Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

BMC Helix Discovery vs Flexera One comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 18, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.6
BMC Helix Discovery offers 314% ROI, streamlines audits, boosts efficiency, reduces costs, and saves administrators up to 80% time.
Sentiment score
8.0
Flexera SaaS Manager improves resource allocation, reduces costs, increases productivity, enhances transparency, and optimizes budget forecasting and operational efficiency.
BMC Helix Discovery has delivered a very good return, and we cannot stop using it at this moment.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.0
BMC Helix Discovery support is responsive and professional, but response times and technical effectiveness need improvement according to users.
Sentiment score
4.2
Flexera One customer service receives mixed reviews, with varying efficiency and inconvenience reported by some users for early calls.
When opening a severity one ticket, they respond within four to six hours, which is commendable.
The response has been satisfactory, though improvements could be made in response time and overall competence.
They were prompt in getting back to us.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
BMC Helix Discovery offers flexible deployment, strong scalability, and effective integration, ideal for medium to large organizations.
Sentiment score
7.0
Flexera One is highly scalable and popular among large enterprises, despite challenges with on-premises usage and cost considerations.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
BMC Helix Discovery is praised for its high stability and reliability, though minor early issues were quickly resolved.
Sentiment score
8.1
Flexera One is praised for stability, though server design needs work, while FlexNet Manager faces data accuracy issues.
In the past four to six years, I cannot recall encountering any bugs.
The stability of the cloud version, which is what I'm currently using, is almost always reliable.
 

Room For Improvement

BMC Helix Discovery requires better management, integration, customization, automation, and IoT capabilities, addressing technical support and license issues.
Flexera One requires server discovery enhancements, better reporting, automation, and improved integration with IT management platforms like ServiceNow.
It uses a Berkeley database, and the query language is not easy to master for performing complex queries.
I would like to see a lower price and better technical support.
One feature I would like to see in the tool is the ability to handle everything in one place.
 

Setup Cost

BMC Helix Discovery's pricing varies significantly, perceived as fair or expensive, with complex licensing and additional feature costs.
Flexera One offers customizable pricing, noted for high costs in maintenance but recognized for effective software asset management.
The price is about twelve per license per year, and the support is included.
They've restructured how it's licensed, making it more fair.
 

Valuable Features

BMC Helix Discovery offers agentless discovery, flexible deployment, and integration for efficient asset management and predictive IT operations.
Flexera One excels in software normalization, compliance, data accessibility, with robust license management and customizable reporting features.
This is very useful for compliance as it helps in audits by providing a comprehensive view of all assets and software.
The best aspect of BMC Helix Discovery is its flexibility. You can perform scanning at any time, and it provides substantial data for extraction.
What we're looking for and trying to move towards is autonomous operations so that AI is implemented to suggest resolutions and to quickly identify faults or repeated patterns with no human intervention.
Flexera includes what I call canned reports, straight out of the box, but they also offer flexibility in creating custom reports.
 

Categories and Ranking

BMC Helix Discovery
Ranking in IT Asset Management
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Flexera One
Ranking in IT Asset Management
9th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
SaaS Management Platforms (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the IT Asset Management category, the mindshare of BMC Helix Discovery is 6.5%, down from 8.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Flexera One is 5.3%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
IT Asset Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
BMC Helix Discovery6.5%
Flexera One5.3%
Other88.2%
IT Asset Management
 

Featured Reviews

Fairoz Gadad - PeerSpot reviewer
Effortless network component identification, provides API details, and an easy setup
We need to discover anything in the network and ensure that the discovered data is moved into the CMDB for asset management The best part is that whenever there is an outpost or any particular network, it can identify servers, routers, switches, etc. It immediately understands which component it…
Donna Boyd - PeerSpot reviewer
Reporting capabilities improve compliance and flexibility exceeds expectations
The mainframe need improvement. Flexera One does not have an agent for it, so it can't report on mainframe usage. Several people have suggested it as an improvement. One feature I would like to see in the tool is the ability to handle everything in one place. If not, it is what it is.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which IT Asset Management solutions are best for your needs.
869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise13
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about BMC Helix Discovery?
I like the artificial intelligence and machine learning that it uses in the solution. Because once the solution discovers all the assets, all the infrastructure, and all the dependencies between se...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for BMC Helix Discovery?
That's always a million dollar question regarding whether the solution is affordable or quite expensive; if you talk to the vendor, the pricing's great, but end users are always looking for a bette...
What needs improvement with BMC Helix Discovery?
Technical support from BMC is generally good. Resolutiion time is what's bothering me, as it's not always easy to get to the correct person or the right technical level needed to resolve the issue.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FlexNet Manager?
The setup cost has changed a lot over the years, and I have not been involved with the pricing for six years. In the beginning, when I first became involved with it, I thought some of the pricing w...
What needs improvement with FlexNet Manager?
The mainframe need improvement. Flexera One does not have an agent for it, so it can't report on mainframe usage. Several people have suggested it as an improvement. One feature I would like to see...
What is your primary use case for FlexNet Manager?
I have used it at multiple companies. Primarily, we use the tool to ensure that we're compliant with all the vendors. The particular company I’m working for now is just for IBM. There are other tea...
 

Also Known As

Discovery, ADDM, Atrium Discovery & Dependency Mapping
FlexNet Manager Suite, FlexNet Manager Suite for Enterprises, Flexera SaaS Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Windstream Communications, News UK, Mercator Group, Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR)
Foray Technologies, BMC
Find out what your peers are saying about BMC Helix Discovery vs. Flexera One and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.