A free CMDB with the full platform
Kovira's free tier launches as the same product as the paid plans, with starter limits. No feature paywall, and a real CMDB underneath, not a glorified spreadsheet.
For: Solo IT admins, one-person internal IT shops, hobbyist sysadmins, IT students learning ITIL, and very small businesses with up to 10 configuration items.
Why Kovira fits
If you are the only person responsible for IT at your organisation, you have probably tried to make a spreadsheet do the job of a CMDB. It works for a week. Then someone unplugs a switch, an SSL certificate expires, or a server goes missing, and the spreadsheet that was the source of truth quietly stops being either.
The free and open-source alternatives all have their own problems. Spiceworks has wound down its hosted IT management. Snipe-IT covers asset tracking but not the rest of ITSM. GLPI is capable but heavy to self-host. Hudu and IT Glue do not offer a free tier at all. That leaves a gap between "a spreadsheet" and "sign a contract", which is where Kovira's free tier sits.
The free plan includes every part of the platform: a typed CMDB with 10 configuration items, VECTOR network scanning, ATLAS endpoint agents (up to 5), incidents and changes, one automated workflow, structured documentation linked to your CIs, password vaulting, and a complete audit trail. It runs the same code as Business and MSP. Only the enforced plan limits differ.
What you get
Everything you need to run IT
The full Kovira platform with starter limits.
- 1 technician seat with full Owner permissions
- 10 configuration items across every CI type
- VECTOR network scanning for unlimited subnets
- Up to 5 ATLAS endpoint agents (Windows and Linux)
- Incidents, changes, and one automated workflow
- Knowledge base with structured document storage
- Password vault for secrets and credentials
- Multi-factor authentication, included on every plan
- Complete, immutable audit trail
See what is on your network
Stop guessing. Point VECTOR at a subnet and see every device.
VECTOR is Kovira's built-in network scanner. It runs on demand or on a schedule and surfaces every responding device: routers, switches, firewalls, servers, workstations, printers, and the IoT gear nobody admits to plugging in. It does not need agents on the targets.
Discovered devices land in your CMDB as typed configuration items. Topology data turns into relationships, so the dependency map you use every day reflects what is on the network instead of a Visio diagram from three years ago.
Highlights
- Agentless network discovery
- Subnet, VLAN, and topology mapping
- Devices auto-create as typed CIs
- Safe, read-only operation
Keep laptop and server inventory current
ATLAS agents on up to 5 endpoints, included.
Every Kovira plan (free included) ships ATLAS endpoint agents for Windows and Linux. The agent reports hardware, operating system, installed software, security posture, and a regular check-in that flags any endpoint that goes silent.
On the free tier you can install the agent on up to 5 machines. Inventory is correlated automatically with whatever VECTOR has already discovered, so a laptop seen on the network and a laptop reporting via the agent become a single configuration item, not two duplicates.
Highlights
- Hardware, OS, and installed software inventory
- Security and compliance posture
- Configurable check-in intervals
- Automatic cross-source deduplication
Real ITSM, not a ticket inbox
Incidents, changes, and workflow automation, on the free plan.
Kovira ships incident management, change enablement, and a workflow engine in every plan. Open an incident from a CI, link it to a related change, route it through approvals, and let a workflow handle the repetitive parts (notifying stakeholders, updating CIs, posting to a webhook).
Changes require an independent approver (the person who raised it cannot rubber-stamp it), and every state transition is captured in the audit trail. ITILv4 alignment without an ITILv4 consultant.
Highlights
- Incident, problem, and change records
- Change approvals with independent approver enforcement
- Workflow automation (one workflow on the free plan)
- Service-level tracking
Documents, runbooks, and a password vault
The documentation your future self will thank you for.
The free tier includes structured document storage. Cards for headings, text, checklists, tables, code, callouts, and link lists let you build runbooks, SOPs, post-mortems, and onboarding docs that get read, and they link directly to the configuration items they describe.
A built-in password vault stores secrets against CIs (router admin passwords, service-account credentials) so they live next to the device they belong to, not in a separate browser tab.
Highlights
- Structured content blocks (heading, text, checklist, table, code, callout, link list)
- Documents linked to CIs
- Built-in password vault
- Structured document storage
Audit trail, RLS, and security by default
The same security posture as the paid plans.
Every mutation (CI edit, document change, password access, login) is captured in an immutable audit trail. The platform runs row-level security and tenant isolation by default. The free tier has the same security guarantees as Business and MSP, because it is the same platform.
Highlights
- Immutable audit log of every action
- Row-level security across the database
- Multi-factor authentication on every plan
- Browser-friendly CSP and modern security headers
Switching from another tool?
Switching from a free or unsupported tool
Most people landing on the free tier have already tried something else. Here is how Kovira lines up with the alternatives you have probably already met.
Coming from Spiceworks
Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk and Inventory have wound down. Kovira gives you a current, supported free CMDB with built-in network scanning, endpoint agents, and an ITSM workflow engine, with nothing to self-host.
Coming from Snipe-IT
Snipe-IT does asset tracking well, but you still need a separate ticketing tool, separate documentation, and separate discovery. Kovira's free tier covers asset inventory plus incidents, changes, documents, and discovery in one product.
Coming from GLPI
GLPI is capable but self-hosted, and the upgrade and plugin tax adds up. Kovira's free tier is hosted and gives you the same upgrade path to Teams, Business, or MSP without changing platforms.
Coming from Hudu
Hudu is a documentation-first tool without a free tier. Kovira's free tier includes documentation plus a real CMDB with dependency mapping and ITSM, in one product.
Coming from IT Glue
IT Glue is a documentation platform aimed at paid teams. Kovira lets you start as a single technician on the free tier, with the same upgrade path through Teams, Business, and MSP when you are ready.
Coming from A spreadsheet
Spreadsheets do not enforce relationships, do not version on save, and do not survive being shared with three people. Kovira's free tier is what you wish your spreadsheet was: typed columns, change history, and a dependency map that updates itself.
Common questions
Is the free tier really free?
Yes. When Kovira launches, the free tier will be a permanent plan, not a trial or 14-day evaluation. The limits stay where they are unless you choose to upgrade.
What are the limits on the free plan?
1 technician seat, 10 configuration items, up to 5 ATLAS endpoint agents, structured document storage, and one workflow. Multi-factor authentication is included. VECTOR network scanning is available across the subnets configured for the workspace.
Are any features paywalled out of the free tier?
Two are. Microsoft 365 (Entra ID and Intune) sync starts on the Teams plan, and multi-tenant workspaces are an MSP-plan feature. Everything else is included on the free tier within the limits noted above: CMDB, network scanning, endpoint agents, incidents, changes, workflows, documents, and audit trail.
What happens when I outgrow the limits?
You upgrade in place, with no data migration and no platform switch. The Teams plan lifts the seat count to 5 and CIs to 500. Business raises those to unlimited technicians and 1,500 CIs. MSP adds multi-tenant workspaces. Your CIs, documents, workflows, and audit trail come with you.
Can I use Kovira's free tier as a Hudu, IT Glue, or Spiceworks alternative?
Yes for the documentation, asset tracking, and password-vaulting parts of those products. Kovira goes further by including a typed CMDB, network discovery, endpoint agents, and ITSM workflows in the free tier, so you usually end up replacing more than one tool, not fewer.
Be ready on launch day
Kovira is launching soon. The free tier will include the full CMDB, VECTOR network scanning, and ATLAS endpoint agents. Leave your email and be first in line.