Snipe-IT, Asset Panda or a spreadsheet for hardware inventory?

Below 25 devices a clean spreadsheet works, if someone keeps it current. Above that, a real tool starts paying back time. Snipe-IT is open-source and self-hosted, Asset Panda is SaaS with stronger reporting and mobile app.

Try this first

1. 1Set the scope first: just laptops and monitors, or also phones, headsets, licences, keys and company vehicles? Broader scope tilts the case more towards a dedicated tool over a sheet.
2. 2Snipe-IT (free self-hosted, or paid hosted via Snipe-IT Cloud) has a no-nonsense UI, REST API, links with Intune, Jamf and LDAP. Fits teams with IT hands and a Docker host or VPS.
3. 3Asset Panda (from around 1500 dollars per year for SMB tier) is full SaaS, strong on mobile scan flows with QR or barcode, audit reports and custom fields. Fits teams without their own hosting or with lots of field staff.
4. 4For either: connect Microsoft Entra or Google Workspace for SSO, import existing inventory from Intune or Jamf via CSV as a starting point. Apply an asset tag (RFID or QR) on every device so a physical audit takes an hour, not a day.
5. 5Plan a half-yearly audit. Who has which device, which state, when does it retire. An inventory system that is never audited is a database of fiction.

None of the above fits?

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