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Head-to-head · IT Asset Discovery Software

ServiceNow Discovery vs OCS Inventory NG

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score ServiceNow Discovery #4 in IT Asset Discovery Software 9.1/10 Pricing on request ✓ 5 of 5 features Visit ServiceNow
OCS Inventory NG #9 in IT Asset Discovery Software 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Try OCS Inventory NG

ServiceNow Discovery leads on 0 checks, OCS Inventory NG on 1, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreServiceNow Discovery · 9.1/10
  • Free planonly OCS Inventory NG
  • Most featuresServiceNow Discovery · 5 of 5

ServiceNow Discovery scores higher on our rubric for it asset discovery software: 9.1 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #9.

OCS Inventory NG offers free plan; ServiceNow Discovery doesn't.

ServiceNow Discovery is the better fit for enterprise CMDB-centered discovery. OCS Inventory NG is the better fit for free open-source inventory discovery.

  • ServiceNow Discovery fits best

    Enterprise CMDB-centered discovery

  • OCS Inventory NG fits best

    Free open-source inventory discovery

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature ServiceNow Discovery 9.1/10 Visit ↗ OCS Inventory NG 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 8.6
Ranking #4 in IT Asset Discovery Software #9 in IT Asset Discovery Software
Best for Enterprise CMDB-centered discovery Free open-source inventory discovery
Pricing model Paid Free
Starting price — Free
Free plan — ✓ (best)
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Support Docs, Community Community, Email, Docs
Integrations 3 integrations 5 integrations
Built for Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features ServiceNow Discovery 5/5 · OCS Inventory NG 4/5
Hardware discovery ✓ ✓
Software discovery ✓ ✓
Cloud discovery ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Network asset discovery ✓ ✓
Agentless discovery ✓ ✓
Specs
Asset limit Not checked yet Not checked yet
Deployment model Hybrid Hybrid
Our review
Pros
  • Agentless discovery across infrastructure, applications, networks, and clouds
  • Matches and updates configuration items in the ServiceNow CMDB
  • Scheduled and manual runs with MID Server private-network communication
  • Agent and agentless discovery across hardware, software, and networks
  • Free plan includes unlimited agents and plugin access
  • REST API plus GLPI, iTop, CMDBuild, and LDAP integrations
Cons
  • Pricing is handled through contact sales
  • Discovery is a separate ServiceNow subscription
  • Its strongest fit depends on a ServiceNow CMDB-centered environment
  • OCS Free provides community support rather than unlimited support
  • More than 10,000 agents requires custom pricing on OCS Pro
  • The identified 3.0.0-rc2 release is intended for testing, not production
Our verdict

ServiceNow Discovery identifies hardware, software, applications, networks, cloud resources, and containers across hybrid IT environments. It is designed for organizations that need configuration-item discovery connected to a ServiceNow…

Read the review →

OCS Inventory NG is open-source IT asset inventory software for organizations that need centralized visibility into computers, servers, software, and network devices. Agents collect hardware and software information and send it to a…

Read the review →
  1. ServiceNow DiscoveryIT Asset Discovery Software 9.1Pricing on request
  2. OCS Inventory NGIT Asset Discovery Software 8.6Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • ServiceNow Discovery — where it wins

    • Agentless discovery across infrastructure, applications, networks, and clouds
    • Matches and updates configuration items in the ServiceNow CMDB
    • Scheduled and manual runs with MID Server private-network communication

    Where it doesn't

    • Pricing is handled through contact sales
    • Discovery is a separate ServiceNow subscription
    • Its strongest fit depends on a ServiceNow CMDB-centered environment

  • OCS Inventory NG — where it wins

    • Agent and agentless discovery across hardware, software, and networks
    • Free plan includes unlimited agents and plugin access
    • REST API plus GLPI, iTop, CMDBuild, and LDAP integrations

    Where it doesn't

    • OCS Free provides community support rather than unlimited support
    • More than 10,000 agents requires custom pricing on OCS Pro
    • The identified 3.0.0-rc2 release is intended for testing, not production

More comparisons

All IT asset discovery software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update