IT service management software is how an internal IT team logs, routes and closes requests, and records the changes behind them. Prices look similar until you see which processes sit in the cheap plan.
This guide ranks twelve ITSM products on first-ninety-day effort, the invoice once change and problem management are added, data exit and independence.
Vendors can pay for visibility on this page. It never changes what an entry
says about a product, including the criticism, and we earn nothing when you click through to a
vendor. How that works.
In short
What ITSM software does
IT service management software gives an organisation one place to log, route and resolve incidents and service requests, and usually adds change, problem, knowledge and asset records.
In this order: setup effort, what it really costs, how your data comes back out, whether
you can leave, and who each ITSM tool is built for. One rule sits on top of those tests:
Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. Why those five, and why there is no
score out of ten, is on the how we work page.
Free plan for three users; four paid editions per user per month, published
Yes
A company already on Zoho that wants a full help desk at a low seat price
A team that wants the most polished interface
Country is where the vendor is headquartered or contracts from, which is a
different question from where your data is hosted. Where the two tell different stories, the
entry says so.
One per-agent price covering every ITSM module, from a UK vendor
Ranked #1 of 12 in Best ITSM Software in 2026.
Self-hostablePublished pricingEurope
Halo answers the real-price test better than tiered rivals, because change, problem, major-incident and knowledge management are all in the single per-agent price and end users are not counted. Named and concurrent licences cost the same, so shift teams can share seats.
The cost that remains is onboarding, which is mandatory and quoted by scope. Add that fee to the licence when you compare. On-premise deployment is offered, so independence from a vendor-hosted cloud is possible.
What stands out
Per agent
No tiers
Cloud or on-premise
Where it costs you
Onboarding packages are required with purchase and priced according to scope
The pricing page gives no contract length, and its FAQ also tells buyers to talk to the vendor for a figure
Right for
IT teams that want one per-agent price covering every ITSM module
Wrong for
Buyers who need an all-in fixed price including implementation
United KingdomPer agent per month, published; 30-day trial
Dutch service management platform sold in three published per-agent plans
Ranked #2 of 12 in Best ITSM Software in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
TOPdesk's first ninety days are helped by a plan structure you can read: three named plans, per agent, with unlimited assets, tickets and end users. The catch is where processes begin.
Incident, asset and knowledge management are in Essential, while change, problem and contract management start in Engaged, and project management and the AI triage tier higher. Price a team that follows change procedure at the middle plan. The Virtual Appliance exists for buyers who want infrastructure of their own.
What stands out
Three plans
EU data residency
Virtual Appliance
Where it costs you
Change, problem and contract management are not in the entry plan
No free trial is described on the pricing page
Right for
Mid-sized organisations wanting published per-agent prices and EU data residency
Wrong for
Teams that need change control on the cheapest plan
NetherlandsThree plans per agent per month, published
Open source service desk with published cloud and self-hosted subscriptions
Ranked #3 of 12 in Best ITSM Software in 2026.
Open sourceSelf-hostablePublished pricingEurope
GLPI gives you an asset register, an inventory agent and a service desk for nothing, which is why it is everywhere in French and European public administration. Run it on your own server and no vendor can raise the price.
The trade is entirely in effort: you install it, you roll out the agents, you handle version upgrades, and you accept an interface designed by engineers. The paid subscription buys third-level support and the maintainer's own plugins, not an easier product.
What stands out
Open source
Self-hosted or cloud
Data reversibility
Where it costs you
Installation, agent rollout and upgrades are entirely your work
English documentation and community lag the French
Right for
Public bodies and technical teams wanting a free, self-hosted system
Wrong for
Small teams with no Linux administration time available
FranceOpen source; cloud per user per month and self-hosted subscriptions, published; 45-day trial
The free Standard edition for up to five technicians lets a small team start without a purchase, and both deployment models are priced on one page.
The real price moves with the edition: Professional adds IT assets and Enterprise adds change management and projects, and prices rise with technicians and assets in blocks. The vendor reports ITIL certification for 14 practices and a 30-day trial. Check which edition carries the practices you will actually run.
What stands out
Three editions
Cloud or on-premises
Free plan
Where it costs you
Change management is listed only in the Enterprise edition
Professional and Enterprise pricing also depends on the number of IT assets
Right for
IT teams that want a choice of on-premises or cloud with published prices
Wrong for
Teams that expect change control in the cheapest edition
IndiaFree plan up to five technicians; per technician and per asset, published; 30-day trial
Per-agent service desk where change and problem management start at Pro
Ranked #5 of 12 in Best ITSM Software in 2026.
Published pricingNorth America
Freshservice is the pragmatic answer when you need both halves: every ticket is attached to a device, and the leaver process runs through the same tool. That integration is worth more day to day than a deeper standalone register.
The pricing is the catch, since the asset capability lives on higher plans and the included asset allowance runs out, after which packs are added. Price it at your real device count, not per agent.
What stands out
Four plans
Per agent
Trial
Where it costs you
Asset features start on Growth; more assets and licence management are quoted
Discovery is adequate rather than thorough
Right for
Teams buying a service desk and an asset register in one decision
Wrong for
Anyone wanting asset management without a ticket system
United StatesPer agent per month, published; 14-day trial
ITIL-aligned help desk with a published Professional price and quoted Enterprise
Ranked #6 of 12 in Best ITSM Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
SysAid keeps its structure simple: Professional at a published per-agent price includes request, incident, change and problem management and asset management, and the free trial opens all features without a card.
Enterprise is quoted from 20 agents and can add a private single-tenant AWS instance, which Professional does not include. The pricing FAQ says the final price depends on users and assets, so request a written quote for your size before treating the headline price as the budget.
What stands out
ITIL-aligned
Two plans
Trial
Where it costs you
The website does not say where the company is headquartered
Enterprise is quoted only, from 20 agents, and the final cost is set by a consultant
Right for
IT teams wanting ITIL-aligned processes with a published entry price per agent
Wrong for
Buyers who want every price on the website
Not stated by the vendorProfessional per agent per month, published; Enterprise quoted; trial offered
Per-agent service desk with change management reserved for Premium
Ranked #7 of 12 in Best ITSM Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingNorth America
Jira Service Management is the natural pick when the engineers who fix incidents already work in Jira, because requests, changes and issues share one data model. A free plan covers three agents.
Change management and advanced incident and problem management sit in Premium, so a small team pays more than the entry price suggests. Atlassian now sells it inside the Service Collection, which also holds a separate customer service app and Assets.
What stands out
Free plan
Premium for change
Data Center option
Where it costs you
Heavier and less friendly for customer-facing support
Configuration takes time
Right for
Internal IT where developers already live in Jira
Wrong for
A consumer support team
United StatesFree plan for three agents; paid per agent per month, published
Per-technician SaaS service desk with change management in the entry plan
Ranked #8 of 12 in Best ITSM Software in 2026.
Published pricingNorth America
The plan table is unusually generous at the bottom: change management, CMDB, service catalogue, SLA and live chat support are in the entry plan, and requesters are unlimited.
Cost then climbs by plan: custom forms, advanced automation, virtual agent and API access come in Advanced, and visual dependency mapping and the sandbox in Premier. Assets are priced on request. The vendor applies product updates to all customer instances, so you do not choose when upgrades land.
What stands out
Per technician
Unlimited requesters
Three plans
Where it costs you
Asset pricing is available on request and is not in the per-technician figure
Automation, runbooks, virtual agent and API access begin only in the middle plan
Right for
Mid-sized IT teams that want change management and CMDB from the first plan
Wrong for
Buyers who need asset costs on the page
United StatesPer technician per month, published; 30-day trial
Endpoint-priced platform with a built-in service desk for IT teams
Ranked #9 of 12 in Best ITSM Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
SuperOps is incorporated in the United States, with a Delaware address on its contact page. It bills per endpoint per month with unlimited technicians, and states that there are no overage charges.
Endpoints include computers with an agent and monitored network devices. Onboarding and migration are free according to the FAQ. The IT-team plans include Prime and Prime Plus, and an MSP track is listed separately.
What stands out
Per endpoint
Unlimited technicians
150-endpoint minimum
Where it costs you
Each plan has a minimum of 150 endpoints, so a micro-MSP or a small IT team cannot start at its real size.
Prices are not shown on the page and must be requested, so the real cost is only known after a sales conversation.
Right for
MSPs and IT teams with 150 or more endpoints and a growing technician team
Wrong for
Small shops below 150 endpoints wanting a published price
United StatesQuoted per organisation, counted per endpoint; trial offered
ITIL 4 service management deployed in the cloud, on-premises or hybrid
Ranked #10 of 12 in Best ITSM Software in 2026.
Self-hostablePricing on requestNorth America
Ivanti's pitch is breadth: 14 ITIL 4 practices, extensions into HR, facilities, security and project work, and a choice between cloud, on-premises and hybrid deployment. That choice supports independence, because a team can keep the system inside its own estate.
The weakness is visibility before purchase: no price is on the page, so the first ninety days begin with a sales process. Ask for a quote that itemises the extensions you plan to switch on.
What stands out
14 ITIL 4 practices
Cloud or on-premises
Contact sales
Where it costs you
The product page shows no prices and no trial, only a demo and a sales contact
The product is now called Ivanti ITSM, so older contracts and reviews may use another name
Right for
Enterprises wanting ITIL 4 breadth with a choice of cloud, on-premises or hybrid
Wrong for
Small teams that need a price before talking to sales
United StatesContact sales; no prices on the product page
Wide ITSM suite sold by BMC Helix, Inc. with pricing on request
Ranked #11 of 12 in Best ITSM Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
BMC Helix ITSM covers incident, problem, change and release management, a CMDB and service level and asset management, and layers AI agents on top. The vendor is now BMC Helix, Inc., with the product page moved to a separate domain.
For this guide the limit is evidence: the page lists no prices, no hosting model and no trial length, only a pricing request and a demo. Buyers should ask for those three items in writing before a pilot.
What stands out
Pricing on request
Full ITSM scope
AI agents
Where it costs you
The page publishes no prices and routes buyers to a request form
The page states neither a hosting model nor a headquarters country
Right for
Large IT organisations wanting wide ITSM scope and AI agents in one suite
Wrong for
Teams that need prices and hosting terms before a sales call
Not stated by the vendorPricing on request; trials and demos offered
Customer-service helpdesk with per-user plans, thin on ITSM processes
Ranked #12 of 12 in Best ITSM Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingAsia-Pacific
Zoho Desk offers SLAs, telephony integration, multi-brand help centres and automation at a low seat price, and if the rest of your stack is Zoho the customer context flows through without connectors.
The features are spread over four paid editions: SLAs start at Standard, telephony and multiple departments at Professional, and the multi-brand help centre is Enterprise only. Standing alone it feels less coherent, and the interface conventions take adjusting to. For a company already inside the suite it is close to a default.
What stands out
Customer service
Per user
Zoho suite
Where it costs you
Feels less coherent outside the Zoho suite
Telephony needs Professional and multi-brand needs Enterprise
Right for
A company already on Zoho that wants a full help desk at a low seat price
Wrong for
A team that wants the most polished interface
IndiaFree plan for three users; four paid editions per user per month, published
IT service management software gives an organisation one place to log, route and resolve incidents and service requests, and usually adds change, problem, knowledge and asset records. The differences that matter are rarely in the feature list, so this is
the order we would work through them.
01
Decide whether you need a published price
9 of the 12 tools here publish what they cost; the other 3 quote per organisation. The ones you can compare without a sales call: HaloITSM, TOPdesk, GLPI, ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus, Freshservice, SysAid, Jira Service Management, SolarWinds Service Desk, Zoho Desk.
02
Decide how much the jurisdiction matters
These 12 vendors are established in 6 countries across 4 regions (North America 5, Europe 3, Asia-Pacific 2, Elsewhere 2). That decides whose disclosure law applies to what the vendor holds, wherever the servers are.
03
Consider whether you want the source
1 of these are open source: GLPI. Hosting one yourself trades a subscription for maintenance.
Which processes sit in the cheap plan: change, problem and catalogue
ITSM price lists look alike until you ask which processes are included, because vendors place change and problem management in different plans. Freshservice puts service catalogue and SLAs in Growth and change, problem and release management in Pro. Jira Service Management keeps change management and advanced incident and problem management in Premium.
TOPdesk starts change and problem management in Engaged, its middle plan. SolarWinds Service Desk goes the other way and includes change management and CMDB in the entry plan, and HaloITSM has no tiers at all. Write down the processes you follow today, then find the cheapest plan that contains every one. A customer-service product such as Zoho Desk may not offer these records at all, whatever its price.
List the processes your auditors expect, such as change approval and problem records
Find the lowest plan that includes each, not the plan with the headline price
Ask whether the AI features you saw in a demo are in that plan or a paid add-on
Per agent, per technician or per endpoint: what the meter counts
The unit of charge decides how a service desk bill grows. Most products here bill per agent per month, and only people who work tickets count, so end users and requesters are free. SolarWinds Service Desk and ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus say technicians, and ServiceDesk Plus adds IT assets to its Professional and Enterprise prices.
SuperOps counts endpoints with a 150-endpoint minimum, which suits a large device fleet more than a ticket-only desk. Halo offers named and concurrent seats at one price, which suits shift work. Count your technicians at peak, your assets, and your devices, then price each meter before comparing totals. A per-agent price that looks higher can still cost less than a per-endpoint price once the fleet is large.
Count agents who work tickets, not everyone who submits one
Ask whether seats are named or concurrent and whether that changes the price
Check for minimums, such as a minimum number of users or endpoints
Cloud only, on-premises or open source: what independence costs
Most ITSM vendors now sell cloud subscriptions, but a few still let you keep the system inside your own estate. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus and Ivanti Neurons for ITSM offer on-premises deployment, and HaloITSM lists Halo Cloud, Private Cloud and on-premise. GLPI is open source under GPL-3.0, so you can install it yourself or rent a hosted instance whose cheapest tier runs on shared infrastructure.
TOPdesk offers a Virtual Appliance next to its EU-hosted service. SolarWinds Service Desk applies upgrades to every customer instance. Self-running removes the vendor dependency and adds patching, backup and upgrade hours to your own team. The cloud route moves that work to the vendor, and the price of that is a smaller say in when updates arrive.
Decide who patches, backs up and upgrades before choosing self-run
Ask a cloud vendor for its availability target and the restore time in writing
Check how many of your own hours a major upgrade took other customers
Getting your tickets and assets out again
A service desk accumulates years of tickets, knowledge articles and asset records, so the exit clause matters as much as the entry price. GLPI states in its cloud terms that on a written request it will hand over a full database copy and the attachments within 30 days, free of charge. Most other vendors in this ranking publish nothing equivalent on the pages we read.
BMC Helix ITSM and Ivanti Neurons for ITSM show no prices at all, which makes an exit cost hard to know. Before signing, ask what format the export takes, whether attachments and the audit history are included, and what is charged for help. A vendor that cannot answer these questions before signing is unlikely to answer them quickly on the day you leave.
Request a sample export of tickets and assets during the trial
Confirm in the contract whether the export is free and how long it takes
Ask how long the vendor keeps your data after you cancel
What goes wrong most often when buying ITSM software
Choosing on the entry price and discovering that change and problem management belong to a plan two steps up.
Counting only technicians and forgetting asset blocks, endpoint minimums or an AI add-on that is charged per agent.
Treating a customer-service helpdesk as an ITSM tool and then missing change records, a CMDB and asset tracking.
Signing for self-hosting without budgeting the patching, backup and upgrade hours that the vendor would otherwise carry.
07
Frequently asked questions
8 answers
What is the best ITSM software in 2026?
HaloITSM leads our ranking of 12. Halo Service Solutions, registered in the United Kingdom, sells HaloITSM per agent with every module and integration in one price, no tiers and no bolt-ons, and end users are not licensed.
Named and concurrent licences cost the same, and a 30-day trial needs no card. Onboarding packages are required with purchase at a bespoke cost, so the first ninety days carry a fee the list price leaves out.
Which ITSM tools publish their pricing?
9 of the 12, with the pricing model each one publishes:
HaloITSM: Per agent per month, published; 30-day trial.
TOPdesk: Three plans per agent per month, published.
GLPI: Open source; cloud per user per month and self-hosted subscriptions, published; 45-day trial.
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus: Free plan up to five technicians; per technician and per asset, published; 30-day trial.
Freshservice: Per agent per month, published; 14-day trial.
SysAid: Professional per agent per month, published; Enterprise quoted; trial offered.
Jira Service Management: Free plan for three agents; paid per agent per month, published.
SolarWinds Service Desk: Per technician per month, published; 30-day trial.
Zoho Desk: Free plan for three users; four paid editions per user per month, published.
The other 3 quote per organisation.
Is there a free ITSM tool?
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus, Jira Service Management, Zoho Desk offer a free tier or a free self-hosted edition.
Where are these ITSM software vendors established?
In 6 countries across 4 regions: North America 5, Europe 3, Asia-Pacific 2, Elsewhere 2.
HaloITSM: United Kingdom.
TOPdesk: Netherlands.
GLPI: France.
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus: India.
Freshservice: United States.
SysAid: Not stated by the vendor.
Jira Service Management: United States.
SolarWinds Service Desk: United States.
SuperOps: United States.
Ivanti Neurons for ITSM: United States.
BMC Helix ITSM: Not stated by the vendor.
Zoho Desk: India.
Which ITSM tools are open source?
GLPI.
Which ITSM tools can you host yourself?
HaloITSM, GLPI, ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus, Ivanti Neurons for ITSM. The other 8 are hosted by the vendor only.
What should you use instead of HaloITSM?
TOPdesk and GLPI are the next two on this page. TOPdesk is for Mid-sized organisations wanting published per-agent prices and EU data residency; GLPI is for Public bodies and technical teams wanting a free, self-hosted system.
Who should not buy HaloITSM?
Buyers who need an all-in fixed price including implementation. Onboarding packages are required with purchase and priced according to scope.
If your ITSM software product belongs among these 12, tell us what it does and who it is for. Inclusion is an editorial call; what a listing is and is not is set out under software advice.
