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ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs. ServiceNow IT Service Management

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

    Score9.1 out of 10
    N/AServiceDesk Plus is free help desk software from ManageEngine, a division of Zoho Corporation.

    $10

    Starting Price Per Month

    ServiceNow IT Service Management

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/ABuilt on the ServiceNow Now Platform, the IT Service Management bundle provides an agent workspace with knowledge management, and modules supporting issue tracking and problem resolution, change, release and configuration management.N/A
    Pricing
    ManageEngine ServiceDesk PlusServiceNow IT Service Management
    Editions & Modules
    Standard
    $10.00
    Starting Price Per Month
    Professional
    $21.00
    Starting Price Per Month
    Enterprise
    $50.00
    Starting Price Per Month
    ITSM Standard
    Custom Quote
    ITSM Pro
    Custom Quote
    ITSM Enterprise
    Custom Quote
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    ManageEngine ServiceDesk PlusServiceNow IT Service Management
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—ITSM Pro and ITSM Enterprise also are available with optional "Plus" add-ons. These include AI Agents, an AI Agent Studio, and other features that augment the capabilities of the platform using AI Virtual Agents to automate tasks.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    ManageEngine ServiceDesk PlusServiceNow IT Service Management
    Considered Both Products
    ManageEngine, A Div of Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd
    No answer on this topic
    ServiceNow
    Chose ServiceNow IT Service Management
    Both Heat and ManageEngine were convoluted, too complex and very hard to use, especially from the end-user perspective, and also from the support team. ServiceNow, on the other hand, is very intuitive and more user-focused than the other products making the users feel welcome …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    7 Answers
    90%
    Would buy again
    28 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    7 Answers
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    24 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    7 Answers
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    29 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    6 Answers
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    14 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    6 Answers
    83%
    Implementation went as expected
    15 Answers
    Features
    ManageEngine ServiceDesk PlusServiceNow IT Service Management
    Incident and problem management
    Comparison of Incident and problem management features of ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus and ServiceNow IT Service Management
    Feature
    ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
    7.1
    20 Ratings
    13% below category average
    ServiceNow IT Service Management
    8.9
    68 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Organize and prioritize service tickets8.020 Ratings10.067 Ratings
    Expert directory5.013 Ratings8.051 Ratings
    Service restoration5.015 Ratings8.056 Ratings
    Self-service tools8.018 Ratings10.065 Ratings
    Subscription-based notifications6.014 Ratings9.063 Ratings
    ITSM collaboration and documentation10.016 Ratings9.060 Ratings
    ITSM reports and dashboards8.018 Ratings8.062 Ratings
    ITSM asset management
    Comparison of ITSM asset management features of ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus and ServiceNow IT Service Management
    Feature
    ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
    7.7
    15 Ratings
    6% below category average
    ServiceNow IT Service Management
    8.3
    61 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Configuration mangement9.014 Ratings8.060 Ratings
    Asset management dashboard8.014 Ratings8.059 Ratings
    Policy and contract enforcement6.010 Ratings8.952 Ratings
    Change management
    Comparison of Change management features of ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus and ServiceNow IT Service Management
    Feature
    ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
    8.0
    16 Ratings
    5% below category average
    ServiceNow IT Service Management
    9.0
    62 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Change requests repository7.015 Ratings9.062 Ratings
    Change calendar8.011 Ratings9.056 Ratings
    Service-level management9.014 Ratings9.058 Ratings
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    Agiloft Service Desk (discontinued)
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    Medium-sized Companies
    Freshservice
    Score8.8 out of 10
    ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Ivanti Neurons for ITSM
    Score4.5 out of 10
    Ivanti Neurons for ITSM
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    User Ratings
    ManageEngine ServiceDesk PlusServiceNow IT Service Management
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (20 ratings)
    10.0
    (79 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (13 ratings)
    Usability
    7.0
    (4 ratings)
    9.0
    (12 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    7.3
    (22 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    ManageEngine ServiceDesk PlusServiceNow IT Service Management
    Likelihood to Recommend
    ManageEngine, A Div of Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd
    We use the free version, it allows up to 10 technicians to be added to the system, but that has never been an issue, as we are a small team. The functionality and usability of MESDP are great and can work with larger teams too. It is well suited to be used as a main Ticketing system, and this is not limited to IT only, I am sure other teams that need to keep track and log issues will be able to utilize MESDP without any issues. There is a self-service portal as an option, however, we do not use it as of yet, as there has not been the need for it. If you would need to use the same instance within multiple departments, this may be a bit tricky to achieve, as there is no easy way to limit visibility to tickets from other departments, however, I am sure there is a way around it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ServiceNow
    In our organization, we are using ServiceNow extensively. Change Management, Incident Management, Problem Management, Time tracking are few modules which we use extensively. This sort of model will work for any product or service based companies as the product is built on ITIL framework. So this product will be suited for small or large scale companies to better organize and add controls and track SLA's for technology or business process.
    Read full review
    Pros
    ManageEngine, A Div of Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd
    • It's very simple to submit and handle ticket for both user and Engineer.
    • Set some customize template for intent replay or job done reply.
    • SLA management is the good option to maintain workflow.
    • There is solution option where user can resolve their common issues.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ServiceNow
    • When I have a number of requests to make, for example a request to add a dozen or so user accounts to more than one group account in Active Directory , I can put all the needed information into the initial form, add it to my "shopping cart" and all of that information remains on the screen for the next item for which I only need to edit a few items (like the AD group name in this example), and keep adding them to the shopping cart until I have them all. When I "Check Out" each of those items is generated as a separate task under the one request. It simplifies and expedites the creation and tracking of these kinds of requests.
    • I can easily and quickly see what tickets are currently assigned to me in order to prioritize them and remain aware of my workload.
    • Numerous fields for CIs can be used when trying to find the entry for a particular item. For example, IP Address, server name, raw text, classification, and so on.
    • To help with making sense out of related tasks, when a task is assigned to me and I need to open another task for a different team to work in order to complete my task, I can open a sub-task from my ticket so that the relationship between the two can be pulled up later into reports. For example, I may have a task to build a new vm, and need to open tasks for networking, security accounts, software installation and so on. By opening sub-tasks from my assignment, the time spent by all parties concerned is tied together for more meaningful cost accounting.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    ManageEngine, A Div of Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd
    • We would like to see the ability to schedule technician auto-assign based on shifts. Presently we have to manually select technicians after close of business Friday for the weekend shift each week.
    • When managing a problem, it is difficult to extract a list of attached Incidents for use elsewhere. I must add that it is very easy to bulk add Incidents during an event. The only small issue with the bulk add is that the window only shows you 5-10 incidents at a time, and you must scroll through to select Incidents. We'd like to be able to see a full page view of the list.
    • When editing a request, the history is graphically & textually very verbose. Too much so in many cases. For example if a user has included screen shots, the entire email string is repeated for each change. For example an email forwarded to Helpdesk, repeats even though the only change made was to update the requestor from the person forwarding to the actual requestor.
    • It is not currently possible to update a problem automatically using special characters in the subject line, like we are able to do in a request. We overcome this by always creating a root incident for each problem that collects all the email communication of the resolution.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ServiceNow
    • It is hard to find areas for improvement, the tool is very powerful. That said, building the CMDB still involves some manual interaction which was not how it was presented in demos.
    • The CMDB data is almost too deep and detailed. When you build the relationship map it can be so large that it is overwhelming. You can limit this, but the default maps are massive if you are discovering lots of device classes.
    • The product is expensive. Since they are the leader in the industry and the product has tons of features, they definitely charge for it!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    ManageEngine, A Div of Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd
    we are looking at other tools like Zendesk which may replace ServiceDesk. We are currently evaluating both tools to see which one would serve our needs better
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ServiceNow
    To be completely honest setting up a new ticketing system can be a pain in the ass. Once you have it setup and customized the way you want it, you don't want to switch unless you're unhappy with the product. Unless future releases and updates really muck the system up, I wouldn't change.
    Read full review
    Usability
    ManageEngine, A Div of Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd
    As any other feature-rich software package, starting out with ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus has a little bit of a learning curve, but it usually doesn't take very long until you can use the basic features. Training new technicians on the use of the software does not take very long, and for users to submit tickets it is as easy as sending an email.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ServiceNow
    The dashboard is so confusing, [there are] many clicks to open a task and search by a ticket. The Enterprise customisation [we did] has finished to kill the software and creates a really bad experience on a daily basis. [It is] So slow, and so many clicks to process a ticket. Works only on IE so, that [should] make you realize that [it] is a bad idea.
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    ManageEngine, A Div of Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd
    No answers on this topic
    ServiceNow
    We have never had any issues with ServiceNow's availability that I am aware of in the two years I have been using it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    ManageEngine, A Div of Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd
    No answers on this topic
    ServiceNow
    For a massive system, page loads are reasonably quick, including searches.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    ManageEngine, A Div of Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd
    I have a few issues with MESDP and even though we use the free version, the support staff was very quick to respond and extremely competent and helpful. Luckily, I have only had to use them a couple of times over the 2.5 years I have been using their product, but they strike me as very competent, friendly and helpful, regardless of the version of their product you use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ServiceNow
    I would give it this rating because we have had no major issues with the support for ServiceNow after we implemented it at our organization. They seem to respond promptly and efficiently if we ever do need to open a support case with them about an issue we are having.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    ManageEngine, A Div of Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd
    No answers on this topic
    ServiceNow
    To type in what should be a text box, you have to click an empty cell, a tiny text box pop up opens with a check box and an X. You the. Type in the text box and have to click the check mark. If you have a bunch of fields to fill out, doing this is very annoying. Absolutely know thought went in to this. I'm sure somebody in marketing thought it was a good idea. It wasn't.
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    ManageEngine, A Div of Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd
    No answers on this topic
    ServiceNow
    Without exception, every client I have worked with has been very happy with their resulting product. While this is partly due to my work, I must point out that the platform is the winning decision, not the implementer.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    ManageEngine, A Div of Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd
    Spiceworks was free, which obviously had both benefits and limitations - I will say that the community around Spiceworks has always been great. If we could replicate that experience with the ME user base, it would be terrific.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ServiceNow
    We used to use Jira to handle service tickets but it's way too robust for something this straightforward. Due to the nature of Jira, you needed to already have a lot of documentation and knowledge about who should be assigned the ticket, so the lift of creating a ticket was time consuming.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    ManageEngine, A Div of Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd
    No answers on this topic
    ServiceNow
    ServiceNow works as an enterprise solution.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    ManageEngine, A Div of Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd
    • It has provided better visibility to upper management in terms of the scale of the workload of the IT department
    • It has allowed licensed software to be tracked more efficiently, allowing redundant license to be reclaimed, rather than additional ones being purchased
    • It has fulfilled the requirements for multiple audits, including Microsoft audits, as it allows the assets and their software to be tracked
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ServiceNow
    • Overall ServiceNow has a positive impact on getting the SLA of tickets down in supporting our customers.
    • One negative impact has been the amount of time to get the product to produce an ROI, it's almost too big to fail and too big to replace. You almost become committed to the product. Good or bad.
    • Another negative impact would be if you track metrics of employees and time tracking, there is a lot of scenarios where engineers will track time on tickets but not get credit for closing them as the assignee function of tickets can only be tied to one user and credits only the engineer who closes the ticket.
    • Another positive impact would be the level of security for permissions and scaling the workloads is robust and you will get out of the system what your team is willing to put in.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    ServiceNow IT Service Management Screenshots

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