The NetBox alternative for teams who just need the cabling documented.
NetBox is a powerful network source of truth — and a real commitment: Postgres, Redis, workers, and a data model you grow into. If all you need is to see every rack, port and cable clearly, PatchMap gives you that in one hosted browser tab. No install, no learning curve, patch panels traced end to end. Free while we're in beta.
Free while in beta · no credit card
Where each one wins.
NetBox is the better choice for a full source of truth with IPAM and automation. PatchMap is the better choice when the cabling is the job and you want it done today.
| PatchMap | NetBox | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Hosted — online in ~10 minutes | Self-host (Postgres + Redis + workers), or NetBox Cloud (free tier is device-capped and card-gated) |
| Cost | Free in beta, then £49/mo or £470/yr — flat, self-serve, no device caps | Free if you self-host and run it; NetBox Cloud's paid tiers are sales-gated |
| Auto-discovery | Manual by design — physical cabling has no network signature to discover | NetBox Discovery auto-maps reachable devices — but not cable runs or U-position |
| Learning curve | Map your first rack in minutes | Steep — a data model you grow into |
| Cabling & patch panels | First-class — trace any cable end to end | Supported, but form-heavy |
| Rack + topology in one view | Yes — one canvas, patch panels included | Separate views |
| Patching matrix for a field tech | One-click print-ready PDF | Not really |
| IPAM / DHCP / DNS | No — physical layer only, by design | Yes — IPAM is core |
| Full DCIM (power, circuits, virtualization) | Focused on racks, ports & cabling | Yes — full breadth |
| Automation / API-first | Documentation-first, manual by design | Yes — API-first, plugins, Ansible/Terraform |
| Best for | Teams who want the cabling documented, fast | Large teams building a full source of truth |
Running both is common: NetBox as the estate-wide source of truth, PatchMap for the rack elevations, patch-panel traces and the print-ready patching matrix your field techs actually carry.
NetBox switchers ask us this.
Is PatchMap open source like NetBox?
No. PatchMap is a hosted product — free while in beta, then a flat price at launch — with a self-hosted Enterprise option that ships the same Docker Compose stack. NetBox is open source that you run and maintain yourself. If running the infrastructure is the part you want to avoid, that's exactly the gap PatchMap fills.
Is it really simpler than NetBox?
Yes, deliberately. PatchMap does one job — documenting the physical layer: racks, ports, devices and the cables between them. There's no Postgres or Redis to run, no plugin ecosystem to learn, and most teams map their first rack within ten minutes of signing up.
Can I import my data from NetBox?
You can import devices and connections from CSV, and PatchMap ships the same community device-type templates many NetBox users already recognise, so a switch drops onto the canvas with all its ports pre-populated.
Does PatchMap do IPAM?
No — IPAM is intentionally out of scope. PatchMap is the physical layer: what's in the rack, which port, and where the cable goes. Keep your IPAM where it is and let PatchMap own the cabling and rack documentation.
Do I need to run Postgres and Redis?
Not on Cloud — you get a browser tab and your own single-tenant instance, hosted by us in the UK. The Enterprise self-hosted tier is a single Docker Compose stack if you'd rather run it yourself.
Does NetBox Discovery replace what PatchMap does?
No. Auto-discovery can prove a device is reachable over the network, but it can't see which patch-panel port a fibre physically lands on, or which U a device occupies — that data has no network signature. PatchMap is where you record the physical layer discovery can't reach.
Stop guessing where the cable goes.
Free while in beta · No credit card · UK-hosted · Online in minutes