Helpful Summary
Overview: This article introduces the 12 best free IT asset management software platforms for 2024. We discuss the free plan's features and pros and cons.
Why You Can Trust Us: As providers of IT asset management solutions ourselves, we have an in-depth understanding of the needs, challenges, and solutions within this space.
Why It Matters: We cover the 12 best free forever plans for ITAM to compare what you can get without paying a penny.
Action Points: Our best 12 picks are: BlueTally, Snipe-IT, Reftab, ManageEngine Asset Explorer, Sortly, xAssets, Jira Service Management, IT Asset Tool, Ralph 3, Itemit, GLPI, and AssetFrog.
Further Research: Check out our blog for more expert knowledge, best practices, and industry trends in the IT Asset Management Software space.
The importance of IT asset management (ITAM) cannot be overstated. With the right software, organizations can optimize asset utilization, reduce costs, enhance security, and streamline IT operations.
However, the challenge often lies in finding solutions that offer these benefits without breaking the bank. So, free ITAM software provides a golden opportunity for businesses to get started with asset management without initial investment.
In this article, BlueTally discusses 12 of the best free forever plans for IT asset management. We cover the factors to consider when choosing a free plan, the standout features of each plan, and the pros and cons.
So whether you’re a small business just starting with IT asset management or looking for cost-effective solutions, our guide is tailored for you.
Why Listen To Us?
We are a comprehensive and intuitive asset management solution, offering many features and integrations to help businesses manage their assets efficiently. Our cloud-based nature, SOC 2 compliance, practical experience, and industry insight allowed us to satisfy leading brands with a global presence, including Pfizer, Vodafone, and Unilever.
What is IT Asset Management Software?
IT Asset Management (ITAM) software is an application that helps organizations track, manage, and optimize their IT hardware and software assets throughout their lifecycle.
The primary goal of ITAM software is to provide a centralized repository for detailed information on the assets in an IT environment, including their financial, contractual, and inventory details.
Benefits of IT Asset Management Software
Improved performance: ITAM ensures that IT assets are optimized and working efficiently, which can improve overall system reliability and reduce downtime.
Increase security: It enhances an organization's security position by tracking and managing all IT assets properly, helping to prevent unauthorized access and maintain compliance.
Operational efficiency: Using accurate IT asset data, organizations can support their users and stakeholders better, respond to business requirements more quickly, and share valuable asset information across departments.
Information security: ITAM is foundational to cybersecurity, as securing IT assets effectively requires knowing what assets you have, where they are, and how they are configured.
Compliance management: ITAM supports organizations in maintaining compliance with various regulations and software licensing agreements, reducing the risk of legal issues.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Free IT Asset Management Software
When choosing free IT asset management software, several factors should be considered to ensure the tool meets your organization’s needs. Here are some critical factors:
Compliance Management
Consider software that provides customizable workflows, alerts, notifications, and reporting tools to help ensure compliance with internal policies, industry standards, and regulatory requirements.
Lifecycle Management
Opt for software that covers the entire asset lifecycle, from procurement to retirement, to optimize asset utilization and maximize ROI.
Vendor Support and Reputation
Research the vendor’s reputation, customer feedback, and support offerings to ensure reliable assistance and consistent software updates.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
To ensure the selected tool fits your budget, consider all costs, including implementation, training, continuous maintenance, and potential integrations.
12 Best Free IT Asset Management Software
Here’s a quick summary:
- BlueTally: Best free IT asset management software overall.
- Snipe-IT: Best open source ITAM.
- Reftab: Best for asset reservations.
- ManageEngine Asset Explorer: Best for asset auto-discovery.
- Sortly: Best for photo documentation.
- xAssets: Best for automated asset management.
- Jira Service Management: Best for incident management integration.
- IT Asset Tool: Best for security event monitoring.
- Ralph 3: Best for data center and back office asset management.
- Itemit: Best for small-scale asset management.
- GLPI: Best for multi-language support.
- AssetFrog: Best for depreciation tracking.
1. BlueTally
Best free IT asset management software overall.
BlueTally offers a powerful and comprehensive suite of features designed to simplify IT asset management. Our free plan provides complete access to all features and integrations. It especially caters to IT departments looking to gain complete control and visibility over their assets, which range from hardware and software to licenses and warranties.
Features
- Assign Assets & Checkin/Checkout: Allocate assets to locations or employees upon checkout, including condition details and a photo. Set and receive notifications for the expected check-in date.
- Checkout History & Detailed Changelog: Track an asset’s entire history and condition over its lifetime, with visibility into changes at each checkout and a detailed changelog that reveals user-specific modifications to asset details.
- Asset Barcodes: A barcode is created from your chosen Asset ID, which can be printed and attached to the asset. You can customize the ID and barcode label text.
- Asset Audit & Maintenances: We’ll help you stay on top of forthcoming asset audits and maintenance by scheduling audits and notifying you when they are overdue.
- Asset Depreciation: We calculate the depreciation of assets and licenses based on straight-line depreciation. Our depreciation reports show a complete financial overview of all your assets.
- Kits: Create customized asset kits of assets you routinely check out together, like a new employee starter pack.
- Custom Fields & Status Labels: Add custom fields for asset products and categories and custom status labels for easy asset organization.
- Custom Advanced Permission Levels: Create customizable permission levels to restrict things like viewing particular fields, checking in/out, accessing reports, and more.
- Dashboard: Our dashboards centralize everything you need to know about your assets. Know events upcoming in the next 14 days, current asset value, detailed activity logs, and more.
- Powerful Integrations & API: Our platform seamlessly integrates with apps, including Azure Active Directory, Slack, and Teams. Use our flexible API to integrate BlueTally into your existing workflow.
- Security Features: Our powerful security includes two-factor authentication (2FA), user role-based access, CSRF protection, and 256-bit SSL encryption.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Full access to core features
- SOC 2 Type certified
- GDPR compliance
- Reliable email customer support
- No setup costs or hidden fees
- Upgrades start from $59/month for unlimited assets and users
Cons
- 50 asset limit
2. Snipe-IT
Best for open-source ITAM
Snipe-IT is a popular open-source IT asset management tool. It caters to various IT management needs with features for asset tracking, license management, and more. Although Snipe-IT is free, hosting it yourself or choosing a hosting service may incur costs.
Features
- Admin Dashboard: Provides at-a-glance access to recent activity and an overview of assets, accessories, consumables, and components.
- License Management: Quick access to license information with email alerts for expiring licenses.
- Integrations & Robust JSON REST API: Powerful REST API for easy integration with proprietary systems and workflows.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Relatively easy to set up
- Customization options
- Community support
Cons
- Limited notification options
3. Reftab
Best for asset reservations
Reftab is an intuitive IT asset management platform. Its asset reservation feature allows you to reserve assets, accessories, and licenses for future use at specific dates and times, ensuring availability and efficient resource planning.
Features
- Minimum Quantity Email Alerts: Sends notifications when the stock of consumable or inventory items falls below a specified threshold, aiding in timely replenishment.
- Unlimited Loanees and Locations: Reftab supports creating a total number of loanees (users who borrow assets) and asset locations, offering flexibility in asset distribution.
- Mobile App Accessibility: Their free plan includes access to their iOS and Android mobile apps for barcode scanning and asset management on the move.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Advanced reporting
- Unlimited accounts
Cons
- A learning curve for free integrations
- Limited support for free plan
4. ManageEngine Asset Explorer
Best for asset auto-discovery
ManageEngine Asset Explorer is a comprehensive web-based IT Asset Management tool. Its ability to automatically discover and manage all hardware and software inventory deployed across a network sets it apart from other free plans.
Features
- Monitor Complete Asset Life-Cycle: From procurement to disposal, track and manage the entire lifecycle of your assets.
- Software Asset Management & License Compliance: Stay compliant with license agreements and identify unused and underutilized licenses with easy-to-understand flash charts.
- Purchase Orders and Contracts: Manage the complete lifecycle of a purchase order, define contract details and rules, and attach contracts.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Mobile app version for iOS and Android
- Available in 29 languages
Cons
- Restricted to 25 assets
5. Sortly
Best for photo documentation
Sortly is a versatile inventory system that can track various items, including IT assets like computers, software, peripherals, and other tech equipment. A strong free plan feature lets you add detailed information and attach photos to each asset entry, which is helpful for visual identification and tracking the condition of IT assets.
Features
- Activity History Reports: Activity history reports are comprehensive logs that capture and detail all actions and changes made to assets within an asset management system.
- Barcode & QR Code Scanning: The free plan includes barcode and QR code scanning capabilities, allowing you to instantly add, update, and manage your items using your smartphone.
- Inventory Import: Offers the ability to upload an existing inventory spreadsheet and populate your items in Sortly instantly, facilitating easy transition and setup.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Add up to 100 items
- One user license
- Automatic sync
Cons
- Limited reporting
6. xAssets
Best for automated asset management
xAssets is an IT asset management platform that specializes in automating the centralization of asset data and processes through discovery and application integrations. Its free plan delivers full-lifecycle IT asset management including comprehensive asset discovery and software reporting and can be rapidly configured to meet specific business needs.
Features
- Automated Asset Discovery: Superfast agentless zero-impact network discovery of all common platforms, ensuring up-to-date asset information.
- Custom Queries and Reports: Users can create and integrate queries and reports into the system.
- Data Visualization Tools: Use tables, charts, reports, Excel extracts, and maps to leverage the information collected by discovery and integration and quickly get answers.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Integration options
- Discover 100 end-points
- Browser-based access
Cons
- No software asset management
7. Jira Service Management
Best for incident management integration
Jira Service Management offers a range of features and functionality to support IT asset management within its IT service management framework. Their free plan includes essential incident management, allowing teams to respond to and resolve incidents that may affect their IT assets.
Features
- Automation: The free plan provides basic automation capabilities to handle repetitive tasks and streamline operations related to IT asset management.
- Reporting and Analytics: Includes reporting tools to track metrics and analyze the performance of the IT asset management process.
- Service Request Management: Streamlines the workflow for managing service requests related to IT assets, leveraging automation for efficiency.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Accommodates up to 3 people
- Integration with Atlassian products
- Basic ITSM features
Cons
- Limited asset management features
8. IT Asset Tool
Best for security event monitoring
IT Asset Tool is an on-premise hardware and software asset management solution that supports up to 35 assets in its free plan.
It focuses on providing a straightforward and effective way to track inventory, monitor software installations, and detect network changes. Their free plan includes security event monitoring for alerts about unauthorized software installations or changes in the network.
Features
- Software License Management: Performs a Software License Compliance Audit by comparing purchased software with actual usage.
- Alert and Report Management: Configurable alerts for important events and the ability to create and export asset status reports in PDF format.
- Network Scanning: Includes network scanning capabilities that automatically detect and inventory all networked devices and installed software.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Alert and report management
- Easy to deploy
Cons
- No multi-user access
9. Ralph 3
Best for data center and back office asset management
Ralph 3 stands out as an asset management, data center infrastructure management, and configuration management database system tailored to the intricate needs of data centers and back-office functions.
It supports both data center and back-office operations and offers a built-in visualization tool for data centers.
Features
- Flexible Flow Management: The platform supports flexible flow management for different types of assets, making it adaptable to various business processes.
- Components and Parts Tracking: They allow components and parts tracking, which is essential for managing complex IT equipment.
- Transitions: Ralph 3’s transition feature lets you create actions that change the state of an asset, such as assigning, repairing, or liquidating.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Customizable
- REST API available
- Community support
Cons
- No SLA for uptime
10. Itemit
Best for small-scale asset management
Itemit’s free plan is best suited for small businesses, startups, or individual users who require basic asset-tracking capabilities without the need for advanced features or a large number of assets. The ability to track up to 500 items is ideal for managing a modest inventory of assets.
Features
- QR and Barcode Tagging: This technology enables assets to be tagged and tracked using QR codes and barcodes, facilitating easy identification and management.
- Personal Workspace: This feature offers a dedicated space to organize, track, and report assets to facilitate efficient asset management on a small scale.
- Asset information management: The user can create detailed profiles for each asset, including its name, serial number, and other relevant data.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Includes a dedicated workspace
Cons
- No customizations
11. GLPI
Best for multi-language support
GLPI’s ITSM software-free plan allows users to interact with the IT asset management and service desk system in various languages. This support is designed to cater to the needs of a global user base and facilitate the software's use in multinational organizations.
Features
- License Management: GLPI lets you manage the licenses of software deployed on your assets, linking the “License” object to the “Software” object in the inventory.
- Suppliers Integration: GLPI enables the integration of your supplier's list, allowing each supplier to be linked to other GLPI objects like Tickets, Contracts, Problems, and Changes.
- SIM Cards, PDUs, and Passive Devices Management: Manage SIM cards, PDUs, and passive devices like fiber optic cables, patch cords, patch panels, etc.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Extensive feature set
- Integrated service desk
Cons
- Complex installation and setup
12. AssetFrog
AssetFrog’s focus on depreciation tracking is a distinctive feature not commonly found in free plans—other than BlueTally! It helps ensure you have up-to-date financial information for reporting purposes, allowing you to make informed decisions about asset replacement and manage your budget more effectively.
Features
- Single-user use: AssetFrog’s free plan is designed for one user, providing a straightforward solution for personal use or small operations.
- Three custom fields: AssetFrog’s free plan accommodates customization to tailor your asset management to specific needs.
- Cloud-based: AssetFrog can be accessed on any device with an internet connection and a browser for flexible access.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Manage up to 50 assets
- Mobile friendly
Cons
- Single user limitation
Use BlueTally for Free and Comprehensive IT Asset Management
Free IT asset management software provides a valuable starting point for organizations to manage their IT assets effectively. While it may not be a one-size-fits-all solution, they offer a range of benefits that can significantly impact the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of IT operations. However, it’s important to remember that free platforms typically come with limitations, such as the number of assets or user restrictions, and they may not offer the same level of support or security as paid versions.
Ready to start comprehensive asset management for free? Sign up today for full access to all our features and integrations.
