Top 5 Alternatives to ManageEngine Asset Explorer

ManageEngine’s Asset Explorer presents challenges, including inconsistent customer support, time-consuming initial customizations, and limited scalability.

All these challenges lead to ineffective asset management, which further results in a 7-10% higher total cost of ownership (TCO).

However, several better alternatives are available on the market. This article is designed to help.

Below, we list the top 5 alternatives to ManageEngine Asset Explorer that deliver smoother onboarding, flexible pricing, stronger support, and the scalability your growing IT environment demands.

Here’s why:

Customer Service: Multiple users have flagged ManageEngine’s customer service on Reddit. This is a major dealbreaker, as users may not receive the necessary support while using ManageEngine Asset Explorer.

Installation and Initial Setup: The installation process is cumbersome and time-consuming. The tool also requires extensive customization at the outset.

Inability to Scale: Real users report that ManageEngine Asset Explorer does not scale well in terms of ROI. You must add an instance for every new customer you add. And a new instance means a new license.

Pricing: Users report that the Asset Explorer costs approximately USD 34,000 per year for 130 technicians, which is considered expensive.

Workwize is a dedicated ITAM solution that automates your entire IT asset management lifecycle from procurement to disposal.

You can buy or rent IT assets, deploy them pre-configured, manage, retrieve, and finally dispose of them using the same digital interface. Additionally, Workwize offers a more flexible pricing model, an intuitive interface, a positive ROI, and faster onboarding.

Here are the key features/highlights of Workwize:

Automates asset lifecycle management (reduces manual intervention) and enables zero-touch onboarding and offboarding.

Integrates with your MDM and helps deliver work-ready devices out of the box across 100 locations—perfect for remote teams

Let’s you store assets at local warehouses (lowers carbon footprint) and reassign them as required

Track, manage, and control assets remotely

Manage all suppliers, orders, and invoices in one place.

Supports seamless integrations with your most-used IT tools (Slack, Okta, BambooHR, and more) and enables better workflows

Enables cost optimization; Workwize helps HighLevel $1.4 million annually by streamlining and automating the asset lifecycle.

User-friendly platform and adapts to users’ requirements

Helps manage IT assets globally and offers reliable customer support

Transparent and affordable pricing

Scales easily as your business does

Currently, limited locations are supported for offboarding, but this is continuously expanding.

Lansweeper is a dedicated IT asset management solution and a great alternative to ManageEngine. It automatically scans your network and builds a detailed IT inventory, eliminating the need for a complex setup process.

Lansweeper’s agentless technology lets you instantly identify devices on your network without installing the app on each endpoint. It also offers a wide range of third-party integrations (SysAid, AssetPanda, HALO ITSM, Jira Service Management, and more) to automate your workflows.

This ITAM solution scales with your business and has comprehensive reporting (detailed insights) capabilities.

Offers a comprehensive view of all assets (including servers, printers, routers etc.)

Users appreciate agentless scanning capabilities

Robust solution that adapts to changing requirements

Threat detection and vulnerability management are missing

User interface is a little complex to navigate

The learning curve can be steep

For a detailed Lansweeper review, check this out: Lansweeper Review: Ratings, Advanced Features, 2025 and More

Asset Panda is a dedicated asset management platform that lets you track and manage your assets and contracts in one place.

It offers barcode scanning functionality, allowing you to scan barcodes with your phone for instant asset updates. The mobile application allows for on-the-go asset tracking. All you need is a working internet connection.

Additionally, Asset Panda seamlessly integrates with various tools, including Google Workspace and Jamf, and enables the creation of automated workflows. However, because of the lack of a fixed pricing structure, Asset Panda can be expensive for smaller businesses.

Pros:

Users appreciate the barcode scanning feature for locating and updating records

It’s a user-friendly asset management solution that simplifies tracking

Lets you view the entire asset inventory on a single dashboard

Cons:

Scaling can be challenging with Asset Panda

Pricing is per asset-based, which makes scaling expensive

Want to dive deeper into Asset Panda and see if it’s the right fit? Check our detailed Asset Panda Review.

Snipe-IT is another popular tool you can try. It’s an open-source asset management solution that helps IT teams track hardware, software licenses, peripherals, and more.

It’s a powerful yet simple solution ideal for businesses, schools, and organizations looking for a structured way to manage their IT inventory.

Snipe-IT offers barcode and QR code scanning for quick check-ins, custom fields, and a REST API for integrating with other systems. You also benefit from granular reporting, status management, and notifications, like alerts for expiring licenses.

Easy to scale and configure

Easy to integrate with other tools

Open-source solution is thus free

The UI can feel a bit outdated

The email system doesn’t send notifications for some asset types

AssetTiger is a free, cloud-based asset management tool that tracks your IT equipment and other assets, keeping an accurate record of your stock.

It has a user-friendly interface, offers unlimited user access, and is free for up to 250 assets.

You can upload a database or add assets individually using a barcode scanner, track depreciation, maintenance status, and location, and create customized financial reports.

AssetTiger also allows you to set unlimited real-time alerts for maintenance checks, lease or warranty expirations, and other events. This reduces downtime, improves compliance, and increases asset reliability.

While AssetTiger handles basic tracking and alerting, it cannot automate the asset lifecycle, which is essential for end-to-end asset management.

Easy to set up and use, and free up to 250 assets

Decent reporting features and affordable

The ability to scan devices using barcodes makes setting up the inventory quick

Limited contract management features

The platform can sometimes need additional time due to low performance

To determine if AssetTiger is the right ITAM solution, go through our detailed AssetTiger review: AssetTiger Review.

Here’s how:

Define Your Core Requirements: List non-negotiables, such as real-time discovery, software asset and license tracking, contract management, and risk assessment. This helps ensure the platform meets your day-to-day needs.

Assess Scalability: Verify that the solution can handle thousands of assets, both on-premises and in the cloud, without experiencing performance degradation.

Evaluate Customer Support & Community: Prioritize vendors offering 24/7 SLAs, rapid response times, and active user forums (e.g., Reddit or G2 discussions) for quicker issue resolution.

Compare Pricing Models: Look for clear, per-asset or per-user tiers with no hidden add-ons. Opt for tools with free or trial tiers that let you test full functionality before committing.

Integration & Automation: Ensure open APIs and pre-built connectors to your ITSM/CMDB, procurement, finance, and MDM tools to automate workflows.

Ease of Use & Reporting: Choose a solution with an intuitive UI and a drag-and-drop report builder that offers both pre-configured and customizable templates for valuable insights on demand.