10 Best Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools for IT Teams in 2025

With the global rise of digital transformation, most businesses, especially mid-market to large enterprises, have started to rely on their IT landscapes to function correctly. As organizations start using more and more software for their IT operations to drive productivity and improve business processes, the management of IT assets has become critical for simplifying operations and reducing costs. 

Companies save an average of 20% on software costs within the first year of adopting a SAM tool. This shows how quickly companies can obtain ROI with SAM implementation. 

Why SAM is crucial in 2025

Organizations use only 47% of their SaaS licenses, wasting $21 million annually in unused licenses.

As an IT manager or IT operations lead of an enterprise organization, you must be familiar with the rising challenges of managing software licenses. With the growing number of IT assets your team uses, plus the rising complexity of a hybrid IT environment (on-premise, cloud, and SaaS), it can become increasingly difficult to keep track of software assets. In fact, it can feel like a full-time, never-ending job in itself. 

Gone are the days when an IT manager was only responsible for keeping a track on which software his/her organization owned or when software licenses were up for renewal. Now, the IT landscape has changed and so has the responsibilities for an IT manager. 

Being an IT manager entails to be accountable for optimizing costs, enhancing compliance (ISO, SOC II), preventing shadow IT, and making data-driven decisions for renewing software licenses. 

Now, software asset management (SAM) is all about controlling IT costs, preventing shadow IT, improving compliance, and ensuring that software investments are working for you, not against you. SAM tools are being used as they track software usage, offer workflow automation, and provide security context. 

IT managers use SAM tools to not just managing licenses — they use to manage risk, cost, and strategy. 

In this article, we will discuss why SAM is crucial for your organization in 2025 and the top SAM tools you can use to reduce waste, optimize your software storage, and save time while managing renewals and compliance. 

How we’re evaluating these SAM tools

It is important to keep a few things in mind while you’re evaluating SAM tools for your IT teams. When choosing the best SAM tools for your organization, especially your IT team, you must focus on the following key features: 

• Software Discovery & License Inventory: You must understand how easily the SAM tool can identify and catalog your software assets, from on-premise to cloud-based to SaaS.
  
• Usage Analytics & Optimization: An IT manager must also understand whether the SAM tool will help them track how often software is being used and then also identify underused or unused licenses.
  
• Renewal Tracking & Vendor Visibility: You should also know whether the SAM tool can help you track your software renewals and provide you with visibility into vendor relationships so you can prevent unexpected problems.
  
• License Reclamation & Policy Control: It is also important to understand whether the SAM tool can help you reclaim unused licenses and enforce policies to ensure you are not overpaying for those software licenses.
  
• Integrations: A SAM tool that integrates with other systems should always be considered. It should be able to integrate with other tools like HR, procurement, IT Asset Management (ITAM), Mobile Device Management (MDM), and SSO to deliver a smooth experience.
  
• Reporting: An effective SAM tool need to generate reports as well. You should know if it can generate clear reports for different stakeholders like finance, compliance, and procurement teams. 

Top 10 SAM Tools for 2025 (Ranked by Use Case & Value)

Let’s discuss the top 10 SAM tools for IT managers in 2025. 

#1. AssetSonar: Best for Mid-Market IT Teams That Need Cost Control and Shadow IT Visibility

• Best for: IT teams in mid-sized organizations that need to manage both software and hardware assets, especially in hybrid environments (both on-premise and cloud-based tools). 

Strengths:

• Hybrid SAM + SaaS + HAM coverage: AssetSonar is a SAM tool that tracks on-prem software, cloud-based apps, and physical assets in one system, making it an ideal option for organizations that manage a mix of IT tools in their IT ecosystem.
  
• License entitlement & contract management: This SAM tool provides a central repository for seat counts, renewal dates, and software license terms, making the process of SaaS renewal tracking straightforward.
  
• Usage-based optimization: AssetSonar monitors who’s using what and how often, which helps flag redundant or unused licenses, optimizing software spend.
  
• Audit-ready compliance reporting: This SAM tool simplifies the process of ensuring compliance with SOC 2, ISO 27001, and other industry regulations by keeping a detailed log of software usage and assets.
  
• Integrations: It seamlessly integrates with MDM, IDP, and procurement tools like Jamf, Intune, SCCM, Azure AD, CDW, and more.
  
• Lifecycle automation: AssetSonar automates onboarding, offboarding, license reclamation, and provisioning workflows to save time and reduce manual tasks.

Watch for: While the integration library offered by AssetSonar is comprehensive and strong, it may be slightly smaller than some SaaS-only tools. However, custom workflows and APIs can help close most gaps.

Notable: AssetSonar is built for organizations where IT operations go beyond dealing just software. It also deals hardware and physical assets. It offers hybrid approach which is useful for IT teams that manage a hybrid environment (on-prem and cloud-based), offering complete visibility across the entire IT ecosystem. 

#2. Flexera One: Best for Enterprises Needing Deep ITAM + SAM Integration

• Best for: Flexera One is a SAM tool that is best suited for large enterprises with vast hybrid environments (on-prem + cloud + SaaS). These IT environments often require deep license analytics, vendor insights, and multi-region governance.
  
• Strengths:
  
  • Robust software license optimization: Flexera One can handle complex licensing models, such as Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP, across hybrid deployments, providing detailed insights into software usage.
    
  • Integrated ITAM + SAM ecosystem: This SAM tool unifies hardware and software visibility with normalized data across systems, streamlining asset and license management.
    
  • Advanced cost forecasting & vendor insights: Flexera One provides deep insights into vendor performance and helps procurement teams with license benchmarking, ensuring the best pricing and contract negotiations.
    
  • Cloud and container support: It is able to track software usage in dynamic environments like AWS, Azure, Kubernetes, providing comprehensive visibility to IT teams across all platforms.
    
  • Audit defense & risk reduction: This SAM tool offers in-depth entitlement tracking, usage data, and compliance alignment, helping reduce the risk of costly audits and penalties.
    
• Watch for: One downside of Flexera One could be its significant upfront implementation effort. The pricing of this SAM tool can be higher, making it more suitable for organizations that have well-established asset governance programs.
  
• Notable: Flexera One is well-suited for large-scale organizations that deal with complex, multi-region operations. It is effective with software license optimization and compliance tracking, offering deep visibility into vendor contracts and usage metrics across a broader IT landscape.

#3. Snow License Manager: Best for Microsoft-Centric Licensing Optimization

• Best for: IT teams that rely heavily on Microsoft products (Windows, Office 365, Azure) and need deep visibility into on-prem and cloud licensing.
  
• Strengths:
  
  • Deep Microsoft license modeling: Snow License Manager has built-in intelligence for managing complex Microsoft licensing rules (e.g., SaaS, perpetual, hybrid agreements). This ensures compliance and controls costs.
    
  • SaaS + on-prem tracking: This SAM tool can track software from Office 365 to Azure, desktop software, and server applications, providing a holistic view of license usage.
    
  • Compliance enforcement: Using this SAM tool, you can automatically flag over- or under-licensing, unlicensed installs, and missed entitlements and then ensure full compliance with licensing agreements.
    
  • Automated discovery via SCCM and Snow agents: Snow License Manager offers complete visibility across endpoints and usage, ensuring accurate software tracking and reporting.
    
  • Audit support: This SAM tool offers pre-built compliance reports for internal and vendor audits, reducing the risk of non-compliance penalties.
    
• Watch for: Snow License Manager is best suited for organizations that heavily rely on the usage of Microsoft products. This means it may lack depth when it comes to non-Microsoft software and SaaS discovery.
  
• Notable: Snow License Manager is a powerful tool for IT teams in Microsoft-heavy environments, especially those managing large Active Directory deployments and Microsoft Enterprise Agreements. It is designed to streamline license optimization, making it easier to handle Microsoft’s complex licensing structures.

#4. Zluri: Best for SaaS-First Mid-Market Teams

• Best for: Zluri is more suitable for mid-sized IT teams that are focused on SaaS visibility, usage monitoring, and license cost optimization, particularly in organizations with minimal on-prem infrastructure.
  
• Strengths:
  
  • Browser extension for Shadow IT detection: The good thing about Zluri is that it is able to identify unsanctioned SaaS sign-ups by tracking user behavior and login activities.
    
  • 800+ native integrations: This SAM tool can integrate with other popular SaaS tools to analyze usage, track costs, and deprovision licenses.
    
  • Auto-renewal alerts and spend controls: Zluri is able to track contract data, helping IT teams optimize their spend ahead of renewal periods.
    
  • User-level insights: Zluri can monitor application usage across departments and roles, ensuring license counts are optimized based on actual needs.
    
  • Low-lift onboarding: With Zluri, SaaS discovery is agentless and simple to deploy, which reduces the complexity of setup.
    
• Watch for: Zluri pays exclusive attention to SaaS and does not track on-prem software or hardware assets. However, the downside to using this SAM tool is that its license entitlement management is not as robust as some enterprise SAM tools.
  
• Notable: Zluri is perfect for IT teams that need quick, agentless discovery and optimization of their SaaS stack. It’s ideal for organizations with a cloud-first or remote-first workforce, providing visibility into software usage and spend without the overhead.

#5. Torii: Best for Agentless SaaS Discovery

• Best for: If you are a part of an IT team that is looking for quick, agentless discovery of cloud applications and user activity without deploying endpoint software, then Torii is the SAM tool for you!
  
• Strengths:
  
  • Agentless SaaS discovery: Torii uses integrations with SSO, finance systems, and email metadata to uncover shadow apps and monitor usage.
    
  • Lightweight setup: When you’re using Torri, your onboarding process becomes rapid as there is no need for endpoint agents or device management tools.
    
  • Lifecycle automation: Torii supports license provisioning, deprovisioning, and approval workflows, ensuring seamless management of software access.
    
  • Customizable workflows: This SAM tool automates onboarding/offboarding, spending approvals, and role-based access across departments.
    
  • Centralized app catalog: Torii helps IT and procurement teams standardize and govern approved tools, reducing the risk of shadow IT.
    
• Watch for: The downside to using Torii is that it lacks visibility into on-prem software or hardware assets, as it only focuses on SaaS tools.
  
• Notable: Since Torii follows an agentless approach, it becomes ideal for fast-growing, SaaS-heavy organizations. It offers simplicity and quick setup for managing software without the need for complex installations. It is an ideal option for teams that require visibility without adding additional IT expenses.

#6. Zylo: Best for Procurement Teams Managing SaaS Spend

• Best for: Zylo is best suited for procurement, finance, and IT teams in large or fast-growing organizations that are looking to centralize SaaS spend data, monitor renewals, and drive cost optimization across business units.
  
• Strengths:
  
  • Spend intelligence and benchmarking: Zylo provides granular views of SaaS expenses by app, team, or category to optimize spend.
    
  • Renewal workflow automation: This SAM tool is great with tracking renewal timelines, contract owners, and triggers actions ahead of expiry, ensuring timely renewals.
    
  • SaaS portfolio rationalization: Zylo is good at identifying overlapping or redundant tools across departments, thus helping to eliminate waste.
    
  • App utilization trends: Zylo monitors login activity to help rightsize license counts and improve efficiency.
    
  • Vendor engagement insights: This SAM solution offers recommendations based on peer benchmarks and contract performance to help guide negotiations.
    
• Watch for: Zylo has limited visibility into on-prem software and hardware, as it focuses more on SaaS spend management.
  
• Notable: Zylo is best compatible with organizations where SaaS procurement is decentralized across teams. It allows procurement teams to control renewals, cost reduction, and SaaS portfolio health.

#7. ManageEngine AssetExplorer: Best for Blended ITAM + SAM on a Budget

• Best for: ManageEngine is a SAM tool which is best suited for small to mid-sized organizations that operate with predominantly on-prem infrastructure and a tight budget. These organizations usually operate in Windows-based environments.
  
• Strengths:
  
  • Integrated IT asset and software license tracking: ManageEngine integrates with both hardware and software assets, giving a holistic view of IT infrastructure to the organization.
    
  • SCCM and Active Directory integration for agent-based discovery: Coupled with integrations, this SAM tool enables automatic discovery of IT assets and software licenses, simplifying the tracking process.
    
  • Built-in contract, vendor, and PO management: ManageEngine helps simplify the processes for procurement and vendor management, reducing administrative costs.
    
  • Software metering and usage tracking for on-prem licenses: With ManageEngine deployed in your organization, you can ensure that you aren’t over-licensing or under-licensing. This allows you to better utilize your licenses.
    
  • Cost-effective: ManageEngine is one of the more affordable SAM/ITAM tools on the market, making it ideal for organizations relying on a budget but still requiring effective asset and license management.
    
• Watch for:

While ManageEngine AssetExplorer seems like a good fit for many organizations, it does have a few drawbacks. The solution’s user interface may sometimes feel dated compared to other modern solutions. It also has limited visibility into SaaS software and the latest technologies, as it is mainly focused on on-prem assets. Also, it offers fewer automation and customization features than other, more advanced SAM solutions. 

• Notable: Organizations that are primarily focused on Windows environments would find ManageEngine AssetExplorer particularly useful as they can leverage Active Directory and SCCM. This ITAM tool provides basic but powerful functionality for managing software assets on a tight budget. This makes it ideal for organizations that are beginning to formalize their SAM practices without making heavy investment in enterprise-level tools.

#8. ServiceNow SAM: Best for Enterprises Using the Full ServiceNow Suite

• Best for: ServiceNow SAM is suitable for large organizations that are already using ServiceNow for ITSM or CMDB, especially those that want to extend into license compliance, optimization, and audit defense, without adding another standalone tool.
  
• Strengths:
  
  • Tight integration with ServiceNow ITSM, CMDB, and Procurement modules: ServiceNow SAM offers integrations with ServiceNow ITSM, CMDB, and procurement modules. It also leverages the broader ServiceNow ecosystem, offering seamless connections between asset management and service management functions.
    
  • License lifecycle automation: ServiceNow SAM is able to track entitlements, usage, and rights across departments, streamlining license management and ensuring compliance.
    
  • Built-in audit management: This SAM solution helps teams comply with software vendors (Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe) by automating license audits and offering pre-built reports.
    
  • Rule-based reclamation workflows: ServiceNow SAM is able to automate license recovery for unused software, ensuring no licenses are left untracked or unassigned.
    
  • Supports hybrid licensing models: Whether you use SaaS, on-prem, subscription, or perpetual models, ServiceNow SAM can handle them all.
    
• Watch for:
  ServiceNow SAM requires organizations to fully buy into the ServiceNow ecosystem. This makes the tool less suitable for organizations that are not already using ServiceNow. The configuration and implementation process can seem complex and resource-intensive. It also has a higher cost of ownership compared to other modular or mid-market SAM tools.
  
• Notable: ServiceNow SAM is most compatible with large enterprises that are already using the ServiceNow platform. It is fully integrated with ITSM, offering streamlined processes and enterprise-wide visibility into license compliance and procurement. This tool is designed to scale across global teams, offering robust governance and audit-readiness capabilities.

#9. Ivanti Neurons for Spend Intelligence: Best for Unified Endpoint + License Control

• Best for: Ivanti Neurons is best suited for mid-sized and large organizations, especially for the IT and security teams that want to link license usage directly to endpoint health, security posture, and automation.
  
• Strengths:
  
  • Combines SAM with Unified Endpoint Management (UEM): Ivanti Neurons links software license tracking with device inventory and risk posture, enabling a more comprehensive approach to asset management.
    
  • License optimization insights: This SAM tool helps identify unused or underutilized software, which helps flag overspending and frees up license budget for the organization.
    
  • Real-time endpoint intelligence: Ivanti Neurons provides real-time data on endpoint health and software compliance, making enforcing security and patching workflows easier.
    
  • Automation-driven workflows: This SAM tool automates license reclamation, deprovisioning, patching, and policy enforcement, reducing manual processes and speeding up IT operations.
    
  • Supports hybrid IT: Ivanti Neuron is able to cover SaaS, on-prem, and virtual environments, offering flexibility across cloud and on-prem assets.
    
• Watch for: Ivanti Neurons works best and offers great value to organizations when it is used with other Ivanti Neurons modules like UEM, Discovery, Security). The user interface and reporting features may require additional configuration to meet audit-grade requirements. It is not ideal for organizations that are looking for a SaaS-only SAM solution.
  
• Notable: Ivanti Neurons for Spend Intelligence is an ideal SAM tool for organizations that want to tie software licensing and endpoint management together. It is perfectly suited for teams that are looking to optimize software spend while enforcing security compliance and device health. The platform’s integration of software asset management with endpoint management offers a more unified approach to IT governance, especially in environments with complex endpoint and software sprawl.

#10. Certero: Best for Hybrid Environments with On-Prem + Cloud Licensing

• Best for: Certero is best suited for organizations operating in hybrid environments with both on-prem and cloud-based software and hardware, seeking unified visibility and license optimization.
  
• Strengths:
  
  • Unified hybrid IT asset management: Certero offers a clear, centralized view of all IT assets, regardless of whether they are on-prem, cloud, or hybrid.
    
  • Advanced license optimization: This SAM solution provides powerful analytics for tracking software usage, license consumption, and entitlements to ensure compliance and optimize spend.
    
  • Cloud and on-prem software tracking: Whether it’s software in the cloud, on-prem servers, or physical devices, Certero integrates seamlessly to provide complete asset visibility.
    
  • Cross-platform discovery and reporting: Certero automatically discovers software and hardware assets across multiple platforms and provides detailed, actionable reports.
    
  • Strong compliance support: This SAM tool provides tools to help organizations stay compliant with various vendor licensing models, including perpetual, subscription, and hybrid licenses.
    
• Watch for: One downside of Certero is that its initial setup may require dedicated resources to integrate across all platforms, especially in complex hybrid environments. There are some features in this SAM tool like advanced reporting that may require more configuration or customization to fully meet specific needs.
  
• Notable: Certero shines in hybrid IT environments where companies must manage cloud and on-prem software. Its unified asset management and license optimization platform offers IT teams the flexibility they need to manage a mix of IT infrastructure. If your organization has a combination of cloud-based and on-prem resources and you need visibility and optimization across both, Certero is an excellent option.

Software Asset Management (SAM) Solutions Comparison table

Here’s a comparison table for the 10 Best Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools for IT Teams in 2025, highlighting key features, use cases, and strengths of each tool:

Key:

• ✅ Full support
  
• ⚠️ Limited or partial support
  

This table compares top SAM tools based on their key features, helping IT managers quickly identify the best solution for their organization’s needs. The pricing tiers and integrations also give a clearer view of which tool best aligns with your IT infrastructure and budget.

How to Choose the Right SAM Tool

When it comes to choosing the right SAM tool, it is important that you understand the specific needs of your organization, your IT ecosystem, and the goals you want to meet for software asset management. 

While the SAM tools we have mentioned above are some of the best solutions in the market, here is a quick guide to help you make the right decision:

• For small teams: If you are a part of a small sized organization, then Zluri and ManageEngine AssetExplorer should be good options for you as they provide cost-effective and easy-to-deploy solutions.
  
• For growing mid-market organizations: Growing mid-market organizations can consider AssetSonar, Zylo, and Torii. These SAM solutions offer robust features for optimizing software usage, managing renewals, and reducing SaaS waste.
  
• For enterprises: Flexera One, ServiceNow SAM, and Ivanti Neurons are best suited for enterprise-level organizations that operate under complex, multi-cloud, and hybrid environments. Such organizations leverage SAM solutions to obtain powerful insights and compliance support.
  

Irrespective of the choice you make, it is always important to ensure that the SAM tool you opt for your organization aligns with your current IT needs, offers the integrations that you need, and can scale with your organization’s growth. 

Do you need a robust SAM tool to optimize your software management? Give AssetSonar a try. Book a demo of our SAM tool and take charge of your software visibility today!