Shodan Pricing: Plans, Tiers, and Cost Examples (2026)

Pricing overview

Shodan's pricing structure is primarily credit-based, with subscriptions providing access to different tiers of API calls, network scans, and feature sets. The platform offers a free tier for initial exploration, alongside paid plans designed for individual researchers, academic institutions, and corporate entities. API usage, such as querying the Shodan database or initiating network scans, consumes credits, which are replenished monthly or annually depending on the subscription model Shodan's official pricing page. Higher-tier plans typically include more credits, advanced features like network monitoring (Shodan Monitor), and increased data access.

The core of Shodan's utility lies in its ability to discover internet-connected devices, a process that involves extensive data collection and indexing. This resource-intensive operation is reflected in the credit system, where more complex queries or broader scans consume more credits. For instance, a basic search for devices in a specific country might use fewer credits than a detailed query filtering by operating system, port, and vulnerability status. Shodan also provides various integrations and SDKs, simplifying interaction with its API across multiple programming languages like Python, Go, and C# Shodan developer documentation.

Plans and tiers

Shodan offers several plans tailored to different user needs, ranging from a free tier for basic exploration to comprehensive corporate solutions. Each paid plan includes a specific allocation of query and scan credits, along with access to features like data exports, network monitoring, and API access.

The Freelancer Plan serves as the entry point for paid access, providing a substantial increase in credits and unlocking core API functionality. Academic and Corporate plans are designed for larger-scale operations, offering more extensive credit allocations and additional features such as Shodan Monitor, which allows users to track specific IP ranges or networks for changes and potential vulnerabilities Shodan pricing details. These higher-tier plans often involve custom quotes due to varying organizational needs and usage patterns.

Free tier and limits

Shodan provides a free tier that allows users to perform basic searches and get an introduction to the platform's capabilities. This tier is designed for evaluation and learning, offering a limited set of resources each month. Specifically, free tier users receive 100 query credits and 100 scan credits per month. While this is sufficient for exploring basic search queries and understanding the data Shodan collects, it comes with restrictions on advanced filters, data exports, and comprehensive API access Shodan's free tier information.

For example, a free user can search for a specific type of device or service, but they may not be able to apply complex filters like specific HTTP headers or SSL certificate details. Data exports, which are crucial for integrating Shodan's findings into other security tools or reports, are also unavailable in the free tier. The primary purpose of the free tier is to allow developers and security enthusiasts to familiarize themselves with Shodan's query syntax and the types of information available before committing to a paid subscription. For any significant or ongoing usage, upgrading to a paid plan is necessary to overcome these limitations and access the full range of Shodan's features, including its extensive API for programmatic access to data.

Real-world cost examples

Understanding Shodan's credit system in practical terms can help estimate costs. Each Shodan API call or search query consumes credits, with the exact amount varying based on the complexity and scope of the request. For instance, a simple search for all webcams in a particular city might consume fewer credits than a highly granular query targeting specific firmware versions across an entire country. Scan credits are used for initiating active scans against specific IP addresses or ranges, which is a more resource-intensive operation than passive data querying.

• Scenario 1: Individual Researcher
  A security researcher wants to identify vulnerable devices running a specific software version across a few hundred IP addresses. They use the Shodan API to perform targeted queries and a few hundred scans. A Freelancer Plan ($59/month or $499/year) would provide 500 million query credits and 10,000 scan credits monthly, which is generally sufficient for this level of activity. If they only use a fraction of these credits, the annual plan offers a cost saving.

• Scenario 2: Small Business Asset Discovery
  A small business needs to audit its external-facing IP addresses monthly for newly exposed services or misconfigurations. This might involve a few thousand targeted queries and occasional scans on their owned ranges. The Freelancer Plan would likely cover this usage, costing $499 annually. If their scope expands significantly, they might need to consider a custom Academic or Corporate plan.

• Scenario 3: Enterprise Threat Intelligence
  A large corporation's security operations center (SOC) requires continuous monitoring of global threat landscapes, tracking specific vulnerabilities, and auditing thousands of IP addresses across multiple subsidiaries. This level of usage would necessitate a Corporate Plan, which offers significantly higher credit limits and dedicated support. The cost would be custom-quoted based on the scale of operations, potentially involving thousands of dollars monthly for extensive API usage, Shodan Monitor, and data integrations.

• Scenario 4: Academic Research Project
  A university research team is studying the prevalence of a particular IoT device vulnerability globally. They require extensive data exports and millions of queries over several months. An Academic Plan, with its higher credit limits and often discounted pricing for educational institutions, would be appropriate. The cost would be negotiated with Shodan based on the project's scope and duration Shodan's plan details.

How the pricing compares

Shodan operates in a niche market focused on internet-wide device discovery and threat intelligence, often compared to services like Censys and ZoomEye. While all these platforms aim to index the internet, their pricing models and feature sets can differ.

• Shodan vs. Censys: Censys also offers a free tier and various paid plans. Censys's pricing often focuses on data access and integration, similar to Shodan, but may emphasize different aspects of its data. For instance, Censys provides a robust API for querying its data sets, which include network-wide scan data and certificate transparency logs Censys website. While direct price comparisons are challenging without specific usage metrics, both platforms cater to similar audiences with credit-based or subscription models.

• Shodan vs. ZoomEye: ZoomEye, a product of Knownsec, offers similar internet-wide scanning capabilities. It also provides a free tier with limited queries and a credit-based system for more extensive use. ZoomEye's focus can sometimes lean towards Chinese internet infrastructure insights, offering a distinct data set in some areas. Its pricing model typically involves purchasing credits or subscribing to plans that grant a certain number of API calls and data access ZoomEye website. The cost difference often comes down to the specific data needed and the geographical focus of the research.

• Shodan vs. Nmap: Nmap (Network Mapper) is a free and open-source utility for network discovery and security auditing Nmap official site. Unlike Shodan, which provides a pre-indexed database of internet-wide scan results, Nmap performs active, on-demand scanning of specific targets. Therefore, Nmap itself has no direct pricing model; its cost comes from the computational resources and time required to run scans. While Nmap can gather similar information to Shodan's active scanning features, it lacks Shodan's global, passive data collection and historical data sets. Organizations often use Nmap for internal network auditing and Shodan for external threat intelligence, making them complementary rather than direct pricing competitors.

In summary, Shodan's pricing is competitive within its niche, balancing access to a vast dataset with the operational costs of maintaining such an infrastructure. The credit system provides flexibility, allowing users to scale their usage, while tiered plans offer features and support appropriate for different organizational sizes and research needs.