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OPTION · CMDB WITH DISCOVERY · RANK 9 OF 9

Device42 review: a discovery-led CMDB for data center estates

SHORT ANSWER

Device42 ranks 9 of 9 at 55.2 out of 100. It suits data center teams: agentless discovery from mainframes to containers, dependency mapping and continuous scheduled discovery. End-user laptops, SaaS, identities and owners are not documented, price amounts are not published, and the appliance and collectors are yours to host.

By The Record Desk · CMDB Alternatives Compare · Published 2026-10-11

RECORD SCORE

Device42 is outscored on 7 of 7 criteria.

Company
Device42, a Freshworks company
Type
CMDB with discovery
Deployment
Customer-hosted. The main appliance is a pre-configured Linux virtual appliance your organization hosts on VMware vCenter, Hyper-V, Citrix Xen, Xen/KVM, AWS or Azure, with at least one Remote Collector; an optional Discovery Agent covers Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD and Solaris. Vendor-hosted SaaS is not stated.
Pricing
Annual subscription based on the number of devices; amounts not published.

Source: Device42 pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026

Website
device42.com

What does Device42 do?

An agentless discovery and dependency mapping tool that describes itself as a next generation CMDB, now part of Freshworks.

  • What it is: "agentless discovery and dependency mapping solution, spanning from legacy mainframes to cloud containers"

    Source: Device42 homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026

  • CMDB: "next generation CMDB"; IP address management and dependency visuals.

    Source: Device42 features · Read 27 Sep 2026

  • Discovery: SNMP network devices, AWS and Azure; "Discoveries are run continuously on a schedule".

    Source: Device42 features · Read 27 Sep 2026

  • Integrations: "30+ Integrations", including ServiceNow, Freshservice and Jira.

    Source: Device42 homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026

  • Ownership: "A Freshworks Company"; the pricing page notes "Freshworks Acquires Device42".

    Source: Device42 pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026

  • Deployment: Self-hosted main appliance plus at least one Remote Collector; agentless discovery recommended, optional Discovery Agent.

    Source: Device42 docs: deploy Device42 · Read 11 Oct 2026

How does it score on each criterion?

Device42: score per criterion, with reason and source
CriterionWeightScoreWhySource
Completeness of discovery20%
Lowest in set
Agentless discovery from mainframes to cloud containers, SNMP network devices, AWS and Azure; laptops, SaaS and identities are not documented.

Source: Device42 homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026

Data trust and reconciliation20%A CMDB fed mainly by its own scheduled discovery, with fewer third-party sources to reconcile.

Source: Device42 features · Read 27 Sep 2026

Ownership mapping12%
Lowest in set
Ownership mapping is not described; the focus is infrastructure and dependencies.

Source: Device42 features · Read 27 Sep 2026

Keeping the CMDB in sync16%Describes itself as a next generation CMDB and integrates with ServiceNow, Freshservice and Jira.

Source: Device42 features · Read 27 Sep 2026

Effort to maintain14%Discoveries run continuously on a schedule, but the main appliance and at least one Remote Collector are hosted and maintained by your own team; vendor-hosted SaaS is not stated.

Source: Device42 docs: deploy Device42 · Read 11 Oct 2026

Actionability10%30+ integrations including ServiceNow, Freshservice and Jira; no actions of its own are documented.

Source: Device42 homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026

Pricing clarity8%Pricing model published (annual subscription by number of devices); amounts not published.

Source: Device42 pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026

What does its record card show?

Device42 record cardFOUND: Documented; MATCHED: Partial; OWNED: Not documented; SYNCED: Documented; CURRENT: Documented. 3.5 of 5 lines documented.Device42CMDB WITH DISCOVERYFOUNDDOCMATCHEDPARTOWNEDNOT DOCSYNCEDDOCCURRENTDOC3.5 of 5 lines documented
  • Documented on the vendor's pages
  • Partial: in general terms, through another product or by integration only
  • Not documented on the pages reviewed
  • FOUND · Documented

    Agentless discovery from mainframes to cloud containers, SNMP devices, AWS and Azure.

    Source: Device42 homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026

  • MATCHED · Partial

    A CMDB fed mainly by its own discovery, with fewer third-party sources to reconcile.

    Source: Device42 features · Read 27 Sep 2026

  • OWNED · Not documented

    Not described; the focus is infrastructure and dependencies.

    Source: Device42 features · Read 27 Sep 2026

  • SYNCED · Documented

    Its own CMDB, plus integrations with ServiceNow, Freshservice and Jira.

    Source: Device42 features · Read 27 Sep 2026

  • CURRENT · Documented

    Discoveries run continuously on a schedule.

    Source: Device42 features · Read 27 Sep 2026

A punched line means the vendor's own pages describe that part of keeping a record current. It does not measure how well it works on your estate.

How does it keep the record current?

Device42 describes agentless discovery from legacy mainframes to cloud containers, SNMP network device discovery and AWS and Azure discovery, with discoveries run continuously on a schedule. Its CMDB is fed mainly by that discovery, which keeps the record current for infrastructure but leaves fewer outside sources to reconcile.

How does it work with a CMDB such as ServiceNow?

Device42 lists integrations with ServiceNow, Freshservice and Jira among more than 30, so it can serve as its own CMDB or feed infrastructure and dependency data to another one.

Where is it strong, and where are its limits?

Strengths

  • Dependency mapping and IP address management for data center estates.
  • A CMDB with continuous scheduled discovery built in.

Limits

  • End-user laptops, SaaS apps, identities and ownership are not documented.
  • Price amounts are not published, and the appliance and remote collectors are yours to host and maintain.

How does it compare with the others?

Alternatives to Device42Compare Device42 with others

Visit Device42

Frequently asked questions

How is Device42 priced?

By annual subscription based on the number of devices. Amounts are not published. A free trial is available as a download.

Is Device42 SaaS or self-hosted?

Self-hosted. Its docs describe a main appliance your organization hosts on VMware, Hyper-V, Xen or KVM, AWS or Azure, plus at least one Remote Collector. A vendor-hosted SaaS option is not stated.

Does Device42 cover laptops and SaaS apps?

Not on the pages reviewed. Its documented focus is data center and cloud infrastructure and the dependencies between systems.

Who owns Device42?

Freshworks. Device42's pages describe it as a Freshworks company.