Nmap OEM Edition—Redistribution License

The Nmap Security Scanner is a network discovery tool uses raw IP packets in novel ways to determine what hosts are available on the network, what services (application name and version) those hosts are offering, what operating systems (and OS versions) they are running, what type of packet filters/firewalls are in use, and dozens of other characteristics. and security auditing. It has been continuously developed and improved since the first release in 1997.

Nmap is free for end users, and is trusted by millions of them. But the free Nmap license does not allow redistribution of Nmap with proprietary hardware or software products. For more than 20 years we have funded the project by selling OEM licenses to companies who want to embed Nmap within their products to handle network scanning. All major operating systems are supported, including binary packages for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. The Windows package is an exclusive OEM Edition, custom tailored for this purpose with special features such as silent installer.

Top Nmap OEM Redistribution License Features

This license is for companies that wish to redistribute or use Nmap within the products they distribute. Folks only wanting to use Nmap themselves or within their organization can already download and use it for free. It is possible that some end-users might still want to buy Nmap OEM for solely internal use. Perhaps they want the silent Windows installer, or commercial support, or just want to help fund the project. If this is the case, please contact [email protected] and we will consider implementing a program similar to our Npcap OEM Internal-Use License.

Nmap OEM releases are always made in conjunction with normal releases and the version numbers are the same. In fact, Nmap OEM licensees on non-Windows platforms (including Linux and Mac OS X) simply use our standard Nmap builds (or build it themselves). A special OEM build isn't really needed for those platforms since those Nmap builds already support silent installation and they have no need for the Npcap Windows driver.

Nmap OEM Licensees may use any Nmap features except for the Zenmap GUI, which is generally not relevant for OEM customers and is stripped out of our Windows OEM builds to reduce installer size. Some of the most valuable features include:

Our recommended integration approach is to install Nmap on the end-user system using the silent-install feature and then have your application execute Nmap when needed, requesting XML formatted results (-oX) which you would then parse with any XML parser. The license also allows other integration approaches, such as parsing of Nmap's normal output format, processing Nmap data files directly, or even integrating Nmap source code into your application.

Please note that this whole page describes the licenses that we currently sell. Previously sold licenses may have different terms and those are the terms which apply. If you have questions about your specific license, please contact [email protected].

License Prices & Terms

To keep things simple our standard Nmap license involves no per-seat royalties--just a reasonable one-time license buy-out fee and an optional annual maintenance fee which includes all new Nmap releases as well as commercial support. That maintenance fee never increases for as long as you keep renewing. We also offer a term license which includes redistribution rights and maintenance for a quarterly fee which must be paid every 3 months for as long as you are selling new products containing Nmap. The term license fee never increases either.

Prices are in U.S. Dollars (USD) based on the size of company buying the license, broken into four tiers. This is because larger companies are usually able to derive more value from Nmap OEM by leveraging it at a greater scale. Larger companies generally cost us more to support as well. Prices are based on the whole company size, not just an individual division or development team. The prices are locked in after purchase, so they don't increase as companies grow later.

All perpetual licenses include a six-month trial period during which you can cancel for any reason and receive a full refund of all money paid (including maintenance). The term license is only a 3-month commitment and can also be terminated with a full refund during the first 30 days of the initial quarter. We also provide the standard version of Nmap that you can fully test internally before purchase.

The rights Nmap OEM customers enjoy are spelled out in the license certificate that we send to customers (filled out of course). It includes support, indemnification, warranty, updates, etc. We also offer a contract version (PDF format, editable MS Word document) for companies who prefer a contract signed by both parties.

Downloading and Installing Nmap OEM

Licensees who wish to use Nmap on Windows should use our special Nmap OEM packages. Each release has a self-installer named nmap-VERSION-setup.exe and a zip package named nmap-VERSION-win32.zip. We recommend packaging the self-installer and then calling it in silent mode during your own installer's execution. This handles upgrades, dependencies (like Npcap and MS Visual C++ redistributable packages), registry setting, and so forth. But the zip option is also available for manual installation. Installation instructions for both package formats are available here.

The Windows OEM packages can be found in this distribution directory. If you don't remember your company's username and password, please contact [email protected]. Be sure to download the latest version unless you specifically require an older one. Note that updating Nmap to later versions requires a maintenance (support and upgrades) subscription. If you aren't sure whether you have an active maintenance subscription, email [email protected] and we'll check for you.

Nmap OEM licenses also include redistribution rights to our Npcap OEM Windows packet capturing and transmission software if you are only using it for Nmap. You only need to buy an Npcap OEM redistribution license if you want to use Npcap directly from your (non-Nmap) software. Npcap OEM is included with our Nmap OEM Windows builds and licensees with Nmap update rights also receive new Npcap OEM versions as they are released. This can be handy in case a licensee wants to ship a newer version of Npcap than the one which comes with Nmap, or if they just want to test new Npcap releases before they are integrated into Nmap. You can download Npcap OEM here using your Nmap OEM download credentials.

Licensees distributing our official Linux or Mac OS X binary packages, or those who compile Nmap themselves on any platform, should download the standard version of Nmap instead. We do not currently supply official OEM builds on these platforms because the special features aren't very relevant on those platforms. Licensees may also install Nmap using third-party software repositors (such as using “apt-get nmap” on Ubuntu Linux or “yum install nmap” on Red Hat Linux. Keep in mind that third party software repositories do not always keep their Nmap packages up to date. Some of them are frequently years behind the latest Nmap releases.

Support and Documentation for Nmap OEM

The Nmap OEM program is mostly about a different license allowing for redistribution as well as commercial support and other benefits. The software itself is identical on most platforms, and even the special Windows OEM edition only differs in a few small ways such as the silent installer support and Npcap OEM inclusion. So Nmap OEM uses the standard (and extensive) Nmap documentation. The primary documentation is the Nmap book, Nmap Network Scanning, which is now available in its entirety for free online. It's also available through standard booksellers. Further documentation is available from the Nmap documentation page.

Licensees with an active maintenance (support and updates) subscription have special access to report bugs or ask Nmap technical support questions. If you are a licensee and don't have the support contact information, please email [email protected] and we will send it to you.

Purchase Process (Redistribution License)

While we hope to set up an online order form for immediate purchase, we currently have a more manual process. To buy an Nmap OEM license, you or your preferred reseller should send a message to [email protected] with the following information:

  1. Your company name if it isn't obvious from your email address or email signature. We need the end user company name if you are a reseller.
  2. Which license you want. This depends on your current company size as described here and would be either the Nmap OEM Enterprise Redistribution License, Nmap OEM Mid-Sized Company Redistribution License, or Nmap OEM Small/Startup Company Redistribution License.
  3. If this is the Enterprise Redistribution License, the license covers a named product line or category. Please include the product line name or category that you are interested in shipping with Nmap OEM. This is not needed for the smaller company licenses since those companies usually have fewer products.
  4. Do you want the perpetual license or quarterly term license? The term license is paid every 3 months until you cease redistributing Nmap OEM and notify us of license termination. Companies choosing the quarterly license must either set up auto-payments or pay the automated invoices that we email to them. We can handle initial vendor onboarding for the term license, but not individual (per payment) purchase orders, enterprise payment portals, etc.
  5. If it's a perpetual license, do you want 5 years of updates and support (with a 20% prepayment discount) or 1 year of maintenance (with possible renewals later), or no maintenance at all? The term license always includes maintenance as part of the quarterly fee.

Once we receive your request, we will send a contract draft and formal quote with instructions for payment by wire transfer, ACH direct deposit, check, or PayPal. You can pay that directly or begin your company's procurement process for vendor onboarding, purchase order request, etc.

As soon as a contract is signed, we will activate your license and send you the following:


FAQ - Frequently Asked Nmap OEM Questions

  1. Is maintenance (support and updates) optional?

    For our normal (perpetual) license, maintenance is optional but highly recommended because it extends the perpetual license to include all new versions released during the maintenance period. And Nmap is under very active development. You can read about all our recent performance improvements, feature enhancements, and bug fixes. Maintenance also includes commercial support whenever you need it as well as priority with new feature requests. And the price never increases as long as you don't let it lapse for more than 120 days.

    For our quarterly term license, maintenance (including all updates and commercial support) is included along with redistribution rights in the single quarterly fee (which never increases).

  2. Is the first year of maintenance included in the perpetual license fee?

    No. While we strongly recommend maintenance for the reasons given in the last question, some of our customs choose to decline even the first year of maintenance. Others choose the 5-year prepaid options for a 20% discount. Quoting the license and maintenance costs separately allows customers to buy exactly what they want.

  3. Do you sell through resellers?

    Yes, we are happy to sell through your preferred reseller. We regularly work with SoftwareONE, SHI International, and dozens of others. Just ask your reseller to contact [email protected] on your behalf with the information requested in Purchase Process.

  4. Since Nmap on Windows requires the Npcap packet capturing software do we also need to buy an Npcap OEM redistribution license to use with Nmap?

    No. All Nmap OEM contracts already include full rights to redistribute Npcap OEM or use it for testing/development if Npcap is only being used with Nmap. Npcap OEM is already included with the Windows executable Nmap OEM installer and the Nmap OEM Win32 Zip file. You can also download Npcap OEM using your Nmap OEM credentials as described in the download section.

    Please note that an Nmap OEM license does not confer distribution rights to use Npcap OEM with non-Nmap software. For that you would need the Npcap OEM redistribution license, but at least you would receive an existing-customer discount. Please email [email protected] for details.

  5. What are the standard license terms? What if they don’t work for us?

    Our standard license terms are available in the license certificate we send to customers (filled out of course).

    While many customers prefer our newer certificate approach because it's quicker and removes the need to review and sign a contract, others prefer a contract signed by both parties. Our standard Nmap OEM perpetual redistribution license contract template is available as a PDF, or editable MS Word version. This is a different format (since both parties sign), but most of the actual license text and provisions are the same.

    Our standard terms are quite generous and work as is for most of our customers. We provide indemnification and allow virtually unlimited use of the Npcap OEM technology in your covered products. We also provide source code in case you desire to make any changes or just better understand Npcap's workings. The agreements include a 6-month trial period during which you can terminate for any reason and receive a full refund of all money paid (including any maintenance fees).

    When companies need very minor changes, we can normally accommodate them quickly by modifying the license certificate or contract. If your legal department wants to make many changes, the contract version is probably better. Please note that extensively marking up the contract will require significant legal review time on our side, and changes which substantially increase our obligations will increase the license fee too. Major markups are only allowed for the Mid-Sized or Enterprise license sizes. Customers interested in the Small/Startup license will have to limit themselves to a small number of minor changes or upgrade to the mid-sized license prices.

    Some companies wish to use their own contract as a base instead of ours. While this is possible, it always increases the legal review time and the license cost. Redlining our standard contract is preferable.

  6. What if Nmap OEM doesn't work out for us? Do you offer a trial license or a way to return it for a refund?

    Our license certificate (Section 5.4) includes a 6-month period from the software delivery date during which you can cease redistributing Nmap OEM and request a full refund for any reason. Refunds include any maintenance fees already paid as well as any license fees, and they are provided within 30 days. So you don't lose a penny if you aren't happy with Nmap OEM or if the project you hoped to use it for doesn't pan out. Any licenses you have already granted to end users remain valid. While most customers choose our redistribution license certificate, the contract version of our licenses also includes this 6-month refund provision (see license terms).

    We also offer the free (non-OEM) version of Nmap for download and testing. While this version doesn't allow redistribution within commercial products and lacks some convenience features of Nmap OEM (such as the silent installer), it can be helpful for pre-purchase functionality testing since most of its functionality is identical.

  7. Are there any limits or extra fees based on how many copies of Nmap OEM we redistribute or install?

    No. You can distribute and install as many copies of Nmap OEM as you wish as part of products covered by your license for no additional fees.

  8. If our company size increases to a higher tier, or if Nmap prices go up in general, will we have to pay more?

    No. The optional annual maintenance fee for perpetual licenses and the quarterly license fee for term licenses are set based on your company size and the current prices at the time you buy the license. They don't increase for as long as you choose to renew.

  9. My company is huge, but only 5 people are on the development team for the product which needs Nmap. Can we qualify for the startup rate?

    No. The license tiers are based on the whole company (or parent company) size. This is because large companies often have the financial and market power to leverage far more value out of Nmap than a tiny company can, even when the development team sizes for an individual product are similar.