A Snipe-IT alternative that runs on your own server
The short decision page: who each product suits, the five differences that matter, and where to read the full comparison and the switching guide.
Snipe-IT is the established open-source asset register, and for many teams it is the right choice. This page is for the teams asking whether something else would fit better: an internal IT team that wants backups and device sync built in, or an MSP running a register per client. Both products track hardware, software licences, warranties, stock and assignments on your own server. Tagaris is proprietary, with a free tier for a single administrator; Snipe-IT is open source and free to self-host with any number of users.
The feature-by-feature comparison is on Tagaris vs Snipe-IT, and the migration steps are in Switching from Snipe-IT. This page is the short version.
Which one to choose
Most teams can decide from these two lists.
Choose Tagaris if
- You want backups built into the product: scheduled, encrypted, with in-app restore and offsite copies to S3-compatible storage.
- Your devices are managed in Microsoft Intune or Jamf and you want them to arrive in the register for review instead of being typed in.
- You want an iOS app that scans a label, changes status or whereabouts, and audits a room from the shelf.
- Locations matter as much as assets: sites, floors and rooms with their own QR labels.
- One administrator is enough, or a per-seat Team licence with Microsoft Entra ID single sign-on suits how you buy software.
Choose Snipe-IT if
- Your policy requires open-source software you can audit, patch or fork.
- You need several users without paying. Its self-hosted version has no seat limit.
- You want the larger community and the longer track record. Snipe-IT has been in production since 2013; Tagaris was first released in 2026.
- You need LDAP or Active Directory sync, or SAML single sign-on.
- You already run it and it is doing its job. A register you keep current is worth more than either feature list.
The five differences that matter
The full table has more rows. These are the ones that usually decide it.
| Snipe-IT | Tagaris | |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing model | Open source. Free to self-host with every feature and any number of users; paid hosting from the vendor. | Proprietary. The deployment files are public, the source is not. A free tier for one administrator with no asset limit, then Team licences by seat count. |
| Device sync | None built in. The REST API and community tools cover it. | Built in. Managed devices from Microsoft Intune and Jamf land in a review queue to link, import or ignore, and people import from Microsoft Entra ID. Free while in beta. |
| Importer | Exports to CSV from a custom report. | The asset importer has a Snipe-IT preset that recognises that export's columns and translates its statuses, with a dry-run preview before anything is written. |
| iOS app | Not assessed on this page. See the Snipe-IT site for its mobile options. | Tagaris for iOS (iPhone and iPad) on the App Store: scan labels, change status and whereabouts, add assets and audit from the shelf. Works on the free tier. Android is in development. |
| Backups | Generated, downloaded and restored from the admin screens or the command line. | Scheduled backups with optional passphrase encryption, in-app restore and S3-compatible offsite copies, on the free tier. |
Questions people ask
Can I import from Snipe-IT?
Yes. The asset importer has a Snipe-IT preset that recognises the column names in a Snipe-IT CSV export and translates its status values, and every import runs as a dry-run preview before anything is written. The people importer reads a Snipe-IT user export and matches by email. Warranty months and asset history do not carry over. The switching guide and the importing guide have the steps.
Is Tagaris open source?
No. Tagaris is proprietary. The deployment files (compose files, an example environment file and the security policy) are public on GitHub; the source is not. If open source is a requirement, Snipe-IT is the better choice. Your data stays exportable either way: full CSV and JSON export is on every Tagaris tier, free included, and licence keys verify offline.
What does Tagaris cost?
The free tier is the full register for one administrator, with no asset limit, no export limit and no trial clock. Team licences are priced by seat count and each includes multiple users with roles, Microsoft Entra ID single sign-on, the audit log, the custom report builder and scheduled reports, the REST API and Jira ticketing. Multi-organisation is an add-on. Prices are on the pricing page, along with a 30-day Team trial.
Does Tagaris integrate with Intune and Jamf?
Yes. Device sync pulls managed devices from Microsoft Intune and Jamf into a review queue, where an admin links each device to its matching asset, imports it as a new asset or ignores it. Syncs run daily or weekly. It is free while in beta, enabled with a key from [email protected]. The device sync guide covers the setup.
See it before you decide
The live demo runs the current Tagaris release in your browser with demo data loaded. No sign-up, and the dataset resets nightly.