# Shodan vs Surf Platform: side-by-side comparison (2026)

[Shodan](https://cybersectools.com/tools/shodan) is a free [external attack surface management](https://cybersectools.com/categories/external-asm) solution. [Surf Platform](https://cybersectools.com/tools/surf-platform) is a commercial [exposure management](https://cybersectools.com/categories/exposure-management) solution by [Surf AI](https://cybersectools.com/companies/surf-ai). Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.

Need the answer fast? [Best Attack Surface Management Solutions for Business](https://cybersectools.com/shortlists/best-attack-surface-solutions) picks Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse, Microsoft Defender EASM, Mandiant Attack Surface Management and 4 more.

## Side-by-side comparison

| | Shodan | Surf Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Commercial |
| Category | External Attack Surface Management | Exposure Management |
| Verified | No | No |
| Deployment type | Cloud | Cloud |
| Company size fit | SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise | Mid-Market, Enterprise |
| Company | – | Surf AI |
| Headquarters | – | – |

### Use cases and capabilities

| | Shodan | Surf Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Network Monitoring | Yes | – |
| Agentic AI Security | – | Yes |
| AI SOC | – | Yes |
| Security Orchestration | – | Yes |
| Workflow | – | Yes |
| Visibility | – | Yes |
| Graph | – | Yes |
| Inventory | – | Yes |
| Playbooks | – | Yes |
| AI Governance | – | Yes |
| Generative AI | – | Yes |

### Core features

**Shodan**

No features listed.

**Surf Platform**

9 features listed. Sign in on the page to see them.

### Integrations

**Shodan**

No integrations listed.

**Surf Platform**

50 integrations listed. Sign in on the page to see them.

## Which one fits you

Based on what each listing shows: deployment, company size, price and open source.

- [Shodan](https://cybersectools.com/tools/shodan) fits if you are a small business and you need a free product.

## Shodan vs Surf Platform FAQ

Common questions when comparing Shodan vs Surf Platform for external attack surface management.

### What is the difference between Shodan and Surf Platform?

**Shodan**: A search engine for the Internet of Things (IoT) that discovers and monitors devices connected to the internet.

**Surf Platform**: AI-driven security ops platform with agents for unified visibility & remediation. Built by Surf AI.

The table above shows where their features, integrations, deployment and company size fit differ.

### Is Shodan a good alternative to Surf Platform?

In part. Shodan and Surf Platform are not in the same category on CybersecTools. Key differences: Shodan is Free while Surf Platform is Commercial. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.

## Related comparisons

- [Shodan vs MoreSec Sentry Cloud](https://cybersectools.com/compare/moresec-sentry-cloud-vs-shodan)
- [Shodan vs CyCognito EASM Platform](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cycognito-easm-platform-vs-shodan)
- [Shodan vs Attaxion](https://cybersectools.com/compare/attaxion-vs-shodan)
- [Surf Platform vs MoreSec Sentry Cloud](https://cybersectools.com/compare/moresec-sentry-cloud-vs-surf-platform)
- [Surf Platform vs CyCognito EASM Platform](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cycognito-easm-platform-vs-surf-platform)
- [Surf Platform vs Attaxion](https://cybersectools.com/compare/attaxion-vs-surf-platform)

## Alternatives to each

- [See all Shodan alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/shodan)
- [See all Surf Platform alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/surf-platform)

---

Source: https://cybersectools.com/compare/shodan-vs-surf-platform

For AI agents: each product above has its own Markdown page (add .md to its URL, for example https://cybersectools.com/tools/shodan.md). Every CybersecTools shortlist is listed at https://cybersectools.com/shortlists.md.

More on Shodan and Surf Platform: funding, momentum, hiring and news, plus the full product and company record, are available through the Mandos MCP Server (paid plans), which connects to AI assistants: https://mandos.io/mcp?utm_source=cybersectools.com&utm_medium=compare-md