For a remote workforce, I’d prioritize asset custody + shipping/returns + device management, not just an inventory database. The best choice depends on how much of the IT workflow you want automated.
My shortlist
| Software | Best for | Remote equipment tracking | Device management | Shipping/returns | Overall |
|---|
| Rippling | HR + IT in one system | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | Best overall for remote teams |
| Snipe-IT | Dedicated asset tracking, low cost | ★★★★★ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | Best value / asset ledger |
| NinjaOne | IT teams managing endpoints | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★☆☆☆ | Best for IT operations |
| InvGate Asset Management | Larger IT/ITSM environments | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | Best for mature IT departments |
| Lansweeper | Discovery-heavy environments | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | Best for automated inventory discovery |
🥇 Best overall: Rippling
If your main problem is "We send laptops/monitors/phones to employees at home and need to know where everything is", I'd look hardest at Rippling.
Its inventory management is designed to handle remote/hybrid fleets: it can track inventory, retrieve devices from departing remote employees, store devices for future assignments, and reassign equipment without IT physically handling the hardware.
That makes it particularly attractive if you want this workflow:
New hire → equipment assigned → shipped → employee receives it → asset remains associated with employee → employee leaves → return shipment → device recovered → wipe/reconfigure → assign to next employee.
That is much closer to your actual problem than traditional "IT inventory" software.
🥈 Best dedicated asset-management option: Snipe-IT
If you already have HR, MDM and shipping processes and primarily need a system of record for company-owned equipment, I'd strongly consider Snipe-IT.
Snipe-IT has excellent fundamentals for this use case: unique asset tags, check-in/check-out, assignment to employees, locations, asset history, custom fields, QR/barcode labels, acceptance signatures, notifications and API/integration capabilities.
For example, you could record:
- Asset: MacBook Pro 14"
- Serial: C02XXXXXXX
- Asset tag: LAP-00427
- Assigned to: Jane Smith
- Home location: Austin, TX
- Status: Deployed
- Date shipped: Sept. 10
- Expected return: TBD
- Accessories: charger, dock, monitor
- Purchase date/cost
- Warranty expiration
- Condition
- Return tracking number
Snipe-IT also keeps the checkout/check-in history, which is valuable when equipment changes hands.
The tradeoff is that Snipe-IT is primarily an asset-management system, not a complete remote-device-management or logistics platform.
🥉 Best if IT also needs endpoint control: NinjaOne
If your IT team needs to know not only who has the laptop, but also whether it's online, patched, secure, and healthy, an RMM/endpoint-management platform such as NinjaOne becomes more compelling.
Recent 2026 comparisons rank NinjaOne particularly strongly for teams wanting an integrated RMM, patch management and remote-access platform.
I'd choose this direction if the requirement is really:
"Track our equipment and remotely manage the computers."
rather than simply:
"Track who has our equipment."
What I'd recommend
For a typical 50–500-person remote/hybrid company, I'd narrow it to:
Rippling if you want HR + onboarding/offboarding + equipment logistics tightly integrated.
Snipe-IT + your existing MDM if you want a clean, inexpensive asset registry and already use something like Microsoft Intune, Jamf, etc.
NinjaOne if IT operations and remote endpoint management are the bigger priority.
One important distinction: ITAM and MDM are different things. An asset system tells you "MacBook ABC123 belongs to Jane Smith." An MDM/RMM tells you "ABC123 is online, encrypted, patched, compliant, and can be remotely wiped." For remote workforces, having both capabilities is often ideal.
If you tell me roughly how many employees/devices you have, Windows vs. Mac, and whether you already use Microsoft 365/Intune, Google Workspace, Jamf, or an HRIS, I can narrow this to the best 2–3 options and compare approximate pricing and implementation effort.