Spiceworks
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Spiceworks does
Spiceworks Inc. is a privately held IT industry platform founded in 2006 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, operating as a subsidiary of Spiceworks Ziff Davis. The company operates a two-sided marketplace built around a community of millions of IT professionals, offering a suite of free and freemium SaaS tools — Cloud Help Desk (ticketing), Inventory Online (network device scanning), Remote Support (via Zoho Assist partnership), Connectivity Dashboard (real-time network monitoring), and Contracts Tracker (vendor contract management) — alongside an editorial content platform (Spiceworks News & Insights), an annual conference (SpiceWorld), and the Aberdeen Strategy & Research division that publishes vendor-neutral research including the State of IT annual report.
The underlying technology is a cloud-based SaaS platform integrating IT operations tools with the Spiceworks Community forums, supported by mobile applications on iOS and Android and a Power BI data connector for Cloud Help Desk. Cloud Help Desk offers a free Core Plan (1-5 admin seats, ad-supported) and a Premium Plan launched in March 2025 at $5/seat/month (annual) or $6/seat/month (monthly), adding bulk actions, customizable reporting, TOTP-based MFA, and an ad-free experience.
Spiceworks monetizes primarily through vendor advertising and vendor directory placements, leveraging its community reach to connect technology vendors with IT decision-makers. Customer segments are split between the demand-side (technology vendors seeking to reach IT buyers) and the supply-side (SMB IT professionals and enterprise IT teams using the free and premium tools). The company has raised approximately $111M across five funding rounds ending in 2014 and currently employs 101-250 people.
Spiceworks firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Spiceworks
- Legal name
- Spiceworks Inc.
- Website
- https://spiceworks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Spiceworks industry classification
Industry- Product category
- IT Service Management Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- IT Knowledge Management & Service Desk Platforms (HDAEALAH)
Keywords
Where Spiceworks is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Spiceworks business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Advertising (Primary Revenue): Tech vendors pay to advertise and reach the millions of IT professionals using the Spiceworks platform. Vendors get targeted, relevant advertising and content exposure to IT decision-makers.
- Premium Software Subscriptions: Cloud Help Desk Premium Plan at $5/seat/month (billed annually) or $6/seat/month (billed monthly) for enhanced features beyond the free Core Plan. Upgrade path for organizations needing advanced capabilities.
- Vendor Directory/Marketplace: Vendors maintain presence on Spiceworks Vendor Directory and community, paying for visibility among IT professionals researching and purchasing technology solutions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Free | Core Plan - Free help desk for small teams |
| Subscription | Annual | Premium Plan - Enhanced help desk for larger teams |
| Freemium | Free | Inventory Online - Free network inventory |
| Freemium | Free | Connectivity Dashboard - Free network monitoring |
| Freemium | Free | Remote Support - Free remote access |
| Freemium | Free | Contracts Tracker - Free contract management |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Spiceworks product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Spiceworks provides free and freemium cloud-based IT management tools — Cloud Help Desk, Inventory Online, Remote Support, Connectivity Dashboard, and Contracts Tracker — for IT professionals at small and mid-sized businesses. The tools are bundled with a large online IT community, Aberdeen research, and a vendor directory marketplace that connects technology buyers and sellers.
Product overview
Spiceworks is an IT technology platform offering a suite of free and freemium tools for IT professionals, built around a community of millions of IT pros. The core product portfolio includes Cloud Help Desk (ticketing/software), Inventory Online (network device management), Remote Support (remote access tool), Connectivity Dashboard (network monitoring), and Contracts Tracker (vendor contract management). These tools integrate with each other within the Spiceworks ecosystem and are complemented by Spiceworks Community (an online peer network), Spiceworks News & Insights (content platform), Aberdeen Research (market research division), and SpiceWorld (annual IT conference). The company has operated since 2006 and positions itself as a vendor-neutral platform connecting IT professionals with technology solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk Cloud-based IT help desk and ticketing system for IT professionals at small and mid-sized businesses, available in a free ad-supported tier and a paid Premium plan with advanced automation, SLAs, and reporting.
- Inventory Online Free network inventory and asset management tool that scans devices on a network to track hardware, software, and configuration for IT teams.
- Remote Support Free remote support tool that enables IT professionals to securely connect to end-user machines for troubleshooting and assistance.
- Connectivity Dashboard Connectivity monitoring dashboard that helps IT teams track ISP performance, network outages, and end-user connectivity in real time.
- Contracts Tracker Tool that helps IT teams track software licenses, vendor contracts, and renewal dates to manage subscription and maintenance commitments.
- Cloud Help Desk Premium Plan Paid Premium upgrade to the Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk, providing advanced features such as SLAs, automation, and deeper reporting for IT teams that need more than the free tier offers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1 million IT pros have used Spiceworks Inventory
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Spiceworks
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Spiceworks technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature5 records
Spiceworks partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Zoho AssistcoreSpiceworks Remote Support tool is provided in partnership with Zoho Assist. The tool enables IT professionals to access users' computers across the internet for Windows and Mac workstations. Zoho's terms of service and privacy policy apply to the remote support sessions. Spiceworks offers access to the full Zoho Assist feature set including multiple technicians, concurrent sessions, file transfer, and session recordings through a free trial promotion.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Spiceworks competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Freshworks: Freshworks' Freshdesk is a leading cloud help desk and ITSM product targeting SMB and mid-market customers, the same segment Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk serves. Both compete on ease-of-use, freemium entry points, and rapid onboarding for IT teams.
- SolarWinds: SolarWinds provides IT infrastructure monitoring, network device inventory, and observability tools directly comparable to Spiceworks' Inventory Online and Connectivity Dashboard. Both target IT operations teams managing on-premises and hybrid environments.
- Zendesk: Zendesk is a global help desk and customer service platform that overlaps directly with Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk on ticketing, workflows, and SMB/mid-market IT support. Both companies also publish content and community resources aimed at practitioners.
- Atlassian (Jira Service Management): Jira Service Management is a leading ITSM platform for IT teams and directly competes with Spiceworks' help desk and IT service management tooling. Atlassian also benefits from a strong practitioner community that mirrors Spiceworks' community-led GTM motion.
Broad incumbents
- ServiceNow: ServiceNow is the enterprise incumbent in ITSM and IT workflow automation, with a much broader portfolio than Spiceworks. It is comparable as the dominant help desk and IT service management category leader that defines the competitive ceiling for Spiceworks' ambitions.
- Zoho (ManageEngine): Zoho's ManageEngine suite covers help desk, network monitoring, and asset management—products that overlap with most of Spiceworks' free tools. Zoho is also an active partner (Zoho Assist powers Spiceworks Remote Support), making it both a peer and an ecosystem dependency.
Others
- Reddit (r/sysadmin community): Reddit hosts large, active IT professional communities (e.g., r/sysadmin) that increasingly compete for the same attention and knowledge-sharing moments the Spiceworks Community has historically owned. It is a peer in the community layer even though it is not a commercial help desk product.
- Stack Overflow: Stack Overflow is a major destination where IT professionals research and troubleshoot technical problems, overlapping with Spiceworks' community and content use cases. It competes for the same practitioner mindshare and content traffic.
- G2: G2 is a software marketplace and review platform that helps IT buyers evaluate technology vendors, overlapping with Spiceworks' vendor directory and research-driven buyer enablement. Both monetize by connecting IT decision-makers with technology sellers.
Emerging players
- Atera: Atera is an all-in-one RMM, PSA, and help desk platform built for MSPs and SMB IT teams, the same SMB persona Spiceworks targets. It represents a newer, bundled competitor to Spiceworks' individual free tools.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Spiceworks social profiles
Digital presenceSpiceworks compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Spiceworks financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Spiceworks leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Spiceworks subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Spiceworks funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Spiceworks M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Spiceworks
What does Spiceworks do?
Spiceworks provides free and freemium cloud-based IT management tools — Cloud Help Desk, Inventory Online, Remote Support, Connectivity Dashboard, and Contracts Tracker — for IT professionals at small and mid-sized businesses. The tools are bundled with a large online IT community, Aberdeen research, and a vendor directory marketplace that connects technology buyers and sellers.
Is Spiceworks a public or private company?
Spiceworks is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Spiceworks founded?
Spiceworks was founded in 2006. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Spiceworks based?
Spiceworks is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Spiceworks make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Advertising (Primary Revenue) is the primary driver. The others are premium Software Subscriptions and vendor Directory/Marketplace.
Who are Spiceworks's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Freshworks, SolarWinds, Zendesk and Atlassian (Jira Service Management). Broad incumbents are ServiceNow and Zoho (ManageEngine). Others are Reddit (r/sysadmin community), Stack Overflow and G2. Atera is listed as an emerging player.
Does Spiceworks have an API?
No public API is recorded for Spiceworks.
What industry is Spiceworks in?
Spiceworks's product category is IT Service Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEALAH, IT Knowledge Management & Service Desk Platforms. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.