Quick answers
- Which ITSM tools publish their prices?
- Atlassian, Freshservice, Zendesk, Halo, ManageEngine and TOPdesk publish per-agent or per-technician prices. ServiceNow and Ivanti ask you to contact sales. Implementation, add-ons and usage charges are priced separately.
- Is Jira Service Management a full ITSM tool?
- Atlassian documents request, incident, problem, change, asset, configuration and knowledge management for it, with problem and change management on Premium and Enterprise.
What ITSM software needs to do
IT service management (ITSM) is how an IT team takes in, resolves and improves its services: requests, incidents, problems, changes, assets and knowledge. Every tool here handles requests and incidents; they differ on which plan includes problem and change, how they're priced, and the effort to run them.
The eight ITSM tools compared
Each vendor's packaging as listed on its own website on 19 October 2026.
| Platform | Why shortlist it | Problem and change | Published pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jira Service Management (Atlassian) | Same platform as Jira: "One platform from code to customer" | Premium and Enterprise plans | Yes, per agent; Free for 3 agents; customers are free |
| ServiceNow ITSM | Breadth: ITSM is one product among many, on one CMDB | ITSM Advanced and Prime, not Foundation | No: "Get Custom Quote" |
| Freshservice (Freshworks) | Published prices below Enterprise; ITIL accreditation across 14 practices | Pro and Enterprise plans | Yes, per agent, billed annually; Enterprise is "Custom" |
| Zendesk for IT Service Management | Extends Zendesk support to IT for existing Zendesk users | Offered; the plan isn't stated on its ITSM page | Yes, in US$ per agent; Suite Enterprise is "Talk to Sales" |
| Halo (HaloITSM) | Every module in one price; named or concurrent licences; portal users free | Included: "No tiers, no bolt-ons, no locked-away features" | Yes, per agent; onboarding package required, at bespoke cost |
| ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus | Free for up to five technicians; cloud and on-premises | Included in Enterprise; paid add-ons on Standard and Professional | Yes, per technician |
| TOPdesk | "Unlimited light agents (view rights)" on all three plans | Engaged and Excellent plans | Yes, per agent; prices "do not include taxes" |
| Ivanti ITSM | Cloud, on-premises or hybrid in one product | Listed among its ITSM processes | No: "Contact Sales" |
Which ITSM tool fits which situation?
Atlassian stopped selling Data Center to new customers on 30 March 2026; it goes read-only on 28 March 2029.
| Platform | Suits you if | Wrong choice if |
|---|---|---|
| Jira Service Management | IT and engineering already work in Jira | You need problem and change on Standard, or a new self-managed deployment |
| ServiceNow | Several ServiceNow products already support one operating model | You'd use a fraction of it, or want changes without specialist administrators |
| Freshservice | You want a standard IT desk at published per-agent prices | You need problem and change management below the Pro plan |
| Zendesk | Zendesk already runs your customer support | You need problem and change management on a known plan |
| Halo | You want one price, shared licences for shift agents, or on-premises | The required onboarding package is priced separately, per customer |
| ManageEngine | Budget is tight, or you need on-premises | You need a CMDB on Standard, where it's listed "NA" |
| TOPdesk | Many colleagues need read-only ticket access without agent licences | You need problem, change or SLA management on the entry plan |
| Ivanti | You need cloud, on-premises and hybrid in one evaluation | You need published pricing, or AI on-premises: check with Ivanti |
Senzo's ITSM selection framework: five checks before you shortlist
The tables show what each vendor sells. These checks, from our discovery and implementation work, show which fits.
Buying ITSM software in Australia
- Where your data is hostedAtlassian offers Australia (Sydney) residency for in-scope data; Zendesk, TOPdesk and ManageEngine list Australian locations. Ask the others.
- Currency and GSTAtlassian can't quote cloud in AUD and adds 10% GST; ManageEngine and Zendesk show US dollars, Halo offers AUD.
- AI featuresCheck which plan includes it and how it's metered; see our Rovo and Atlassian AI page.
- Who implements and supports itAsk who does the work, where they're based and how support runs in your time zone.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free ITSM tool?
Two of the eight: Atlassian's Free plan, for up to three agents, and ManageEngine's Standard Edition, for up to five technicians. Test on the plan you would buy.
What does Jira Service Management cost?
It's licensed per agent, and customers raising requests are free. Atlassian sells it within Service Collection with Assets and Rovo, plus usage charges above allowances. Our Jira Service Management pricing guide covers current prices.
Can we move from our current tool without losing our history?
It depends on what each platform can export and import. Decide what moves and what stays in an archive, then test on real records. See our helpdesk migration page and ServiceNow migration page.
How we compared these tools (1), last checked 19 Oct 2026
- Vendor facts come from each vendor's own website, checked on 19 October 2026; no review sites or analyst rankings, and we don't rank the platforms
Before you shortlist
Take the five checks into your demos. Our Jira Service Management and ITSM page covers how we implement it.