# Compare both versions of ManageEngine AssetExplorer

**On-premises vs Cloud**

Last updated: 30 September 2024

## Asset management

### Discovery techniques for windows

| Features | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| Agent-based scan (In Beta) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Agent-less scan | ✓ | ✗ |

### Discovery techniques for other devices (Macs, Linux, Printer, and other network devices)

| Features | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| Network and Credentials (SSH, SNMP, etc.) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Probe scanning (Distributed asset scan) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Domain scan | ✓ | ✓ |

### Software asset management

| Features | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| License management with suite licensing, ability to manage upgrade and downgrade of licenses. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create multiple license types and associate them to manufacturers. | ✓ | ✓ |
| License agreement management. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Software license compliance management. | ✓ | ✓ |

### Track the complete life cycle of assets

| Features | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| Keep track of all assets in one place. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create multiple asset states. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Configure depreciation rates to keep track of asset value/cost over time. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ensure and verify assets are associated to users with asset acknowledgement. | ✓ | ✗ |
| Build custom workflows to automate various asset management operations based on asset parameters. | ✓ | ✗ |
| Track your assets using bar code and QR code scanning. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Asset Auto assign based on last logged-in user information detected during scan. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Track and manage consumable IT and non-IT assets. | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automatically alert stakeholders when assets in store fall below configurable thresholds to prevent unintended exhaustion. | ✓ | ✓ |

### Loan assets for temporary usage

| Features | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| Loan assets to users for a limited time. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Keep track of all loaned assets in one place. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Get notified when a loaned asset is nearing expiry | ✓ | ✓ |

### Keep tabs on asset metrics

| Features | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| Keep track of all your assets with real time dashboards like the total number of assets, workstations, software, purchase orders & contracts and more out of the box. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create standard, custom and audit reports. | ✓ | ✓ |

### Asset life cycle

| Features | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| Define the life cycle of your assets and help guide your technicians. | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ensure all assets go through a predefined lifecycle with various condition based actions before, during and after each transition between the asset states. | ✓ | ✗ |
| Build asset life cycles on graphical drag-and-drop canvas. | ✓ | ✗ |
| Restrict the ability of a technician to move an asset to the next state with roles. | ✓ | ✗ |
| Collect relevant information only if and when required. | ✓ | ✗ |
| Create distinct asset life cycles and associate them to different types of products. | ✓ | ✗ |
| Trigger contextual notifications at various points in the asset life cycle. | ✓ | ✗ |

## Configuration management database (CMDB)

| Features | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| Define CIs and map their relationships in a hierarchical or network structure. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Graphical view of CIs and their relationship map. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create new CI types. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create different business views to map the relationship between CIs for different services. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Import CIs and CI relationships through a CSV or XLS file. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export the CI relationship map as a CSV or PNG file. | ✓ | ✓ |

## Purchase management

| Features | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| Manage the purchase of both assets and services. Create different service types and associate vendors according to the services provided. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Support for multiple currencies. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Provision for adding shipping costs, taxes and transport costs. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Configure multiple levels of approval. Configure requesters and technicians as purchase approvers and set the upper limit for each approver. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Add invoice and payment information. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrate with assets to track the assets that have been added to the organization. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Track the necessary information for a specific transaction when purchasing with general ledger codes. | ✓ | ✓ |

## Contract management

| Features | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| Create contracts and track all contracts from one place. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Associate multiple assets to a contract. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create child contracts within the contract. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Associate cost for the contract. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Send notifications when a contract is nearing expiry. | ✓ | ✓ |

## Reporting

| Features | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-built standard reports. (180+) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create custom reports with configurable parameters. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Query reports. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create KPI reports. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Customizable report dashboards with role-based access permissions. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create report folders and organize reports under relevant folders. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create tabular, matrix, summary, scan or CI history reports. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Depict reports visually as pie charts, bar charts, line charts, time series charts, area charts or ring charts. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export reports into CSV, XLS, HTML and PDF formats. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Schedule reports, specify the frequency and the recipient of the report. | ✓ | ✓ |

## Other features

| Features | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| A self-service portal for end users. | ✓ | ✗ |
| A dedicated Developer space to build custom functions or scripts for last-mile customisations. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automations like Triggers, Custom menus and custom widgets | ✓ | ✗ |

## Integrations

| Features | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| Analytics Plus | ✓ | ✓ |
| Endpoint Central | ✓ | ✓ |
| Microsoft 365 | ✗ | ✓ |
| Microsoft Azure | ✓ | ✗ |
| Microsoft Intune | ✓ | ✗ |
| Microsoft Office 365 Calendar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Microsoft SCCM | ✓ | ✓ |
| SolarWinds | ✗ | ✓ |
| Zapier | ✓ | ✗ |

## System requirements

### Supported OS

| Supported OS | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Server 2019 and 2022 | - | ✓ |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 and above | - | ✓ |
| Ubuntu 20 and above | - | ✓ |
| CentOS 8 and above | - | ✓ |
| Debian 10 and above | - | ✓ |

### Support databases

| Support databases | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft SQL Server 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2022 | - | ✓ |
| PostgreSQL | - | ✓ |

### Supported browsers

| Supported browsers | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| Mozilla Firefox | ✓ | ✓ |
| Google Chrome | ✓ | ✓ |
| Microsoft Edge | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zoho Ulaa | ✓ | ✓ |

## Pricing

*(Every edition in AssetExplorer is full-featured)*

| Edition | Cloud | On-premises |
|---|---|---|
| Free edition | [Cloud](https://www.manageengine.com/products/asset-explorer/pricing.html) | [On-premises](https://www.manageengine.com/products/asset-explorer/pricing.html) |
| Trial edition | [Cloud](https://www.manageengine.com/products/asset-explorer/pricing.html) | [On-premises](https://www.manageengine.com/products/asset-explorer/pricing.html) |
| Professional edition | [Cloud](https://www.manageengine.com/products/asset-explorer/pricing.html) | [On-premises](https://www.manageengine.com/products/asset-explorer/pricing.html) |
| Subscription model | Monthly and yearly basis | Yearly and perpetual basis |