IBM License Metric Tool vs Reftab

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.

Reftab is cloud-based asset management software for tracking hardware, software, equipment, and IT spend. It supports software license and contract tracking, employee self-service, barcode scanning, and QR codes. Administrative tools include custom fields and statuses, reports, exports, and bulk actions; integrations include Intune, Jamf, Jira, Microsoft, Okta, Adobe, and 30+ more. Mobile apps are available for iOS and Android. The Free plan covers up to 50 assets and includes unlimited inventory and software tracking, mobile apps, and barcode and QR-code support. Accessories and licenses can be tracked without limit at no cost, and archived assets blocked from checkout do not count against the active asset quota. Hardware Asset Management includes unlimited users. Software Asset Management includes application discovery, installed software tracking, license and user tracking, software usage and spend, access reviews, renewal visibility, and compliance visibility for ISO 27001 and SOC 2. The Software Asset Management plan is $9 per year, billed annually; Hardware Asset Management is $125 per month. Paid offerings list a 14-day free trial. Payments can be made by credit card or ACH.