Best Free Asset Tracking Software 2023

The best free asset tracking software is AssetTiger due to its useful alert system, unlimited cloud storage and number of users – but it is for fixed assets only, and maxes out at 250 assets.

The best overall asset tracking software provider you can choose is Samsara, which combines a reliable service, great value prices, and industry-leading features. It even has a free trial version, though if you're after fully free software, there are downsides to be aware of.

Opting for free asset tracking software comes with pros and cons. The pros are obvious – no costs. The downside is that features tend to be limited, and the best of the best usually only come as free trials that run out after a matter of weeks.

The benefits of paying a little can't be ignored — you'll get better security, support, data backups, offline access and add-ons that could save your business thousands, like maintenance alerts for powered assets. Compare price quotes with our asset tracking comparison tool to view your options.

Top 5 free asset tracking software:

1. Samsara
2. Asset Panda
3. AssetTiger
4. Snipe-IT
5. Spiceworks

In this guide:

• Best Free Asset Tracking Software
• Is Free Asset Tracking Worth It?
• Free IT Asset Tracking
• Best Overall: Verdict
• Frequently Asked Questions

Best Free Asset Tracking Software

If you're looking for reliable tracking software with a greater depth of features, your best bet is Samsara. It's one of the most popular asset tracking tools on the market, and comes with everything you need to keep track of your moveable, powered assets.

While Samsara's asset tracking software isn't completely free, the reason we'd recommend it over AssetTiger is because, for what little you do invest, you'll get so much more value for money. Its free trial will also give you access to the full range of features, so you can see for yourself exactly why it's considered one of the top tracking tools for businesses interested in effective management, maintenance and growth.

Of course, for the smallest businesses, a free trial won't cut it. But, if your business assets are valuable, you might not be willing to take the risk on free software, as it could end up costing you more in the long run.

You can use our free tool to compare asset tracking quotes and get a better idea of your options between the always-free tools and the cost of something potentially better for your businesses needs, that may fit within your budget.

Our picks for the best free asset tracking software providers are:

1. Samsara — best for depth of features
2. Asset Panda — best for office equipment
3. AssetTiger — best for small companies
4. Snipe-IT — best for programmers who want an open API
5. Spiceworks — best for tracking documents alongside assets
6. Zoho — best for integrating with other Zoho apps
7. Reftab — best for hobbyists
8. SysAid IT Asset Management — best for on-premise hosting
9. GLPI — best for simple open-source tracking

1. Samsara

Samsara is one of the biggest names in movable asset tracking. What we liked that most is that its platform is completely wireless, incredibly intuitive, and allows you to track assets of any size . Its software is one of the most widely trusted names in the business, and having explored the platform, it's not difficult to see why. Samsara's features help you to track the activity of powered assets, compile billable hours for your clients, schedule travel and more, making tracking your business' assets simple, easy and efficient.

Samsara features

When it comes to hardware, Samsara offers a range of ruggedized GPS tracking units that all support geofencing, reporting, and alerts, and come with industry-leading weatherproofing to protect against inclimant weather. Reporting and analytics are also two of Samsara's strongest core features, while alerts can keep managers aware of geo-fencing violations, or an asset's total engine hours on the job.

Take a look at some of Samsara's best features below.

• Geo-fencing alerts
• Continuous real-time GPS tracking
• Automatic updates
• Historical data
• Maintenance tracking and alerts
• Inventory reporting
• Auto-generated reports

Phone and email support is available 24 hours a day on weekdays and nine hours a day on the weekend. Other features will vary depending on which unit you choose, with some tracking engine hours, diagnostics and fault codes.

“If my generator or backhoe isn’t where it’s supposed to be and I need to find it, it only takes two clicks for me to track my machines down” says Victor Miral, Service Manager at Ghilotti Bros.

The units also offer a range of different check-in rates, from real-time GPS updates to twice a day updates, and customizable with everything in between.

Is Samsara software really free?

Not exactly. Samsara offers free installation and a 30-day free trial, but you'll have to pay around $30 per month, per powered asset after the trial ends, depending on your business' needs. Still, if you're looking for a feature-rich platform with reliable asset tracking software, Samsara's asset tracking software is your best bet. However you can also compare asset tracking quotes for free  if you want to find something that better fits your budget.

2. Asset Panda

Asset Panda's tracking software relies on barcode scanning to log and manage assets. It specializes in a series of industries, including non-profits, hotels, and healthcare, as well as small businesses in general. A robust mobile app is used for scanning, as well as automatically tracking each asset scanned via GPS. Reports can be generated automatically using custom templates – in fact, pretty much everything within the asset tracking software can be customized, from the interface itself to the role-based security permissions that can be assigned to each user.

However, it won't work for live-tracking your powered assets or movable, high-value items. Asset Panda is designed for relatively low-value assets, including any type of fixed asset as well as tools, phones, computers, office furniture, important documents, or artworks. Asset Panda even notes that a client has used their service to track chickens.

Asset Panda features

This solution is best for businesses that need to avoid double-purchases of office items or who have assets that need to be maintained to ensure a long service life. It supports customizable fields and actions, so managers can set up a tailored routine for workers to properly schedule maintenance, transfers, or disposals. Take a look at its best features below:

• Purchase/Lease information
• Barcode generation
• Compliance tracking
• Maintenance tracking and alerts
• Funding source tracking
• Asset photo tagging
• Insurance tracking
• Reporting and analysis
• Work orders

One key perk with Asset Panda is the historical data available for each asset. Each scan is logged, and the entire lifecycle, from purchase to disposal, is viewable for better accountability in audit trails. Users can upload photos, documents, and videos to a central hub that allows other users to see the latest updates.

It's also another free trial situation. You'll have access to the full features for two weeks before your trial runs out. While Asset Panda doesn't make its pricing public, some sources put it at $500 per 1,000 assets per year.

Read our complete Asset Panda review for more on its features.

Asset Panda for IT Asset Tracking

Asset Panda's emphasis on office equipment barcoding makes it a great IT tracking system. IT assets can be sorted and searched by category, who they're assigned to, current location, last calibration, or audit history. An option for unlimited attachments allows users to connect an asset with its visual repair histories, warranty information, receipts, or related manuals.

Software information can be stored in the platform, as well, through the same customizable fields that track hardware assets. Users can set renewal notifications so that they'll be alerted when subscriptions or licenses are about to expire, and each subscription can be sorted by the users who have access.

Is Asset Panda software really free?

Asset Panda offers a 14-day free trial, but users will have to pay around $500 per 1,000 assets, annually, after the 14 days are up. It's a little pricey, given that brands like AssetTiger charge $100 per 500 assets, annually – but it does offer a good range of features that most businesses will benefit from. Still, if it's out of your price range, and you are interested in using high quality asset tracking software, you can use our free asset comparison tool to find something within your budget.

3. AssetTiger

With over 12,500 active accounts, AssetTiger offers a permanently free, stripped-down service that tracks your fixed assets. Each cloud-based account allows for unlimited users, who each get their own permissions level. A mobile app for iOS and Android is available, letting managers track their assets on the go, while notifications can be set to remind users when maintenance is needed (an uncommon feature among free services).

AssetTiger features

AssetTiger's asset tracking features are pretty decent. From the software's dashboard, users can easily view a list of assets, add an asset, or sort through contracts, employees, customers, funding, insurance, users, and “groups,” the term for different sets of user permissions. Alerts can also be managed, with a Setup Alerts page that offers a checklist of different types of alerts to activate. Alerts can be triggered when contracts, warranties, or insurance policies are about to expire, when an asset needs maintenance, or when funds are running low. Check out our quick summary of AssetTigers features below:

• Mobile barcode creation and scanning
• Maintenance scheduling
• Email alerts and notifications
• Multi-format data export
• Software license and contracts tracking
• Great security features with customizable permissions

Not all of AssetTiger's features are intuitive to understand, though a support team is available if needed. It's aimed at fixed assets, not movable ones, and no significant billing or facility management is included. It's the smart choice for small operations with fewer than 250 assets, since every other aspect of the service is useful – unlimited users, unlimited cloud storage, and mobile compatibility are all great perks. Overall, it's a great service for the price – which is, again, totally free.

Is AssetTiger software really free?

AssetTiger's asset tracking software is completely free, but is capped at 250 assets. If you need to track more, paid plans start at $180 per year for up to 500 assets, and up to $2,400 per year for 250,000 assets. In comparison to SysAid and Asset Panda though, it's still a fairly good offer, but we'd recommend you compare asset tracking software for yourself, so you can find a platform that's best suited to your needs.

4. Snipe-IT

As a web-based open source platform, Snipe-IT is a great choice for businesses who are comfortable adding their own third-party integrations to build the asset tracking software they need. What we like most about Snipe-IT asset tracking software is that it's very secure and updated regularly – a huge boon for any open source program – though you'll need to manually update it each time.

The software's list of assets makes data easily viewable and sortable by device image, asset tag, serial number, model, category, status, and which user the asset is checked out to. On each individual asset page, even more data can be collated, from purchase date and cost to the supplier name to the level of depreciation and the final date at which the asset is considered fully depreciated.

Snipe-IT features

Snipe-IT work with standard USB or Bluetooth barcode scanners. Assets and users are both unlimited, making it a great option for operations on a tight budget, although they'll need a software programmer or two who's comfortable with digging into the code in order to take full advantage of the open API. See Snipe-IT's best asset tracking features below:

• Easily import and export assets
• Ability to group asset models by common features
• Generate QR code labels for easy mobile access and labels
• Customizable fields for additional asset attributes
• Pre-marked assets can be requested by a user
• Full history including checkouts, check-ins and maintenance
• Optional digital signatures on asset acceptance
• Easy integration with barcode scanners and QR code reader apps
• Email alerts for expiring warrantees and licenses
• One-click check-in
• Fast and easy asset auditing

Snipe-IT for IT Asset Tracking

As the name implies, Snipe-IT handles IT assets. Functionality is pretty basic: Snipe-IT tracks assets and licenses well, even including email alerts for expiring warranties or licenses, but there aren't any extra bells and whistles.

The service's ability to track which assets have been checked in or out makes it a perfect fit for an IT department that supplies laptops or other equipment to workers on a rotating basis. Email alerts can be set for expiring warranties and licenses, while the customizable fields can accommodate unique features. Snipe-IT plans to improve license management, saying it is working on “letting you smartly handle multi-pack licenses with ease.”

Is Snipe-IT asset tracking software really free?

Yes, Snipe-IT asset tracking software is free, but they also offer affordable hosting packages to businesses who require a little more support. A paid tier with Snipe-ITstarts at $39.99 a month (credit card subscriptions only), and includes server maintenance, automated backups/upgrades, and a full-time in-house support team to take care of any issues.

While the paid version doesn't include any features that aren't found in the free version, the level of support and free upgrades may be of interest to some businesses. See how Snipe-IT compares to others using our free assset tracking comparison tool.

5. Spiceworks

Spiceworks asset tracking software is targeted at IT-focused businesses, and operates on a unique revenue model: It's ad-supported, paid for by tech vendors who want to get their ads in front of the many IT pros who use the free service. As long as you're okay with seeing a few ads, Spiceworks enables you to inventory your hardware, manage your network and licenses, and easily generate reports on your assets, your inventory, and your latest network metrics.

Spiceworks features

The type of tracking sets this service apart from the others in this guide: It doesn't support scannable barcodes or RFID tags. Instead, users will have to manually enter data or upload spreadsheets. One feature allows users to scan their subnets for all hardware with an IP address, letting them automatically add computers, routers, switches, and printers. Barcoding is supported with an integration, the linkIT app, but in general, Spiceworks is best for office managers who need to keep track of documents and software as much (or more) than their physical assets.

• Web-based, self-hosted platform
• Automatically updates as devices are added and removed from the system
• Can automatically gathers data from networked devices
• Offers extensive reporting, auditing and tools for compliance
• Detects and tracks cloud service assets
• Great for tracking software licenses and mobile devices

Spiceworks for IT Asset Tracking

Unlike some big asset trackers, Spiceworks is designed primarily for IT asset tracking, from laptops to software licenses and warrenties.

It offers two huge benefits for IT assets. First, a help desk integration means that support tickets can be easily tied to specific assets. The other benefit is network monitoring, a feature which means Spiceworks will automatically find any assets connected to your network, logging details and categorizing them all by itself — workstations, servers, routers, switches, printers and phones are all included. And did we mention it's free?

Is Spiceworks asset tracking software really free?

Spiceworks asset tracking software is free, and offers two types of free asset tracking, depending on your business' needs. One option lets users download it and run a self-hosted version, keeping all data on their network and server. The other option is the cloud-based version, which requires an internet connection but is fast and easy to set up and maintain.

Spiceworks also integrates with your help desk, further centralizing your operation, and offers access to troubleshooting forums. Even the support is free. The user interface might take a while to learn, but many IT pros swear by this totally free service.

6. Zoho Asset Tracking

Zoho's IT Asset Tracker app can be found within the Zoho Creator platform. Its functionality allows you to manage all your computers and software licenses from a central location. Three tabs let you manage assets by type — machines, software, and hardware. A limited but useful list of third-party integrations includes Google Drive, OneDrive, and WordPress.

This solution depends on manual data entry and not scannable barcodes, making it more useful for tracking intra-office asset use than actual asset locations. But if you need to know who has checked out the laptop you need, this app offers a simple way to find out.

Zoho IT Asset Tracking features

Zoho's IT asset tracking service is customizable, with updateable user profiles and asset reports that can be configured and grouped by time or department. Screenshots can be attached to verify that assets are at a location. Since the app is built using a low-code platform, most updates can be made with a drag-and-drop interface and any additional tweaks come with relatively little coding. See Zoho's best IT asset tracking features below:

• Mobile-friendly, allows you to manage your assets and reports on the go
• Easy drag-and-drop interface
• Good third-party app integrations including Excel and GSuite
• Customizable profiles and reports
• Integrates with all Zoho products, including Books and Zoho CRM

The Zoho suite of apps includes plenty of additional business software, from Books to CRM to SalesIQ, and IT Asset Tracker integrates with all of them so it's easy to cover your auxiliary needs. Granted, if you don't use Zoho for those other needs, you might not want to start using their asset tracking software — it's sort of an all or nothing deal.

Is Zoho asset tracking software really free?

While Zoho IT asset tracker is always free, you need the core Zoho Creator platform to run it. A paid version of Zoho Creator starts at $10 per user, per month, and includes data backups, reports, offline access, and notifications – all of which are pretty important. Zoho is a great free asset tracker for a small operation, but you'll need to upgrade to paid as you grow; overall though, it's still a pretty good deal.

7. Reftab Asset Tracking

Reftab asset tracking is designs to both fit in with and improve how you currently manage equipment. The free version of Reftab offers unlimited locations, categories, and reports, along with custom QR labels and a custom interface. However, you'll be capped at just 50 assets. This may not be a concern for a small operation, but is likely to prove troublesome as your business grows. Data can be imported and exported easily, and email alerts can be set as well.

The UI wasn't the best in the past, but since updating this review we can see that its dramatically improved. While its free software is capped at  50 assets max, it does offer a lot of features in its free package. This service is likely best for hobbyists such as someone running a stall at their local farmer's market who needs to keep track of their equipment.

Reftab features

Reftab asset tracking offers a number of good features, great  office managers. Once feature we like in particular is that users can reserve assets through the service. With Reftab users can pick out the assets needed, select a start and end time and date for the reservation, and add any additional details in an optional section for notes – saving businesses time. Software licenses can also be tracked through the service. See more Reftab features below:

• Unlimited locations
• Unlimited categories
• Advanced reports with export to Excel
• Unlimited custom fields
• Custom status labels
• Calendar reservations and alerts
• Android and iOS mobile apps
• Barcodes and QR codes
• Custom QR labels
• Overdue loan email alerts
• Unlimited license and inventory tracking
• Quick check out with handheld scanners

Is Reftab asset tracking software really free?

Yes. Reftab does offer a free asset tracking software, however it is limited to tracking just 50 assets. Still, it does offer unlimited locations, categories, and reports, which make its free version better than some of its competitors.

The paid version of Reftab starts at $30 per month for 500 assets and unlimited users. The relatively low monthly charge for the paid plan could make this an appealing option for office managers who need to field a lot of asset reservations, even if that route isn't entirely free.

8. SysAid IT Asset Tracking

SysAid IT asset tracking software has been around since 2002, and it's still going strong.  It allows you to manage all your IT assets directly from your service desk, with the intention of helping you to resolve your issues faster. With SysAid you can keep all the asset data and records you need inside each ticket, and easily take stock of your hardware and software assets.

While other SysAid software supports barcode scanning, the asset tracking application does not, and you'll need to manually enter the assets.

SysAid features

Reporting and analytics features in SysAid asset tracking are particularly comprehensive, letting users generate reports to cover asset details, assets that haven't been updated, and any asset changes by date as well as by group.

Downsides include a cramped UI, plus the fact you'll be capped at 100 assets (which is admittedly double what you'd get with Reftab).

SysAid for IT Asset Tracking

The system handles license management in addition to physical hardware, making this a potential management solution for offices with documentation tied to each of their assets. IT managers can monitor and manage assets on a granular level, tracking even CPU, disk space, and memory usage, with both email and SMS notifications available. Key SysAid features include:

• AI service desk
• Service automation
• Ticket automation
• Task automation
• Self-service automation
• Workflow automation
• Incident management
• Service orchestration
• BI analytics

SysAid’s core product is designed to let businesses set up and manage a service desk for their customers, so naturally the asset tracking solution integrates well with the SysAid help desk solution. If your business uses both, they'll be able to manage assets directly from the service desk, keeping everything in an efficient, centralized location.

Is SysAid asset tracking software really free?

SysAid asset tracking is free, but only if you opt for the on-premises service rather than the cloud-based version.  In other words, you'll need to install the software on your local servers, and you're responsible for keeping it debugged and running smoothly. If you opt for the cloud, sources show it'll cost around $1,200 per 500 assets per year, with support for five users. Use our free assset tracking comparison tool to see how SysAid asset tracking compares to others.

9. GLPI Asset Tracking

GLPI asset tracking is designed for manual data entry rather than barcodes or RFID tags, but it does support an impressive amount of information — it has fields for the manufacturer, model, type, serial number, the technical manager who controls the asset, users of the station, and specifications including power supply and firmware.

In addition to community support, GLPI's FAQ page offers pages of detailed advice if need help with troubleshooting. Both on-premise and cloud versions are available. If you're a free user, the service won't offer any consultations or other aid for the installation process beyond an installation manual that can be found on their FAQ page.

GLPI features

The open source, web-based GLPI lets you manage your IT expenses and budget, as well as IT assets and a service desk. You'll be able to log computers, printers, network equipment, devices, and phones. With the right plugins, you can add non-IT assets like vehicles or other tools. You'll have the complete historical data on every asset modification, and assets can be tracked right down to their connections and network ports. You can also manage licenses, contracts, and documents related to each asset. See a full list of GLPI's best asset tracking features below:

• Asset inventory: computers, screens, printers, network equipment, devices and phones
• History of modifications for each asset
• Operating system management (name, version, edition, kernel, license, etc)
• Inventory and management tracking of installed software
• Management of internal components
• Asset lifecycle management (from stock to withdraw)
• Virtualization
• Inventory or OCS Inventory plugins

Is GLPI asset tracking software really free?

Yes, although there's no support or warranties unless you opt for one of the paid plans.

Since it's an open source service, the occasional bug or hiccup should be expected. If you need a more reliable version of GLPI, you can pay for a warranty that ensures a “stable and predictable performance” thanks to a team of techs. While the free version tracks unlimited assets, anyone who wants the paid version with warranty and support will need to pay for a plan tier with asset caps. See how GLPI compares to other providers with our free assset tracking comparison tool.

Is Free Asset Tracking Software Worth It?

As you may have noticed while scrolling through your top options, even the best free asset tracking software will always come with a catch. The trick is to pick a software with disadvantages you can live with.

Free trials are not a sustainable option, and are the only real issue with big names like Samsara and Asset Panda. Trials aside, if you're looking for free software, your main concern should be with which features are absolutely essential.

One of the most essential but easy to forget about features? Data backups. If you aren't backed up, you could potentially lose an entire business' worth of asset documentation. As a result, Zoho's ‘free' version isn't that attractive, although it has other desirable features. Offline access is also pretty important, as losing internet can set you back for hours otherwise.

Another important free caveat to watch out for: asset caps. You never know when you'll need to add more, and unless you're just running a farmer's market booth, you can easily surpass 50 or 100 assets.

Finally, if you're not the technically capable type and don't have a dedicated IT employee on staff, you'll likely want to avoid free options without support or hosting included. Similarly, open source software – as flexible as it is – will likely be too unwieldy to rely on.

Of course, if you're willing to spring for a paid asset tracking system instead, you'll be able to find a full-stack asset manager that can handle not just movable and fixed asset tracking, but employee scheduling, routing, and billing as well.

Best Free IT Asset Tracking Software

If you're looking for the IT-centered asset tracking solution, you have plenty of options: Asset Panda, Snipe IT, SysAid, and Spiceworks are all among the best for all-around IT asset tracking.

A good IT asset tracking system will be able to track physical office supplies, laptops, and mobile devices, sure, but it will also track software and paperwork. What softwares have been licensed and who is using them across the company? When were they last updated? When is the lease up on each of the operation's properties? The right system answers all these questions easily.

In some cases, you may need an IT tracking system that integrates with help desk solutions, so that support tickets for access to the right software or hardware can be easily granted. Whatever your needs, you'll have to check out the IT asset tracking abilities of each solution in order to verify that it can do what you need.

IT Asset Tracking Software Worth Paying For

How many laptops do we have in this office? Where are all the shipping containers we need? What's missing, broken, or needs updating this month? Those answers are worth a monthly fee.

You can say goodbye to guesstimates and out of date manual notes, and know the exact status of all your equipment, tools, and business assets, at all times. Here's a quick look at what sets each of the best IT asset trackers apart:

• Asset Panda — Every asset entry has a customizable field that allows unlimited attachments to ensure any related documents or histories are on hand. Renewal notifications automate the process of keeping software licenses updated.
• Spiceworks — The help desk integration ties support tickets to any required assets, making it easy to designate devices or software to the worker requesting them. Plus, network monitoring will automatically find any assets connected to a network. Asset details will be auto-logged and reports can be generated using the information.
• Snipe-IT — Basic funtionality including email alerts for expiring softwares. Assets can be checked out and checked back in again, so this is a good IT asset tracker for a business that frequently rotates assets.
• SysAid — Particularly granular asset tracking tools can measure details like the disk space and memory useage of each asset. Notifications can be set for both email and SMS. It all integrates with the SysAid help desk software to make a slick one-stop-shop for internal company management.

Some IT asset tracking solutions are more stripped down while others are feature-rich, and either option might be for you. You'll want to pick the one that fits your specific needs, and that integrates well with the softwares and processes that you already follow.

Verdict: Best Free Asset Tracking Software

If you have 250 or fewer non-moveable assets, we'd recommend AssetTiger, as it offers a stripped-down solution that's permanently free. If you have more assets but still need a free tracking system, we'd suggest Snipe-IT, a solid open-source option that supports unlimited users and assets. If you need asset tracking software that is secure, dependable and caters to a variety of assets, the best solutions by far are Samsara or Asset Panda.

As with all free platforms, free asset tracking software does come with its risks so it's important to keep this in mind if you are looking for reliable software. Investing in higher quality software might not be completely free, but the benefits of one that's affordable could save your business more money in the long-run. If you business assets are fundamental to your decision making, cost-saving and protection against theft or fraud, you're going to want to find the best asset tracking software for your business. You can use our free asset tracking comparison tool to help.

Read more about asset tracking

• What is asset tracking?
• RFID asset tracking explained
• Best asset tracking companies
• How much does asset tracking cost?

Frequently Asked Questions