Shelf
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersArnhem, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
Shelf firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Shelf
- Legal name
- Shelf Asset Management, Inc.
- Website
- https://shelf.nu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Shelf is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Arnhem
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Shelf business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription SaaS: Cloud-hosted SaaS with tiered subscription plans. Free tier includes unlimited assets, QR codes, location tracking, and basic custody for one user. Team and Enterprise tiers add unlimited users, booking calendars, PDF custody agreements, and SSO.
- Self-Hosting (Open Source): Open-source platform under AGPL-3.0 license. Organizations can self-host using Docker and their own Supabase instance. Revenue from support/services potentially.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free - Unlimited assets for individuals |
| Subscription | Monthly | Team - For teams with booking and collaboration |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise - For organizations requiring SSO and advanced controls |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Shelf product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Shelf is an open-source asset management platform that enables teams to track, book, custody, and locate physical equipment through QR code scanning, a web application, and a companion mobile app. It replaces spreadsheets with workflows for asset check-in/check-out, booking calendars with conflict prevention, hierarchical locations, audit trails, and reporting, and is offered as a freemium SaaS or self-hosted AGPL-3.0 deployment.
Product overview
Shelf is an open-source asset management platform centered on its core web application (shelf.nu), with a companion mobile app for iOS and Android. The platform enables teams to track physical assets through QR code scanning, manage equipment bookings via calendar views, maintain custody trails, and organize assets across hierarchical locations. Shelf's go-to-market includes a free tier with unlimited assets and paid Team/Enterprise plans with additional features. The company also offers a suite of seven free browser-based tools (Barcode Scanner, Asset Label Designer, QR Code Generator, Equipment Depreciation Calculator, MACRS Depreciation Calculator, Salvage Value Calculator, and Asset ROI Calculator) designed to attract potential customers and demonstrate the platform's value proposition.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Shelf Companion: Mobile companion app for iOS and Android that enables QR/barcode scanning, asset lookups, custody handoffs, and live audits in the field.
Products and services
- Shelf Core Platform Open-source asset management platform for tracking physical assets, equipment reservations, custody management, and location tracking. Includes QR code labels, booking calendars, audit trails, and hierarchical location management up to 12 levels deep. Used by teams managing shared gear across media, IT, education, construction, and research.
- Shelf Companion Mobile App Companion mobile application for iPhone and Android that connects to existing Shelf workspaces for field operations including QR/barcode scanning, asset lookups, custody handoffs, and live audits. Available on the App Store and Google Play.
- Barcode Scanner
Quantifiable outcome
- $70K in equipment recovered using Shelf's QR labels
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Shelf
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Shelf technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature7 records
Shelf partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Supabasecore infrastructureSupabase serves as the core database provider for Shelf's cloud infrastructure, providing PostgreSQL database, authentication, and file storage. Shelf uses Supabase for database connections with connection pooling (Transaction mode), OTP-based authentication (6-digit codes), and storage buckets for profile pictures, assets, kits, and files.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Shelf competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cheqroom: Equipment checkout and asset management SaaS for media, education, and AV teams — directly compared on Shelf's own website and an explicit migration case study (Kansas City Art Institute) shows customers switching from Cheqroom to Shelf.
- Sortly: Mobile-first inventory and asset tracking SaaS serving SMBs and enterprises across similar verticals; named alternative on Shelf's comparison page.
- EZOfficeInventory: Cloud-based asset tracking and management platform for IT, facilities, and operations teams; named alternative on Shelf's comparison page with overlapping buyer personas.
- Asset Panda: Configurable asset tracking platform serving mid-market and enterprise customers; named alternative on Shelf's comparison page and competes for similar IT/equipment management use cases.
- Snipe-IT: Open-source IT asset management platform under a permissive license; the closest open-source analogue to Shelf's community/AGPL approach, with comparable feature set for ITAM use cases.
- Reftab: Modern asset management SaaS with lending, reservations, and reporting features; named alternative on Shelf's comparison page.
Broad incumbents
- ServiceNow: Enterprise cloud platform with a deeply integrated IT asset management (ITAM) module; competes for the largest enterprise deals where Shelf's Enterprise tier is positioned.
- Ivanti: Enterprise IT asset management and unified endpoint management vendor with broad discovery, inventory, and lifecycle capabilities targeting larger IT organizations.
- Freshservice: Freshworks' ITSM platform with integrated IT asset management capabilities; a broader incumbent that bundles asset tracking into a full IT service management suite for mid-market and enterprise.
Emerging players
- UpKeep: Mobile-first CMMS and asset operations platform with growing asset-tracking capabilities; an emerging player overlapping with Shelf in facilities, field operations, and equipment maintenance workflows.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Shelf social profiles
Digital presenceShelf compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Shelf financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Shelf leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Shelf funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Shelf 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 Shelf
What does Shelf do?
Shelf is an open-source asset management platform that enables teams to track, book, custody, and locate physical equipment through QR code scanning, a web application, and a companion mobile app. It replaces spreadsheets with workflows for asset check-in/check-out, booking calendars with conflict prevention, hierarchical locations, audit trails, and reporting, and is offered as a freemium SaaS or self-hosted AGPL-3.0 deployment.
Is Shelf a public or private company?
Shelf is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Shelf founded?
Shelf was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Shelf based?
Shelf is headquartered in Arnhem, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Shelf make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Subscription SaaS are the primary driver. The others are self-Hosting (Open Source).
Who are Shelf's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cheqroom, Sortly, EZOfficeInventory, Asset Panda, Snipe-IT and Reftab. Broad incumbents are ServiceNow, Ivanti and Freshservice. UpKeep is listed as an emerging player.
Does Shelf have an API?
No public API is recorded for Shelf.