The Shodan alternative for unified internet intelligence
Exposed-host and service discovery - plus DNS, WHOIS, TLS certificates and perceptual favicon search - in a single field:value search engine.
Profundis is an internet-intelligence search engine for security researchers, OSINT analysts and bug-bounty hunters. Like Shodan, it lets you discover exposed hosts, open ports and the services running on them across the public internet.
Where many engines focus on a single dataset, Profundis unifies host/service discovery with live and historical DNS, WHOIS (including reverse/registrant lookups), TLS certificates and virtual hosts - all queryable together, plus perceptual favicon similarity and an MCP server so AI agents can search natively.
Why Profundis
01A unified internet-intelligence engine - exposed hosts and services, DNS (live + historical/passive), WHOIS (with reverse/registrant lookups), TLS certificates and virtual hosts - all searchable in one place with a field:value syntax (wildcards, AND/OR/NOT).
02Favicon perceptual-similarity search (MMH3 + visual similarity) that finds visually similar favicons, not just exact icon-hash matches - Profundis’s signature differentiator.
03An official MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, so AI agents like Claude can call Profundis search as native tools - AI-agent-native distribution.
04A free tier with an anonymous hosts and DNS preview, plus individual Solo and Professional plans. Teams and Business add shared organization workspaces and credits.
05A full OSINT tools suite: typosquatting scanner, subdomain enumeration, registrant explorer (reverse-WHOIS corporate recon), analytics-ID lookup, domain portfolio analyzer, entity-intelligence flow graph, ASN details and reverse-IP.
Profundis vs Shodan
| Capability | Profundis | Shodan |
|---|---|---|
| Exposed host & service discovery | ✓ Core feature | Core feature |
| Field:value query syntax (wildcards, AND/OR/NOT) | ✓ Across all datasets | Supported |
| Unified DNS (live + historical/passive) | ✓ Built in | Specializes in host data |
| WHOIS + reverse/registrant lookups | ✓ Built in | Varies by plan |
| TLS certificate search | ✓ Built in | Supported |
| Favicon perceptual similarity (not just exact hash) | ✓ Visual similarity | Favicon hash search |
| Official MCP server for AI agents | ✓ Native tools | Check current documentation |
| Free tier with no-signup host/DNS preview | ✓ No signup to preview | Varies by plan |
| OSINT tools suite (typosquat, subdomains, registrant…) | ✓ Included | Varies by plan |
| Operator location | ✓ France (EU) | Check current documentation |
Capabilities and access conditions can change. Consult the linked publisher documentation where provided; an unverified feature is not an absent feature. Check the current plans before choosing Shodan.
Frequently asked questions
Is Profundis a free Shodan alternative?
A free tier with an anonymous hosts and DNS preview, plus individual Solo and Professional plans. Teams and Business add shared organization workspaces and credits.
How does Profundis compare to Shodan for attack-surface discovery?
Both let you discover exposed hosts and services with a field:value syntax. Profundis additionally unifies live and historical DNS, WHOIS with reverse/registrant lookups, TLS certificates and virtual hosts in the same engine, and adds perceptual favicon similarity to pivot across related infrastructure.
Does Profundis have an API and an MCP server?
Yes. Profundis provides an API for automated searches and an official MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, so AI agents such as Claude can call Profundis search as native tools.
Can Profundis search favicons like an icon-hash search?
Yes, and it goes further: instead of matching only the exact icon hash, Profundis uses perceptual similarity (MMH3 + visual similarity) to surface visually similar favicons - useful for tracking lookalike and related infrastructure.
Is Profundis EU-based?
Profundis is operated by Perspective Analytics SAS in France. For data handling and retention, consult the privacy policy and organization documentation.
Compare with other tools
Comparison based on publicly available information. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Profundis is not affiliated with Shodan.