Snipe-IT is an open source IT asset management system you can self-host — an Asset Panda alternative that tracks hardware, software licenses, accessories, and consumables from purchase to retirement, with full assignment and audit history.

What is Snipe-IT?

Snipe-IT is a free, open source IT asset management system that tracks an organization’s hardware, software licenses, accessories, and consumables in one place. It’s a web app built on PHP and the Laravel framework: you check devices out to people, record locations and purchase details, and keep a full audit trail from purchase through retirement.

What is Snipe-IT best for?

Small and mid-sized IT teams that need to know who has which laptop, when a software license expires, and what’s left in the storeroom — without paying per-asset SaaS fees. Its REST API and developer-friendly design make it a strong fit for technical teams who want to automate check-ins, bulk imports, and reporting. For cataloging personal belongings at home rather than company IT gear, a tool like HomeBox fits better.

What can Snipe-IT do?

Track assets, licenses, accessories, components, and consumables with custom fields
Check items in and out to users, locations, or other assets, with email alerts
Generate and scan barcodes and QR labels for fast lookups and audits
Record purchase cost, depreciation, warranty dates, and end-of-life per asset
Bulk import from CSV and sync users from LDAP or Active Directory
Automate anything through a full REST API with JSON responses
Secure access with two-factor auth, role-based permissions, and SSO

Where does Snipe-IT fall short?

It’s asset tracking, not a full ITSM suite — there’s no built-in service desk, ticketing, or incident/change workflow like Freshservice, so you’ll pair it with a help desk if you need those.
Compared to Asset Panda, its workflow automation, mobile apps, and multi-department lifecycle features are lighter — Snipe-IT is built primarily around assigning devices to people.
It has no automatic network or agent-based discovery: assets are added by CSV import, the API, or by hand, not auto-detected by scanning your network.

Is Snipe-IT free?

Yes — Snipe-IT is completely free to self-host under the AGPL-3.0 license, with unlimited users and assets. The maintainers also sell managed cloud hosting so you don’t run the server yourself: plans run about $39.99/month (Basic), $99.99/month (Small Business), and $249.99/month (Dedicated). You’re paying for hosting and support, not the software.

What does Snipe-IT replace?

Snipe-IT is a self-hosted alternative to paid asset platforms like Asset Panda and the asset-management side of Freshservice. It does the same hardware, license, and audit tracking, but runs on your own server with no per-asset or per-agent subscription.

FAQ

Is Snipe-IT open source? Yes. It’s released under the AGPL-3.0 license, so the source is public and free to use, modify, and self-host — with the AGPL’s condition that you share source for any modified version you offer to others over a network.

Can I self-host Snipe-IT for free? Yes. Self-hosting is free with unlimited users and assets; you only pay for the server it runs on. The paid cloud plans are an optional convenience.

Is Snipe-IT a good Asset Panda alternative? For teams that mainly need to track hardware, licenses, and assignments, yes — you avoid per-asset pricing. Asset Panda pulls ahead if you need heavy mobile workflows, configurable automation, and multi-department lifecycle management.

What do I need to run Snipe-IT? A web server (Apache or Nginx), PHP, and a MySQL or MariaDB database — or the official Docker image. It runs on Linux, macOS, or Windows.