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 JSM'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 7.9) | Beats JSM on | JSM beats it on | Tied on | Starting price | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zendesk for IT (Employee Service) | 8.3 | AI (8.5 vs 7.5), Time to value (8 vs 7), Requesters (8.5 vs 7) | Integrations (8.5 vs 9), Pricing (8 vs 9) | None | $29 per agent per month (Suite Team, annual) | Zendesk vs Jira Service Management |
| monday service | 8.3 | AI (9 vs 7.5), Time to value (8.5 vs 7), Requesters (8.5 vs 7) | Integrations (7.5 vs 9), Pricing (8 vs 9) | None | $31 per seat per month (Standard, annual; 3-seat minimum) | monday service vs Jira Service Management |
| Freshservice | 8.2 | AI (8 vs 7.5), Time to value (8.5 vs 7), Requesters (8.5 vs 7) | Integrations (7.5 vs 9), Pricing (8.5 vs 9) | None | $19 per agent per month (annual) | Freshservice vs Jira Service Management |
| Halo | 7.7 | AI (8 vs 7.5) | Time to value (6.5 vs 7), Integrations (8 vs 9) | Requesters (7 vs 7), Pricing (9 vs 9) | £66 per agent per month (UK list, annual) | Halo vs Jira Service Management |
| ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus | 7.1 | None | AI (6.5 vs 7.5), Time to value (6.5 vs 7), Requesters (6.5 vs 7), Integrations (7 vs 9) | Pricing (9 vs 9) | Free for 2 technicians; Standard from $13 per technician per month | ServiceDesk Plus vs Jira Service Management |
| SysAid | 7.1 | AI (8 vs 7.5) | Integrations (6.5 vs 9), Pricing (7 vs 9) | Time to value (7 vs 7), Requesters (7 vs 7) | $89 per agent per month (Professional) | SysAid vs Jira Service Management |
| ServiceNow ITSM | 6.2 | AI (9 vs 7.5) | Time to value (4 vs 7), Pricing (2 vs 9) | Requesters (7 vs 7), Integrations (9 vs 9) | Not published | ServiceNow vs Jira Service Management |
| Ivanti Neurons for ITSM | 5.5 | None | Time to value (4.5 vs 7), Requesters (6.5 vs 7), Integrations (7 vs 9), Pricing (2 vs 9) | AI (7.5 vs 7.5) | Not published | Ivanti vs Jira Service Management |
ServiceNow evidence: [ServiceNow ITSM page] [ServiceNow CMDB page] [ServiceNow AI agents page] [G2 ServiceNow reviews] [G2 compare page]
Beats JSM on: automation and AI assistance (8.5 vs 7.5), time to value (8 vs 7), usability for non-IT requesters (8.5 vs 7)
JSM is still better on: integrations (8.5 vs 9), pricing transparency (8 vs 9)
Best for one vendor across customer and employee service
Rank
1=
8.3 / 10 vs 7.9
Beats JSM on: automation and AI assistance (9 vs 7.5), time to value (8.5 vs 7), usability for non-IT requesters (8.5 vs 7)
JSM is still better on: integrations (7.5 vs 9), pricing transparency (8 vs 9)
Best for AI agents across IT, HR and other departments
Rank
1=
8.3 / 10 vs 7.9
Beats JSM on: automation and AI assistance (8 vs 7.5), time to value (8.5 vs 7), usability for non-IT requesters (8.5 vs 7)
JSM is still better on: integrations (7.5 vs 9), pricing transparency (8.5 vs 9)
Top ranked for mid-size IT teams
Rank
3
8.2 / 10 vs 7.9
Beats JSM on: automation and AI assistance (8 vs 7.5)
JSM is still better on: time to value (6.5 vs 7), integrations (8 vs 9)
Tied on: usability for non-IT requesters (7 vs 7), pricing transparency (9 vs 9)
Best all-inclusive single price
Rank
5
7.7 / 10 vs 7.9
Does not score higher than JSM on any criterion
JSM is still better on: automation and AI assistance (6.5 vs 7.5), time to value (6.5 vs 7), usability for non-IT requesters (6.5 vs 7), integrations (7 vs 9)
Tied on: pricing transparency (9 vs 9)
Best ITIL certification breadth at a published price
Rank
6=
7.1 / 10 vs 7.9
Beats JSM on: automation and AI assistance (8 vs 7.5)
JSM is still better on: integrations (6.5 vs 9), pricing transparency (7 vs 9)
Tied on: time to value (7 vs 7), usability for non-IT requesters (7 vs 7)
Best for building your own AI agents on a mid-size desk
Rank
6=
7.1 / 10 vs 7.9
Beats JSM on: automation and AI assistance (9 vs 7.5) [ServiceNow AI agents page]
JSM is still better on: time to value (4 vs 7), pricing transparency (2 vs 9) [G2 ServiceNow reviews] [G2 compare page]
Tied on: usability for non-IT requesters (7 vs 7), integrations (9 vs 9)
Best ITIL breadth and CMDB depth
Rank
8
6.2 / 10 vs 7.9
Does not score higher than JSM on any criterion
JSM is still better on: time to value (4.5 vs 7), usability for non-IT requesters (6.5 vs 7), integrations (7 vs 9), pricing transparency (2 vs 9)
Tied on: automation and AI assistance (7.5 vs 7.5)
Best for hybrid or on-premises ITIL estates
Rank
9
5.5 / 10 vs 7.9
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| Need | Best-scoring alternative | JSM's score |
|---|---|---|
| Automation and AI assistance | monday service, ServiceNow (9) | 7.5 |
| Time to value | monday service, Freshservice (8.5) | 7 |
| Usability for non-IT requesters | Zendesk, monday service, Freshservice (8.5) | 7 |
| Integrations | ServiceNow (9) | 9 |
| Pricing transparency | Halo, ServiceDesk Plus (9) | 9 |
Stay with JSM if pricing transparency and integrations are what you value most: it scores 9 (tied highest in the set) and 9 (tied highest in the set) there. Your engineering teams already work in Jira, the Free plan covers three agents, and Premium at $51.42 per agent per month adds change management and deployment gating with CI/CD tools.
Zendesk for IT (Employee Service) scores highest of the alternatives at 8.3 out of 10 on the business-teams weights, against JSM's 7.9; monday service ties at the same total. It beats JSM on automation and AI assistance, time to value and usability for non-IT requesters.
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), Freshservice, at $19 per agent per month (annual), 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].
Halo at 7.7 against 7.9. See the head-to-head page for the criterion-by-criterion view.