ManageEngine AssetExplorer review

AssetExplorer is ManageEngine's standalone ITAM product, and it covers the full asset life cycle rather than only inventory. Discovery runs with agents or agentless probes and supports barcode, QR code and RFID scanners. On the software side it reconciles installations against licenses, monitors usage, flags prohibited software and keeps a live compliance status, with automatic allocation, upgrades and downgrades across suites and service packs. Purchase orders support cost centers and general ledger codes, contracts can be parent and child, and a drag-and-drop canvas designs a different life cycle for each product type. The cloud price grid starts at $115 per month or $1,245 per year for 250 IT assets and runs to 10,000 assets, and a free edition covers 50 nodes in the cloud. The tradeoff is setup effort, since there are many modules to configure.

Who it is for

IT asset managers who need license compliance, procurement and contracts in one tool, including on-premises deployments.

Price

Free edition up to 50 nodes; cloud from $115 per month for 250 IT assets.

250 IT assets $115 $1245
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 9, 2026.

Key features

• Agent-based and agentless discovery with barcode, QR code and RFID scanner support
• Software inventory with reconciliation, usage monitoring and prohibited software tracking
• License compliance status with automatic allocation, upgrades and downgrades
• Purchase order and contract management with cost centers and general ledger codes
• Drag-and-drop asset life cycle designer and a CMDB with business service views

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free edition never expires, up to 50 nodes in the cloud or 25 on-premises
• Strength: Both cloud and on-premises versions
• Strength: Published price grid from 250 to 10,000 IT assets
• Weakness: Remote control is an add-on at US$315 per concurrent session per year
• Weakness: The interface has many modules and takes time to configure
• Weakness: The CMDB is listed as an on-premises feature in the free edition

Key facts

• Free edition: Up to 50 nodes cloud, 25 nodes on-premises
• Cloud price: $115 per month or $1,245 per year for 250 IT assets
• Free trial: 30 days
• Deployment: Cloud or on-premises

Where it ranks

ManageEngine AssetExplorer is No. 5 in our Best IT Asset Management Software verdict.