The Best Alternatives to ManageEngine Service Desk in 2025
Let's be honest: if you're reading this, you're probably fed up with ManageEngine's clunky interface, frustrating customization limits, or their notoriously unhelpful support team.
You're not alone. IT teams are ditching ManageEngine for solutions that don't make them want to pull their hair out. When asked what specific issues they faced, one IT pro didn't hold back:
If these complaints sound painfully familiar, it's time to explore your options. This guide cuts through the marketing BS to show you what's actually working for IT teams in 2025.
What is ManageEngine Service Desk, Anyway?
For the uninitiated: ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is an ITIL-based help desk system handling tickets, problems, changes, and assets. It comes in three flavors (Standard, Professional, and Enterprise) and claims over 100,000 customers worldwide.
Pricing: ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus offers a free cloud tier for up to 5 technicians, with paid plans starting around $10–$20 per technician/month depending on the edition (Standard, Professional, or Enterprise). Asset management and ITIL features like change management often require higher-tier plans or additional add-ons, which increase costs. On-premises options are available via perpetual licenses with annual maintenance fees. Pricing scales significantly as you add more users or require premium features, which are typically included only in the Enterprise edition or as costly add-ons.
Why Look for ManageEngine Alternatives?
Even though ManageEngine has many features, companies often look for alternatives for these reasons:
- Slow to Add New Features: Many users feel that ManageEngine doesn't add new technology fast enough. Other help desk systems now offer AI tools, smarter automation, and modern interfaces that ManageEngine has been slower to provide.
- Problems with Growth: ManageEngine works well for small to medium teams but can struggle when companies grow larger. Organizations that are expanding quickly might hit limits with performance or customization.
- Connection with Other Tools: As companies use more different systems, how these systems connect becomes very important. Teams that already use tools like Atlassian, Microsoft, or Salesforce often want solutions that connect more smoothly with what they already have.
- Cost Issues: With higher-level plans or many users, ManageEngine's price ($93 per agent for Enterprise) can get expensive. Some alternatives offer better deals or include more features in their lower-priced plans.
- Outdated Look and Feel: Some users find ManageEngine's interface looks old compared to newer options. Today's employees expect software to be easy to use, just like the apps they use at home.
How to Choose a ManageEngine Alternative?
When looking at alternatives, follow these steps to find the best fit:
- Make a Must-Have List: Write down what features you absolutely need. Do you require ticket tracking, a self-service portal, or a knowledge base? What problems do you have with your current system?
- Check the Price: Look beyond just the monthly fee per user. Also consider setup costs, training, extra modules, and support. Calculate what it will cost over 3-5 years, including as your team grows.
- Decide on Cloud or On-Premises: Choose whether you want software in the cloud or installed on your own servers. Make sure it works for your company's structure, including multiple departments or locations.
- Check How It Connects to Other Tools: List the important systems you need to connect with, like user directories, monitoring tools, and communication platforms. Check if each alternative has ready-made connectors for your key systems.
- Try the User Interface: Test how easy each system is to use through demos or free trials. Include both IT staff and regular users in the testing to see if people find it easy to learn.
- Research the Company: Look into each provider's history for reliability, updates, and customer service. Check review sites and forums to see what customers say about support quality and response times.
Top ManageEngine Alternatives in 2025
1. Xurrent
Overview: Xurrent (formerly known as 4me) is a cloud-based service management platform. It works well for both enterprise IT service management and situations where multiple departments need service desks. It's designed for easy setup while still offering advanced capabilities.
Key Features:
- Workflow automation that reduces manual work
- AI tools including virtual agents that work 24/7
- Secure sharing between different organizations
- Advanced configuration management
- User-friendly interface for both IT staff and employees
Pricing: Xurrent offers a free version for basic needs. Paid plans include Basic, Standard, and Premium levels that add more features. The Premium plan costs about $60 per agent/month, with more affordable options at lower tiers. A Basic plan around $5 per agent is available for simple needs. All plans allow unlimited end-users at no extra cost.
Recognition: Xurrent has received positive feedback from analysts and users for its blend of powerful features and ease of use.
Best Suited For: Organizations looking for a modern, AI-powered solution that allows different teams to work together easily. Xurrent works especially well for companies with multiple service departments that need to collaborate.
2. Freshservice (Freshworks)
Overview: Freshservice is a popular cloud service desk that balances good features with ease of use. It's known for quick setup while still providing solid ITIL functionality, making it a good choice for medium-sized companies moving from older help desk systems.
Key Features:
- Clean, modern interface that needs minimal training
- AI assistant (Freddy) for categorizing tickets and suggesting solutions
- Service catalog with visual workflow builder
- Built-in project management tools
- Mobile apps for both technicians and users
- Automation workflows that connect with other IT tools
Pricing: Four levels are available: Starter ($29/agent/month) with basic ticketing; Growth ($59/agent/month) adds asset management; Pro ($115/agent/month) includes change and project management; Enterprise ($145/agent/month) offers AI chatbots and advanced reports. Paying yearly saves 15-20%. All plans include unlimited end-users.
Implementation: Typically gets up and running in days rather than weeks or months, with easy setup that doesn't require specialists. Freshworks provides tools to help move data from ManageEngine.
User Testimonials: Our research uncovered several ManageEngine users who switched to Freshservice and reported significant improvements. As one IT professional noted:
Best Suited For: Organizations that want quick results and simple administration without giving up important service desk features. Freshservice works particularly well for medium-sized businesses (50-1000 employees) looking for a balance of features and simplicity.
3. Jira Service Management (Atlassian)
Overview: Built on the Jira platform, JSM connects IT support with development teams, creating a unified system. For companies already using Atlassian products, JSM offers strong integration benefits.
Key Features:
- Seamless connection with Jira Software and Confluence
- Highly customizable workflows and automation
- Built-in Opsgenie for incident management and on-call scheduling
- Large marketplace with 3,000+ apps for adding features
- Visual SLA tracking and reporting
- Self-service portal with knowledge base through Confluence
Pricing: A free version supports up to 10 agents with no time limit. Paid cloud plans include Standard ($7.5/agent/month) with core features and Premium ($13.5/agent/month) adding asset tracking and advanced automation. Enterprise plans have custom pricing for large organizations. Paying yearly provides discounts.
Strength: Especially powerful for organizations where development and IT teams need to work closely together. The shared platform removes barriers between teams managing code, infrastructure, and support.
Best Suited For: Companies using DevOps or agile methods that want visibility across development and support teams. While it takes time to learn for those new to Jira, its value is strong for teams seeking connected workflows at a good price.
4. ServiceNow IT Service Management
Overview: The enterprise heavyweight of service desk solutions, ServiceNow offers the most complete feature set on its Now Platform. It goes beyond basic help desk into HR, customer service, security, and facilities management for true enterprise service management.
Key Features:
- Extensive customization options for complex enterprise needs
- Advanced workflow engine for sophisticated automation
- AI capabilities including predictive analytics and virtual agents
- Complete suite of related applications on one platform
- Enterprise-level security and compliance features
- Large partner network for implementation and customization
Pricing: Available only through custom quotes, but setup usually requires significant investment in configuration and training, often reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars for enterprise deployments. ServiceNow allows unlimited end-users with agent-only licensing.
Market Position: Used by about 80% of Fortune 500 companies, particularly strong in regulated industries and large, complex organizations.
Best Suited For: Large enterprises needing maximum capability and extensive customization. While powerful, it represents a significant investment in both cost and resources. Most appropriate for organizations with 1000+ employees or complex, multi-department service needs.
5. SolarWinds Service Desk
Overview: Formerly called Samanage, this cloud solution offers a practical balance of help desk features with particularly strong asset management. SolarWinds positions it as a practical alternative for organizations seeking efficiency without unnecessary complexity.
Key Features:
- Strong built-in IT asset management with discovery
- Clean, low-maintenance cloud interface
- Complete ITIL process support
- Risk assessment and compliance tracking for IT assets
- Works well with SolarWinds monitoring tools
- Comparison analytics showing how you measure up to industry standards
Pricing: Three main levels - Essentials ($39/technician/month) for basic help desk, Advanced ($79/tech/month) adding change management and asset tracking, and Premier ($99/tech/month) including configuration management and unlimited assets. All pricing is for annual billing, and all plans include unlimited end-users.
Asset Management Advantage: Particularly valuable for organizations needing to track hardware and software inventory, manage licenses, and maintain compliance without buying separate asset management tools.
Best Suited For: Practical IT teams wanting capable service management with excellent asset tracking. The integrated approach simplifies operations while delivering solid ITIL alignment at a reasonable price.
6. Ivanti Service Manager
Overview: Ivanti offers a robust IT service management solution that emphasizes automation, security integration, and endpoint management. Known for its strong ITIL alignment and mature capabilities, it's positioned as a solid option for organizations with complex IT environments.
Key Features:
- Extensive self-service and automation capabilities
- Seamless integration with Ivanti's security and endpoint management tools
- Sophisticated workflow designer with codeless configuration
- Voice recognition and AI assistants for improved service delivery
- Comprehensive asset discovery and management
- Available in both cloud and on-premises deployments
Pricing: Ivanti uses tier-based pricing with Standard, Premium, and Enterprise options. While exact pricing requires a custom quote, industry sources indicate costs start around 80/agent/month. Volume discounts are available for larger deployments.
Security and Automation Advantage: Particularly valuable for organizations concerned with cybersecurity and IT efficiency, as Ivanti's platform connects service management with security operations and endpoint management in unique ways.
Best Suited For: Mid-sized to large enterprises with mature IT practices that need robust ITIL capabilities combined with automation and security integration. Especially valuable for organizations in regulated industries or those with complex compliance requirements that want a unified approach to IT operations.
Making Your Final Decision
Each alternative addresses different organizational needs:
- Xurrent works well for organizations wanting modern AI capabilities with multi-tenant support. Its ability to securely connect different service teams makes it unique.
- Freshservice offers the most user-friendly interface with solid features that can be set up quickly without specialized knowledge. It's particularly good for mid-market organizations.
- Jira Service Management creates a unified platform across development and IT support, ideal for organizations using DevOps approaches. Its pricing is especially attractive for smaller teams.
- ServiceNow remains the most powerful option for large organizations requiring deep customization and governance. While expensive, its comprehensive platform delivers value for complex environments.
- SolarWinds Service Desk combines capable ticketing with excellent asset tracking, ideal for organizations needing to manage both tickets and inventory efficiently.
- Ivanti Service Manager unifies service management with security and endpoint management, ideal for organizations with complex compliance needs or those seeking to integrate IT operations with security practices.
Before making your final choice, run practical tests using free trials with real scenarios from your environment. Include both IT staff and end-users in testing to ensure people will actually use it. Check data migration options from ManageEngine, as moving data varies in difficulty between alternatives.
The service desk market in 2025 offers strong alternatives to ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus, each with different advantages. By carefully assessing your needs, company culture, and growth plans, you can select a platform that will not just replace ManageEngine but improve your IT service delivery.