53% of IT teams lack complete visibility into their technology assets. And that’s a wake-up call for CTOs!
Working closely with IT teams, I’ve seen how businesses overspend on tech without knowing their software asset usage. The result? They’re unable to make the most of their IT budget and are exposed to compliance and cybersecurity risks.
But, implementing the right software asset management tool changes the entire game. Software asset management tools let you track and manage your IT assets easily. They provide insights into asset usage, helping you make informed investment decisions.
Together with ClickUp’s IT experts, I’ve curated a list of the best software asset management tools so you can make smarter IT decisions.
Let’s get started!
Top 15 Must-Try Software Asset Management Tools in 2024
- What Is Software Asset Management (SAM) Software?
- The 15 Best Software Asset Management Tools to Try
- 1. ClickUp (Best for managing software licenses, optimizing software usage, and automating workflows)
- 2. Snow Commander (Best for asset visibility and discovery across multiple cloud platforms)
- 3. FlexNet Manager (Best for enterprise license management)
- 4. Certero (Best for automating licensing tasks)
- 5. ServiceNow (Best for enterprise-scale IT software management)
- 6. Oomnitza (Best for enterprise technology asset lifecycle management)
- 7. AWS License Manager (Best for cloud and on-premise license management and optimization)
- 8. USU (Best for large enterprises seeking comprehensive IT asset management solutions)
- 9. Google Cloud Asset Inventory (Best for monitoring Google Cloud software assets)
- 10. Alloy Navigator (Best for companies starting with IT asset and service management)
- 11. Zluri (Best for SaaS app discovery and optimization)
- 12. Microsoft Volume Licensing (Best for managing the licenses for Microsoft products)
- 13. SymphonyAI IT Service Management (Best for automating IT operations with AI)
- 14. IFS assyst (Best for enterprise IT service management)
- 15. Matrix42 (Best for seasoned IT professionals managing multiple apps and licenses)
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Is Software Asset Management (SAM) Software?
SAM software is a comprehensive platform for tracking and managing software assets throughout their life cycles. It helps you automatically procure, deploy and manage software licenses and subscriptions, and track software usage to derive the maximum value from your software investments.
Here are a few reasons why software asset management platforms are important for your organization:
- Optimizes spend: Identify unused software licenses and optimize software licenses spending by investing in asset licenses you actually need
- Reduce compliance risk: Maintain software license compliance at all times to avoid penalties and legal disputes as a result of non-compliance
- Ensure security: Monitor and manage software assets, identify unauthorized apps, and eliminate them from the system to maintain security
- Informed decision-making: Gain insights into software usage trends, upgrades, retirement, and other details to make informed decisions on IT investment and budget
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe 15 Best Software Asset Management Tools to Try
Now that you know why SAM tools are important for your business, let’s see the best tools to streamline software asset tracking and management.
1. ClickUp (Best for managing software licenses, optimizing software usage, and automating workflows)
No matter how many tools our team tries, when it comes to getting things done, we choose ClickUp. ClickUp’s All-In-One Project Management and IT Solution simplifies the software development cycle. We used ClickUp to optimize our IT workflows with powerful automations.
It provides complete visibility into IT assets, helping us keep track of what’s important, without needing to monitor metrics across scattered tools.
ClickUp for Software Teams unifies IT asset mapping, collaboration, IT processes, and sprint visualizations in a single place, streamlining the entire software lifecycle. It helps our team collaborate more easily internally with other departments and externally with vendors, asset owners, etc., in real time.
That’s not all! ClickUp also offers plenty of IT templates, such as the ClickUp Asset Management Template, which tracks all asset details—from usage to licenses—in an intuitive, centralized database.
Organize and visualize IT assets with the ClickUp Asset Management Template
ClickUp best features
- Real-time collaboration: Collaborate across departments and with external stakeholders by maintaining clear, up-to-date documentation on ClickUp Docs
Collaborate with asset owners, vendors, and more using ClickUp Docs
- Process mapping: Map asset management processes, including approvals for IT requests, new software purchases, and budget changes, etc., with ClickUp Whiteboards
- Asset status tracking: Visualize and track asset statuses and team performance in software development with customized reports via ClickUp Dashboards
- Task management: Plan and prioritize IT tasks such as software subscriptions, incident management, and bug fixes, etc., with ClickUp Tasks
Manage multiple IT tasks and projects seamlessly with ClickUp Tasks
- Workflow automation: Automate asset management processes like compliance checks, license renewal reminders, usage monitoring, and more with ClickUp Automations
- Easy automation, asset tracking, and reporting: Create roadmaps, automate IT processes, retrieve asset details, summarize IT budgets and asset reports, etc. with ClickUp Brain’s AI assistance
ClickUp limitations
- With so many features, ClickUp has a slightly steep learning curve
- Initially, newbies might struggle to make the most out of ClickUp’s customization options
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/month/user
- Business: $12/month/user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- ClickUp Brain: Add AI to any paid plan for $7/user/month
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (9,800+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (4,200+ reviews)
What are real-life users saying about ClickUp?
2. Snow Commander (Best for asset visibility and discovery across multiple cloud platforms)
via Snow Commander
Snow Commander is an excellent tool for cloud resource management. It allows you to track the business usage of cloud platforms and applications to optimize performance and reduce costs by reallocating resources.
The highlight of Snow Commander’s hybrid cloud management tool is automation. It eliminates the wait time associated with approvals and allows teams to keep things moving by automating approval processes for software requests, budgets, and cross-functional reviews.
Snow Commander best features
- Reduce the IT team’s workload with a self-service portal and agentless discovery
- Implement and integrate the software using a configuration wizard
- Get cost optimization insights to use your IT budget effectively
Snow Commander limitations
- A few users report that the search generator has data issues that require manual adjustments and configuration
Snow Commander pricing
- Custom pricing
Snow Commander ratings and reviews
- G2: Not enough reviews
- Capterra: Not enough reviews
What are real-life users saying about Snow Commander
3. FlexNet Manager (Best for enterprise license management)
via FlexNet Manager
FlexNet Manager works great for understanding the current status of software licenses. It helps gain insights into how many licenses or packages you should purchase for different software, ensuring cost efficiency.
We tried it to manage vendor relationships and keep all entitlements in one place, while tracking active and inactive licenses. The best part is it simplifies software renewals and audit preparation.
FlexNet Manager best features
- Automate license reconciliation—matching software licenses with actual software usage to prevent errors and ensure license compliance
- Optimize license positions with granular insights to derive the maximum value for your IT spend and use your budget efficiently
- Automate effective software licensing positions with FlexNet’s entitlement library with 900,000+ apps to identify over and under-licensing and optimize software expenses
FlexNet Manager limitations
- The Agent Inventory pop-up window creates distractions during software inventory data collection
- There are performance issues with its AWS integration
FlexNet Manager pricing
- Custom pricing
FlexNet Manager ratings and reviews
- G2: 4/5 (60+ reviews)
- Capterra: Not enough reviews
What are real-life users saying about FlexNet Manager
4. Certero (Best for automating licensing tasks)
via Certero
Certero gives a real-time view of your company’s entire IT landscape. Use it to track software assets and manage lifecycles effectively. The software has a fast data collection process, several deployment options, and effective licenses that offer flexibility to scale businesses.
I like how Cetero reduces IT teams’ workload by automating document management tasks, such as uploading licensing agreements. It also matches the effective licensing position with relevant data such as agreements, installation records, and usage data from various sources, helping you make more informed compliance and software procurement decisions.
Certero best features
- Create an asset repository to manage all IT assets in one place and track new and unknown devices
- Get accurate compliance status of your software licenses with Certero’s Effective License Positions (ELPs)
- Gain insights into assets with a built-in dashboard and custom analytics
Certero limitations
- The app takes time to reflect changes
- Integration setup can be slightly complicated
Certero pricing
- Custom pricing
Certero ratings and reviews
- G2: Not enough reviews
- Capterra: Not enough reviews
What are real-life users saying about Certero
5. ServiceNow (Best for enterprise-scale IT software management)
via ServiceNow
ServiceNow is a legacy AI asset management tool that tracks and manages org-wide software asset licenses. The platform’s versatility, real-time visibility and updates, and customization capabilities help it stand out from ServiceNow competitors.
ServiceNow is a great tool for end-to-end asset lifecycle management. It offers flexibility for each standard process, supports the software development lifecycle (including agile), and connects to multiple third-party APIs.
ServiceNow best features
- View recommended activities, alerts, and actionable insights in a single place
- Leverage AI to organize data into a more accurate, consistent, and easy-to-access way
- Flag unauthorized personal software and remove it for security
- Share reports, assign sub-tasks, and interact with tickets in the portal
ServiceNow limitations
- It doesn’t offer no-code customizations
- It can be difficult to perform asset reconciliation or generate complex reports, as the number of assets increase
ServiceNow pricing
- Custom pricing
ServiceNow ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (2000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (200+ reviews)
What are real-life users saying about ServiceNow
6. Oomnitza (Best for enterprise technology asset lifecycle management)
via Oomnitza
Oomnitza serves as a centralized system for managing enterprise technology. It ensures better data hygiene and accuracy in software inventory controls, reducing IT spending and compliance risks.
Oomnitza unifies your tech inventory and simplifies access with its clean, easy-to-use UI. It automates hundreds of workflows daily, removing error-prone manual tasks such as onboarding and offboarding, compliance validation, report generation, and forecasting. Plus, the tool’s quick integration with ticketing software saves time and helps manage tickets effectively.
Oomnitza best features
- Create and customize workflows based on your needs
- Manage tech usage and lifecycle and utilize IT budgets effectively with forecasting
- Build a central tech asset inventory system to eliminate silos
Oomnitza limitations
- The initial setup process can be complex and time-consuming
Oomnitza pricing
- Custom pricing
Oomnitza ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.6/5 (130+ reviews)
- Capterra: Not enough reviews
What are real-life users saying about Oomnitza?
7. AWS License Manager (Best for cloud and on-premise license management and optimization)
The AWS License Manager is a good option if you’re an AWS cloud computing platform user. It enables setting up license configurations with custom rules to control license applicability. Plus, users can create cross-inventory search settings where they can receive alerts for license usage limit breaches. Overall, it helps manage and optimize cloud and on-premise software licenses.
The tool’s dashboard is also a huge plus point. It gives greater visibility into how your software licenses are used. It reduces non-compliance risks by implementing license usage limits, blocking new launches, and other control features.
AWS License Manager best features
- Get an at-a-glance view of licenses and non-compliances with dashboards
- Create licensing agreements and use them for multiple software licenses
- Automate license discovery, tracking, and reporting to reduce manual work
AWS License Manager limitations
A few users report that the free plan is suitable only for trying the service. You need a paid plan to enjoy the full-fledged benefits of the tool. Also, given that it’s only for license management, the pricing is pretty expensive.
AWS License Manager pricing
No extra charges; it comes free with Amazon Web Services subscription. However, accessing full-fledged features requires paid plans.
AWS License Manager ratings and reviews
- G2: Not enough reviews
- Capterra: Not available
What are real-life users saying about AWS License Manager?
8. USU (Best for large enterprises seeking comprehensive IT asset management solutions)
via USU
USU is a comprehensive software asset management tool that ensures transparency and compliance. It complies with your organization’s IT policies and procedures while maintaining flexible data collection, sharing, and management.
While testing, the tool let us visualize the costs and complexities of licensing servers and clusters. It offered a testing system with ‘what if’ scenarios to find the most cost-effective and beneficial options.
Lastly, it would be unfair not to mention USU’s significant role in IT sales phases during projects. It is beneficial for gaining insights into clients’ software environments and understanding their infrastructure to design tailored solutions.
USU best features
- Get a centralized view of your SaaS environment to track and manage apps
- Assess vendor rules and metrics to calculate compliance with products
- Automate SaaS reharvesting to track licenses and app usage and then optimize the software costs
USU limitations
- A few users report that the tool’s disk storage is low, and its pricing is slightly higher for small businesses
- Sometimes, the sorting, filtering, and quality control features do not reflect the changes made
USU pricing
- Custom pricing
USU ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (40+ reviews)
- Capterra: Not enough reviews
What are real-life users saying about USU?
9. Google Cloud Asset Inventory (Best for monitoring Google Cloud software assets)
via Google Cloud Asset Inventory
Are all your apps and brand assets stored in Google Cloud? Then, you should consider the Google Cloud Asset Inventory. It helps monitor Google Cloud inventory and analyze assets at different levels.
The tool also stores a 35-day history of asset metadata, which means it’s easier to stay updated on asset changes with real-time alerts, export asset snapshots within this period, and search and export asset metadata for documentation.
Google Cloud Asset Inventory best features
- Search assets using custom query language
- Monitor asset changes with real-time notifications
- Integrate BigQuery for comprehensive data analysis
Google Cloud Asset Inventory limitations
- Limited to the Google Cloud Platform
- It is difficult to understand what you’re being charged for; takes a lot of research to understand the billing system
Google Cloud Asset Inventory pricing
- Free with Google Cloud Platform, which has pay-as-you-go pricing
Google Cloud Asset Inventory ratings and reviews
- G2: Not enough reviews
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (1900+ reviews)
What are real-life users saying about Google Cloud Asset Inventory?
10. Alloy Navigator (Best for companies starting with IT asset and service management)
via Alloy Navigator
Alloy Navigator is a full-suite software asset management and service desk software.
What I like the most about Alloy is that it brings several features under one roof. You can use it to scan your systems for software inventory details, stay updated on license expiration dates and renew them automatically, track compliance, and manage non-compliance by converting them into IT change requests to ensure compliance.
Moreover, Alloy helps manage IT service tickets, map user relationships, automate workflows, and efficiently meet customer needs.
Alloy Navigator best features
- Automate system scanning across the organization to retrieve software inventory details in minutes
- Receive automatic email alerts and notifications regarding apps installed, removed, and updated
- Optimize license use to prevent over and under-purchasing of software
Alloy Navigator limitations
- The documentation is poor. There are only texts and no images, videos, or personal guidance to understand the product
- The activity/history tabs and the backend function of Alloy can be confusing and overwhelming
Alloy Navigator pricing
- Alloy Navigator Explorer: $19/tech/month
- Alloy Navigator Express: $49/tech/month
- Alloy Navigator Enterprise: $89/tech/month
Alloy Navigator ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (30+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/6 (60+ reviews)
What are real-life users saying about Alloy Navigator?
11. Zluri (Best for SaaS app discovery and optimization)
via Zluri
The worst part of a seriously unorganized SaaS system is shadow IT. You’re unaware of the apps that are in use, the ones that are unauthorized, and the ones that are long dead, aka zombie apps.
We tried Zluri’s asset management software to organize our SaaS system. It helped us classify software based on risk and importance, discover unauthorized apps, and track app usage and spending, in one place.
The best part? It detects new apps entering the environment, identifies risky software, and prevents high-risk users, reducing cybersecurity threats. Plus, the tool automates access views to ensure compliance with IT governance and laws.
Zluri best features
- Get 360° visibility into spend/license data—expenses tools, finance systems, and software contracts
- Identify high-risk apps and notify stakeholders for immediate action
- Access all app details—assigned and unassigned licenses, user activity, security, spending, etc. to make informed decisions
Zuri limitations
- Comparatively new product; lacks extensive features
- Installation requires a lot of manual work, such as reconciling user access. You need to check user access and controls manually to ensure they are accurate and valid
Zluri pricing
- Custom pricing
Zluri ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (100+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.9/5 (20+ reviews)
What are real-life users saying about Zluri?
12. Microsoft Volume Licensing (Best for managing the licenses for Microsoft products)
via Microsoft Volume Licensing
If you’re heavily reliant on Microsoft products and services, then, Microsoft Volume Licensing is the real deal for you. This software allows IT teams to handle Microsoft product licenses.
It comes with a variety of subscription options and offers great flexibility. IT teams of any size and across industries can use the software to manage bulk licenses, control agreements, and reduce risks like loss of access, inoperability, and service disruptions.
Microsoft Volume Licensing best features
- Access volume licensing training to make the most out of the tool
- Store software assets in a centralized platform for easy access
- Leverage affordable web-based application management tools to save on licensing costs
Microsoft Volume Licensing limitations
- Opening an on-premise licensing server disrupts the updating of the online VLSC (Volume Licensing Service Center) version, resulting in a mismatch of information
- The software keys used in one system cannot be repurposed, which means, incurring extra costs when changing machines
Microsoft Volume Licensing pricing
Microsoft Licensing offers four custom pricing plans:
- Office LTSC Standard 2024
- Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024
- Office LTSC Standard for Mac 2024
- Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise
Microsoft Volume Licensing ratings and reviews
- G2: Not enough reviews available
- Capterra: Not available
What are real-life users saying about Microsoft Volume Licensing?
13. SymphonyAI IT Service Management (Best for automating IT operations with AI)
via Symphony AI
SymphonyAI’s software asset management tool is great for enterprise teams trying to fine-tune workflows with automation. It helps optimize IT processes, create custom workflows, and facilitate collaboration across the enterprise to speed up operations.
I like how the tool provides a central interface with all the hardware and software asset details. This helps you track my IT assets’ statuses by location, history, ownership, and usage. Plus, you can spot the underutilized resources and reduce waste throughout the software lifecycle.
In short, SymphonyAI helps utilize IT budgets more efficiently. It ensures effective IT asset management, improving asset visibility, discovery, license management, and compliance.
SymphonyAI IT Service Management best features
- Deploy assets remotely on the go via software updates
- Get a unified service portal to address end-user issues in one place
- Improve workflows and craft personalized experiences by using Design Studio with 50 built-in controls for forms, workflows, business rules, and SLAs
SymphonyAI IT Service Management limitations
- The installation process is challenging and time-consuming
- You must clear software licenses to add new inventory when allocating assets
SymphonyAI IT Service Management pricing
- Custom pricing
SymphonyAI IT Service Management ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.6/5 (60+ reviews)
- Capterra: Not enough reviews
What are real-life users saying about SymphonyAI IT Service Management?
14. IFS assyst (Best for enterprise IT service management)
via IFS assyst
IFS assyst offers IT service and asset management in a single platform—from strategic management to operations and security. This web-based IT operations management software helps you automate repetitive tasks, software discovery, and security incident management, so you can maximize your IT assets’ ROI. Moreover, the tool offers a user-friendly portal for end-users to fix issues faster.
IFS assyst best features
- Automate compliance checks to avoid penalties for non-compliance
- Monitor hardware and software details—from workflows to support tickets—to understand your infrastructure better
- Automate security operations to ensure 100% compliance and seamless security across assets and data
IFS assyst limitations
- The UI is clunky and old-style, which might be a downer for users
IFS assyst pricing
- Custom pricing
IFS assyst ratings and reviews
- G2: Not enough reviews
- Capterra: Not enough reviews
What are real-life users saying about IFS assyst?
15. Matrix42 (Best for seasoned IT professionals managing multiple apps and licenses)
via Matrix42
If you’re dealing with siloed asset information, consider Matrix42. It provides 360-degree visibility into your software and licenses. It lets you know what you’re paying for, identify unnecessary apps, and save money by downgrading unused tools. You can also use it to run inventory scans across several platforms, always keeping your systems up-to-date.
What I liked about the tool was that I could simply log in and find all the details, no matter which software I wanted to know about. It allowed our team to document, implement, update, and decommission each software.
Matrix42 best features
- Track cloud spending and verify costs and budgets to prevent overspending
- Generate detailed app usage reports to make informed purchase decisions
- Identify unauthorized software assets and order extra licenses through the Service Catalog integration
Matrix42 limitations
- The tool is complex; newbies require intensive training before using it to its full potential
Matrix42 pricing
- Custom pricing
Matrix42 ratings and reviews
- G2: Not enough reviews
- Capterra: Not enough reviews
What are real-life users saying about Matrix42?
Summarize this article for me pleaseReduce the Risk of Non-Compliance with Software Asset Management
Now that you know more about the 15 best SAM tools on the market today, we hope you find it easier to assess the most important factors—workflow automations, software license management, centralized platform, features, integrations, and customization that works for your company. As you make your choice, don’t forget to implement the best software asset management practices.
While all the solutions on this list are worth trying, ClickUp is my favorite. It has all the features to streamline software asset management and development lifecycles and manage license agreements. In short, it gives you a powerful platform to ensure lasting efficiency in all business processes and workflows.
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