NetScanTools SSL Certificate Scanner vs. Competitors: Which Is Best?

NetScanTools SSL Certificate Scanner — Complete Feature Overview

Purpose

NetScanTools SSL Certificate Scanner is a Windows tool that retrieves and analyzes SSL/TLS certificates from lists of web servers and tests which SSL/TLS protocol versions a server accepts.

Key features

• Batch scanning: Accepts a list of hostnames or IPv4 addresses (one per line, optional port) or imported text files; range generator available.
• Certificate retrieval: Downloads server certificates and full certificate chains (right-click to view chain and SAN fields).
• Validity checks: Displays Valid From / Valid To dates and marks whether a certificate is currently valid.
• Certificate details: Shows Common Name, Organization, Organizational Unit, Issuer, signature algorithm, public key size (signing bit level), and signing bits.
• Protocol testing: Attempts connections using SSLv2/SSLv3 and TLS 1.0/1.⁄₁.2 (TLS 1.3 support depends on OS SCHANNEL; TLS 1.3 available when run on Windows 11).
• Connection info: Reports server-supported cipher-bit lengths (e.g., 128, 256 bits) and whether weak protocol versions are accepted.
• Export & reporting: Print, copy, and export results to text/CSV/HTML or clipboard for reporting and auditing.
• Standalone and Pro integration: Available as a standalone app and as a tool inside NetScanTools Pro; also offers a trial version.

Use cases

• Routine certificate expiry monitoring and renewal planning.
• Auditing internal and external web servers for weak protocol support or misconfigured chains.
• Asset inventories that include certificate metadata for compliance reviews.

Limitations & notes

• Windows-only; behavior and TLS 1.3 support depend on the OS SCHANNEL implementation (TLS 1.3 requires Windows 11).
• Does not retrieve certs from mail servers, LDAP, or Active Directory—focused on HTTPS/web servers.
• IPv6 targets were noted as limited in earlier versions (check current build for IPv6 support).

Where to get it

Official product pages and downloads are available from Northwest Performance Software (NetScanTools) — product and Pro-suite pages include demos, screenshots, and purchase/download options.