ALTERNATIVES · RATED SEPTEMBER 2026
Last reviewed 27 September 2026 · Service Desk Compare reviewers
Totals and ranks on this page use the business-teams weights (five criteria at 20% each; ITIL and CMDB not scored). For ITIL and CMDB weighted scores, see the full ITSM ranking.
These points come from Freshservice's own pricing and product pages. They describe what is and is not published, not problems reported by users.
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| Alternative | Total (vs 8.2) | Beats Freshservice on | Freshservice beats it on | Tied on | Starting price | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zendesk for IT (Employee Service) | 8.3 | AI (8.5 vs 8), Integrations (8.5 vs 7.5) | Time to value (8 vs 8.5), Pricing (8 vs 8.5) | Requesters (8.5 vs 8.5) | $29 per agent per month (Suite Team, annual) | Zendesk vs Freshservice |
| monday service | 8.3 | AI (9 vs 8) | Pricing (8 vs 8.5) | Time to value (8.5 vs 8.5), Requesters (8.5 vs 8.5), Integrations (7.5 vs 7.5) | $31 per seat per month (Standard, annual; 3-seat minimum) | monday service vs Freshservice |
| Jira Service Management | 7.9 | Integrations (9 vs 7.5), Pricing (9 vs 8.5) | AI (7.5 vs 8), Time to value (7 vs 8.5), Requesters (7 vs 8.5) | None | Free for 3 agents; Standard $20 per agent per month | Jira Service Management vs Freshservice |
| Halo | 7.7 | Integrations (8 vs 7.5), Pricing (9 vs 8.5) | Time to value (6.5 vs 8.5), Requesters (7 vs 8.5) | AI (8 vs 8) | £66 per agent per month (UK list, annual) | Halo vs Freshservice |
| ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus | 7.1 | Pricing (9 vs 8.5) | AI (6.5 vs 8), Time to value (6.5 vs 8.5), Requesters (6.5 vs 8.5), Integrations (7 vs 7.5) | None | Free for 2 technicians; Standard from $13 per technician per month | ServiceDesk Plus vs Freshservice |
| SysAid | 7.1 | None | Time to value (7 vs 8.5), Requesters (7 vs 8.5), Integrations (6.5 vs 7.5), Pricing (7 vs 8.5) | AI (8 vs 8) | $89 per agent per month (Professional) | SysAid vs Freshservice |
| ServiceNow ITSM | 6.2 | AI (9 vs 8), Integrations (9 vs 7.5) | Time to value (4 vs 8.5), Requesters (7 vs 8.5), Pricing (2 vs 8.5) | None | Not published | ServiceNow vs Freshservice |
| Ivanti Neurons for ITSM | 5.5 | None | AI (7.5 vs 8), Time to value (4.5 vs 8.5), Requesters (6.5 vs 8.5), Integrations (7 vs 7.5), Pricing (2 vs 8.5) | None | Not published | Ivanti vs Freshservice |
ServiceNow evidence: [ServiceNow ITSM page] [ServiceNow CMDB page] [ServiceNow AI agents page] [G2 ServiceNow reviews] [G2 compare page]
Beats Freshservice on: automation and AI assistance (8.5 vs 8), integrations (8.5 vs 7.5)
Freshservice is still better on: time to value (8 vs 8.5), pricing transparency (8 vs 8.5)
Tied on: usability for non-IT requesters (8.5 vs 8.5)
Best for one vendor across customer and employee service
Rank
1=
8.3 / 10 vs 8.2
Beats Freshservice on: automation and AI assistance (9 vs 8)
Freshservice is still better on: pricing transparency (8 vs 8.5)
Tied on: time to value (8.5 vs 8.5), usability for non-IT requesters (8.5 vs 8.5), integrations (7.5 vs 7.5)
Best for AI agents across IT, HR and other departments
Rank
1=
8.3 / 10 vs 8.2
Beats Freshservice on: integrations (9 vs 7.5), pricing transparency (9 vs 8.5)
Freshservice is still better on: automation and AI assistance (7.5 vs 8), time to value (7 vs 8.5), usability for non-IT requesters (7 vs 8.5)
Best for IT teams already on Jira
Rank
4
7.9 / 10 vs 8.2
Beats Freshservice on: integrations (8 vs 7.5), pricing transparency (9 vs 8.5)
Freshservice is still better on: time to value (6.5 vs 8.5), usability for non-IT requesters (7 vs 8.5)
Tied on: automation and AI assistance (8 vs 8)
Best all-inclusive single price
Rank
5
7.7 / 10 vs 8.2
Beats Freshservice on: pricing transparency (9 vs 8.5)
Freshservice is still better on: automation and AI assistance (6.5 vs 8), time to value (6.5 vs 8.5), usability for non-IT requesters (6.5 vs 8.5), integrations (7 vs 7.5)
Best ITIL certification breadth at a published price
Rank
6=
7.1 / 10 vs 8.2
Does not score higher than Freshservice on any criterion
Freshservice is still better on: time to value (7 vs 8.5), usability for non-IT requesters (7 vs 8.5), integrations (6.5 vs 7.5), pricing transparency (7 vs 8.5)
Tied on: automation and AI assistance (8 vs 8)
Best for building your own AI agents on a mid-size desk
Rank
6=
7.1 / 10 vs 8.2
Beats Freshservice on: automation and AI assistance (9 vs 8), integrations (9 vs 7.5) [ServiceNow AI agents page] [ServiceNow CMDB page]
Freshservice is still better on: time to value (4 vs 8.5), usability for non-IT requesters (7 vs 8.5), pricing transparency (2 vs 8.5) [G2 ServiceNow reviews] [ServiceNow ITSM page] [G2 compare page]
Best ITIL breadth and CMDB depth
Rank
8
6.2 / 10 vs 8.2
Does not score higher than Freshservice on any criterion
Freshservice is still better on: automation and AI assistance (7.5 vs 8), time to value (4.5 vs 8.5), usability for non-IT requesters (6.5 vs 8.5), integrations (7 vs 7.5), pricing transparency (2 vs 8.5)
Best for hybrid or on-premises ITIL estates
Rank
9
5.5 / 10 vs 8.2
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| Need | Best-scoring alternative | Freshservice's score |
|---|---|---|
| Automation and AI assistance | monday service, ServiceNow (9) | 8 |
| Time to value | monday service (8.5) | 8.5 |
| Usability for non-IT requesters | Zendesk, monday service (8.5) | 8.5 |
| Integrations | JSM, ServiceNow (9) | 7.5 |
| Pricing transparency | JSM, Halo, ServiceDesk Plus (9) | 8.5 |
Stay with Freshservice if time to value and usability for non-IT requesters are what you value most: it scores 8.5 (tied highest in the set) and 8.5 (tied highest in the set) there. It ranks first of 9 on the full ITSM ranking and ranks third of 9 on the business-teams ranking, and Pro at $99 per agent per month includes problem, change and release management with a CMDB fed by agentless discovery.
Zendesk for IT (Employee Service) scores highest of the alternatives at 8.3 out of 10 on the business-teams weights, against Freshservice's 8.2; monday service ties at the same total. It beats Freshservice on automation and AI assistance and integrations.
Zendesk for IT (Employee Service), at $29 per agent per month (Suite Team, annual), monday service, at $31 per seat per month (Standard, annual; 3-seat minimum), Jira Service Management, at Free for 3 agents; Standard $20 per agent per month, Halo, at £66 per agent per month (UK list, annual), ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus, at Free for 2 technicians; Standard from $13 per technician per month, and SysAid, at $89 per agent per month (Professional). ServiceNow ITSM and Ivanti Neurons for ITSM do not publish prices [G2 compare page].
Zendesk for IT (Employee Service) and monday service at 8.3 and 8.3 against 8.2. See the head-to-head page for the criterion-by-criterion view.