Comparison
Kovira vs Hudu
Hudu does documentation. Kovira runs the whole environment - assets, dependencies, incidents, changes, documentation - on one platform, with discovery and endpoints included, and a permanent free tier at launch.
Overview
Kovira is the all-in-one CMDB and ITSM platform for modern IT teams. One place for every asset, every dependency, every incident, every change, every document, every automation - backed by built-in network discovery, endpoint intelligence, and a free tier that never expires.
Hudu is documentation software built for MSPs - custom asset types, linked records, a password vault. Documentation tooling done well, for teams whose job is documentation.
Kovira is a different product. Documentation is part of it - but so is a live dependency map, impact analysis before a change lands, incident and change enablement that share the same CMDB, and discovery that keeps the inventory honest without another bill.
Stay with documentation-only if the rest of the stack is paid for and settled. Move to Kovira to consolidate - one platform where asset data, operational data, and knowledge live in the same source of truth.
Feature by feature
How they stack up
Core positioning
Primary product category
- Hudu
- Documentation
- Kovira
- CMDB + ITSM
Free tier
- Hudu
- 14-day trial
- Kovira
- Supported
Published pricing
Check each vendor's pricing page for current rates.
- Hudu
- Supported
- Kovira
- Supported
Multi-tenant workspaces
For MSP client work or multi-entity businesses.
- Hudu
- Supported
- Kovira
- Supported
CMDB depth
Typed CI catalogue with purpose-built fields
- Hudu
- Custom asset types
- Kovira
- Supported
Interactive dependency map
- Hudu
- Related items
- Kovira
- Supported
Impact analysis before a change
- Hudu
- Not supported
- Kovira
- Supported
Built-in network discovery
Hudu offers Hudu Radar as a separately-licensed add-on.
- Hudu
- Paid add-on
- Kovira
- Supported
Built-in endpoint agents
- Hudu
- Not supported
- Kovira
- Supported
Microsoft 365 directory sync
- Hudu
- Via integrations
- Kovira
- Supported
ITSM operations
Incident management
- Hudu
- Not supported
- Kovira
- Supported
Change enablement
- Hudu
- Not supported
- Kovira
- Supported
Workflow automation
- Hudu
- Limited
- Kovira
- Supported
Complete audit trail
- Hudu
- Supported
- Kovira
- Supported
Documentation and knowledge
Rich document editor
- Hudu
- Supported
- Kovira
- Supported
Password vault
- Hudu
- Supported
- Kovira
- Supported
Documents linked to CIs
- Hudu
- Supported
- Kovira
- Supported
Process / SOP templates
- Hudu
- Supported
- Kovira
- Supported
What this comparison really means
Hudu is good. Kovira is the next layer.
Hudu earned its reputation by doing IT Glue's job better. The editor is faster, the schema is cleaner, the password vault works the way technicians want it to work, and the pricing model does not punish growing MSPs the way IT Glue's per-organisation tiers did. For teams whose requirement is documentation and a vault, Hudu is the right answer, and Kovira is not trying to displace it from that requirement. Hudu also ships a network scanner and basic asset discovery; both are useful and both are complementary to a documentation-first product.
Kovira covers documentation and a vault, and adds the layer underneath. The 19 typed CI categories model your environment with real foreign keys between configuration items, so the dependency map is the schema rather than a diagram you maintain by hand. ITILv4 incident management ships with response and resolution SLA timers, resolution and closure codes, watchers, parent and child links, and postmortem document references on major incidents. Change enablement enforces an independent reviewer on every approval. The workflow engine fires on CI changes, ticket lifecycle events, SLA events, schedules, and incoming email. None of that exists in Hudu, and adding it usually means a separate PSA, a separate workflow tool, and a separate discovery product.
Where the comparison genuinely lands
Two patterns show up when teams evaluate Hudu and Kovira side by side. The first is teams whose work really is documentation and a vault: the value of Hudu's clean editor, search, and password sharing outweighs the absence of CMDB depth and ITSM workflow. They stay on Hudu, and Kovira is overkill. The second is teams whose work is documentation, tickets, changes, and dependency-driven decision-making, where Hudu plus a separate ITSM tool plus a separate workflow engine plus a separate discovery scanner has accumulated organically and the integration tax is becoming the work. They consolidate to Kovira and replace several products with one.
The single biggest differentiator that comes up in these evaluations is the configuration item model. Documentation tools store configurations as records with structured fields. A CMDB stores configurations as typed entities with relationships, and the relationships are the database. The day a change reviewer looks at a CI and sees the seventeen things that depend on it, or an incident responder opens a ticket and the CMDB context is already attached, is the day the difference between the two layers becomes obvious.
Which one is right for you?
Both products have a sweet spot. Here is an honest view of when each one is the better fit.
Stay with Hudu when
- Documentation is the whole job and your CMDB, ITSM, discovery, and endpoints are paid for elsewhere.
- A focused documentation-only tool is the ceiling of what you need.
- Your ITSM lives in another product and there is no appetite to bring it together.
Move to Kovira when
- You want one source of truth for assets, dependencies, incidents, changes, and documentation.
- Dependency mapping and impact analysis need to be answers on demand, not something you piece together.
- Discovery and endpoint intelligence belong in the platform, not on a separate invoice.
- Multi-tenant workspaces are non-negotiable - for MSP clients or multi-entity operations - and user minimums are not.
- A permanent free tier with the full platform beats a short trial every day.
- Fewer tools, better answers, less spend.
Common questions
Can Kovira replace Hudu for documentation?
Comfortably. Kovira's document editor covers everything a modern documentation tool should - rich text, checklists, images, tables, code, quotes, callouts, link lists, divider layouts - with templates, version history, and a password vault. Documents link directly to the assets they describe. Bring your top three workflows and see how it feels.
What does Kovira add beyond documentation?
A live picture of the environment. Dependency maps show what is connected to what, so impact analysis stops being guesswork. Incident and change management share the same CMDB, so every ticket carries real context. Built-in discovery keeps the inventory honest. Automation ties it together. Documentation plugs into all of it - runbooks live next to the assets they describe.
How do we see dependencies and impact?
Every asset in Kovira has a clear, visual view of what depends on it and what it depends on. Before a change lands, you see exactly which services, customers, and teams are affected. During an incident, the same map tells you the reach of the problem. The difference is between knowing something exists and knowing its place in the bigger picture.
Can we bring our Hudu data across?
Yes. Kovira's asset model maps cleanly onto the concepts Hudu uses - companies become customers, asset types become CI types, articles become documents, linked records carry across as dependencies. Formal import tooling and mapping guides will land closer to general availability. Once imported, built-in discovery keeps the inventory current automatically.
Is network discovery included?
Yes - at every tier, including the free one. Point Kovira at a subnet and it builds the picture: devices, topology, VLANs, WAN links - all feeding straight into your CMDB with clear source attribution. Add endpoint intelligence from Windows and Linux hosts and your inventory maintains itself, no separate subscription required.
How does pricing compare?
Kovira publishes per-technician plans and includes a permanent free tier with the full platform - CMDB, incidents, changes, discovery, endpoints, audit trail. No trial countdown, no paid add-ons for the essentials. Hudu uses per-user subscription pricing. Both pricing pages are public and change from time to time; check each for current numbers.
Be first in line when we launch
Kovira is launching soon. The free tier will include every CI type, VECTOR network scanning, ATLAS endpoint agents, incidents, changes, workflows, and the complete audit trail. Leave your email and we will let you know the moment it is ready.