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HEAD TO HEAD · RATED SEPTEMBER 2026

Halo vs Jira Service Management: which IT service desk fits a mid-size team in 2026?

Last reviewed 27 September 2026 · Service Desk Compare reviewers

Jira Service Management wins on the business-teams weights; Halo is the stronger pick where automation and AI assistance matter most.

Totals and ranks on this page use the business-teams weights (five criteria at 20% each; ITIL and CMDB shown for information only). For ITIL and CMDB weighted scores, see the full ITSM ranking.

How do Halo and Jira Service Management compare on each criterion?

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CriterionWeightHaloJSMHigher score
ITIL practice coverage
Why these scores

Halo: Incident, problem, change and request management with ITIL-aligned workflows, all in one licence.

JSM: Incident, problem and change management are documented and a PinkVERIFY logo is shown, but change and advanced incident and problem management are Premium.

Info only8.58Halo
Automation and AI assistance
Why these scores

Halo: The only vendor whose pages document all six lifecycle stages we track, including closure when a requester replies with thanks.

JSM: Rovo Agents from Standard; the virtual service agent is Premium only.

20%87.5Halo
Time to value
Why these scores

Halo: A 30-day full-feature trial helps, but the platform spans ITSM, CRM, billing and projects, so scoping takes time.

JSM: A free plan for three agents and preconfigured templates, with more configuration once ITSM practices beyond request handling are switched on.

20%6.57JSM
Configuration management (CMDB)
Why these scores

Halo: Assets and CMDB are included in the single licence rather than sold as an add-on.

JSM: Asset and configuration management from Standard and advanced Assets on Premium; no discovery claim on the pages we read.

Info only87.5Halo
Usability for non-IT requesters
Why these scores

Halo: An end-user virtual agent works across web chat, Teams, Slack and the self-service portal.

JSM: Customer portal, email and chat on every plan, with a custom-branded help center from Standard.

20%77Tie
Integrations
Why these scores

Halo: Halo states over 250 native integrations.

JSM: Native ties to Jira for engineering teams and deployment gating with CI/CD tools on Premium.

20%89JSM
Pricing transparency
Why these scores

Halo: One published per-agent price with no tiers or bolt-ons; the US dollar figure sits behind a currency selector.

JSM: Every plan except Enterprise has a public per-agent price, including a free tier.

20%99Tie

Halo scores higher on 1 criterion, JSM on 2, and 2 are tied among the five scored criteria.

How much do Halo and Jira Service Management cost?

Halo

PlanPriceWhat changes
One plan£66 per agent/monthBilled annually. UK list price; the page offers a currency selector for other regions. Named or concurrent licences at the same price.
Halo Enterprise Package$1M a yearUnlimited licences and funded implementation, fixed price.
Trial30 daysAll features and modules.

Source: Halo pricing

Jira Service Management

PlanPriceWhat changes
Free$0Up to 3 agents.
Standard$20 per agent/monthRovo Agents, asset and configuration management, 250 Rovo credits.
Premium$51.42 per agent/monthAdvanced assets, virtual service agent, advanced incident and problem management, change management, deployment gating with CI/CD tools.
EnterpriseNot published (custom, billed annually)

Source: Jira Service Management pricing

Which ticket stages does each one automate?

Lifecycle Automation Census: documented automation by ticket stageHalo documents automation at 6 of six stages, with 0 partial.01Logged✓DocumentedEnd-user virtual agenttriages and logsrequests on chat,Teams, Slack and02Categorised✓DocumentedAI suggestions forcategorisation andprioritisation03Routed✓DocumentedAI suggestions forteam routing andSLA-breach warnings04Resolved✓DocumentedProcess agentsauto-resolve knownissues05Closed✓DocumentedA requester'sthank-you reply isread as resolution06Reviewed✓DocumentedTicket records turnedinto standardisedknowledge
What each vendor's public pages document for each stage, as read on 27 Sep 2026. 'Not documented' means we did not find it on the pages we read, not that the product cannot do it.

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Lifecycle Automation Census for Halo, as a table
StageStatusNote
01 LoggedDocumentedEnd-user virtual agent triages and logs requests on chat, Teams, Slack and portal Source
02 CategorisedDocumentedAI suggestions for categorisation and prioritisation Source
03 RoutedDocumentedAI suggestions for team routing and SLA-breach warnings Source
04 ResolvedDocumentedProcess agents auto-resolve known issues Source
05 ClosedDocumentedA requester's thank-you reply is read as resolution Source
06 ReviewedDocumentedTicket records turned into standardised knowledge Source
Lifecycle Automation Census: documented automation by ticket stageJira Service Management documents automation at 3 of six stages, with 2 partial.01Logged✓DocumentedPortal, email, chatand forms on everyplan02Categorised◐PartialRovo Agents forAI-powered employeesupport; noauto-categorisation03Routed◐PartialQueues and workflows;no AI routing claim04Resolved✓DocumentedVirtual service agent(Premium)05ClosedNot documented06Reviewed✓DocumentedGroup incidents toproblems for rootcause analysis
What each vendor's public pages document for each stage, as read on 27 Sep 2026. 'Not documented' means we did not find it on the pages we read, not that the product cannot do it.

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Lifecycle Automation Census for Jira Service Management, as a table
StageStatusNote
01 LoggedDocumentedPortal, email, chat and forms on every plan Source
02 CategorisedPartialRovo Agents for AI-powered employee support; no auto-categorisation claim Source
03 RoutedPartialQueues and workflows; no AI routing claim Source
04 ResolvedDocumentedVirtual service agent (Premium) Source
05 ClosedNot documented
06 ReviewedDocumentedGroup incidents to problems for root cause analysis Source

What each vendor's public pages document for each stage, as read on 27 Sep 2026. 'Not documented' means we did not find it on the pages we read, not that the product cannot do it.

When should you choose Halo?

Choose Halo if automation and AI assistance matters most to your team. It scores 8 there against Jira Service Management's 7.5; it ties on usability for non-IT requesters and pricing transparency. The only vendor whose pages document all six lifecycle stages we track, including closure when a requester replies with thanks. We list it as best for: teams that want every module in one per-agent licence. Read the Halo review

When should you choose Jira Service Management?

Choose Jira Service Management if integrations and time to value matter most to your team. It scores 9 and 7 there, against Halo's 8 and 6.5. Native ties to Jira for engineering teams and deployment gating with CI/CD tools on Premium. We list it as best for: IT and engineering teams that share Jira and want a free starting tier. Read the Jira Service Management review

What do buyers ask about Halo and Jira Service Management?

Which is better overall, Halo or Jira Service Management?

On the business-teams weights, Jira Service Management scores 7.9 and Halo 7.7 out of 10, ranking 4 and 5 of 9 on the business-teams ranking. Halo leads on 1 criterion and Jira Service Management on 2, with 2 tied.

Which is cheaper, Halo or Jira Service Management?

Halo lists £66 per agent per month (UK list, annual); Jira Service Management lists Free for 3 agents; Standard $20 per agent per month. Pricing units differ (per agent, per seat or per technician), so compare the plan that includes the practices you need. On pricing transparency Halo scores 9 and Jira Service Management 9. The calculator prices both for your agent count.

Which has the deeper ITIL coverage and CMDB?

On ITIL practice coverage Halo scores 8.5 and Jira Service Management 8; on configuration management (CMDB) Halo scores 8 and Jira Service Management 7.5. Assets and CMDB are included in the single licence rather than sold as an add-on.

Where next?