Most small teams track their devices with one shared record, usually a spreadsheet at first, that lists every laptop, phone and monitor with its serial number, who has it, when it was bought and when the warranty ends, kept up to date by one named person whenever equipment changes hands. That works well for a while, and this guide covers how to run it properly, when it starts to break, and which tracking tools are worth looking at once it does. Prices for all seven tools were checked on their pricing pages in October 2026.
How do small teams handle device tracking?
Small teams handle device tracking by giving one person ownership of a single list of equipment and updating it at the moments a device moves: when someone joins, when someone leaves, when something goes in for repair, and when new kit is bought. The list can live in a spreadsheet or in dedicated software, as long as one person owns it and everyone knows where it is.
For each device, the record usually holds:
- Make, model and serial number
- Who has it now, and since when
- Purchase date, price and where the receipt is
- Warranty end date
- Condition, and any notes about repairs
The person who owns it is often the office manager, an ops lead or the founder, rather than anyone in IT. Most teams also stick a QR or barcode label on each item so a device can be matched to its record without reading the serial off the bottom of a laptop, and our guide to QR code asset labels covers how to set that up. A quick check once or twice a year, walking through the list and confirming each person still has what the record says, catches most of the drift. Our equipment audit guide has a process that takes under an hour for a small team.
When does a spreadsheet stop being enough?
A spreadsheet usually stops being enough when the list grows past a few dozen items, more than one person edits it, or you need to find a receipt quickly for a warranty or insurance claim. Before that point, a well-kept spreadsheet is a reasonable way to track equipment.
The problems tend to come from typing rather than from the spreadsheet itself. In a 2026 survey of 1,003 US operations professionals, 59% named manual data entry as the most common source of spreadsheet mistakes, and respondents spent an average of 3.6 hours a week fixing spreadsheet errors (DOSS, 2026). With equipment, the mistake that hurts is usually a handover nobody wrote down, so the sheet says one person has a laptop that actually went home with someone who left in the spring.
We wrote a longer piece on the point where spreadsheets stop working, and if you want to stay in a spreadsheet for now, our IT asset register template has the columns already set up.
What should small teams look for in tracking software?
Small teams should look for software that is quick to set up, priced for tens or hundreds of assets rather than thousands, and usable by someone who isn't technical. Receipt and warranty storage and support for offboarding are the features that tend to save the most money.
In more detail:
- Fast setup. You probably don't have a week to configure workflows, so importing your existing spreadsheet should be enough to get started.
- Pricing that fits the size of the team. Some tools price per user and some per asset, and the difference adds up as the team grows.
- No technical skills needed. We wrote a whole guide on tracking equipment without an IT department.
- Receipts and warranties attached to the asset. Most warranty claims need proof of purchase, so it helps to have the receipt on the same record as the device.
- Offboarding support. Knowing who has what is most useful on someone's last day, and our equipment offboarding checklist covers that process.
Which equipment tracking tools suit small teams?
The seven tools below all have a plan a small team can afford, but they're built for different people, from office managers who want the simplest option to teams with a developer who can self-host. Each section says who the tool suits and where it falls short.
1. AssetJay
Best for: Small teams without an IT department who need to track company equipment and software licences.
AssetJay is our product, so take this entry with that in mind. It's built for the person who doesn't want to think about asset management: you sign up, add your first asset, and you're tracking. It focuses on fast asset entry, receipt and warranty storage, and offboarding checklists. You can drop in a receipt and AI fills in the details, or forward a purchase confirmation by email to create an asset, and warranty alerts go out 30, 7 and 1 day before expiry.
Pricing: Free for up to 25 assets. Pro at $24.99/month for up to 250 assets, whole team included.
Limitations: No native mobile app (it runs in the phone browser). No GPS or RFID. Up to 15 custom fields, and Pro tops out at 250 assets.
2. Snipe-IT
Best for: Teams with technical staff who want a free, self-hosted tool.
Snipe-IT is the best-known open-source IT asset management tool. It's been around since 2013 and covers custom fields, LDAP integration, a REST API, depreciation and software licence management. The free version needs to be self-hosted on your own server, so you need someone comfortable running a Linux server and a database. If you don't want to do that, Snipe-IT's own hosting starts at $39.99/month or $399.99/year.
Pricing: Free (self-hosted) or from $39.99/month (hosted).
Limitations: Self-hosting needs ongoing server maintenance. The interface is built for IT professionals rather than office managers.
If you are already on Snipe-IT and want to move, the Snipe-IT alternatives guide sorts replacements by the reason you're switching.
3. Shelf.nu
Best for: Teams that book shared equipment, or want an open-source tool they can self-host.
Shelf.nu is open source with a modern interface, QR scanning, kits for grouping related items, and a booking system with availability calendars and double-booking prevention. It now has a native iOS and Android app (Shelf Companion) alongside the mobile web version. If your team shares equipment regularly, our guide to equipment checkout systems covers that side in more detail.
Pricing: Free for one user with unlimited assets. Plus at $34/month (one user), Team at $67/month (unlimited users).
Limitations: Collaboration needs the Team plan. Audits are a $37/month add-on on top of Team.
4. Sortly
Best for: Visual inventory across any industry, from construction tools to office supplies.
Sortly organises items with photos and folders, and its native iOS and Android apps work offline. It supports check-in and check-out, low-stock alerts, and date-based alerts you can use for maintenance or repair dates. It's an inventory tool first, so there's no dedicated warranty or offboarding workflow, and per-user limits mean costs rise as more people need access.
Pricing: Free (100 items, 1 user). Advanced lists at $49/month (500 items, 2 users), currently $24/month in the first year with a 50% new-customer discount.
Limitations: User limits on every plan. No warranty or offboarding features.
5. BlueTally
Best for: Teams with up to 50 assets who want a free plan, or larger teams who want device and HR system sync.
BlueTally's free plan covers your first 50 assets with unlimited users. The paid plans are priced for bigger organisations: Core is $199/month billed annually ($232 billed monthly) for up to 250 assets and includes device sync from MDM tools, employee sync and warranty sync. Business at $299/month adds SSO, an API and an MCP integration for AI assistants.
Pricing: Free for 50 assets. Core from $199/month (annual billing).
Limitations: A large step from free to paid, so it suits teams that will either stay under 50 assets or need the integrations.
We compare it with AssetJay directly on our BlueTally alternative page.
6. Itemit
Best for: Teams that need RFID scanning, GPS tracking or offline mobile access.
Itemit is a UK-based platform with native mobile apps, and its Pro plan supports GPS trackers and handheld RFID readers. The Starter plan covers up to 1,000 assets but only up to 3 users, and Pro removes the user limit.
Pricing: Starter from £33.25/month (£399/year, up to 3 users). Pro from £133.25/month (£1,599/year). 14-day trial, no free tier.
Limitations: Starter's user limit is tight for a team, and Pro is a big jump. Prices are in GBP.
7. EZOfficeInventory
Best for: Teams that need maintenance scheduling and work orders alongside asset tracking.
EZOfficeInventory is a mature platform with check-in and check-out, maintenance management and RFID support. It prices by item count rather than by user, with unlimited users on every plan. Its pricing page shows Essential at $81.41/month for 500 items, with Advanced at $117.11 and Premium at $142.10, and the price moves with a slider for item count.
Pricing: From $81.41/month at 500 items (Essential). 14-day trial, no free tier.
Limitations: No free plan. More features to configure than a small team may need.
How do these tools compare on price?
For a small team, the cheapest paid options are AssetJay at $24.99/month for 250 assets and Shelf.nu at $34/month for one user, while Snipe-IT and Shelf.nu are free if you self-host. BlueTally and Itemit's team plans cost several times more.
| Tool | Free tier | Entry paid price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| AssetJay | 25 assets | $24.99/mo (250 assets, unlimited users) | Small teams, receipts, offboarding |
| Snipe-IT | Self-hosted | $39.99/mo (hosted) | Technical teams, self-hosting |
| Shelf.nu | 1 user, unlimited assets | $34/mo (1 user), $67/mo (team) | Bookings, open source |
| Sortly | 100 items, 1 user | $49/mo list ($24 first year) | Visual inventory, any industry |
| BlueTally | 50 assets | $199/mo (annual, 250 assets) | Device and HR system sync |
| Itemit | No | £33.25/mo (up to 3 users) | RFID, GPS, offline mobile |
| EZOfficeInventory | No | $81.41/mo (500 items) | Maintenance, work orders |
How should a remote or global team track equipment?
A remote or global team should keep the same single record but add the shipping address, the date the employee confirmed the device arrived, and how it will come back, because nobody in the office can see the equipment. The hardest part is usually getting devices back when someone leaves.
Hybrid and remote employees are 17% more likely than on-site staff to not return company equipment when they leave (Capterra Employee Offboarding Survey, 2022). Our guide on how to track equipment for a remote team covers handovers by post and getting kit back from people who've left.
Which tool should a small team pick?
For most small teams without an IT department, the right tool is the simplest one that covers the equipment you have today, and you can start on a free plan before paying for anything. Our guide on asset management without a dedicated IT team goes deeper on that situation.
- Just getting started? AssetJay's free plan (25 assets) or BlueTally's (50 assets) let you start without a credit card.
- Have a developer? Snipe-IT or Shelf.nu give you free self-hosted options.
- Need inventory as well as equipment? Sortly handles consumable supplies alongside equipment.
- Need RFID or GPS? Itemit or EZOfficeInventory support tracking hardware.
- Need maintenance scheduling? EZOfficeInventory is built for that.
