We earn commission when you buy through affiliate links.
This does not influence our reviews, ranking, or recommendations.Learn more.
ServiceNow is undeniably popular ITSM platform, but it isnt a perfect fit for every organization.
Whether due to budget limitations or implementation complexity, many businesses like yours seek an alternative ITSM tool.
Freshservice
Affordable ITSM for SMBs
Freshservice is well-suited for SMBs looking for intuitive ITSM solutions.
Its strength lies in ease of deployment, rich automation capabilities, and accessible mobile support.
Freshservice requires minimal training and is ideal for growing teams aiming for efficient service delivery without complex prerequisites.
Freshservice Pros
Quick onboarding.
Modernize IT through automation and Freddy AI.
Manage tickets, change, tasks assets on the go through Freshservice for Intune mobile apps.
Freshservice Cons
Limited advanced reporting.
Less suited for complex enterprise-scale customizations.
Ive created a pricing table to give you a clear idea about each plan.
Starter
Growth
Pro
A 14-days free trial is available for each plan.
It offers flexible deployment options (cloud or on-premises) and advanced asset management functionalities.
Its comprehensive modules fulfill a diverse set of IT management needs, though the initial setup can be complex.
ServiceDesk Plus is multilingual and now powered by GenAI, ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.
ServiceDesk Plus Pros
Full-stack ITSM including project management.
AI-driven ITSM to improve support experience.
Self-service through portal, chat, KB.
ServiceDesk Plus Cons
The UI is a bit outdated.
The initial setup is complex.
SaaS version web interface performance is slow.
ServiceDesk Plus Pricing
ServiceDesk Plus is cheaper than Freshservice.
The cloud version pricing range is $13 to $67 per technician, monthly on an annual plan.
And, the on-premises plan starts from $120/technical/month.
And, for change and project management, consider the enterprise plan at $67/technician.
It excels in customizability, collaboration between developers and IT support teams, and offers extensive integration capabilities.
Jira Service Management Pros
Strong developer collaboration tools.
Agile and DevOps friendly workflows.
Choose Cloud or self-managed deployment.
Integrate with 1000+ enterprise apps through Atlassian Marketplace.
Jira Service Management Cons
AI capabilities are available on higher plan only.
No chat option for self-service.
Small teams face higher costs due to pricing increase for fewer agents.
And, if you go for monthly, it is $23.80/agent.
I like the free plan, which gives you basic support features for up to 3 agents.
Zendesk for Service
Best for Customer Engagement
Zendesk is tailored for teams prioritizing customer service excellence.
Known for its intuitive and easy-to-use interface, Zendesk offers outstanding customer engagement features.
It works exceptionally well for organizations needing efficient communication and support channels.
While Zendesk doesnt have native ITSM capabilities like ServiceNow, it has been expanding its offerings and integrations.
Zendesk has launched AI agents to automate the support and issues resolution.
It is a great way to reduce support cost.
Zendesk Pros
Omnichannel support features.
User-friendly ticketing and customer engagement.
Live chat and messaging.
Zendesk Cons
Advanced features are add-ons and in higher plan.
Lacks IT service management features.
Zendesk Pricing
Zendesk pricing starts at $19/agent, monthly on an annual plan.
But, AI agents are only included in the Suite Team plan at $55/month.
It delivers powerful asset tracking capabilities.
It is an AI-powered and efficient at monitoring, managing, and analyzing IT assets and configurations.
I would say SolarWinds Service Desk is a great alternative to ServiceNow at lower cost.
The pricing starts at $39/agent/month, and it includes the following key features.
SolarWinds Service Desk Pros
Built-in AI automation tools.
User-friendly interfaces and self-service portal.
Inbuilt Microsoft software license audit.
SolarWinds Service Desk Cons
Expensive compared to Freshservice or ServiceDesk Plus.
Limited integrations with third-party apps.
SolarWinds Service Desk Pricing
SolarWinds Service Desk has 3 plans and Essential pricing is at $39/agent/month.
Advanced plan at $79 includes virtual agent, enterprise service management and online grid discovery.
you’ve got the option to test the SolarWinds ITSM tool for free for 30 days.
Its powerful automation engine significantly improves IT service operations.
Initially, though packed with features, it can feel overwhelming due to a dense interface.
I like their AI agent builder.
Another cool thing is SysAid copilot which helps users and support team both.
you’ve got the option to be 35% more productive by using a copilot.
At least, they should disclose the starting price, like how SolarWinds does.
SysAid Pros
Integrated remote desktop support.
Integrated chatbot in Microsoft Teams.
Asset discovery powered by Lansweeper.
SysAid Cons
Lacks release and project management.
AI Copilot is an add-on.
Minimum 3 agents commitment is needed.
SysAid Pricing
SysAid has two main pricing plans.
BMC is a great alternative to ServiceNow for enterprise.
Similar to ServiceNow, BMC Helix also offers generative AI and insights.
BMC Helix ITSM Pros
DevOps risk analysis through AI.
Automated root cause analysis and recommendations.
Connect to third-party apps or low/no-code apps.
Integrated MS Teams ChatOps.
BMC Helix ITSM Cons
Onboarding is not quick compared to Freshservice.
Costlier than many ITSM tools.
Initial configuration is complex.
It features strong AI-driven automation to simplify complex IT workflows.
Ivanti Neurons takes a different approach and goes beyond just offering ITSM features.
It extends visibility and lean towards endpoint security and exposure management.
Ivanti Neurons Pros
Strong asset and endpoint management.
AI-driven tickets classification, remediation, prediction.
SSO, MFA and RBAC for better authentication and authorization.
Strong automation capabilities streamline repetitive tasks.
Ivanti Neurons Cons
Configuration and deployment complexity.
Its an excellent fit for businesses emphasizing customer service and analytics than purely IT-focused teams.
Using Service Cloud, it’s possible for you to manage support desk, field service or contact center.
And for ITSM, it’s possible for you to run customer incident management.
Agentforce helps you to provide personalized support through multichannel.
So, should you use Service Cloud?
Salesforce Service Cloud Pros
Omnichannel customer support features.
Salesforce Service Cloud Cons
Expensive service support software.
Limited customization on the lower plan.
you’ve got the option to take a free 30-days trial to see if it fits your requirement.
If it is out of budget, you’re able to checkthese customer service software list.
What is the Difference between ITSM and ITIL?
ServiceNow was a pioneer in offering ITSM for enterprises with very low competition.
It gained popularity among medium- to large businesses.
What made them competitive is continuous innovation and evolution with time.
