Open Source Asset Management Software
Asset management fails quietly, through drift: the spreadsheet, the purchase records, and what is actually plugged in or sitting in the storeroom slowly stop matching, and the gaps are where unpatched machines, lost laptops, and forgotten licenses hide. The fix is not a prettier dashboard but a record people keep current at the loading dock and during a walk-through count. Open source tools here keep assets, custody history, warranties, and locations in a database you can query directly and tie to your own discovery scans, so the audit trail is something you verify rather than trust. The category splits between tracking network and data-center infrastructure and tracking physical equipment people check in and out, and the right pick follows which problem you actually have.
NetBox
Source of truth for network infrastructure: IP address management and data center infrastructure modeling
GLPI
Open-source IT asset management and ITIL service desk with built-in inventory, tickets, and CMDB
Shelf
Open-source asset management for equipment, bookings, inventory, and team custody tracking
Ralph
Asset management, DCIM, and CMDB system for data centers and back offices
OTOBO
Web-based open source ticketing for help desks, customer service, ITSM, FAQs, and CMDB-backed assets
OCS Inventory NG
Open-source asset inventory and software deployment console for hardware, software, and network discovery
Our picks
Network and data-center source of truth: NetBox NetBox models racks, devices, cables, IP addresses, VLANs, and circuits as one validated record of intended state, exposed through a programmable API. It is the pick when your assets are network infrastructure and you want a documented source of truth rather than a general check-out tool.
Physical equipment and custody tracking: Shelf Shelf is built for gear people book, carry, and return, with printable QR tags any phone can scan to check out, move, or report an item. Bookings, custody tracking, and hierarchical locations make it a fit when the hard part is knowing who has what, not discovering machines.
IT assets tied to a service desk: GLPI GLPI keeps hardware, software, and contracts in one database and pairs them with an ITIL service desk, so the record of a device also handles its tickets. Native dynamic inventory discovers machines through its agent, and a CMDB links assets together. It suits IT teams wanting assets and support in one place.
Automated hardware and software discovery: OCS Inventory NG OCS Inventory NG uses agents to collect the hardware and software of every computer and server, adding network and SNMP discovery for printers, routers, and agentless machines. It has run on estates of more than 100,000 devices. Choose it when you want an inventory that stays current without manual entry.
Where these tools fit before you roll one out
Network gear, company laptops, and hand tools are three different tracking problems, and choosing a tool built for the wrong one is how a rollout stalls. Racks, IP addresses, circuits, and cabling are NetBox's domain, where the point is a validated source of truth for intended state. General IT estates of computers, peripherals, and licenses fit GLPI or OCS Inventory NG, which discover machines through agents and network scans rather than manual entry. Equipment that people book, carry, and return - tools, cameras, laptops, vehicles - is Shelf's territory, built around custody rather than discovery. Ralph straddles data-center and back-office assets. Naming the object you manage first narrows the list fast.
Whatever you track, accuracy depends on how painless the everyday update is, so weigh identification and audit workflows over dashboards. Shelf generates printable QR tags any phone can scan to check an item out, move it, or run a bulk custody change, which is what keeps records honest during a physical count. Agent-based tools like OCS Inventory NG and GLPI take a different path, updating hardware and software facts automatically so machines cannot silently fall out of the inventory. If updating an asset takes too many clicks at the dock, people will skip it and your data will drift.
Finally, look at how the system connects to the rest of operations and how you leave it. Asset records usually need identities from SSO or HR, tickets from a help desk, and device facts from endpoint tools; GLPI and OTOBO pair asset tracking with a service desk so repairs link back to the item. Confirm the API, CSV export quality, and whether history, attachments, and custom fields come out with the records, because an export that drops custody history leaves the next system starting with gaps.
Related categories
Frequently asked questions
How is asset management software different from inventory management?+
Inventory management tracks stock levels and quantities of interchangeable items - a box of spare keyboards. Asset management tracks individually identifiable items and their history: a specific laptop with a serial number, an assigned employee, a warranty date, and a repair log. Many organizations need both, but the data models differ, so a tool built for reordering consumables will struggle to answer who had which device on which date.
Will barcode and QR code workflows hold up during a real audit?+
The feature matters less than the details around it. Check whether the tool can generate labels in your size, scan from a phone camera and a USB scanner, and run bulk updates during a count. Shelf is built around printable QR tags and a bulk scanner for exactly this. Test damaged labels, duplicate scans, and weak Wi-Fi spots, because a barcode that only opens an asset page is not enough for warehouse receiving or room-by-room reconciliation.
How should check-in and checkout be modeled?+
Look for a custody log, not just a current-assignee field. You want to know when an item was issued, who approved it, when it came back, and in what condition, with accessories accounted for. Shelf tracks custody so you can always see who holds each asset. For high-value or regulated equipment, require signatures, attachments, or ticket links, because that history is what protects you during offboarding, disputes, and audits.
What does a physical asset audit look like in these tools?+
A practical audit lets staff scan or mark assets by room, compare findings against expected records, flag what is missing or unexpected, and update locations in bulk without silently overwriting everything. Mobile use matters, and offline capability helps in basements, warehouses, or secure areas with poor signal. The report should clearly separate counted, missing, unexpected, and retired items, so the exceptions are what you act on rather than the whole list.
Which integrations are worth checking before rollout?+
Prioritize identity, help desk, procurement, and device management. SSO through SAML, OIDC, or LDAP reduces stale accounts; GLPI and OTOBO tie assets to a service desk so repairs link to the item. Endpoint or MDM feeds can validate serial numbers and users, and procurement imports cut manual purchase entry. If there is no reliable API or scheduled import path, expect ongoing manual cleanup to keep records current.
Do these systems handle maintenance and warranties, or just store dates?+
Some go well beyond passive warranty fields, while others only record a date. If maintenance matters, test scheduled service, repair tickets, parts replacement, vendor records, and reminders before choosing. GLPI links contracts and financial tracking to assets, which helps for service and renewal deadlines. For vehicles, tools, or lab equipment, maintenance history can matter as much as assignment history, so make sure reports can surface overdue service and recurring cost.
Should I use agent-based discovery or enter assets manually?+
For computers and servers, agents and network scans keep the inventory current without anyone remembering to update it. OCS Inventory NG collects hardware and software through agents and adds SNMP and network discovery for devices that cannot run one; GLPI ships native dynamic inventory through its own agent. For physical, non-networked gear like tools or furniture, there is nothing to discover, so a scan-and-tag tool such as Shelf fits better.