Overview

runZero combines active scanning, passive traffic sampling, and API integrations to maintain an inventory across diverse environments. Alongside assets, it tracks services, screenshots, software, vulnerabilities, certificates, wireless devices, users, and groups. That breadth helps security and IT teams connect network discovery to exposure and asset context instead of relying on a host list alone.

Collection is agentless and does not require authentication or appliances, reducing deployment overhead. It is offered as hosted SaaS or as an on-premise deployment with Consoles, distributed Explorers, and a command-line tool. Explorer binaries run on Windows, Linux, and macOS, but installation requires administrative or root privileges. Self-hosting the console is reserved for Platform customers with runZero Care enabled.

Key features

Discovery and inventory

Active scanning, passive sampling, and integrations provide complementary ways to find assets. Hardware, software, cloud, and network discovery make runZero relevant to organizations whose estates span more than conventional managed endpoints. Prebuilt integrations cover cloud providers, EDR, MDM, vulnerability scanning, ITSM, and detection platforms; a Custom Integration API and scripts can extend that reach. The practical benefit depends on connecting the systems an organization uses, and the agentless approach does not eliminate the need for privileged Explorer installation.

Risk, reporting, and integrations

Reports include layer-2 topology maps and asset risk, while alerts can appear in the product, arrive by email, or go to webhooks such as Slack. This gives teams several ways to surface findings and route them into existing workflows. The combination is more useful for ongoing asset and exposure management than for a one-time inventory exercise.

Security and support

runZero has completed a SOC 2 Type II audit covering the security Trust Service Criteria. It says customer data is logically separated and encrypted at rest and in transit. Documentation, API resources, release notes, a Trust Center, and human support through the console or contact form give administrators routes to guidance and assistance.

Pricing

runZero uses a freemium model, with a free plan and a 21-day trial. The paid Platform starts at $5,000.00 USD per contact; its asset limit is set by contract, so teams should establish the applicable allowance before committing.

Plan	Price	What it includes	Best suited to
Community Edition	Free	100 assets, 1 organization, 10 recurring tasks, and 30 days of data retention	Small businesses, individuals, and security researchers with 100 or fewer assets
runZero Platform	5000.00 USD per contact	Contract-defined asset limit, unlimited organizations, projects, and recurring tasks, 3 years of data retention, and an optional self-hosted console with runZero Care	Enterprise environments and organizations requiring a self-hosted console

The Community Edition is a meaningful starting point for a small inventory, but its 100-asset ceiling, single organization, 10 recurring tasks, and shorter retention constrain larger or more demanding operations. Platform removes those organization, project, and task caps and extends retention to three years. It is the required tier for console self-hosting, and runZero Care must also be enabled for that deployment. The stated price is custom pricing rather than a fixed public fee.

Platforms

runZero supports API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web, and Windows environments. Explorer software is available for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Hosted SaaS is an option for teams that do not need an on-premise console.

Who it's for

Choose runZero when security or IT teams need a continuously refreshed inventory across varied asset types and want active, passive, and API-based discovery in one platform. Community Edition fits individuals and smaller businesses that can stay within 100 assets. Enterprises can use Platform for broader organizational and task needs, while organizations with a self-hosting requirement should account for both the Platform license and runZero Care. It is less suitable for anyone who needs a free inventory beyond the Community Edition limits or expects console self-hosting without the paid tier.

Pros and cons

Pros: Multiple discovery methods help cover environments that a single scanning approach may miss.
Pros: Inventory extends beyond assets to services, software, vulnerabilities, certificates, wireless devices, users, and groups.
Pros: Integration options and multiple alert channels support routing findings into existing security and IT workflows.
Pros: The Community Edition offers a no-cost way to manage up to 100 assets.
Cons: The free edition is capped at one organization, 10 recurring tasks, and 30 days of retention.
Cons: Self-hosting the console requires both the Platform license and runZero Care.
Cons: Explorer installation needs administrative or root privileges despite the agentless collection model.
Cons: Platform pricing is custom, and the asset allowance depends on contract.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, browse Exposure Management Software, Network Discovery Software, Attack Surface Management Software, and IT Asset Discovery Software.

ZEST Security is a paid alternative with a 14-day billed trial and a free plan limited to one cloud project/account, configuration-only drift detection, limited AI prioritization, one IaC, and one security-stack integration.
Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform is another paid alternative with a free plan and trial, and support across mobile, desktop, web, API, and self-hosted platforms.
Mondoo CSPM is worth considering for free-forever cloud, Kubernetes, OS, SaaS, and API scanning through its open-source tools, including a Kubernetes operator, extensible provider system, and asset inventory.
Obsonis Exposure Management Platform offers a $25.00 USD per month Small Business Remote plan, billed per license, for up to 50 licenses with unlimited assets and all 26+ capabilities and integrations.
CrowdStrike Falcon Surface is a paid alternative with a trial; its Falcon Exposure Management plan requires a demo for pricing.
Rapid7 Surface Command offers asset discovery and unified inventory, internal and external attack-surface visibility, and asset context and relationships.
Cymulate Platform uses a subscription tailored to the organization, with pricing dependent on package, assets, and scenarios.
Zscaler Private Access is a paid alternative for private access, with a Standard plan limited to 5% of users.

Verdict

runZero is a strong choice for teams that need a broad, continuously updated asset inventory assembled from scanning, passive traffic, and integrations. Its chief advantage is the range of discovery and asset context; the main trade-offs are the Community Edition caps and the Platform-plus-Care requirement for self-hosting. Start with Community Edition if 100 assets is enough, and look elsewhere if those limits or custom enterprise pricing do not fit.

	iStumbler	runZero
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial		Yes
Paid from		Free
Platforms	macOS	api, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, Web, Windows
Free plan	No	Yes
Discovery method	agentless
Asset inventory	Yes
Network scope	local
Hardware discovery		Yes
Software discovery		Yes
Cloud discovery		Yes
Network asset discovery		Yes
Agentless discovery		Yes
Deployment model		hybrid

iStumbler vs runZero

iStumbler

runZero