Best IT Asset Management Software for Small IT Teams (2026): An Honest Comparison

IT asset management (ITAM) software keeps a record of every device an organization owns (laptops, monitors, phones, docks and the accessories around them) and of who has each one, where it is, what it cost and when it should be replaced. Some tools also find devices on the network by themselves and track software licenses.

What a small IT team should look for:

• How devices get into the system: typed in or imported from a spreadsheet, or found automatically by a network scan, an agent installed on each device, or a sync with your device management (MDM) tool such as Intune or Jamf.
• Hand-outs and returns: a record of who has each laptop, since when, and what has to come back when someone leaves.
• Loaner bookings: reservations for future dates, if you run a pool of spare laptops.
• Accessories: chargers, docks and headsets either grouped with the laptop or counted as stock.
• Software licenses: seats, renewals and who uses what, if that is part of your job.
• Sign-in and directory: single sign-on (SSO) and user sync with Entra ID, Google Workspace or Okta.
• A price that fits 100 to 2,000 devices: per device, per user, per technician (agent) or flat per workspace makes a large difference at this size.

Most "best ITAM software" lists are written by one of the vendors, who rank themselves first on every line. We make Shelf, so we have a perspective too. But several tools below do things Shelf does not do at all, such as network discovery and license tracking, and we say so plainly. The goal is to help you pick the right tool for your team, even if it is not ours.

Two Kinds of IT Asset Tool

Small IT teams usually end up choosing between two kinds of tool, and knowing which one you need removes half the list.

1. Discovery and service desk suites find devices on your network or through an agent, record installed software, and often sit next to a ticketing system. They answer "what is on our network and what is installed on it?" Tools: Lansweeper, Freshservice

2. Asset registers with check-out hold a record for every device, label it with a QR code or barcode, and track who has it, where it is and when it is due back. They answer "who has laptop 214 and is it coming back?" Several of them also sync from Intune or Jamf so you do not type devices in by hand. Tools: Snipe-IT, Reftab, EZO, AssetTiger, Asset Panda, itemit, Shelf, and Sortly (an inventory app that some small teams use for devices)

Many teams use one of each: discovery for the network, a register for the physical hand-outs. If you mainly need to know what software is installed where, start with the first group. If you mainly lose track of who has which laptop, charger and loaner, start with the second.

Quick Comparison

Prices and plan facts are from each vendor's own pricing or product page as of 2026-10-29. SaaS pricing changes, so check the vendor's site before you decide. "Not on pricing page" means the vendor's page we checked does not say, not that the feature is missing.

Discovery and service desk suites

These two are a different kind of product, so they get their own table.

What 1,000 Devices Costs at Published Prices

A worked example helps more than a list of starting prices. Say you look after 1,000 devices and five people in IT need to sign in. These are the published prices for that size as of 2026-10-29, before any add-ons, discounts or taxes.

Three things this table does not show. Five IT staff on itemit's Starter plan is over its 3-user limit, so Pro is the realistic itemit plan. Sortly's Ultra plan has 5 user licenses, so nobody outside the IT team could sign in. And the Freshservice figure works like this: 1,000 laptops use 1,000 asset units; the Growth plan includes 100, so the other 900 need two 500-unit packs; Starter ($19 per agent) includes no asset units, so Growth is the cheapest plan that does.

The Tools

Shelf

What it is: An open-source asset tracking platform built around QR labels, check-out and custody, loaner bookings and kits. Shelf is what we make, so read this section with that in mind. It covers the physical side of IT: devices handed to people, lent out and returned.

Strengths:

• One flat price for unlimited users and assets: the Team plan is $67 a month or $370 a year for the whole workspace. Staff who borrow loaners can have their own sign-in without adding cost.
• Hand-outs and returns with history: every device records who has it and since when. When someone leaves, you can list everything assigned to them and release each item as it comes back. Custody is on every plan, including Free.
• Loaner bookings: reserve a laptop for set dates and Shelf blocks overlapping bookings. Bookings are on the Team plan. See Bookings.
• Kits and accessory stock: group a laptop with its charger and dock as a kit on any plan. Track interchangeable chargers, dongles and cables by quantity, with a low-stock email to the owner and admins when stock runs low.
• Phone scanning: the free Shelf Companion app is on the App Store and Google Play for scanning, custody and booking check-in and check-out. See the mobile app.
• Warranty and refresh reminders: store a warranty end date as a custom field and set an asset reminder for it. Repeating reminders are on Plus, Team and Enterprise.
• Open source: the code is public under the AGPL license. See open-source asset management.

Limitations: where other tools are better for IT:

• No network discovery or agents. Shelf does not scan your network or install anything on devices. You add devices by CSV import (Plus plan and up) or by hand. Lansweeper and Freshservice do discovery.
• No MDM sync. There is no Intune, Jamf or Kandji connection, so a new device in your MDM does not appear in Shelf by itself. Snipe-IT, Reftab and Asset Panda list these syncs.
• No software license tracking. Shelf tracks physical things, not seats or subscriptions. Snipe-IT, Reftab's software plan and Freshservice Pro do this.
• No help desk integration. There is no Jira, Zendesk or ServiceNow connector.
• No depreciation. Shelf stores what a device is worth, but does not calculate depreciation. Snipe-IT, AssetTiger, itemit and Asset Panda do.
• No public API. Shelf does not publish an API for your own scripts or other tools.
• Self-hosting takes work. Self-hosting uses a community-maintained Docker setup and needs your own Supabase instance. Snipe-IT's self-hosted version is the more established route.
• Paid add-ons for IT basics: SSO (SAML, with SCIM user provisioning included) is an add-on on the Team plan, priced per person who signs in with SSO, from $9 per user per month on annual billing for the first 15 users. Scan audits are an add-on at $37 a month or $205 a year. Keeping existing barcode labels needs the Alternative Barcodes add-on.

Best for: Small IT teams whose real problem is physical: who has each laptop, which loaners are out, and whether the charger came back. It also suits teams that track non-IT equipment in the same place.

Pricing: Free (1 user, unlimited assets) → Plus $34/mo or $190/yr (1 user, adds CSV import, reports and repeating reminders) → Team $67/mo or $370/yr (unlimited users, bookings) → Enterprise (custom). See pricing →

How Shelf handles IT asset tracking →

Snipe-IT

What it is: The best-known open-source IT asset management system, built for IT departments. Its own README describes it as knowing who has which laptop, when it was purchased so it can be depreciated, and handling software licenses.

Strengths:

• Free to self-host, with no asset or user limits: the pricing page lists the self-hosted version as free with unlimited users and assets, and the code is AGPL-3.0 on GitHub.
• Deep IT lifecycle features: license management, depreciation, accessories, consumables and components, plus audits and asset history.
• MDM and directory sync: the features page lists 20 sync adapters, including Microsoft Intune, Jamf, Kandji, Google Workspace and NinjaOne, plus Active Directory/LDAP sync, SAML SSO and SCIM provisioning.
• REST API and integrations: a documented JSON REST API, a Jira integration, and Slack and Teams notifications.
• Kits: predefined kits for faster check-outs.
• Hosted option: if you do not want to run a server, Basic Hosting is $39.99/mo or $399.99/yr with unlimited users and assets.

Limitations:

• No calendar reservations: assets can be marked "requestable" so users ask for them, but the features page does not list future-date bookings. Loaner pools with set dates need a workaround or a community add-on.
• Self-hosting is yours to run: the free version comes with community support only. Email support starts with paid hosting.
• Mobile app still in beta: the official mobile app is in beta (TestFlight on iOS, Google Play on Android), and third-party apps fill the gap.

Best for: IT teams with someone who can run a server, or with $400 a year for hosting, who want licenses, depreciation and MDM sync in one free or low-cost tool.

Pricing: Self-hosted free → Basic Hosting $39.99/mo or $399.99/yr → Small Business Hosting $99.99/mo or $999.99/yr → Dedicated Hosting $249.99/mo or $2,499.99/yr. Sources: pricing, features, README, as of 2026-10-29.

Read full Shelf vs Snipe-IT comparison →

Reftab

What it is: A cloud IT asset management tool with separate plans for hardware and for software. It charges by assets (and by software users for license tracking), with unlimited users.

Strengths:

• Free for up to 50 assets, with no time limit, including reservations with calendars, check-out, barcodes and QR codes, and the iOS and Android apps.
• MDM and help desk integrations on the hardware plan: Intune, Jamf, Iru and Jira, plus "30+ more", along with audits, maintenance and work orders, and reservations.
• Unlimited users on every plan.
• Software asset management as its own plan: SaaS and installed-software discovery, license and user tracking, and spend, at $9 per tracked software user per year.
• Accessories and licenses do not count as assets, and archived assets do not count toward the quota, according to the pricing FAQ.

Limitations:

• The hardware price does not say how many assets it covers. The page shows $125/mo but no asset count, so you need to ask for a quote at 1,000 or 2,000 devices.
• Hardware plus software is custom-priced ("Complete ITAM").
• Cloud only: no self-hosted option is listed.

Best for: Small IT teams that want MDM sync, reservations and unlimited users in a cloud tool, and may add license tracking later.

Pricing: Free (50 assets) → Hardware Asset Management $125/mo → Software Asset Management $9 per tracked software user per year → Complete ITAM (custom). 14-day trial on paid plans. Source: reftab.com/pricing, as of 2026-10-29.

Read full Shelf vs Reftab comparison →

EZO (EZOfficeInventory)

What it is: An asset tracking and maintenance platform, now sold as EZO EAM, priced by the number of items you track, with unlimited users.

Strengths:

• Reservations on every plan, with an availability calendar.
• Unlimited users on Essential, Advanced and Premium, under a fair use policy.
• Help desk and directory on Premium: Zendesk, Jira, Google Workspace, and LDAP and SAML.
• API access from the Advanced plan up, and iOS and Android apps.
• Maintenance: service records from Advanced; a CMMS add-on for preventive maintenance and work orders, priced separately by admin user.

Limitations:

• Price depends on item count, and the page contradicts itself: the cards show Essential at $81.41/mo, Advanced at $117.11/mo and Premium at $142.10/mo, each "based on 500 items", while the FAQ says starting prices are for 100 tracked items. Above that, it is "Let's Talk".
• No MDM or license tracking on the pricing page: Intune, Jamf and software licenses are not listed there.
• The CMMS add-on price is not published.

Best for: Teams that run IT and other equipment together, want unlimited users, and will pay for Premium to connect Zendesk or Jira.

Pricing: Essential $81.41/mo → Advanced $117.11/mo → Premium $142.10/mo (each "based on 500 items", yearly toggle shown) → Enterprise (custom). 14-day trial, no credit card. Source: ezo.io pricing, as of 2026-10-29.

Read full Shelf vs EZOfficeInventory comparison →

AssetTiger

What it is: A low-cost cloud asset register priced only by asset count, with unlimited users on paid plans.

Strengths:

• Low published prices by asset count: Basic $20/mo for 500 assets, Core $40/mo for 2,500, Advanced $75/mo for 10,000.
• Same features on every paid plan: check-in and check-out with due dates and overdue alerts, reservations, maintenance scheduling, audits, depreciation, contracts and warranties, 80+ report types.
• REST API, 2FA and Google SSO on paid plans, plus iOS and Android apps.

Limitations:

• No ongoing free plan: the free option is a 30-day trial for up to 250 assets and 2 users.
• No MDM, help desk or license tracking on the pricing page. For SSO, only Google is listed.

Best for: Small teams that want a cheap, complete asset register and can enter devices by import rather than MDM sync.

Pricing: 30-day trial (250 assets) → Basic $20/mo (500 assets) → Core $40/mo (2,500) → Advanced $75/mo (10,000) → Pro $140/mo (50,000) → Enterprise $275/mo (250,000), billed monthly; yearly billing gives one month free. Source: assettiger.com/pricing, as of 2026-10-29.

Read full Shelf vs AssetTiger comparison →

Asset Panda

What it is: A configurable asset management platform that sells through custom quotes.

Strengths:

• Long integration list for IT: Jamf Pro and Jamf School, Microsoft Intune, Kandji, Apple Business Manager, ServiceNow, Zendesk, Freshservice, Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace, Dell Warranty and Lenovo, among others.
• IT workflows: assignments, check-outs, transfers, returns and chain-of-custody history, plus reservation management and depreciation.
• iOS and Android app for mobile audits.

Limitations:

• No published price: the pricing page offers "a clear, custom quote" and a pricing guide form, so you cannot compare cost without talking to sales.
• Short trial: 7 days.

Best for: Teams that need many integrations and custom workflows and are comfortable with a sales process.

Pricing: Quote only; 7-day free trial. Sources: pricing, integrations, home page, as of 2026-10-29.

Read full Shelf vs Asset Panda comparison →

itemit

What it is: A UK asset tracking platform with QR, barcode, RFID and GPS tracking, priced in pounds by asset count and plan.

Strengths:

• Clear prices for up to 2,000 assets: Starter £399/yr (up to 1,000 assets), Pro £1,599/yr (up to 1,000 assets, unlimited users), Industrial £2,999/yr (up to 2,000 assets).
• Check-outs, bookings and kits: book assets in advance, and check out a whole kit with a single tap.
• Depreciation: straight-line or declining balance.
• RFID and GPS: handheld RFID readers and GPS trackers on Pro, fixed RFID readers on Industrial.
• iOS and Android apps that work offline.

Limitations:

• Starter caps users at 3, each paid per user.
• Active Directory and the API cost extra below Industrial: each is a £699/yr add-on on Pro.
• No MDM or help desk integrations on the pages we checked. Integrations listed are Xero, Slack and Microsoft Active Directory.

Best for: UK teams that also track equipment outside IT, or that want RFID or GPS.

Pricing: Starter £33.25/mo or £399/yr → Pro £133.25/mo or £1,599/yr → Industrial from £249.92/mo or £2,999/yr, excluding VAT. 14-day trial, no card. Sources: itemit pricing, home page, as of 2026-10-29.

Read full Shelf vs itemit comparison →

Sortly

What it is: Inventory software for small businesses. It describes itself as "Simple Inventory Management Software", and some small IT teams use it to catalog devices.

Strengths:

• Easy start: a free plan for 100 items and 1 user, and iOS and Android apps that work offline.
• Custom fields on every plan: 1 on Free, rising to 20 on Premium.

Limitations:

• User caps on every plan: 2 users on Advanced, 5 on Ultra, 8 on Premium. For most IT teams, end users could not sign in.
• Not built for IT: the pricing page does not list reservations, MDM sync, license tracking or depreciation.
• List prices are higher than the first-year price: the 50% discount applies to the first year of a new annual subscription.

Best for: Very small teams cataloging a few hundred devices where only IT needs to sign in.

Pricing: Free (100 items, 1 user) → Advanced $49/mo list (500 items, 2 users) → Ultra $149/mo list (2,000 items, 5 users) → Premium $299/mo list (5,000 items, 8 users) → Enterprise (quote). Source: sortly.com/pricing, as of 2026-10-29.

Read full Shelf vs Sortly comparison →

Lansweeper

What it is: An IT discovery platform. It scans your network, cloud and operational technology (OT), and can use an agent, to build an inventory of every device and what runs on it.

Strengths:

• Discovery is the product: IT, OT, cloud and agent discovery, plus connectors that import from SCCM, Intune, Airwatch and G-Suite MDM, and automatic warranty collection.
• Unlimited user seats on every plan, and SSO from Starter.
• Free tier: after a 14-day full trial, you can continue free for up to 100 assets.
• Runs on your own server if you want: Lansweeper can be installed on-premises on a Windows machine, with the scanning service, database and web console on the same computer or split across several. The pricing page counts installations per plan (1 on Starter, up to 3 on Pro).

Limitations:

• Built to find devices, not to lend them: the pricing page lists no check-out, custody or loaner reservations.
• Priced for larger estates: Starter is from €270/mo billed annually and includes 2,000 assets. Starter only connects to service desks for ticket enrichment; other integrations need Pro.
• Full API access is Enterprise only.

Best for: IT teams that need to know everything on the network, including devices nobody registered, and can pair it with a register for hand-outs.

Pricing: Free (up to 100 assets, after a 14-day trial) → Starter from €270/mo (2,000 assets) → Pro from €474/mo (2,000, expandable to 9,000) → Enterprise (custom, from 10,000), all billed annually. Sources: lansweeper.com/pricing, on-premises install guide, as of 2026-10-29.

Freshservice

What it is: An IT service management (ITSM) suite: a help desk with IT asset management alongside it. Asset management is priced by "asset units" based on what is in its configuration database (CMDB).

Strengths:

• Discovery and CMDB: agent-based and agentless discovery for Windows, Mac and Linux, network and cloud discovery, and a CMDB from the Growth plan.
• Software licenses and contracts on Pro: software asset and license management, SaaS discovery, and contracts and purchase orders.
• Help desk in the same product, if you also need ticketing.
• Laptops are cheap in asset units: a desktop, laptop or mobile device counts as 1 unit, and a physical asset without an IP address counts as 1/25 of a unit.

Limitations:

• Two prices to add up: the service desk is $19, $49 or $99 per agent per month billed annually (Starter, Growth, Pro). Growth, Pro and Enterprise include the asset management Growth package with 100 asset units; Starter does not. More units cost from $125/mo per pack of 500. For 1,000 laptops and 5 IT agents on Growth, that is 5 × $49 plus 2 × $125, or $495 a month at the starting rates. The asset management page does not say whether it can be bought without a service desk plan.
• No check-out or loaner reservations on the pricing pages.

Best for: IT teams that want ticketing, discovery and license management in one suite and will pay per technician.

Pricing: Service desk Starter $19, Growth $49, Pro $99 per agent per month billed annually (Growth and up include 100 asset units); extra asset units from $125/mo per 500; 14-day trial. Sources: service desk pricing, asset management pricing, as of 2026-10-29.

Which Tool Fits Your Situation?

If you need to know what is on your network

Your priorities: finding devices nobody registered, seeing installed software, and spotting devices that need patching.

If you run loaners, onboarding and offboarding

Your priorities: who has each laptop, which loaners are out and when they are due back, and what a leaver has to return.

If you have a sysadmin and little budget

Your priorities: a free or near-free tool, depth over polish, and someone who can run a server.

If you already run a help desk

Your priorities: assets linked to tickets, so a technician sees the laptop on the ticket.

If IT also looks after non-IT equipment

Your priorities: AV gear, tools or lab equipment in the same system as laptops, and people outside IT borrowing it.

What We'd Choose If We Didn't Make Shelf

If we were buying as a small IT team, not as a competitor, here is where we would land:

• With a sysadmin who can host it, we would start with Snipe-IT. It is free, its license and depreciation tracking go further than anything else on this page at that price, and it syncs from the common MDM tools.
• For a cloud tool with MDM sync and no per-user fees, we would trial Reftab, after asking how many assets the $125 plan covers.
• For "what is actually on our network", we would add Lansweeper, whatever register we used.
• For ticketing, discovery and licenses in one place, we would look at Freshservice and budget per technician plus asset units: about $495 a month for 5 agents and 1,000 laptops at its starting rates.

We built Shelf for teams whose problem is physical: devices that change hands, loaners that need booking, chargers that walk away. For that job, with unlimited users on one flat price, we think it is the best option. If your problem is discovery, licenses or tickets, one of the tools above is the better answer.

How to Decide

Every tool on this page offers a free plan or a trial; Asset Panda's is the shortest at 7 days. Trial the two or three that match your answers with 20 real devices, a few hand-outs and one return, and decide on that.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is IT asset management software?

IT asset management software keeps a record of the devices an organization owns, such as laptops, monitors and phones, and of who has each one, where it is, what it cost and when it should be replaced. Some tools add network discovery, software license tracking or a help desk.

What is the difference between IT asset tracking and IT asset management?

IT asset tracking follows physical devices: who has them, where they are and whether they came back. IT asset management is broader and also covers purchasing, contracts, software licenses, depreciation and disposal, often with discovery agents. Shelf does the tracking side; Snipe-IT, Reftab and Freshservice also cover licenses.

Is there free IT asset management software?

Yes. Snipe-IT is free if you host it yourself, with no asset or user limits. Shelf is free for one user with unlimited assets. Reftab is free for up to 50 assets, Sortly for 100 items and one user, and Lansweeper for up to 100 assets after its trial. AssetTiger now offers a 30-day trial rather than a free plan.

How much does IT asset management software cost for a small team?

It depends on the pricing model. For 1,000 devices at published prices on 2026-10-29: Shelf Team is $370 a year for unlimited users, Snipe-IT hosting is $399.99 a year, AssetTiger Core is $40 a month, Lansweeper Starter is from €270 a month billed annually, and Freshservice is about $495 a month for 5 Growth agents plus two 500-unit asset packs. Asset Panda and EZO above 500 items are quote-based.

Do I need network discovery for a small IT team?

Not always. Discovery finds devices and software on your network without typing them in, which matters if devices appear without IT knowing. If every device goes through your MDM, a register that syncs from Intune or Jamf may be enough. If you hand devices out from a stockroom, a CSV import and QR labels also work.

Can Shelf replace Snipe-IT?

For hand-outs, loaner bookings, kits and accessory stock, yes. For software licenses, depreciation, MDM sync or an API, no: Snipe-IT does those and Shelf does not. See Shelf vs Snipe-IT for the full comparison.

Last updated: October 2026. Competitor facts were checked on each vendor's site on 2026-10-29. If you notice something that has changed or is wrong, let us know.

Shelf is one of the tools compared on this page. We have tried to be fair, but we built one of these products. Read our competitors' pages too.