Top 8 ServiceNow alternatives and competitors in 2025

ServiceNow is a staple in the world of IT service management (ITSM). The cloud-based platform offers robust AI and automation tools that allow organizations to improve productivity and work more efficiently. While it works well for plenty of businesses, it’s not necessarily the best solution for every organization.

Some companies are looking for a customer service solution, others an IT service solution, and others want a combination of the two. While ServiceNow shines in ITSM, it might feel less fitting for companies seeking a simple yet customizable customer service platform that still offers IT functionality.

This post will introduce you to eight ServiceNow alternatives. We’ll look at the pros and cons of ServiceNow as a platform, walk you through what to look for in alternatives to ServiceNow, and talk about reliable options like monday service.

What is ServiceNow?

ServiceNow is a cloud-based AI-driven platform that helps organizations optimize workflows and work more efficiently. The platform is designed for larger organizations and enterprise service management in a wide range of industries like government, automotive, retail, banking, and others. ServiceNow offers a range of solutions for different needs, such as:

• Customer service management (CSM)
• IT service management
• Security operations
• HR service delivery
• Self-service portals

Combining AI, data, and workflows, the platform helps companies streamline IT operations and enhance service delivery across departments. The solution offers features like AI-powered automation, integration capabilities, and a centralized service portal. With ServiceNow, businesses can improve efficiency, reduce manual business processes, and enhance customer and employee experiences.

Pros and cons of ServiceNow

ServiceNow helps a lot of businesses streamline their various service workflows, but that doesn’t mean it’s the ideal solution for every company. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits and drawbacks of the platform.

Pros

• A robust set of advanced capabilities for multiple service tasks
• A single unified system for managing different operations in one place
• State-of-the-art AI and automation tools for streamlining workflows

Cons

• Can be very complex to use and navigate
• Steep learning curve and setup time
• Costly solution that may not fit every organization’s budget
• Certain functionalities aren’t very customizable
• Some users report issues with integrations and APIs
• No free trial available

Overall, ServiceNow is a highly functional platform that many users love for its ability to increase efficiency in service departments. However, companies that prioritize ease of use, getting started quickly, and straightforward onboarding can benefit from considering ServiceNow alternatives.

What to consider when choosing customer service software for your business

Whether you already use the software and you’re looking for a ServiceNow alternative or you’re in the market for a service platform for the first time, there are some important factors to keep in mind. Not all solutions are built equally, and they won’t all fit every business. Before jumping feet first into new software, take the time to consider what you need.

• Ease of use: The platform you use should have an intuitive interface so that your team can get up and running quickly without extensive training
• Scalability: Ensure the software can grow with your business by supporting more users and tickets and that you have access to more advanced features
• Seamless integration options: Look for a comprehensive solution that seamlessly connects with your existing tools and other essential platforms, such as a CRM or email marketing solution
• AI features: To speed up service processes and make workflows more efficient, you need service software with built-in AI to power ticket categorization, chatbots, predictive analytics, and even AI agents
• Multi-channel support: Make sure the software can handle customer inquiries from any channel in one place, such as email, chat, calls, or social media
• Workflow automation: The system you use should automate repetitive tasks so that you can cut out manual work, such as ticket assignment and workflow approvals
• Analytics: Choose a platform with robust real-time reporting and analytics to track performance, identify trends, analyze customer behavior, and optimize support processes

8 of the best alternatives to ServiceNow

We’ve gathered some of the top ServiceNow alternatives that you may want to consider for your organization. Some of these platforms work better as alternatives for small to medium-sized companies, while others can fit a range of company sizes, from small businesses to enterprises.

1. monday service

monday service is a highly customizable service management platform built on monday.com’s work OS. It provides IT and customer support teams with tools for tracking tickets, managing workflows, and automating repetitive tasks, all within an intuitive, no-code interface. Thanks to its rich AI features, monday service makes it simple for teams to automate workflows like AI ticket management.

Key features

• AI suggestions: Agents get AI suggestions based on a customer’s inquiry to make it quicker and easier to solve issues
• Customizable workflows: Build customized no-code service workflows with a simple drag-and-drop interface to automate notifications, approvals, and follow-ups
• AI service agents: Use AI to manage incoming tickets by ranking and categorizing them for quicker resolutions

How monday service compares to ServiceNow

monday service shines thanks to its flexibility and user-friendly interface, making it a great choice for businesses of any size that need customization without complex setup. When comparing interfaces and ease of use, monday service has an edge over ServiceNow with a simpler platform that “stands out for its customization capabilities and intuitive approach,” according to what users say on sites like G2.

monday service pricing

• Pricing starts at $26/month/seat
• Three plans available: Standard, Pro, and Enterprise
• 14-day free trial available

Read our in-depth piece on how monday.com and ServiceNow compare

2. HelpDesk

HelpDesk is a simple and efficient ticketing and customer service platform that helps teams streamline customer communication, automate workflows and repetitive tasks, and centralize support requests. The interface is easy to use and can be customized to fit specific workflows.

Key features

• AI ticket summary: Get insights into any ticket in one click as AI summarizes the main issue and suggests next steps
• Automated workflows: Create custom automations or use templates to categorize, assign, and escalate tickets automatically
• AI writing and language detection: Use AI to instantly detect language in a ticket and assign it to the right agent and to tailor a message’s tone to your brand

How HelpDesk compares to ServiceNow

HelpDesk is a lightweight alternative that focuses on ease of use and affordable pricing plans. Unlike ServiceNow, it eliminates complexity, making it ideal for businesses that don’t require extensive IT service management (ITSM) capabilities.

HelpDesk pricing

• Pricing starts at $29/month/agent
• Three plans available: Team, Business, and Enterprise
• 14-day free trial available

3. Freshservice

Freshservice by Freshworks is a service solution designed for enterprise-grade IT service management (ITSM). The platform offers an AI-powered service desk, smart automation features, and collaboration tools to streamline IT service delivery.

Key features

• Freddy AI: Freshservice has a built-in AI assistant, Freddy AI, to help customers with self-service options and help agents with suggestions and insights
• IT asset management: Track and manage IT assets across multiple systems and offices over their entire lifecycle
• Knowledge bases: Create a custom knowledge base for your team to refer to essential documents, policies, and updated information

How Freshservice compares to ServiceNow

Freshservice provides robust ITSM features without the high costs and complexity of ServiceNow, making it a better fit for enterprise teams looking for an IT service solution. Its AI-driven automation and intuitive interface make it an accessible choice for businesses looking for powerful yet easy-to-use IT service management.

Freshservice pricing

• Pricing starts at $19/month/agent
• Four plans available: Starter, Growth, Pro, and Enterprise
• 14-day free trial available

4. Jira Service Management

Jira Service Management is an ITSM solution from Atlassian designed to help IT and development teams collaborate seamlessly. It offers powerful AI features that help teams with incident management, change tracking, and automation tools to improve service delivery.

Key features

• AI predictions and suggestions: Use Jira’s AI to predict customer issues and get suggested actions based on ticket content
• Knowledge management: Create self-service resources through a knowledge base to help customers solve issues on their own
• Incident and change management: Helps dev and IT teams respond to and track incidents while maintaining compliance and accessing contextual information

How Jira Service Management compares to ServiceNow

Jira Service Management is a better fit for tech-focused teams that need deep integration with development workflows. Compared to ServiceNow, Jira Service Management offers a more developer-friendly approach while maintaining ITSM best practices.

Jira Service Management pricing

• Free forever plan with limited features and up to 3 agents
• Pricing starts at $19/month/agent
• Four plans available: Free, Standard, Premium, and Enterprise
• 7-day free trial available for Standard and Premium plans

5. BMC Helix

BMC Helix is a powerful solution that leverages AI and machine learning (ML) to power IT service management (ITSM), IT operations management (ITOM), and workflow orchestration solutions for enterprises. It offers predictive service management, automation, and multi-cloud capabilities to help organizations streamline IT workflows and improve service delivery.

Key features

• AI service management: AI and ML power intelligent ticket automations and predictive analytics for faster resolutions
• Real-time insights: Use AI to identify patterns and monitor performance across IT operations and minimize downtime
• Workflow orchestration: Build workflows for business-critical services for on-premises, hybrid, or multi-cloud infrastructures

How BMC Helix compares to ServiceNow

BMC Helix is one of ServiceNow’s most direct competitors. The platform offers similar enterprise ITSM capabilities but focuses more on AI-driven automation and multi-cloud management, making it ideal for organizations with complex IT environments.

BMC Helix pricing

• Custom pricing based on business needs

6. Zendesk

Zendesk is a popular customer service solution with an interface that’s easy to use. The platform leverages AI to offer advanced features for ticketing, self-service, and analytics, making it ideal for businesses looking to prioritize customer support and build a strong customer experience.

Key features

• Omnichannel support: Handle customer service requests and messages in one unified platform, whether they come from email, chat, calls, or social media
• AI-powered automation: Build intelligent automations with AI to suggest responses, route tickets, and help agents resolve issues faster
• Self-service portal: Create custom knowledge bases and help centers to empower customers with self-service options

How Zendesk compares to ServiceNow

Zendesk is ideal for businesses focused on customer service rather than ITSM. With a user-friendly interface and strong automation features, Zendesk feels more accessible to a wide range of teams compared to ServiceNow, which can feel overwhelming to some.

Zendesk pricing

• Pricing starts at $19/month/agent
• Four plans available: Support Team, Suite, Team, Suite Professional, and Suite Enterprise
• Free trial available

7. Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk is a cloud-based customer service and IT help desk solution that’s part of the Zoho suite of products. The platform offers AI-powered ticket management and automation tools for for businesses of all sizes.

Key features

• Zia AI: Zoho’s AI assistant, Zia, helps teams by suggesting responses, automating workflows, and analyzing sentiment.
• Omnichannel support: Centralize customer interactions from a wide range of channels including email, chat, phone, social media, and forms
• Insights and analytics: Access real-time insights and predictive intelligence tools for enhanced decision-making

How Zoho Desk compares to ServiceNow

Zoho Desk is a more affordable and user-friendly alternative to ServiceNow, offering strong automation and AI capabilities without the complexity or high costs. That said, it doesn’t have strong ITSM capabilities, making it ideal for businesses looking to focus on customer service.

Zoho Desk pricing

• Pricing starts at $7/month/user
• Four plans available: Express, Standard, Professional, and Enterprise
• Free 15-day trial available

8. SolarWinds Service Desk

SolarWinds Service Desk is a cloud-based TSM solution that simplifies IT support and asset management. Offering plenty of AI-driven functionalities like automation, incident tracking, and compliance management, SolarWinds Service Desk makes it easier for organizations to streamline IT operations.

Key features

• Automated ticketing system: AI helps categorize, prioritize, and route tickets efficiently
• IT asset management: Tracks hardware, software, and licenses to optimize IT resources
• Incident management: Get faster incident resolution with AI-powered management for stronger processes

How SolarWinds Service Desk compares to ServiceNow

SolarWinds Service Desk provides similar ITSM functionalities at a lower price point and with a more intuitive setup. Overall, it’s a more cost-effective choice for mid-sized businesses that want a robust IT service management solution

SolarWinds Service Desk pricing

• Pricing starts at $29/month/technician
• Three plans available: Essentials, Advanced, and Premier
• Free 30-day trial available

Build better customer experiences with monday service

It’s not always easy to know which AI customer service platform will be the right fit for your company. Some are more tailored to small and medium businesses, while others can work for enterprises. The best option is choosing a solution like monday service that’s flexible, customizable, and can scale with your business.

With an intuitive interface that uses a drag-and-drop format, monday service gives teams the best of both worlds. It’s robust enough to tackle even the most complex service workflows but still uncomplicated enough to use so that anyone on your team can dive right in and pick it up.

Powered by AI and packed with automation features, monday service actually helps teams run more efficiently, resolve more tickets in less time, and improve the overall customer experience.

Aside from the features we mentioned above, monday service also offers tons of other great functionalities:

• Instantly route incoming tickets using AI to assign new tickets to the right agent
• Build a customer-facing self-service portal to give customer resources that enhance their experience

• Categorize and prioritize new tickets using AI to save time and stay organized
• Integrates with over 200+ of the top third-party applications to seamlessly sync data and workflows
• Easily sort incoming internal IT requests from different teams like marketing, finance, HR, and more to keep everything categorized

• Built-in AI agents help service teams work more efficiently by resolving simple customer service requests
• Create custom dashboards to spot trends, track performance, and use real-time data to inform important decisions

• Use AI to build out your internal knowledge base so that agents can instantly access documents and quick resolutions
• Connect with other monday.com products like monday CRM and monday work management to start new projects from tickets and update customer profiles

How to make the transition from ServiceNow to monday service

If you’re currently using ServiceNow but are considering shifting to a new platform, it doesn’t need to be a cumbersome experience. Migrating from ServiceNow, or any other CSM platform, to monday service is easier than you think.

monday service allows you to import data and content from documents, Excel sheets, and other platforms. Additionally, monday service offers an integration with ServiceNow, called ServiceNow Connector, that allows you to sync service management processes, data, and routine tasks to make it easier to start moving everything over the monday service.

Finally, if you have a lot of data and content to move, our customer support team is available to help you transition from your current platform to monday service. With 24/7 support, our monday.com experts can help answer any questions you have about migrating to monday service.

Whether you’re migrating from another platform or starting from scratch with customer service software, monday service makes it quick and easy to get started. With easy onboarding and little-to-no learning curve, your team won’t miss a beat when it comes to managing customer inquiries.