Frequently asked questions

No. Download, run the installer, and choose Start 14-day free trial on the activation screen - no account, no credit card. Apate detects your network adapter and starts discovering devices within seconds.

The trial gives you the entry (Plus-level) tools for 14 days: live discovery, device inventory, risk scoring, topology and alerts. When the trial ends, activate a license to keep going.

Apate is detection-first and non-destructive. It discovers and monitors using ordinary network requests (ARP / ping sweeps), and new devices get an automatic port check that you can turn off in Settings. It never exploits or brute-forces devices. It includes one optional active tool - ARP on-path interception (Business plan) - which is off by default and only for a network you own or are authorized to test.

Paste your license key on the activation screen and press Activate. The key is verified online in seconds - no account needed. Your key and email stay on your device.

By plan: Plus activates 1 device, Pro up to 3, Business up to 5 (5 seats), Enterprise is custom / volume. There is no limit on how many devices Apate can watch on a network - the seat count is how many computers run Apate.

Yes. Deactivate the seat on the old computer (this frees it up), then activate on the new one. You can manage your devices from the customer portal linked in your purchase email.

Both. Monthly: Plus $12.99, Pro $24.99, Business $82.99. Yearly (2 months free): Plus $129, Pro $249, Business $829. See pricing.

Apate verifies the license online, then keeps working offline for a grace period between checks. For a fully air-gapped machine, send the Machine ID shown on the activation screen to info@apatesecurity.com for a machine-locked key.

Npcap is the free Windows packet-capture driver (the same one Wireshark uses). Apate needs it only for live packet capture features. Device discovery, inventory and risk scoring work without it. On first run Apate offers to download and install it for you.

No. Npcap is a separate product with its own license, so you install it yourself from npcap.com and accept its terms. Its free license covers up to five installations; larger organizations license it directly from its publisher. See our open-source licenses.

Live capture needs Npcap installed and Apate run as Administrator. On a normal switched/Wi-Fi network a PC mostly sees its own traffic plus broadcast; to see other devices' traffic the PC has to be on their path (gateway, hotspot or a mirror/SPAN port).

Your network data stays on your machine - there is no telemetry. Apate reaches the internet only for license activation, update checks, and the online intelligence lookups you run (reputation, OSINT). Everything else runs locally.

No, not unless you choose to. Reputation checks on a file hash it locally and look up the hash only - the file is not uploaded. An explicit "Upload for analysis" option exists and is off unless you turn it on.

Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), a 64-bit processor, 4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended for large networks), about 250 MB of free disk space, and Administrator rights for live capture. Full list on the download page.

Apate Security is a Windows 10 / 11 desktop application. There is no macOS or Linux build at this time.

For a newly released app, Windows SmartScreen may show a notice until the download builds reputation. Click More info then Run anyway to install. Always download Apate only from apatesecurity.com.

There is a 14-day money-back guarantee - request a refund within 14 days of purchase. You can cancel your subscription at any time. See the refund policy.

Payments are handled by Lemon Squeezy as the merchant of record. Apate Security never sees or stores your card details.

Yes, on networks you own or are authorized to monitor. Apate is a defensive, detection-first tool; its one active feature (ARP on-path interception) is off by default and intended only for networks you are authorized to test. Use Apate only where you have permission - see the EULA.