Sheriff if you want live outbound traffic map. Both are free.
LAN OrangutanTry our new network scanner with full Tailscale support!
LAN SheriffNothing leaves town unnoticed 🤠 Every server your devices talk to, live on a world map. Self-hosted, open source, zero config.Which to pick
Pick LAN Orangutan if you want…
- Lightweight network discovery with UI and CLI
- Network scanning
- Integrations with nmap, Linux or macOS (on LAN Orangutan's list, not LAN Sheriff's)
Pick LAN Sheriff if you want…
- Live outbound traffic map
- Visual server connection mapping
- Integrations with Discord, Slack or ntfy (on LAN Sheriff's list, not LAN Orangutan's)
LAN Orangutan is a network scanner focused on host discovery, while LAN Sheriff visualizes live outbound traffic.
Side by side
- What it is
- LAN Orangutan:LAN Orangutan is a self-hosted, open-source network scanner with persistent labeling and Tailscale support.
- LAN Sheriff:LAN Sheriff is a self-hosted, open-source tool that visualizes every outbound connection from your devices on a live world map.
- Best for
- LAN Orangutan:Lightweight network discovery with UI and CLI
- LAN Sheriff:Live outbound traffic map
- Who it’s for
- LAN Orangutan:Homelab owners and IT admins who need quick network visibility.
- LAN Sheriff:Home users, hobbyists, and small-team IT admins who want privacy-first network visibility.
- Pricing
- LAN Orangutan:Free
- LAN Sheriff:Free
- Starting price
- LAN Orangutan:Free
- LAN Sheriff:Free
- Free plan or trial
- LAN Orangutan:Free to use
- LAN Sheriff:Free to use
- Open source
- LAN Orangutan:Yes, 999 GitHub stars
- LAN Sheriff:Yes, 105 GitHub stars
- Works with
- LAN Orangutan:nmap, Tailscale, Linux, macOS, Windows
- LAN Sheriff:Tailscale, Discord, Slack, ntfy, webhook
LAN Orangutan features
- Auto-discovery. Uses nmap to scan networks and retrieve IP, MAC, and vendor info.
- Persistent labeling. Label, group, and add notes to devices that persist across scans.
- Multi-network & Tailscale. Scan multiple subnets simultaneously and automatically include Tailscale peers.
- Modern web UI. Clean dashboard with light/dark mode showing all devices in a sortable table.
- Full CLI. Command-line interface with JSON output for scripting and automation.
- Cross-platform single binary. Runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows with no external dependencies.
LAN Sheriff features
- Watchtower egress map. Shows a live world map with lines to every external server, including country, org, app and traffic details.
- Deputy & Patrol modes. Runs without privileges on a single machine or with elevated access to monitor all devices on a network segment.
- Radio Chatter DNS feed. Streams every DNS lookup with domain, resolver and classification of trackers or malware.
- Precinct network map. Auto-generates a diagram of devices and their connections based on observed traffic.
- Wanted List suspicion engine. Ranks and explains suspicious connections using plain-language reasons.
- Dispatch peer sharing. Pairs multiple instances to aggregate observations without exposing raw traffic.
- Export & alerts. Exports CSV/JSON and can send alerts to webhook, ntfy, Discord or Slack.
- Multi-language UI. Interface available in 12 languages, including right-to-left scripts.
LAN Orangutan vs LAN Sheriff FAQ
What is the difference between LAN Orangutan and LAN Sheriff?+
LAN Sheriff focuses on mapping server connections on a world map, while LAN Orangutan emphasizes local device discovery and labeling. LAN Orangutan is a network scanner focused on host discovery, while LAN Sheriff visualizes live outbound traffic.
Should I use LAN Orangutan or LAN Sheriff?+
Pick LAN Orangutan if you want lightweight network discovery with UI and CLI, network scanning or integrations with nmap, Linux or macOS (on LAN Orangutan's list, not LAN Sheriff's). Pick LAN Sheriff if you want live outbound traffic map, visual server connection mapping or integrations with Discord, Slack or ntfy (on LAN Sheriff's list, not LAN Orangutan's).
Is LAN Orangutan or LAN Sheriff free?+
Yes, both are free.
Is LAN Orangutan or LAN Sheriff open source?+
Yes, both are open source: LAN Orangutan (291-Group/LAN-Orangutan on GitHub, MIT license) and LAN Sheriff (291-Group/LAN-Sheriff on GitHub, AGPL-3.0 license).
Do LAN Orangutan and LAN Sheriff integrate with the same tools?+
Partly. Both list Tailscale. LAN Orangutan also lists nmap, Linux, macOS and Windows; LAN Sheriff also lists Discord, Slack, ntfy and webhook.
On DevHunt
LAN Sheriff
32 upvotes · Launched on DevHunt on Aug 25, 2026
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.