Hudu Alternatives in 2026: 5 Tools Compared

Obelinf is the source of truth for your network infrastructure, a managed platform combining IPAM, DCIM, device inventory, network topology, rack management, cable tracking, VLAN/VRF management, and infrastructure audit history. If you are evaluating Hudu alternatives in 2026, Obelinf is the managed option for the network layer in this comparison. Hudu has quickly become one of the most popular documentation platforms for managed service providers. A single flat price, a modern interface, an encrypted credential vault, and the option to self host made it the challenger that broke IT Glue’s grip on MSP documentation, and thousands of IT teams now run their client records, passwords, and knowledge bases through it.

Hudu’s network features are part of the story, not its center. Its IPAM tracks networks, subnets, addresses, VLANs, and VLAN zones as documentation records, and Radar can discover devices and generate network maps automatically. The network layer lives inside a platform built for client work, which is exactly why teams evaluating Hudu alternatives in 2026 are usually deciding between staying with a documentation first platform or moving the network layer to a system that models infrastructure as data.

At a Glance: Hudu Alternatives

Who should choose what

Choose Hudu if:

• You run an MSP and need standardized documentation and a credential vault for every client;
• Your technicians live inside a PSA or RMM workflow and need integrations, not a separate network tool;
• You want network records inside your existing documentation workflow.

Choose Obelinf if:

• The network layer is the problem: subnets, devices, racks, cables, circuits, and topology;
• You want a full infrastructure source of truth with automatic change history and nothing to operate;
• You need IPAM depth, IPv4 and IPv6, and VRFs modeled as infrastructure.

Documentation First, Network Data Second

Hudu’s identity is documentation, and it deserves the word. Templates enforce consistency across client environments. An encrypted password vault keeps credentials next to the assets they belong to, with permission controls and browser autofill. Knowledge bases, checklists, and SOPs give technicians a place to find how a firewall is configured without asking a teammate. The client portal and dozens of PSA and RMM integrations connect all of that to the rest of an MSP’s stack.

The network side of Hudu exists inside that structure. IP addresses and VLANs are recorded as part of client networks. Rack management and asset layouts help document physical space. Hudu Radar, a paid add on, scans networks to discover devices and keep records closer to reality. None of it is bad. All of it is documentation inside a platform built for client work, which means network records share the structure of the passwords and SOPs next to them. When the network layer matters enough to need subnet hierarchies, circuits, utilization, and automatic change history, that is the difference between a documented network and a modeled one.

The Managed Network Source of Truth

If Hudu documents the network, Obelinf models it. Every subnet, address, VLAN, and VRF is a first class object with relationships to the devices, racks, interfaces, and cables that use them. IP address management covers IPv4 and IPv6 with utilization at every level of a hierarchy, and VLAN and subnet management keeps segmentation organized. Interactive network topology renders cables and circuits as edges between devices, and rack management gives you elevations and capacity views.

Because Obelinf is fully managed, there is no Docker host to run and no database to back up, which removes the operational half of the Hudu equation entirely. Every change lands in an automatic, immutable changelog with field level diffs, and the REST API plus an MCP server cover the whole data model for automation and AI agents. Pricing is flat per organization, free for Personal use, $99 per month for Teams, and $299 per month for Scale.

IT Glue: The Documentation Incumbent

IT Glue remains the default comparison for any Hudu alternative because it is the platform Hudu was built to compete with. It has been around longer, integrates with every major PSA and RMM, and its MyGlue client portal and password rotation for Microsoft 365 and Active Directory are genuinely enterprise grade. For large MSPs with deep integration needs, IT Glue is still the most complete documentation platform available.

The catch is the commercial model. Plans are tiered by features starting around $29 per user per month, but the flat listed pricing requires a five user minimum and longer commitments, and smaller teams pay more per seat. Onboarding fees and the Kaseya sales process add friction that Hudu deliberately removed. If you have the headcount and need the ecosystem, IT Glue earns the premium. If you are a small shop, it is an expensive way to document.

ITFlow: Free Documentation, Self Hosted

ITFlow is the free answer to the same problem. It is a self hosted documentation, ticketing, and billing platform for small MSPs, under a GPL license, running on the same PHP and MySQL stack many MSP technicians already know. It covers client information, asset tracking, an encrypted password vault, domains and SSL certificates, ticketing with a client portal, and invoicing, all with no license cost.

The trade is ownership of the platform itself. There is no vendor to call for support, updates and backups are your job, and the integration ecosystem is a fraction of Hudu’s or IT Glue’s. For a one to five person shop that is comfortable on a LAMP server, ITFlow is a legitimate zero cost upgrade over spreadsheets. The moment you want network depth or vendor support, it runs out of runway.

NetBox and phpIPAM: When the Network Is the Story

Two self hosted tools cover the network side better than any documentation platform. NetBox is the DCIM and IPAM reference: a structured data model for sites, racks, devices, interfaces, cables, IPs, VLANs, and VRFs, with a REST API and a large plugin ecosystem. It is the tool network engineers pick when the infrastructure itself is the record that matters.

phpIPAM is the lighter option, focused on address management with subnet scanning, VLAN and VRF tracking, and a small footprint. Both share the same limitation from an MSP perspective: neither has a credential vault, a client portal, or PSA integrations, so an MSP that needs Hudu’s workflow still needs a separate documentation tool beside them. The gap between a documentation platform and a network source of truth is exactly where Obelinf sits.

Where Hudu and Obelinf Overlap

The honest way to read that grid is that Hudu and Obelinf answer different questions. Hudu answers how the team services the client, where the passwords live, which process to follow, and what the technician needs before touching anything. Obelinf answers what the network actually is, which address is free, what the cable connects, how the topology is wired, and what changed last night.

For an MSP that needs both, they are complementary. For an internal IT team that only needs the network layer, Hudu’s documentation model becomes overhead, and Obelinf is the deeper, managed option. For a network engineer who needs a source of truth and no credential vault, the choice is not close.

Documentation Versus Infrastructure Depth

Documentation platforms and infrastructure sources of truth occupy different corners of the same map. Hudu and IT Glue reach broadly across the MSP’s client work, credentials, processes, and integrations, covering network records as part of that scope. NetBox and phpIPAM go deep on the network, and hand you a server to run. Obelinf models the network layer with the depth of a purpose built source of truth and no platform to operate.

Buying decisions usually come down to who owns the record. If the documentation is the deliverable, stayed rooted in a documentation platform and run your network records inside it. If the network is what your team is accountable for, the source of truth belongs to a system built for the data model: subnets, devices, racks, cables, and the change history around them.

If the network layer is what is driving you to look past Hudu, Obelinf is the managed option that turns it into a real source of truth, with IPAM, DCIM, topology, and an automatic changelog starting free at obelinf.com.