IBM License Metric Tool vs LICENSEWARE

IBM License Metric Tool inventories IBM software measured by processor core and measures required licenses in full-capacity and virtualization sub-capacity environments. IBM recommends it for full-capacity licensing and requires it for sub-capacity licensing. It scans infrastructure for installed IBM software and version details that can support version management and security patching. For sub-capacity use, it produces audit reports, tracks license utilization thresholds, and sends email notifications when thresholds approach or exceed their limits. Installation options are License Metric Tool Lite, License Metric Tool with Ansible, and License Metric Tool with BigFix. It integrates with BigFix and provides a REST API for external systems, which must retrieve data through the API rather than directly from the database. The tool is free, with a listed price of free; customers supply hardware and installation services. Linux installations require DB2, included at no charge for use only with the tool. Windows installations require a customer-provided MS SQL Server instance; MS SQL Server Express is supported for environments under 500 endpoints. Sub-capacity audit snapshots must be generated quarterly and kept for at least two years.

LICENSEWARE is a modular software asset management platform that helps organizations examine software inventory, licensing, contracts, renewals, infrastructure, and vendor-specific licensing. Its apps turn licensing data into cost-saving and audit-risk insights, while NEO can answer vendor-specific questions, analyze contracts, and prepare contextual reports. The platform lists more than 58 data sources, including Lansweeper, Microsoft Graph, SCCM, Oracle LMS scripts, ServiceNow, Proactivanet, and NinjaOne. New APIs, uploaders, and agents can be requested; the maker says most new integrations ship within two weeks. Its Collector scans Linux, Windows, macOS, and Docker hosts for software, hardware, process, and container data. LICENSEWARE supports API, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows, with hybrid deployment. The maker says it is SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2 certified, and customer data stays in a selected Netherlands, Iowa, or Sydney region. The no-time-limit Free plan allows unlimited uploads, but reports are limited to 10 rows per table. Pay as you go is listed at $1 a month; Chill is $150 a month.